Stoners love to have a variety when they are smoking their weed and while there are two most popular strains – sativa and indica, both with hundreds of options in their strain, there’s a third kind of a strain that exists as well. This is the hybrid weed strain which is a mix of indica and sativa plants, which ultimately offers you the best of both worlds. In this article, we shall be delving deep into the world of hybrid weed strains and looking at some of the best options that we have when it comes to smoking hybrid marijuana.
While our key focus here is going to be hybrid strains of weed, we shall also be taking a closer and detailed look at indica and sativa strains, and how the three different types of weed compare against each other. We shall also be answering a number of other questions about how you can get these hybrid variants and how they are made, among other things. However, let us first start with the basics:
Indica vs Sativa Strains of Marijuana – What is the Difference?
In today’s day and age the marijuana plant has been heavily commercialized and grows for industrial and commercial purposes. In the past, however, it was just a plant that grew out in the nature and in the wilderness. The plant grows all over the world but in some regions, it grows the best because of the geographical conditions as well as the kind of sunlight they get. Based on these factors, there are two different strains of weed which have developed.
The Indica Strain: This is the strain that originally grew in the Sino-Indian region as well as around the regions surrounding the Pamir Knot – and around the Hindu Kush mountains. Consuming this strain has quite a relaxing and comforting effect for most stoners. These strains have a relatively higher CBD content than the Sativa strains and are also shorter and wider in a spread when you compare them with the Sativa plants. Smoking the marijuana of the Indica strain helps you get a ‘body high’ which makes you feel more relaxed and helps in pain relief as well as helps you relax and sleep better. Stoners who have been smoking for a while know that this is ‘nighttime weed’.
The Sativa Strain: On the other hand, when you look at the Sativa strain, it is the exact opposite of what you saw in the Indica strain. The plants of this strain of marijuana tend to grow really tall – sometimes over 10 feet in height but the growth is not as thick and bushy as the indica plants. While the Indica plant can grow in places that have arid temperatures and in harsh conditions, the sativa plants usually grow around the equatorial region where they get a lot of sunlight round the year. Their flowering period is also a little longer in comparison. However, the biggest benefit of consuming the Sativa strain of plants is that it gives you a ‘mind high’ – this is the kind of psychoactive thrill that most stoners are seeking when they want to smoke weed. It also makes you cheer up and uplifts your mood. Smoking this weed makes you feel more creative and helps boost your energy. This is what experienced stoners would call a ‘daytime weed’.
These are the primary differences between the Indica and the Sativa strain of marijuana. However, let us now talk about the Hybrid Weed Strains and where they fit in.
What Are Hybrid Weed Strains?
Having fully understood what Indica and Sativa strains are, you must have realized by now that both of them carry distinctive properties as well as a distinctive look and feel to them. While in nature indica plants pollinate other indica plants and sativa plants pollinate other sativa plants, hybrid weed strains are created by growers who are known as ‘breeders’ who work towards cross-pollinating between two different varieties of the marijuana plant to get a new strain of a plant which is neither indica or sativa, yet carries properties of both of them – thereby creating a ‘hybrid’ of the two.
For those wondering as to why do the breeders create a hybrid marijuana plant, you’ve read above that indica has a relaxing effect on the human body while sativa gives you a head high and makes you feel more creative and energetic. A mix of the two is likely to bring you a relaxing high yet a creative one. Or one which provides pain relief as well as uplifts the mood. A mixture of mind as well as body high at the same time is one of the most intense feelings that you would ever feel – which isn’t really possible by smoking only indicas or only sativas.
As to how does this sort of a cross-breeding works, you will need to go to the molecular level. There are two compounds – CBD and THC which are the primary reasons as to how you feel what you feel when you get high. CBD, or Cannabidiol is responsible for the relaxing effects and for pain relief and is the compound associated with most medicinal benefits of consuming marijuana while on the other hand, THC, which stands for delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or sometimes simply tetrahydrocannabinol is responsible for the psychoactive properties of marijuana. Now, based on every plant’s individual genetic structure, these compounds are differently distributed. By crossing plants with two distinct THC and CBD compounds, breeders can successfully create a plant of their liking and a plant that will have a certain kind of a desired effect on you! Technically speaking, a ‘chemical fingerprint’ is created by which you know the kind of effect the plant will have on you.
Types of Hybrid Weed Strains
When it comes to hybrid strains of marijuana, there are three different types of hybrid weed strains that stoners must know about. These are classified broadly based on their genetic makeup:
- Indica-Dominant Hybrids: As the name suggests, out of the two plants that have been crossed to create this hybrid, the weed that you will be smoking has inherited more from its Indica parent than from its Sativa parent. Hence, while it will be carrying some properties of the latter, it will also be carrying a lot of properties of the former. Skywalker OG, Blackberry Kush and Kosher Kush are among some of the most popular examples of this variety of marijuana plants. In addition to that, these plants tend to have a lot of medicinal benefits as well and are commonly associated with providing good pain relief.
- Sativa-Dominant Hybrids: The opposite of what you saw above with the Indica-dominant hybrid strains of marijuana, these ones inherit more from their Sativa parent than from their Indica parent. Hence, the effect that it will have on you is going to be the reverse of the one above this. This hybrid variant of marijuana is meant for those stoners who want a stronger mind high than a body high but also want to feel a little relaxed as well as feel the pain relieving features of the indica strain. One of the best known examples of this kind of marijuana is Sour Diesel!
