Indica plants tend to grow between 3 and 6 feet tall and are ideal for indoor cultivation. The flowering time of Indicas is much faster than that of Sativas (6-8 weeks), making it a more popular plant among amateur growers. Sativa plants can grow up to 20 feet tall. Cannabis sativa is found mainly in the hot and dry climates of Africa, Asia and Central America.
These strains grow into tall, slender specimens with long, slender leaves. Since they can exceed 3 m in height, Cannabis sativa usually takes much longer to mature than indica. Sativas, on the other hand, are stimulating and cerebral, improving creativity and productivity. Indicas provide what has been called a “body high”, while sativas provide more of a “mental high”.
Unfortunately, Sativa plants need more time to grow and produce less medicine (flowers) than indica varieties. This is why indica strains have traditionally dominated those available on the black market, where there is no concern for patient needs and the only goal is benefit. Indica cannabis cultivars are smaller in height than their Sativa counterparts, with broad, dark green leaves and a thicker appearance. Indica plants are popular with home growers due to their high yields and shorter flowering periods.
They generally mature faster than sativa cultivars under similar conditions, producing flowers in as little as eight weeks. While both plants have mostly green leaves, Indica is slightly darker than Sativa. Indica also has wider, fuller leaves. Indica plants generally grow short and wide, between 2 and 4 feet tall, making them better and easier to grow indoors.
Indicas tend to be shorter with broad leaves, while sativas tend to be taller and have thinner leaves. They also need less frequent feeding and fertilization, which helps reduce labor. Sativas can be worthwhile because of the brain and energy effects they offer. Their most demanding specific light needs are partially offset by their ability to resist mold better than you indicate them.
Sativa and Indica are the parent strains most used to create hybrids, but autoflowering or early-flowering hybrids with shorter growth times can be made using ruderalis strains. Examples of native strains include Durban Poison, a sativa from South Africa; Afghan Indica, from Afghanistan; Malawi Gold, a sativa from Southeast Africa; and Panama Red, a sativa from the country that bears his name. With such dramatic differences between indicas and sativas in terms of medicinal efficacy and patient experience, those who legally use medical cannabis must work with their doctor and dispensary to experiment with several strains that are already known to offer exceptional benefits to other patients, especially those with same condition. Both indica and sativa plants require special care and benefit from proper soil composition, climate control, and lighting as they establish root systems.
The two main types of cannabis, Sativa and Indica, are used for a variety of medicinal and recreational purposes. Because they were not bred or hybrid, native varieties offer a very pure example of Sativa or Indica, without human interference. Like indicas, regular (photoperiodic) Sativa strains require a change in the light cycle to begin flowering. Typically, hybrids will inherit the easy growth of indica plants while maintaining the highly sought after effects offered by sativas.
Indica and Sativa, the most commonly recognized cultivars, have distinctive physical characteristics and growth characteristics. For those with a little experience in growing, you can tame the height of your sativa specimens using the green screen technique (ScroG). How long a Sativa or Indica plant stays in a vegetative state depends entirely on its exposure to light. If you're thinking about growing cannabis and wondering whether to grow Indica or Sativa, your choice is likely based on the types of effects you want to experience.
The vast majority of photoperiodic strains (strains that start flowering based on a change in the light cycle) contain varying amounts of indica and sativa genetics. Sativa uses less chlorophyll during the vegetative cycle than Indica, resulting in light green leaves. Cannabis sativa plants originated near the equator, thriving in temperate regions with mild winters and long summers. .
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