Choosing a strain to grow indoors is not always an easy task. Each strain will have different traits, the growing cycle may vary, the taste, the smell and the effect it has on the person consuming the cannabis will depend on what type of plant you have and how you went about growing it.
The majority of indoor marijuana growers, especially those who grow in small grow rooms or tents, tend to use Indica plants. Sativa strains originate from warmer climates and can be found in countries like Thailand and Cambodia, while Indica plants originate in areas that experience harsher climates, such as Pakistan and Afghanistan.
There are lots of variations of Indica seeds available nowadays. There are plenty of traditional and online seed shops that have a large variety to choose from. Websites like https://amsterdammarijuanaseeds.com/seedshop-autoflowering-seeds stock lots of top quality feminized, autoflowering, and regular seeds. Before we get started, let’s have a look at what the benefits are when consuming cannabis produced from Indica seeds.
Advantages of using Indica Seeds
Plenty of people use cannabis products to help them to relax and take a break from the world for a while. If this is what you are looking for, perhaps cannabis buds from an Indica plant are exactly what you need.
Unlike Sativa buds, it gives the user a “body high” which affects the person’s whole body, not just their head. If you were to ingest cannabis grown from an Indica strain, you can expect your senses to be more enhanced. The way you hear sounds, smell things, and touch things might all be different, while leaving you in a relaxed state. Individuals claim they can feel extremely relaxed and can cause users to sit down for long periods which is known as “couch lock” or a “lazy body high”.
Some use Indica strains to treat medical purposes such as:
- Chronic pain relief
- Reduce levels of stress
- Helps treat anxiety
- Migraines
- Spasms
The strain is known to make people feel drowsy and many use it to help them battle insomnia. Although some people feel the Indica strain helps them be more creative, the Sativa strain is more likely to help you become more productive and inspire creativity.
Regular users recommend you use this strain at night time as it will make you feel tired. It is also common for users to feel giddy, so it is a perfect strain to relax and watch a movie. It is known to increase the user’s appetite and can encourage people to snack on unhealthy foods.
Don’t Grow for a Long Time and Keep the Plants Small
To make sure you have a large number of buds when it comes to harvesting time, aim to grow quickly and small. The idea is to pack as many plants into your grow area and limit the amount of time they have for vegging. To achieve this, here are a couple of methods:
- Sea Green Dutch method: To use this easy technique you must allow your plants to veg for a couple of weeks. After, you switch on your LED lights and begin the flowering phase. This ensures that the plants stay small, which allows you to grow many of them, even if you don’t have a lot of space in your grow area. You don’t need to train nor prune the plants. If all goes to plan, it will reduce the grow cycle by two months! If you decide to use the Sea Green Dutch method, it is probably best if you use clones instead of starting from a seed.
- Screen of Green: You will need to have a screen available so that you can train the plants so that they grow horizontally and not vertically. This will help form a canopy. The aim of this technique is to allow light access to reach each of the budding sites. This technique is proven to be one of the most efficient methods of growing out there.
Unlike Sativa plants, Indica doesn’t tend to grow leggy and tall. Some Sativa plants grow to incredible heights, making it difficult to grow successfully indoors. Indica plants are often robust, short, bushy plants with very thick, healthy leaves. Although these plants can look extremely healthy, doesn’t mean you should avoid training them.
Expose Indica Plants to Cold Air
Consider where Indica plants originated from. They are robust so they can handle tough conditions in mountainous parts of Asia so exposing them to cold temperatures will help. These strains are used to changes in the weather and can adapt and thrive when the grow room’s temperature drops below 15°F on a nightly basis. To get the best results, don’t forget this, especially during the flowering phase.
The Importance of Drying and Curing
Don’t think all your work is complete after the harvest. In fact, two of the most important phases of the growing process is drying and curing the plant’s buds. Without drying and curing properly, Indica buds are prone to mold so you must handle them with extreme caution. To make sure you prepare your Indica buds correctly, follow these simple steps:
- Dry the buds in a dark room
- Make sure the room or the tend you are using to dry the buds has decent ventilation
- Avoid blowing air directly onto the buds. Although the outside of the buds might seem dry, there is a strong possibility that the inside will get moldy
- You will notice when your plants are dry because the big stems will start to crack instead of bending.
- You can cure the buds in a glass jar, but make sure to keep a close on them. Let some air into the jar a couple of times per day for approximately 15 minutes.
Just because you have grown beautiful buds, don’t harvest your plant too early. This could have a major effect on the marijuana’s THC content. Drying and curing is the final stage, so you don’t want all your hard work going to waste.