- Even Hybrids: Now these are also known as the 50/50 hybrids where the effects of both the parent strains are evenly balanced out and while you will feel both, a mind high as well as a body high, neither will be an ‘overpowering’ feature and you will enjoy the best of both worlds. Silver Haze as well as the Purple Diesel strain of marijuana are two of the most common examples of this kind of weed. These are a good kind of strain for those stoners who are just starting out and want to get a very ‘balanced’ kind of a high.
Seed Banks: How to Get Hybrid Weed Strains
When it comes to growing marijuana, you need to start at the most basic level – you need to start with the seed. These seeds can be bought on various online seed banks where breeders are hired to specially curate plants from all over the world, pollinate them and create new varieties which can then be sold on their platform. These are specially created, handpicked seeds which offer the best result. Seed banks even tell you about the composition of the seeds – their genetic breakdown as well as the THC and CBD content present inside them. This gives the growers a good insight into the seed that they are getting before they start growing it! Seed banks are trusted places which have been in operation for several years and have quite the experience in the marijuana business! Some of the best seed banks include the likes of Crop King Seeds, Seed Supreme Bank, I Love Growing Marijuana, etc.
Buyer’s Guide for Hybrid Weed Strains
- Genetic Makeup – You need to know the genetic makeup of the hybrid weed strain – basically, the two plants from which this has been crossed. Knowing this will help you get an idea about what kind of an effect can you expect if you know the effect that the parent plants have on you. Getting a hybrid that is made from two of your favorite plants will always result in a better experience.
- The Dominant Strain – You need to be aware if what you are smoking is an indica-dominant strain of marijuana or if it is a sativa-dominant strain. Both of these are hybrids but the dominant strain tends to determine the effect it has on those who smoke it. Depending on the kind of high you are looking for, you can choose between a Sativa-dominant hybrid weed strain, an indica-dominant hybrid weed strain or an evenly balanced strain as well!
- THC and CBD %: This is one more thing that needs to be considered when you are buying the seeds of your choice because THC and CBD are the two main compounds which give you the desired effect of smoking weed. The higher the percentage of CBD in your marijuana strain, the more relaxing effects it has to offer and the higher the THC% in your weed strain, the better psychoactive experience it will offer. Do consider these two factors before you buy the weed of your choice.
- Medicinal Benefits: Different hybrid weed strains have different medicinal properties. Some of it can help you with pain relief, others can help you with anxiety and mental health, while there are some which can help you cheer up and focus better. Smoking a certain kind of strain can also help you sleep better! Hence, choose the strain of your weed carefully.
- Taste and Smell: One of the biggest advantages of smoking a hybrid weed strain is that you get a diverse choice here when it comes to smoking in the preferred smell and taste of your choice. Crossing two breeds with distinct taste is going to result in a new tasting bud. A sour and a sweet bud will also give mixed results while two sour buds will give a very sour result as has been seen in many examples!
Top 3 Hybrid Weed Strains
Here are the three best hybrid strains of weed that you can get for yourself:
- Three Blue Kings: One of the top names in the markets these days, Three Blue Kings is a hybrid strain of marijuana which is indica-dominant and is a cross between Three Kings and Blue Dreams strain. It offers close to 24% THC levels and offers an intense body high.
- White Widow: Long-time stoners know this strain very well. Having been around for quite some time it has a hot favorite especially among the generation of stoners who is of a certain age. With a THC content of almost 25%, this is a strong strain which is very uplifting in terms of mood but helps you relax your body. It tastes of wood and pine but also has a sweetened taste to it which is one of the most distinct characteristics of the bud.
- Cannatonic: Last but not the least when it comes to hybrid weed strains, this one is considered to be one of the best names in the industry especially when it comes to its CBD content. With about 12% CBD, this strain is extremely potent when it comes to treating anxiety and other similar mental-health-related conditions. It fills the stoners with a boost of optimism and given the times of unprecedented confusion the world is in right now, this just seems like the need of the hour!
Frequently Asked Questions About Hybrid Weed Strains
Here are the answers to some of the most common and frequently asked questions about hybrid weed strains that we get so we have put them together for your benefit. Do go through them as you too might be wondering about some of these questions:
1. Are hybrids good for beginners?
Yes, hybrids are perfect for those who don’t really have a lot of experience smoking weed as they give you the best of both the worlds and they usually don’t get you an extreme on the head high or the body high which gives you a good perspective of what you enjoy more so you can explore that specific strain the next time.
2. How to get the best hybrid weed strains seeds online?
The best way to get any sort of marijuana seeds online is by going to a seed bank. There are a number of seed banks located all over the US as well as the world which can ship to you discreetly. Some of the most trusted names are I love growing marijuana and Crop King Seeds and they offer you a large variety of marijuana seeds to choose from and buy online!
3. How to know if my plant is indica dominant or sativa dominant?
Generally, the seed bank or the dispensary from where you are buying your hybrid weed will notify you on what kind of weed you are going to get and which is the dominant strain. If you still don’t know it for some reason, smoking the weed and the kind of effect it has on you will help you know better. If you are getting a stronger ‘head high’ then you are smoking a sativa dominant strain of weed while if you are getting a stronger ‘body high’ then you’re probably smoking an indica dominant strain of hybrid weed.
Conclusion
We hope that by this point in the article you have come to know everything that there is to know about these hybrid weed strains. Hybrid strains are the coolest because they bring to you the best of both the worlds – Indica as well as Sativa packed in one. We have also provided you with detailed information on how each differs from the other and what are some of the things that you must keep in mind before you buy these hybrids. Do let us know in the comments section or drop us an email if you think there’s something that we have missed out on or if there’s something more that you would like to know about hybrid weed strains! Till then…
Happy Smoking! 🙂
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