Ruderal cannabis
Ruderalis Cannabis is a specific variety. It is a much more resilient variety than the other mentioned varieties and is mainly cultivated in the Northern Himalayas and in the southern states of the former Soviet Union.
This type of cannabis was named "ruderalis" because it is primarily found in nature in so-called "ruderal" locations, such as high-altitude mountain areas.
The term ruderalis is derived from the Latin "rudera", which is also the plural form of "rudus", a Latin word denoting gravel or rough pieces of metal.
In nature, this cannabis variety reaches a height of approximately 30 - 60 cm, with only a few branches on the sides and a relatively low number of leaves. It is characterized by its sparse appearance and lanky growth. Cannabis ruderalis has lower THC content in the wild compared to classic sativa or indica. For this reason, it has limited recreational use on its own.
However, Indian cannabis strains are often crossed with the ruderalis variety. This combination leads to increased THC content. These hybrids are known commercially as autoflowering plants. Autoflowering plants have almost all the positive properties of classic cannabis, but thanks to ruderalis they grow and flower faster. This opens up additional possibilities for growers.
Cannabis ruderalis is often overlooked, as sativa and indica cannabis have gained more fame:
- Hemp (sativa) is the most widely cultivated cannabis species in the Western world. Originally used primarily on an industrial scale for hemp fiber, oil, and feed. Hemp is characterized by tall growth, with few, widely spread branches and a specific leaf shape.
- Indian Cannabis (indica) originates mainly from South Asia and is characterized by shorter plant growth, but provides much more space for yield.
History of Ruderalis Cannabis
Ruderalis cannabis appeared thousands of years ago in areas of Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and Russia, where the growth of this variety continued. Ruderalis was first discovered by Russian botanist D. E. Janischewsky in 1924. He studied cannabis and noticed that this plant was different in size and shape from all previous ones.
Advantages of the Ruderalis Variety
The exclusive advantage of cultivating ruderal hemp is that this plant grows faster and automatically begins to flower upon reaching a specific age. Compared to sativa and indica, ruderalis does not require a reduction in the solar cycle. Cannabis of the ruderalis type has an interesting medical and shamanic tradition.
The oldest records date back to before our era. A bag of ruderalis cannabis seeds was found in a tomb in Mongolia. Until now, ruderalis has been used in Russian and Mongolian folk medicine to treat depression. Ruderalis has another key advantage: increased resistance to insect infestation and greater defense against bacterial infections.
Fast Flowering Seeds
All cannabis varieties begin to flower when day length drops below 13-14 hours. Fast-flowering seeds behave differently. Today's ruderalis varieties flower automatically once they reach a certain maturity, regardless of the solar period. Even under lighting exceeding 18 hours of daylight, these plants begin to flower after about 16 days in the growth phase, and the final maturation of such a plant is much shorter than the average 90 days for classic cannabis.
A great unknown remains what actually causes the flowering of these new varieties? Are they the plant's internal biological clock, a genetically predetermined number of cell divisions that must occur? Another possibility is that once the plant's hormone levels reach a certain threshold, the plant begins to flower.
Climate
One of the biggest problems associated with growing outdoor cannabis varieties in northern latitudes (such as Canada, Netherlands, etc.) is that harsh climate affects reduced psychoactive substance production. Growing autoflowering ruderalis plants in northern areas is ideal precisely in terms of quality results even with insufficient sunlight and colder climate. Cold environments contribute much more to high THC concentration in such plants.
Future
The future seems clear. Cultivating automatic plants (autoflowering) is suitable for outdoor and indoor growing. Demand for stabilized, autoflowering hybrids with high qualities is very easy today. New varieties of these hybrids are added daily, and with each new variety comes even better results. Some autoflowering models, although not tall, can compete with standard models, sometimes even double their size. 