Glossary of Cannabis Terms

Auto-flowering – Autoflower – Cannabis ruderalis

A variety or subspecies of Cannabis that flowers irrespective of light cycle or season. While they were discovered in Siberia, where seasonal conditions are harsh, Cannabis breeders have developed methods for passing the autoflowering trait to hybridized Cannabis plants suitable for many environments. Now, it is common to see Autoflowering Cannabis across Europe, The Americas, and some subtropical and tropical regions. See “Introduction to Autoflowering Cannabis” on our educational page for more information.

Cannabis

Cannabis is a dioecious, annually flowering plant with three known species: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. Sativa are characterized by a tall plant that needs a long time to flower and mature. Indica were discovered in more temperate climates and tend to be bushy, with wide fan leaves, and ripen early in the harvest season. Ruderalis initiates the flowering phase automatically upon reaching a level of maturity, regardless of season. A ruderalis cultivar is capable of flowering mid summer, and ready for harvest before the season changes. Each of these species of Cannabis produce varying levels and combinations of cannabinoids, which are compounds unique to the genus of Cannabis that can interact with human physiology via the endocannabinoid system. Historically, Cannabis has been harvested for cannabinoids or for textile manufacturing purposes. Over time, these species of Cannabis are selectively bred and hybridized to meet the evolving needs of cultivators.

Cannabinoids

Cannabinoids are biochemical compounds that are unique to the cannabis plant. Interestingly, many living organisms including humans have chemo-receptors that only bind cannabinoids and have been aptly named cannabinoid receptors.

CBG

CBG is short for Cannabigerol, which as recently been referred to as the “mother of all’’ cannabinoids” as it is typically the first cannabinoid observed to develop on a cannabis plant. CBG is then synthesized into other cannabinoids via enzymatic activity and environmental factors (like heat and light). The cannabinoid synthesis pathways beginning with CBG are currently of principal interest to pharmaceutical researchers.

The Pharmacological Case for Cannabigerol.

CBN

CBN is short for Cannabinol, which is a Cannabinoid found in Cannabis that is synthesized from the exposure of cannabinoids to light. It is thought to be a potential sleep aid should it ever be isolated, and may be useful in stimulating appetite.

Clone

A clone is a cutting from a Cannabis plant to be propagated for future cultivation. Cutting clones from a mother plant is the best way to preserve genetics or guarantee that future crops are identical. Cloning is an invaluable skill for any grower to learn. The process includes cutting a small branch 6-8 inches long, trimming off most leaves and nodes except for the ones at the top, plugging the cut end into a well prepared medium, and allowing the cut to develop roots.

Cross (genetics)

A cross refers to Breeding two different cultivars with unique traits together to ensure the offspring have improved upon one or both parent plants. A new cross is designated by “F1” meaning first filial generation. These F1 plants can be bred with each other, “backcrossed”, or “In-bred” to highlight certain traits. Breeding F1 seeds with each other will take them to the next filial generation, F2, and this can be repeated to F3, F4, etc

• A Backcross (Bx) is a cultivar that has been selectively bred with one of its prior parents to select for traits expressed more by one parent than the other. Backcross seeds are notated BX, BX2, BX3, etc.
• An In-Bred Line (IBL) refers to multiple generations of selectively breeding a strain with itself (or another genetically similar cultivar).
• A “selfed” seed (S1) is made by pollinating a cannabis plant with itself. This is accomplished by cloning the female plant to be “selfed” and reversing its sex upon flowering to make it produce pollen, and using that same pollen on a clone left to flower as female.
• Cure/dry The process of drying freshly harvested Cannabis for long term storage. This is best achieved by hanging plants in a dark, dry, room with constant air flow until branches “snap” under stress, then storing trimmed product in a cool dry place. Storing cured Cannabis in an air-tight jar and away from light may help to extend its shelf life. Consider your environment when drying and curing. For example, drying may take longer in Michigan than in southern California
• Cultivar

A general term referring to a particular domesticated plant. In Cannabis, this typically refers to the subspecies, more commonly referred to as “strain”. Consider, in the same way that citrus cultivars are selectively bred to yield modern citrus like lemons, limes, oranges, etc, cannabis cultivars are bred and selected for traits like potency, yield and aroma.

Flowering Time

The “flowering time” is how long the Cannabis flower requires to mature, or ripen, typically expressed in days or weeks. Flowering times can vary by genetic and environmental conditions. In the case of genetics, most growers are familiar with photoperiod cultivars, which are stimulated to flower by changes in light .

Flowers

Flowers are the reproductive organs of plants. Cannabis is a dioecious plant, meaning it produces offspring that are either male or female for sexual reproductive purposes. It is common practice to separate male and female cannabis plants to ensure the females develop mature flowers rather than too many seeds. Mature Cannabis flowers are typically sticky, smelly and covered in little crystals and orange hairs.

Genotype

The unique combination of inherited genetic material of an organism. Siblings of the same parents have inherited similar genetic material but in different combinations, resulting in different genotypes. Similarly, two Cannabis seeds are both genetically Cannabis, yet they have different genotypes. “Phenotype” refers to the expression of a specific genotype. Consider two Cannabis plants stretch to different heights: “Stretch” is obviously within both plants’ genotypes, one expresses a phenotype resulting in more stretching than the other.

Heirloom

Traditionally referring to a variety of plant that has not been commercially cultivated. Heirloom Cannabis strains may have avoided commercial propagation, but were distributed from where they are indigenous via community at large.

