cultivation practices.
The Marijuana Lifecycle
Marijuana is an annual plant. Each spring
the plants germinate and begin a period of
rapid growth. As fall approaches, the plants’
growth changes from vegetative to
flowering or reproductive. Female and male
flowers are found on separate plants. To
produce seeds, pollen from male plants
must fertilize the female flowers. When the
male plants are removed from the garden,
the females remain unfertilized. The
resulting clusters of virgin flowers are called
sinsemilla, which means "without seeds" in
Spanish. These "buds" are prized by the
marijuana connoisseur.
Undisturbed by gardeners, the male
plants release their pollen into the air, lose
vigor, and die. The female plants continue
to produce flowers for quite a while as long
as they remain unfertilized. Once fertilized,
the small ovary found behind each flower
begins to swell, and within a few weeks,
mature seeds are produced. When most of
the flowers are fertilized, the plant ceases
to produce new flowers. Instead, most of its
energy goes to the maturing seeds. As the
seeds mature, the plant loses vigor and
dies.
The Modern Plant
In the past few years the breeders at the
Dutch seed companies have popularized
new strains especially bred for indoor
growing. Many varieties are available which
are high yielding potent and compact. For