# Stupid Marijuana Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 2, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-marijuana-question/548902 "2010-08-02T16:34:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-marijuana-question/548902/1 "2010-08-02T16:34:00Z")
OK, we have been having a lot of discussion on the dope about pot, with the upcoming vote in California, and I remember one thread we were discussing why people won’t be growing it themselves. It boils down to something about needing 12 hours of total darkness or something like that. So, if pot needs a solid 12 hours of darkness to develop, how does/did it manage to grow wild for so many thousands of years? It is _never_ totally dark in nature, there is always moonlight, even some starlight. [and I remember making a crack about somebody out there having an aerogarden procedure for it, I googled, and damn if there isn’t a lot of stuff for growing pot in an aerogarden online:eek:] And in light of the aerogarden thing, isn’t pot way too tall for one? My largest one only extends to 3’ - aren’t pot plants taller than corn plants? I remember reading many assorted newspaper reports of pot plants in the corn fields being found because they got taller than the corn plants …:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-marijuana-question/548902/2 "2010-08-02T16:51:29Z")
1. The pot of 2,000 years ago was “bush pot”, “wild pot” that would sometimes have buds on it to pick and smoke, eat, etc… It had a fraction of the THC content that the marijuana has today. The 12 hours of grow time is for growing some seriously good weed. Where all the genders are separated, the budding females are cultivated and their THC content is continuously being tweaked to ever heightening levels. This is not your grandfather’s garden grown between the corn rows, this is a hybridized, highly manicured plant grown for one purpose: to get you the highest you’ve ever been…Google Hightimes and check out what people are doing today. Oh and the Aerogarden, is perfect for a small bushy, bud-laden plant. Course this is all hearsay, I have no real idea… ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-marijuana-question/548902/3 "2010-08-02T16:56:24Z")
12 hours of darkness to \*\*maximize \*\*the THC content. They grow fine in the wild… they just don’t produce as much. For example, there’s no need to prune apple trees, you just do it to get more apples. I assume that’s true on all crop plants, they’ll grow regardless, most of the fine tuning is aimed at maximizing the production. You don’t adjust soil ph, water them, fertilize… so they’ll survive, you do it to get the most out of them. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-marijuana-question/548902/4 "2010-08-02T17:49:31Z")
seems like the same people that raise the strange high end orchids for fun go to the same sort of trouble raising exotic plants as some people do for pot. Go figure. Well, you have booze snobs that will only drink some obscure brand of rum, wine snobs that will only drink some tiny french vinyards wines, and now ther eis boutique pot. Is there really that much difference in highs to come up with all the different breeds of pot? I really dont remember much from high school because I wasnt into getting high, just that some came from mexico and some from jamaica, and hash came from afghanistan. \ ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-marijuana-question/548902/5 "2010-08-02T19:45:10Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Is there really that much difference in highs to come up with all the different breeds of pot? There’s certainly _room_ for differences: > [@](#): > > [At least 66 cannabinoids have been isolated](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabinoid) from the cannabis plant[4][5] To the right the main classes of natural cannabinoids are shown. All classes derive from cannabigerol-type compounds and differ mainly in the way this precursor is cyclized. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-marijuana-question/548902/6 "2010-08-02T20:14:22Z")
Tomatoes make a good analogy. Wild tomatoes don’t have people watering them with drip irrigation, fertilizing them every 10 days, pruning off suckers, staking them in metal cages for support, etc. People who grow tomatoes as a crop do all these things and more. Why? Because they don’t just want some piddly little tiny fruit with too much tartness and no flavor. No, they want a big, juicy, bright-red, unblemished fruit with the right balance of acids and sugars for optimum flavor. Pot’s kinda the same way. So I’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![Ionizer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5daacb/32.png) [@Ionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ionizer)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-marijuana-question/548902/7 "2010-08-02T21:36:00Z")
Length of darkness is more of a daylight -v- darkness ‘ratio’. Many ‘flowering’ plants will do best flower-to-fruit(bud) development when day-lengths are changing/increasing or above a certain threshold - whatever is best for the species being grown. Iirc, cannabis flowers better towards longer day-lengths, so Spring is not good for ‘production’, so to speak, where Summer into Fall is better. I know shortening day-lengths such as Fall brings will cause many trees to start hardening-off their new softish growths due to a growth-inhibitor ‘hormone’ overcoming a hormone that causes growth in the first place (crudely speaking). Daylight length (and temps usually) is what makes the balance of such hormones vary and complement each other (and making cannabis vary when grown indoors and not naturally - can be made stronger if conditions are above-average by design). Pot plants can be pruned into short bushy plants but give fewer ‘buds’ than a big tall one, or I assume so anyways. Those growing for max profit probably like long tall plants for that reason, but I’ve not grown any myself (hoping its legal soon to do so, though! I want a _real_ green thumb) ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-marijuana-question/548902/8 "2010-08-02T21:58:08Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > … And in light of the aerogarden thing, isn’t pot way too tall for one? My largest one only extends to 3’ - aren’t pot plants taller than corn plants? I remember reading many assorted newspaper reports of pot plants in the corn fields being found because they got taller than the corn plants …:smack: [_Cannabis sativa_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis#Early_classifications) is the stuff that grows as high as an elephant’s eye, _Cannabis indica_ would (prolly) be just right for your aerogarden. > [@](#): > > … In 1976, Canadian botanist Ernest Small and American taxonomist Arthur Cronquist published a taxonomic revision that recognizes a single species of Cannabis with two subspecies: C. sativa L. subsp. sativa, and C. sativa L. subsp. indica (Lam.) Small & Cronq. The authors hypothesized that the two subspecies diverged primarily as a result of human selection; C. sativa subsp. sativa was presumably selected for traits that enhance fiber or seed production, whereas C. sativa subsp. indica was primarily selected for drug production. … > [@aruvqan](#): > > … Well, you have booze snobs that will only drink some obscure brand of rum, wine snobs that will only drink some tiny french vinyards wines, and now there is boutique pot. > > Is there really that much difference in highs to come up with all the different breeds of pot? … Not that I actually know anything about this but, it’s kinda like the alcohol content difference between wine and rum. Wine’s fine, but if my aim is to get drunk 100 proof rum will get me there faster. A whole joint of corn field weed might get you nicely buzzed, while two hits of decent “hydro” gets you nicely baked. Not that I actually know anything about this. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Fridgemagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@Fridgemagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fridgemagnet)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-marijuana-question/548902/9 "2010-08-02T22:09:38Z")
Why would requiring 12 hours of darkness preclude the growing of any plant? We have the technology now to block out the sun (thank-you Mr C.M. Burns). Many plants require a certain night length to induce flowering; some require a long night (so called “short day” plants), others require a short night (“long day”). Other species don’t care. To find out the requirements of your favourite species, look up [Photoperiodism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoperiodism). Low light levels won’t affect photoperiodic plants during the dark period, which is why the moon and stars have no influence here. Streetlamps, however, are bright enough to affect hormone production, to the extent that the lamp-lit side of a photoperiodic garden flower won’t have as many blooms as the shadowy side. Many popular cultivated plants come in a variety of sizes, think of the cultivars of tomato from the dwarf windowbox specimens a few inches high to the 20’ plus plants favoured by commercial growers. The latter aren’t chosen for flavour, BTW, that’s way down the list, the preferred attributes are high yields, ease of harvesting, quick growing times, disease resistance, transportability, and shelf life. ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-marijuana-question/548902/10 "2010-08-02T22:18:03Z")
> [@Ionizer](#): > > …I want a _real_ green thumb Thanks a lot :mad:… now I can’t get “[Dr. Greenthumb](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ylux3oCAFk)” to stop playing in my head… :smack: …make it stoooop!!! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-marijuana-question/548902/11 "2010-08-03T01:48:14Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > > [@aruvqan](#): > > > > Is there really that much difference in highs to come up with all the different breeds of pot? > > There’s certainly _room_ for differences: > > > [@](#): > > > > [At least 66 cannabinoids have been isolated](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabinoid) from the cannabis plant[4][5] To the right the main classes of natural cannabinoids are shown. All classes derive from cannabigerol-type compounds and differ mainly in the way this precursor is cyclized. hm. I didnt know there were that many interesting chemicals in the blend. So it is sort of like wine grapes having different fermenting characteristics, sort of. You can select for dry and fruity and sweet and light and heavy and alcohol content. > [@Ionizer](#): > > Length of darkness is more of a daylight -v- darkness ‘ratio’. Many ‘flowering’ plants will do best flower-to-fruit(bud) development when day-lengths are changing/increasing or above a certain threshold - whatever is best for the species being grown. Iirc, cannabis flowers better towards longer day-lengths, so Spring is not good for ‘production’, so to speak, where Summer into Fall is better. I know shortening day-lengths such as Fall brings will cause many trees to start hardening-off their new softish growths due to a growth-inhibitor ‘hormone’ overcoming a hormone that causes growth in the first place (crudely speaking). Daylight length (and temps usually) is what makes the balance of such hormones vary and complement each other (and making cannabis vary when grown indoors and not naturally - can be made stronger if conditions are above-average by design). > > Pot plants can be pruned into short bushy plants but give fewer ‘buds’ than a big tall one, or I assume so anyways. Those growing for max profit probably like long tall plants for that reason, but I’ve not grown any myself (hoping its legal soon to do so, though! I want a _real_ green thumb) I wouldn’t mind experimenting with the fibers, I have grown and spun cotton, and raised sheep for wool, and once even grew some flax for the linen [holy shit the smell of the retting :eek:] and I am unable to take most NSAIDS and I am tired of the pain of arthritis and other joint issues. I would love for it to be legalized =( I might even consider growing it if it was legal for medical use in CT. > [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > > [@aruvqan](#): > > > > … And in light of the aerogarden thing, isn’t pot way too tall for one? My largest one only extends to 3’ - aren’t pot plants taller than corn plants? I remember reading many assorted newspaper reports of pot plants in the corn fields being found because they got taller than the corn plants …:smack: > > [_Cannabis sativa_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis#Early_classifications) is the stuff that grows as high as an elephant’s eye, _Cannabis indica_ would (prolly) be just right for your aerogarden. > > > [@aruvqan](#): > > > > … Well, you have booze snobs that will only drink some obscure brand of rum, wine snobs that will only drink some tiny french vinyards wines, and now there is boutique pot. > > > > Is there really that much difference in highs to come up with all the different breeds of pot? … > > Not that I actually know anything about this but, it’s kinda like the alcohol content difference between wine and rum. Wine’s fine, but if my aim is to get drunk 100 proof rum will get me there faster. A whole joint of corn field weed might get you nicely buzzed, while two hits of decent “hydro” gets you nicely baked. > > Not that I actually know anything about this. > > CMC fnord! 😃 > [@GHO57](#): > > > [@Ionizer](#): > > > > …I want a _real_ green thumb > > Thanks a lot :mad:… now I can’t get “[Dr. Greenthumb](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ylux3oCAFk)” to stop playing in my head… :smack: …make it stoooop!!! [OK](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxvlKp-76io) … 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-marijuana-question/548902/12 "2010-08-03T16:02:38Z")
[Mr. Green](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25BTuvs-AE8) explains how to make growing chambers and so forth. He says 12 hours matches conditions for spring and fall. So, wild plants grew best during those periods. Why do you think the spring and fall festivals were so laid back?