Hermaphrodite

A Cannabis plant that produces both male and female parts is a hermaphrodite. The inter-sex expression is thought to be a survival trait for Cannabis to ensure that seeds are made for the next generation and can be triggered by a number of stressors and factors. Both male Cannabis and female Cannabis plants can develop into hermaphrodites. It is critical to identify the sex of Cannabis plants and separate males from females as soon as they present to minimize risk of seeding crops. Hermaphrodites risk not only self pollinating, but pollinating plants in near-by gardens.

Indica

Indica is the second species of the Genus, Cannabis, to be discovered. First identified in the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountain range, this species was given the name Cannabis indica, meaning “of India”. Cannabis indica evolved growing in temperate climates and tends to grow bushy with broad leaves, and tight internodal spacing. They tend to be shorter and finish faster than Cannabis sativa.

IPM

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) means recognizing bugs like plants, and dealing with it. There are a number of bugs/pests that love to eat your plants, and some of them can cause serious damage that can resemble disease or pathogens. A variety of prevention and intervention methods exist to keep the bad bugs off of your plants, so it is critical to identify the culprit to find the best plan of action. Factors such as region, climate, and growing indoors or outdoors will influence the pests that prefer a garden and the remedy for such pests. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Male Plant Male Plants do not produce female flower parts. Instead, they have stamens which produce pollen and look like little bulbs, or “balls”. The stamen will open to reveal little pollen sacs called “anthers”, which look like hanging bananas when pollen is viable. It is important to learn how to identify the sex of Cannabis plants early and separate males from females for a successful harvest.

Mother (plant)

A female plant kept in the vegetative phase for the purpose of producing clones, or strain preservation. By keeping a healthy mother and rotation of clones, a cultivator can continue to grow one’s favorite strain year after year. Having both a clone room and a mother room that can be kept at around 18 light hours are critical for ensuring the success of a commercial scale cultivation facility.

Phenotype

An observable trait, or set of traits, an individual expresses from its genotype. In Cannabis this term is used to describe variation between plants within the same strain. One may grow 12 Cannabis plants from seeds from the same mother plant and notice differences in height, smell, color, potency, even shape of the flower. A “pheno-hunt” would require cloning all 12 of those plants, comparing as many traits as possible, and selecting the best plant, or “pheno”, to keep in perpetuity. This partly explains the naming structure for well known clone-only plants like GG#4, the #4 phenotype from the hunt.

Pollen

Pollen is produced in the stamen of male Cannabis plants and is necessary for making seeds. “Feminized” seeds can be made by forcing a female plant to produce pollen. Find more about making your own seeds under our educational tutorials tab.

Potency

Referring to concentration of cannabinoids in Cannabis. The greater the concentration of cannabinoids the more potent the strain.

Ruderalis

Ruderalis is a subspecies of Cannabis that enters the flowering phase automatically, thus earning the nickname “autoflower”. It was originally discovered in Siberia, suggesting that Cannabis developed the ability to flower in harsh conditions during limited growing seasons. Modern Cannabis has been cross bred with Ruderalis resulting in plants that are potent and easy to grow.

Sativa

Sativa is the species designation below the genus, Cannabis. Derived from Latin, sativa means “cultivated.” Cannabis sativa is said to have been discovered in south east Asia or the middle east, but has been widely distributed and cultivated throughout the world. Many notable Sativa strains were cultivated in Thailand, Hawaii, Mexico, and other Subtropical environments. Being native to subtropical regions, these plants flower late into the season and stretch considerably.

SOG (Sea of Green)

A canopy management technique used to optimize the area of Cannabis exposed to its light source. Plants are “topped”, or have their tallest and newest growth removed, to encourage lower branch growth. Branches are then held down to encourage as much lateral growth as possible. Then, the plant is pruned to remove much of the lower canopy. This yields many branches with many tops filling up a large grow space in a manageable fashion.

Strain

A term borrowed from microbiology and virology in reference to genetic taxonomy, or naming structure, for a category below the species designation. Cannabis is the genus to which the plant belongs. Sativa and Indica would be the species designation. With Cannabis, strain is the term commonly used to designate subspecies, although the term “cultivar” may be more phylogenetically appropriate.

Stretch/Stretching

Stretch is a general term used to describe how much taller a Cannabis can, in particular during the flowering phase. Sativa varieties are identified by their long, tall branches and can continue to grow vertically until the day of harvest. Indica varieties tend to be bushy and typically do not stretch much during the flower phase. Most Cannabis grown today has been hybridized, and therefore traits like stretch can vary by cultivar.

Terpene

Terpenes are oily compounds produced by plants that are responsible for their aromas. Cannabis is renowned for its ability to produce both a wide variety and a unique combination of terpenes. These traits are thought to have evolved to repel predators and attract pollinators. Modern Cannabis strains have been selectively bred to produce distinctive aromas preferred by people.

Trichome

Trichomes are the resin production and storage glands of Cannabis. Resin is the oil from Cannabis and contains its cannabinoids and terpenes. Trichomes can be identified by one of three categories: Bulbous, Capitate (Sessile), and Capitate-stalked. Trichomes can also vary by texture on a scale of sandy/sticky to greasy/soapy. These trichome traits will differ between strains and are key in making a selection for your garden.

Vapor pressure deficit (VPD)

VPD is the difference between the level of moisture in the air and the amount of moisture that air can hold. This is usually expressed in “kPa”, a unit of pressure, and can be calculated or approximated from climate control data. Find an optimal VPD chart for your crop at your local nursery or preferred internet search engine. The easiest proxy for VPD is understanding the temperature and humidity of the grow environment. For example, at room temperature (77 degrees fahrenheit) the optimal humidity for the room would be around 50% humidity. As the room gets warmer, it can safely handle more relative humidity.