Staff Writer Welcome to part #3, the final part in our series of posts for “Understanding cannabis subspecies”. It’s pretty cool that you’ve stopped by to check out this article, but, do remember that there are 2 other posts that came before this one:
Without further ado, let’s jump into learning more about cannabis ruderalis!
Why understanding the cannabis subspecies is important
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Part #1 where the importance of understanding cannabis subspecies is explained in finer detail; This is Part #3, so by this point, those details should be predigested!
In a nutshell: There is a myriad of outcomes one can expect both when cultivating and consuming the various subspecies of cannabis.
Some grow more reliably in humid conditions than others do and some are better suited for the medical market space. Certain sub-species grow taller than others and some hardly contain any THC at all.
Ruderalis Subspecies Appearance
Ruderalis cannabis plants are an eerie subspecies that is sort of between Sativa and Indica when compared aesthetically. Some can be minute (1 foot), whereas the tallest of the bunch tend to not grow higher than 4 feet.
They have small, thick leaves (similar to Indica) with only a few branches at most to speak of. The stem of the plant is often more “fibrous” than that of the Sativa and Indica subspecies.
The small nature with a low branch count is the most obvious way to identify a Ruderalis plant, however, it is easier said than done. In some cases, where juvenile indica plants may be mistaken for adult Ruderalis.
Ruderalis Subspecies Effects & Uses
Typically speaking, Ruderalis plants have a rather low THC level and they likewise offer a much smaller yield. This makes them pretty much non-applicable for the recreational market space.
The CBD content can be relatively high in Ruderalis strains which tend to make them more applicable for medical use, however, expensive specialised extraction equipment is needed.
Given the fibrous nature of the plant, many commercial growers have seen a commercial application for manufacturing fabric and textiles.
Ruderalis Subspecies Growing Characteristics
The main thing that differentiates Ruderalis from Sativa and Indica is how this subspecies handles its flowering period. Instead of relying on a photoperiod range (change of season) to shift the growth phase from vegetative to flowering, Ruderalis plants rely on an “in-built timer” of sorts.
Regardless of seasonal changes, Ruderalis plants will almost always follow their inbuilt clocks and flower when they feel ready, not when the sun says so!
The time that it takes to reach the flowering stage depends on the genetics of the Ruderalis strain.
Autoflowering Cannabis Plants
I am sure that you are wondering where auto-flowering strains fall into all of this, right?
More often than not, when one talks about an “autoflowering” cannabis plant they are referring to a hybrid. This can be a “Ruderilas/Indica” hybrid or a “Ruderalis/Sativa” hybrid.
The result of either hybrid is a mix of the typical Sativa/Indica characteristics mixed with the small fast yielding nature of the Ruderalis. The outcome offers a slightly better yield than you would expect from a typical Ruderalis plant along with better THC levels.
There is a ton more to say about the awesomeness of autoflowering plants, so I think I will leave this off here and dedicate a full post to them in exclusivity.
What can we take from this?
Summing up, we can keep in mind that Ruderalis cannabis strains albeit odd and seemingly useless, can do a lot to help shape the cannabis industry.
Be it improving the CBD content for medical patients in commercial strains, adding to the fabric & textiles industry or just shortening the seed to flower cycle (autoflowering seeds), Ruderalis is going to leave its footprint somewhere!
Thanks for reading, I hope that you enjoyed this series on understanding cannabis subspecies 🙂
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