Welcome to the fascinating world of the cannabis plant. Whether you’re a seasoned cultivator, a curious enthusiast, or intrigued by the science behind this versatile plant, this article tells you all you need to know.
We take you on a journey where you’ll discover the marijuana plant’s anatomy and its life cycles. Here, you can explore the intricate structures that make up this plant and uncover the hidden wonders of its growth and development. Keep reading to learn more about the marvelous world of the humble marijuana plant.
The marijuana plant is a herb with the scientific name Cannabis. The dried flowers of this herb are what produce the greenish-gray mixture we all know and love as marijuana.
People use many different names for marijuana, depending on where you are and who you’re talking to. Common names for marijuana include weed, pot, ganja, dope, mary jane, grass, and hash.
Some folks use it for medical reasons, while others find it helps them relax or enjoy themselves. This makes it a versatile natural product for enhancing your life.
Marijuana owes its effects to the compounds it contains. Some of these, like terpenes and flavonoids, have certain health benefits. But the main reasons behind marijuana’s benefits for health and mental well-being are the cannabinoids THC and CBD.
These cannabinoids act on the human body’s endocannabinoid system, offering natural relief for various issues like pain, inflammation, and nausea. Many users also report a more restful mood and better sleep with marijuana use. That makes it ideal for anyone suffering from anxiety, stress, and insomnia.
As more and more research studies extoll the growing list of benefits of these cannabinoids, you may be eager to grow it yourself. So, let’s cover the history of its cultivation next.
Marijuana has a fascinating history that even seasoned users may be unaware of.
Did you know that the cannabis plant has been cultivated for use by humans for millennia? Historical evidence suggests that the cannabis plant was used for various purposes as far back as 6500 BCE and as a medicinal drug in Ancient China. Even the Greek historian Herodotus spoke of it!
Throughout history, cannabis has been grown and used for everything from hemp rope and fiber to religious psychoactive use to herbal medicine. However, it is the latter use that shows the most promise. Cannabis has come a long way from those ancient shamanic rituals and practical hemp uses.
In modern times, with scientific research well established, many studies have been done into marijuana’s benefits for both mental and physical health. As time passes, we will no doubt learn of even more remarkable properties of this ancient herb.
But what do we know of its structure and life cycle? Let’s take a closer look at that now.
The anatomy of a cannabis plant is far more complex than you might imagine, with many different parts contributing to the plant’s life cycle and growth. By understanding what these parts are and their function, we gain deeper insight into the miracle of marijuana.
Female cannabis plants produce seeds that carry male and female genetic material. These seeds must germinate to sprout and grow the taproot, which becomes the plant’s main anchor.
Male plants do not produce seeds; they generate pollen grains that pollinate female flowers, leading to seed production.
The cannabis root system grows down from the central stalk into the soil. This primary root is called a taproot when it grows from a seed.
Like other plants, the roots are not just there for stability in the growing medium. They also fulfill a much more essential function – extracting nutrients, water, and oxygen to channel to your marijuana plant for health and sustained growth.
The main stem or stalk of the marijuana plant grows straight up from the root system. This lends support to the branches, leaves, and eventually, flower buds.
Although this stem is necessary for greater stability, some growers find that cutting it down a bit at the nodes forces the marijuana plant to produce more robust sideways growth with more bud sites. This procedure is standard with many types of plant cultivation and is known as “topping.”
No matter what plant you grow, it’ll have nodes. These are the points where the branches grow off the main stem or divide into another branch. The same goes for the marijuana plant.
Leaves and buds can grow on some nodes, but they don’t grow on all of them.
The space between nodes is known as the “internodal spacing,” which can indicate how tall your plant will grow.
Marijuana plant branches grow from the main stem and spread out laterally (sideways).
These lateral branches support leaves and buds. Of course, “topping” these branches, if done correctly, will produce even more buds.
The leaves play an essential role in the continued growth and development of your marijuana plant by assisting with photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a process that all green, leafy plants undergo to convert light energy into sugars for growth and development.
