Cannabis comes in a variety of different looks, aromas, flavors, and strengths. It is a complex plant, and many individuals love trying as many different varieties as they possible can. The more exotic, the better. So how do you grow purple cannabis?
This quest to find the most interesting bud always comes with hot trends, and exciting concepts. There’s a whole world of cannabis out there, and growers are always trying to create the ‘next big thing’.
Right now, ‘purple’ cannabis is all the rage. This gorgeous hue of bud provides an added layer of complexity, and ‘clout’ to the bud that the smoker is purchasing. Simply put, purple cannabis is gorgeous, and cool to look at.
So, if you are growing your own cannabis at home, how do you make it grow purple? Let’s talk about that.
What Is Purple Cannabis?
Purple cannabis is merely cannabis that has been grown to have different pigmentation than ‘normal’ strains. All plants have pigments, which help them to create photosynthesis–gather energy from the sun.
Typically, among plants, this pigment is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the pigment compound that helps the plants convert light into energy, and also gives them their green color. However, it is not the only pigment that can do this.
If a plant does not have chlorophyll, it will use other pigments such as anthocyanins. Anthocyanins can absorb all of the wavelengths of the sun’s rays, except for the indigo ones. This is why cannabis plants which are high in anthocyanins grow to be purple. The purple coloration can occur in the pistils, calyxes, trichomes, and leaves.
How To Grow Purple Cannabis
There are no shortage of theories and wild ideas out there on how to grow cannabis to be purple. Some will tell you to deprive the plant of oxygen at certain stages, others will try adding food coloring to the water to get the purple hue.
Neither of these are going to be an effective way to get your plant purple. While there are effective methods of turning your plant purple through targeted nutrient deprivation, it’s not recommended unless you are an exceptionally experienced grower.
The truth is, the best way is to simply purchase seeds that have genetics for growing purple; such as Purple Queen or Blue Mystic. This will be the easiest and most effective route. However, if you want to attempt it yourself, you can try reducing the temperature of your grow room during the flowering stage.
A drastic change in daytime/nighttime temperatures will cause the chlorophyll to breakdown, and anthocyanins to take its place. Ideally you would have a 50-60-degree Fahrenheit difference between daytime and nighttime cycles.
Aside from simply buying specially bred strains for their purple hue, it can be very difficult to grow your own weed to become purple. This is because manipulating the nutrients of the plant can easily kill them if you aren’t an expert.
The temperature method is likely to be your safest, and easiest bet–even though it isn’t 100% guaranteed. You want to breed your cannabis with less chlorophyll, and more anthocyanins, that ultimately will give you the cool purple color you are after.