Cannabis products in Louisiana are about to become much more accessible with cannabis flower coming to the menu for qualifying medical marijuana patients in 2022.
While many patients are excited to start shopping for cannabis flower, little thought might go into exactly how it’s grown to arrive on Louisiana dispensary shelves.
In this series we’ll cover how cannabis is grown, and how cannabis flower goes from a seed in the ground to dispensary shelves.
Cannabis Growing Stages – Germination
Germinate Your Cannabis Seeds!
Cannabis is a plant, and just like any plant it needs to be planted and grown to maturity before you can start reaping its benefits.
While many plants can be grown by simply adding a seed to the ground and watering occasionally, you need a bit more knowledge and effort with growing cannabis.
And one of the earliest steps in growing a cannabis plant is to germinate the seeds.
How to Germinate Cannabis Seeds
Fortunately, germinating cannabis seeds is quite easy and can be done in bulk very quickly by cannabis cultivators in Louisiana.
Most desirable cannabis seeds are brown with dark stripes, firm to the touch, and dry.
To get these seeds to produce a plant, they need to be germinated to cause the seed to sprout.
All that’s required to germinate seeds is to keep them in a warm, dark, and humid environment for between 12 hours and 7 days, or until they begin to sprout.
Most cultivators do this in batches where multiple seeds are germinated until they begin to sprout, at which point they can be transported into a small pot with soil for its first growing medium.
This is especially useful for traditional photoperiod cannabis plants, who have the potential to sprout both male and female plants, which would not be good for producing buds.
Expert Note: Cannabis plants come in either male or female form. Male cannabis plants do not produce buds, and female plants do. If male plants are left to grow near female plants, the male plants will pollinate the females, preventing them from producing buds as well.
In many cases, dispensaries or cultivators will acquire clones of cannabis plants rather than seeds, which are plants that are already in a more advanced growing stage that can be copied and regrown.
Cannabis Seed Grow Cycles
Types of Cannabis Grow Cycles
Depending on the type of seeds that are used, the plants will need different lighting and watering schedules.
While you can of course choose what type of strain your seeds will be, and whether they’re indica or sativa, there are also different choices of cannabis seeds to look at.
Traditional photoperiod cannabis seeds are grown based on the seasons, where they reach the maturity age for growing buds around autumn. These types of seeds are usually a tossup between male and females and require weeding out the males early in the lifecycle of the plant.
Autoflowering seeds are typically female-only seeds that don’t follow a photoperiod schedule to produce buds at the flowering stage. They begin to flower and produce buds on a specific time schedule as opposed to environmental changes and changes to light.
Expert Note: The life cycle of autoflowering seeds is also shorter than photoperiod plants, although the tradeoff is that typically they do not produce higher volume buds, and the buds are often not as large, dense, or attractive as photoperiod plants.
Feminized vs Regular Cannabis Seeds
Cannabis seeds can also come in regular form, where you can get a mixture of male, female, or hermaphrodite cannabis plants, or they can come feminized.
Having feminized seeds means they will produce only female plants, though they typically come at a higher price, so many cultivators choose to stick with clones or autoflowers.
Once your seeds are germinated and have begun sprouting those baby tap roots, your seed is ready to be transported to its first growing cup!
Get Your Louisiana Medical Marijuana Certification
Cultivators are working hard to bring cannabis flower to the menu for Louisiana in 2022. Becoming a medical marijuana patient is the only way to purchase and use medical marijuana products legally.
Beat the lines and get your medical marijuana certification in Louisiana today, and you can even get certified for medical marijuana online for ease of use and convenience.
For questions about Louisiana’s medical marijuana program, or how to become a medical marijuana patient in Louisiana, consult with one of our trusted doctors and book an online medical marijuana appointment today!
Doctors Who Care.
Relief You Can Trust.
At Louisiana Marijuana Card, our mission is helping everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce the stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
Call us at (833) 253-2943, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
Check out Louisiana Marijuana Card’s Blog to keep up to date on the latest medical marijuana news, tips, and information. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to join the medical marijuana conversation in Louisiana!
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