Petioles are essentially the leaf’s “stem” or “stalk.” They bridge the leaf blade (the flat, expanded part of the leaf) and the main plant structure. They support the leaf and help transport water, nutrients, and sugars between it and the rest of the plant.
Cotyledon leaves are the first to grow from the seed after germinating. Cotyledon leaves usually grow in pairs. As soon as you spot them, you’ll know that germination has been successful.
They are the first sign that your marijuana plant is healthy and growing. They also jumpstart the process of photosynthesis, which is necessary for the plant’s survival.
Those large leaves that have become iconic in representing the cannabis plant are called fan leaves. It’s their primary job to capture light for the plant for photosynthesis, taking over where the cotyledon leaves left off.
This process takes place in the mesophyll cells of the marijuana plant’s fan leaves. These cells are situated under the leaf surface. Fan leaves are typically discarded when trimming the plant, as they contain a negligible resin content.
The small, resin-coated leaves that buds (flowers) form around are called sugar leaves. Their task is to protect these delicate flowers from external forces like harsh weather and the elements.
Sugar leaves that are trimmed during harvest are often saved for use in other cannabis products. These include pre-rolls, oils, edibles, topicals, cannabis tea, and hash concentrates.
The flowers of a cannabis plant, otherwise known as buds, are what you’re after as a cannabis grower. This is where you’ll find cannabinoids and terpenes with all those benefits. The flowers must be harvested and dried before consumption.
However, only female plants produce the flowers that you need. The male plants have pollen sacs for pollinating the female plants’ flowers. This initiates seed production for growing future marijuana plants.
The marijuana you smoke will typically come from seedless female plants that were not pollinated. This is because fertilized plants produce a lower concentration of cannabinoid content.
There are also features called colas. Colas are the bud sites where clusters of flower buds grow tightly together.
You may spot smaller colas on the lower branches of the marijuana plant, but the main cola is always found at the top. This cola is sometimes called the apical bud.
A bract is a formation that cradles the female reproductive parts of the marijuana plant. The calyx is a translucent layer over the ovule at the base of a flower.
Bracts appear as green, tear-shaped, leaf-like structures covered in resin glands. These glands produce the highest concentration of terpenes and cannabinoids.
The calyxes, invisible to the naked eye, are hidden within the folds of the bracts.
The reproductive parts of a marijuana plant’s flowers are found in parts called pistils. Each of these pistils can then be further broken down into a stigma, style, and ovary.
The pistil is a reliable indicator of a female marijuana plant. The pistil emerges from the pod-like calyx and is characterized by wispy “hairs.” As the plant matures, these hairlike protrusions can change from white to yellow, orange, red, and even brown.
The stigma is the sticky, often bulbous structure at the tip of the pistil. It is the part of the pistil that receives pollen during pollination. The sticky surface helps trap pollen grains when they come into contact with it. Stigmas are connected to the seed-producing ovaries via slender stalks, called styles.
Trichomes are clear, bulbous globes that secrete the flavonoids, aromatic oils known as terpenes, and the therapeutic cannabinoids THC and CBD. Hash production depends on these trichomes and their potent resins.
The original function of these mushroom-shaped glands on leaves, stems, and calyxes is protective, safeguarding the plant against the elements and predators. Although they can appear all over the plant, they are primarily found on leaves and flower buds.
The cannabis plant is what is known as a dioecious plant. This means that a cannabis plant can be either male or female, with either male or female reproductive organs.
The male plants pollinate the female plants, producing seeds for both male and female future plants. And the marijuana you enjoy is the result of the female plants. They have resin-secreting flowers, which are trimmed down to provide the buds that marijuana users smoke.
But that doesn’t mean that the male plants’ only function is pollination. They can also be used to produce a variety of hemp fiber products or THC concentrates. Their THC content will be far lower than that of female plants, though.
A marijuana plant is typically male or female, with half the genetic characteristics coming from either sex involved in the fertilization process. However, although rare, some cannabis plants are hermaphrodites. Growers refer to this as “herming out.”
