What’s your favourite cannabis strain? Chances are you have a few that are at the top of your list. Why they are your favourite is unique to you. You may like the effects that particular strain offers, the taste it has, the aroma it puts off, or all of the above.
If you are new to cannabis, the sheer number of choices you have as you shop for a strain to try can be overwhelming. After all, there are more than 1,000 different cannabis strains on the market today, and more are being created each year by crafty growers.
As you shop for cannabis strains, you are faced with many choices. One of the first is what type of plant you want: Indica, Sativa, or a Hybrid. From here, you’ll be able to find the strain you want.
Hybrid plants are among the most popular with cannabis users. As you search for the best strain to try, you’ll likely find yourself sorting through a lot of hybrid plants. But, what exactly is a hybrid cannabis plant, and how did they come to be? Let’s find out.
A Look at Indica and Sativa Plants
Before you can understand what a hybrid is, you’ll need to know what Indica and Sativa plants are.
There are two main types of cannabis plants: Indica and Sativa. Each of these plants has a unique appearance and is generally thought to offer specific types of effects.
Indica cannabis plants generally grow shorter and have short, wide leaves. Though each Indica strain is unique, these are thought to generally provide users with a body high that provides feelings of relaxation, pain relief, and can even help people get to sleep. Because of these effects, most people use Indica strains in the evening and at nighttime.
Sativa cannabis plants, on the other hand, grow taller than Indica plants do. They also have thin, long leaves. They are typically thought to produce a head high that can increase the user’s energy, create feelings of euphoria, and improve alertness. Sativas are generally recommended for daytime use by users.
Enter: The Hybrid
As you likely have guessed, a hybrid is a cannabis plant that is created by crossing a Sativa plant with an Indica one. This creates a brand-new strain that will have attributes from each of its parents.
There are many reasons growers may create a hybrid cannabis plant, including:
- It allows growers to create a plant that has the best attributes from its parents. By doing this, they can take what makes specific strains popular and put them into a new strain that will appeal to more users and likely sell to more customers.
- Growers can also make hybrids with the goal of improving their yields. If specific plants grow well and have a high yield, they can breed two high-producing plants together and create a strain that produces even higher yields.
- Users also enjoy hybrids because they can offer balanced effects. Since they combine Indica and Sativa, users may get to enjoy relaxing effects offered by Indica plants that also allow them to maintain their energy, thanks to the Sativa plant’s influence.
Creating hybrids offers benefits to consumers in the form of strains that feature improved quality, appealing aromas, unique tastes, and preferred effects. Growers benefit as they can create strains that produce high yields and a product that is more appealing to their customers.
How a Hybrid Is Made
Making a hybrid plant is similar to how humans and animals make babies: it requires a male and a female.
Cannabis plants can be either male or female. But only female plants produce the sticky buds that cannabis users enjoy smoking and otherwise using. Males, however, are still important and are needed for breeding.
To make a hybrid, growers will first choose the strains they want to crossbreed. They will then use the male to pollinate the female plant. Once pollinated, the female will start to produce seeds that have genes from both parent plants.
Growers will then take these seeds and harvest and grow them separately. The resulting product is a brand-new strain, a hybrid plant.
What the Dominant Distinction Means
As you browse the many hybrid options out there today, you’ll likely see plants listed as Sativa-dominant or Indica-dominant. It may even then list the breakdown (such as 70 percent Indica-dominant).
This refers to what genetics the hybrid most favours. So, a 70 percent Indica-dominant plant is 70 percent Indica and 30 percent Sativa. Because of this, users can assume the effects they’ll experience may tend more toward the Indica side. The more even the split between the two, the more balanced the effects users may experience.
Keep in mind, however, that all strains are unique, and everyone’s body processes and reacts to cannabis differently. That means the effects you feel will be unique to you. To fully prepare yourself for the effects your chosen hybrid will offer, be sure to read reviews of each strain before you buy.
A Summary of Hybrids
There are many different cannabis strains on the market today. Each strain offers cannabis users a unique experience. Of all the options out there, hybrid plants make up the majority of the strains on the market today.
Hybrid cannabis plants are created by crossing a Sativa plant and an Indica plant to create a new strain. This new strain will bring the best genetics its parent plants has to offer. Not only does creating hybrids allow growers to make new strains that appeal to more users, but these new strains can also produce higher yields and be easier to grow.
When choosing a hybrid plant, you’ll see them listed as either Sativa or Indica-dominant. This can help give you an idea of the type of effects you’ll experience. But, since everyone and every plant is different, be sure to read reviews of the strain on the dispensary website to see the effects others have experienced before you buy.
