Short Strains

However, despite these obvious advantages many people are put off growing their own because they think it'll be just too difficult. In fact, with the correct preparation and knowledge almost anyone is perfectly capable of growing their own marijuana. This is a case where the internet is your friend – there's a mountain of advice and guidance available out there. The other key factor is to choose one of the strains that are easier to grow, and there's a good selection of those available.

Some strains of marijuana plant really can stretch out, especially the Sativa varieties. These can reach heights of up to four metres with outdoor growing, especially if they're left to their own devices with no pruning. So what do we mean when we talk about short varieties? Generally, we're referring to strains that won't get taller than 80 centimetres when they're mature and ready for harvest, although some types can actually be only 50 centimetres tall, or even shorter.

Of course, any marijuana strain can be pruned to keep it short, but many types will not respond well if you prune them too hard, and you'll end up with few buds and a low-quality harvest. So we're looking for plants that don't grow too tall, but still produce a high-grade harvest of good buds. Often this means you'll be looking for strains that have some Ruderalis genetics in them as well as the more common Sativa and Indica genetics. These plants are autoflowering so there's no need to force flowering by light regime changes - they'll do well under 18 or even 20 hours of light each day.

One example is Lowryder, which certainly lives up to its name since it only grows to a height of between 30 and 50 centimetres yet it still produces a good potent weed. Other recommendations include Auto Widow, Auto Lemon Haze and Pineapple Kush Auto.