A hermaphrodite plant has both sex organs in the form of buds and sacs. They sometimes have anthers instead, which are banana-shaped, pollen-producing stamens. A hermaphrodite plant will sometimes pollinate itself.
But this is not something you want, as the seeds it produces will pass on the hermaphrodite trait. This is why growers remove such plants as soon as they notice these anomalies before this trait can be passed on to other plants.
Early prevention of this issue is best so that you don’t lose out on a large volume of your crop. Therefore, you should try to avoid this from happening. Hermaphroditism is usually due to stresses such as excessive temperatures or damage to a plant’s structure in the early stages.
The above-mentioned parts all have their roles to play in the key stages of the marijuana plant’s life cycle.
The initial stage of the marijuana plant’s life cycle is germination. This happens when the seed sprouts and emerges from the soil. Following germination, the seed begins to develop into the first form of your future marijuana plant, which is called a seedling.
Within 2 to 3 weeks after germination, a cannabis seedling will form its cotyledon leaves. These leaves will allow the initial stages of photosynthesis that convert light into energy and ultimately into food for the plant.
In its vegetative state, a cannabis plant is actually, contrary to the name, rather busy developing. The length of the vegetative state in a cannabis plant can vary depending on several factors, including the specific strain, growing conditions, and the desired size of the plant. The vegetative stage typically lasts anywhere from 3 to 16 weeks.
This stage is when the stalks, branches, and fan leaves grow. The fan leaves take over the vital process of photosynthesis as the plant races to the flowering stage.
Want to know how to determine the sex of your marijuana plant? Pre-flowers (beginning stages of male and female reproductive organs) will appear at the nodes within the first couple of weeks. You’ll easily be able to pinpoint if your plant has pollen sacs or pollen-catching stigmas.
The flowering stage of a cannabis plant typically occurs after the vegetative stage, once the plant has reached a certain level of maturity. The timing of the flowering stage depends on the specific cannabis strain.
The flowering stage begins on average between 8 to 11 weeks. The plant starts producing buds and readies itself for reproduction.
Male pollen sacs usually open up and disseminate pollen through the air to fertilize the female plants about 4-6 weeks after the flowering stage begins.
When your cannabis plant has fully grown and matured, it is time to harvest it. This is a crucial stage that involves the drying process and trimming phase. There are two techniques for trimming: dry trimming and wet trimming.
You may have a preference for one method over the other. But, regardless of your choice, it is essential to first remove the fan leaves before starting the trimming process.
You can do this by hand or with a trimming tool or scissors. Take care that when you dispose of the fan leaves, you don’t do the same with the sugar leaves. These are the ones close to the buds, and they have a high cannabinoid content. You can use them later for extraction.
Dry trimming is the method of trimming marijuana plants that have been cut, hung, and left to dry.
Wet trimming is done before drying. This can be easier, as the drying process sometimes makes the leaves and flowers clump together, making them harder to separate.
Cut the plants at their base to harvest them. Once you’ve harvested your marijuana plants, it’s time to process the harvest. Whether you trim the fan leaves before or after drying is up to you. But the plant has to be dried to process it.
Hang them upside down in a designated drying space with a fan. The ideal conditions for your drying room area are around 50% humidity and room temperature, approximately 70°F. Sunlight’s UV rays can degrade cannabis, so keep your drying area dark. Drying will take up to a week.
Once your plants are completely dry, snip off all the branches and trim them. This entails removing all the buds from the stems.
Place the dried buds in some glass jars and store them in a cold, dark and dry space. Every day, remove the lids for about 15 minutes and check for signs of mold.
This curing process can take a few weeks but is necessary for the rich development of your marijuana buds’ terpene profiles.
Growing your own marijuana plants can be a satisfying experience. However, at Embarc, we offer a variety of cannabis products to cater to all users’ needs, making it easy to enjoy the benefits of marijuana without the hassle of plant growing.
Whether you use cannabis products as edibles for stress relief, in vapes for pain relief, or even in topicals for fighting inflammatory conditions, we’ve got you covered. Buy online or at one of our neighborhood shops to get the best cannabis at the best prices.
