Modified on: 03/10/2023
Does white marijuana exist or is it just a photoshop montage?
As a good cannabis seeds collector, you’ve probably come across online photographs of white marijuana specimens.
We are not talking about the white widow, the herb that produces trichomes and very light flowers, but about an utterly white plant, as if it were covered in snow.
Have you ever wondered if this variety exists or if it’s just a bad graphic joke? We all did it the first time.
Of course, if it weren’t just a myth, it would be very interesting to get some marble-like marijuana seeds to collect. Or maybe not?
Let’s go straight and explain this dilemma.
Does white cannabis really exist?
Maybe you were expecting a different answer but… Yes, white marijuana exists!
However, it is not a new species that has just been discovered or created by breeders through genetic cross-breeding, but rather a “monster of nature”.
As it happens in the animal world, and similarly in humans, some specimens can be affected by albinism. We are talking about a condition that implies the total or partial absence of pigmentation.
In humans, it is melanin, while in the case of plants it is chlorophyll, which gives plants the classic green colour.
So, we sometimes find ourselves admiring white tigers, people with platinum hair and ice-coloured irises, and even specimens of completely white cannabis.
Let’s see why this happens and whether auto-flowering, feminised or fast flowering cannabis seeds varieties can affect the pigment characteristics.
Read also: Micro-culture: these are the secrets of the world of indoor micro-culture
Albino marijuana: origins and characteristics
Like all plants, white hemp can also be born from classic feminized seeds. However, you should be aware that apart from the superb scenic effect, a specimen of this kind brings nothing useful in terms of production.
The main reason that leads a vegetable to a state of albinism is its DNA. It is a recessive genetic disease that can occur from generation to generation.
The absence of chlorophyll occurs from birth and makes it impossible to carry out chlorophyll photosynthesis correctly. It means that the specimen will have difficulty both growing and reaching the flowering stage.
So, finding yourself with an albino marijuana plant in a crop would be fascinating to take a few photos, but it would be bad from a practical point of view.
Imagine a professional grower using auto-flower seeds for a quick harvest and having to do without producing this beautiful but useless shrub.
However, there are other reasons why a marijuana plant may turn out to be partially white. Let’s go and see what they are.
Why can a cannabis plant turn white?
As we said before, white cannabis is affected by albinism from birth, but other conditions can cause the plant to turn white.
One of these is chlorosis, a condition that occurs when the vegetable is highly deficient in nutrients and tends to yellow or bleach.
Another cause of discolouration of a hemp plant can be excessive proximity to neon lights. It is not uncommon for a specimen, due to its very rapid growth, to become attached to artificial light and its buds will lighten considerably.
On the other hand, the white on the leaves is due to dust spots; we are faced with a more serious problem: powdery mildew. It is a disease caused by the fungus Ascomycetes, which compromises the plant’s functionality and leads to chlorosis and mineral deficiencies.
Besides, powdery mildew is highly contagious, as the “dust” spreads easily in the surrounding plants due to the wind. However, this condition is quite rare to be found in indoor crops.
A variety of white-flowered hemp
In addition to the specific cases mentioned above, several varieties of cannabis cover themselves in white during flowering. These are as follows:
- One of the most famous is undoubtedly the feminised White Widow, whose specimens seem to be whitened with trichomes in a very suggestive way.
- Another variety of marijuana covered in a very intense white is Godzilla Glue BSF Seeds, a cross between Gorilla Glue #4 and an elite clone of Girl Scout Cookies. During the flowering phase, this cannabis hybrid is covered with a white layer of resin that brings the buds to THC levels up to 30%!
Therefore, unlike albino marijuana, the white colour is a positive symptom.
Read also: Trichomes: what they are and what role they play in Cannabis
Buy your collectable cannabis seeds at SensorySeeds
You should now have a clearer idea of white marijuana, and we hope our explanations have satisfied your curiosity.
In any case, remember that in SensorySeeds’ shop you will find many hemp seeds from the most valuable species, including Godzilla Glue seeds.
Don’t miss them in your collection: enter the catalogue immediately!
