Cannabis Sativa

 

Cannabis is an incredibly diverse plant that comes in many varieties. Each strain has unique properties when it comes to its appearance, how it grows, and the effects it produces when consumed. Usually, when you buy cannabis in stores or online, you’ll notice that cannabis strains are split into categories- sativa strains, indica strains, and hybrid strains.

Sativa cannabis strains are considered to be more stimulating in comparison to indica strains. While indica strains are prominent for making you feel stoned and sedated, sativa strains can boost your mind and make you feel more alert, focused, and creative. But the differences don’t stop there. Sativa plants also grow differently to indica plants and can be used for various purposes.

If you’re not familiar with sativa cannabis, you might be interested to know what the plants look like, their uses, and what kind of effects and benefits to expect from using sativa marijuana. It also helps to know how sativa strains differ from indica and what sativa-dominant means. Here’s a guide to everything you need to know about sativa cannabis.

What Is Sativa Cannabis

Sativa cannabis is one of the main species of plants in the cannabis family. While there’s a wide variety of sativa strains each with unique properties, these plants differ significantly to indica cannabis plants when it comes to how they look, how they grow, and what they’re used for.

The main thing you’ll notice about sativa plants is how tall they are. While indica plants are usually short and bushy with dense buds, sativa plants can grow exceptionally tall- sometimes up to 20 feet. They usually look long and lean and the buds are often also narrow in shape.

Compared to indica plants, sativa plants can be tougher to grow. They take longer and require much more space due to their height. You’ll notice that many stores have more indica strains than sativa strains as they’re more difficult to grow. With that said, many growers still enjoy growing sativa plants due to the amazing effects they can produce.

Interestingly, sativa cannabis plants are grown for more than just marijuana. Hemp is a strain of cannabis sativa, and hemp fibers are often used in things like jewelry, clothing, building materials, and food products. Hemp extracts are also used to create CBD products, especially as these plants are high in CBD and low in THC.

However, many sativa strains contain high levels of THC among other cannabinoids and terpenes. They’re known for invigorating effects and flavorful buds, and you’ll notice that many popular and well-known marijuana strains are sativa strains.

What Do Sativa Cannabis Plants Look Like?

Sativa cannabis plants are usually easily recognizable, especially due to their tall size and thin leaves. While indica plants usually grow to around 3-6 feet tall and are covered in bushy leaves, sativa plants are much longer and more spread out.

Under the right conditions, some sativa cannabis plants can reach heights of 20 feet tall. While indica plants look bushy, the stems of sativa plants are usually more spread out. Sativa plants are usually longer in color and the leaves look long, narrow, and fan-like.

The buds of sativa strains are also unique. Instead of being dense and bushy, sativa buds are long and thin. Sativa plants often grow “foxtails”- clusters of cannabis flowers that grow in spiky, tower-like formations.

They’re usually more wild-looking than indica counterparts, especially as they can grow exceptionally tall with widely-spread leaves. They can take a while to fully mature, but some sativa plants can produce impressive yields due to how tall they grow and how many buds they produce.

If you want to try cannabis sativa for yourself, you can find plenty of strains online. You can also find a range of indica strains, hybrid strains, and various other high-quality cannabis products at marijuana dispensaries in Colorado Springs.