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THE CANNABIS

CONUNDRUM

Cannabis, also known as hemp or marijuana, is a genus
of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The plant
is harvested, dried and processed for a variety of uses.
Although the psycho-active compounds are concentrated
in the flowers, there are a large number of other beneficial
compounds occurring in all parts of the plant. In September
2018, the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled that it
is not a criminal offense for an adult citizen to use, possess
or grow cannabis in private for personal consumption. This
article looks at the plant, its uses, growing conditions and
the legalities surrounding the ruling.

Indoor Indica hybrid
Photo by Damian Stenzel

annabis plants have evolved over
the decades, and every strain has its
Cown specific characteristics such as
structure, type of buds, flavour and effects.
The plants go through two stages of life
– the vegetative stage and the flowering
stage; the vegetative life stage is first and
once the plant is about six weeks old,
it begins to show signs of pre-flowers,
indicating its gender before the beginning
of the flowering stage. The plant will go
into full flower when it is exposed to 12
hours of darkness, or more. When the
plants switch to the flowering stage, they
basically stop growing larger and taller,
and start growing buds or pollen sacs. Only
female plants produce buds and growers
generally only want to grow female plants.

Male plants produce pollen which is needed
for cannabis plants to naturally reproduce;
seeds occur when there are male plants
in the mix. To make one’s own seeds, male
plants are required but when growing
regular plants and to harvest flowers, it is
recommended to get rid of male plants as
soon as possible. The sex of the plant is not
visible until it begins to flower.

Female plants have flowers that don’t fully
close, and they produce small hairs called
pistils. The bud of the female plant contains
the most THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) –
this is the main psycho-active compound
of cannabis which produces a “high”. CBD
(cannabidiol) does not produce this ‘high’
and is thought to work with other elements
in the body linked to feelings of well-being
and pain relief.

Indoor Sativa
Photo by Damian Stenzel

Landscape SA • Issue 92 2020 19