Biology of Marijuana

[Owl Mirror]

I was destroying the thick stem and root ball of the plant I recently chopped down. While doing so, I remembered something I read here on the forum regarding how the biology of the stem effects the uptake of water and nutrients. I started examining the thickest portion of the stalk at the first set of branches by slicing it to the core.
Here is a pic I took

That got me thinking, is there a book or other reference source that describes the inner workings of the Marijuana plant. I found these resources.

Biology of Marijuana @ http://www.scribd.com/doc/14437023/Biology-of-Marijuana

The Biology of Marijuana: From Gene to Behavior (Hardcover) by Emmanuel S Onaivi
http://www.amazon.com/Biology-Marijuana-Gene-Behavior/dp/041527348X#

Another good source of info I came across while doing this search is:
Cannabinoids: The active compounds in marijuana @ http://www.fcda.org/cannabinoids.htm

I thought it might prove beneficial if we held a discussion on the actual biology of this beloved plant. How to select the best specimens which exhibit these beneficial traits.
I'm a newbie so I really can't add much except links and my opinion.
I'm hoping some of the experienced growers and breeders will join in this discussion.

I am under the impression that a healthy root system is the most important aspect of growing successfully. The root system can't function efficiently if the structure of the upper plant is not also healthy and efficient.

Most conversations on growing center around the type of lighting, air circulation/exhaust and the type of food provided. I haven't seen any real discussions on the actual workings of the plant and how it utilizes all these external items.

 

[Hazy Lady]

Hey handsome, great post. Funny!, I'm reading about stems regarding hollow ones, that was poor English!, do you know this myth about hollow stemmed plants being more potent?, all mine have hollow stems, it's just another place for bugs to crawl into until i see otherwise?

 

[Owl Mirror]

Hey handsome, great post. Funny!, I'm reading about stems regarding hollow ones, that was poor English!, do you know this myth about hollow stemmed plants being more potent?, all mine have hollow stems, it's just another place for bugs to crawl into until i see otherwise?

LOL how do they get inside? You got termites ?

Actually in the pic above, the hollow center did have a soft pulp.
I used the tip of my pen knife to scrape it out so it would show up better.
You do bring up a good point though.
When looking for mothers and fathers, if breeding, would an autopsy prove valuable in making decisions on which to keep and which to cast aside?

 

[masterKahn]

I'm just guessing but I think hollow stems would take away from the plant. Plants transport nutrients and water through pathways, plant veins if you will. These pathways exist in the solid part of the stem. The hollow portion is just a false hope. You have a huge stem and think that means more water/nutrients moving at once, a super highway to you buds! But if half the stem diameter is hollow there is no pathway just empty space. A solid stem would contain twice the path ways and twice the metabolic potential.

However a hollow stem would be lighter which aides in structural integrity of the plant in the wild. In an indoor environment you can just tie a string and hang it up.

 

[Hydrosun]

However a hollow stem would be lighter which aides in structural integrity of the plant in the wild. In an indoor environment you can just tie a string and hang it up.

The plants biology is being tweaked by humans but has been around for millions of years. Our MJ stems look like many other plants built to handle heavy weight.

Has anyone ever cross sectioned a piece of corn stalk or bamboo? I have and they many other plants too. Weeds and reeds look like pictured, apple trees look different, but that doesn't mean I'm going to breed for solid stalks.

My personal belief is that all the best MJ stalks and shoots grow hollow to solid. The plant has the ability to fill in that middle section and create a very strong foundation for the hollow strong branch growing above it. These hollow growth tips allow the plant to be broken, self repair and reorient towards the light or sun. I have broken and created great knuckles in MJ plants and have her make amazing colas. What happens when you snap a peach tree in half at the branches or flowering points, not good things. I'm just thinking that the plant does a delicate balancing act of desired growth through flexible hollow weed branches, and need for structural suport with more solid bamboo like branches and solid main stems (as seen below)




Peace,

 

[cork144]

havnt encounterd a non hollow stemmed cannabis plant yet.

 

[Owl Mirror]

hadn't encountered a non hollow stemmed cannabis plant yet.

The example I provided above was solid yet, the center was a paste-like substance that was easily scraped out.

 

[Owl Mirror]

Here is a visual question

Every plant I've grown grew branching from the fan leaf sites.
This Mazar is sprouting flowers directly from the same site.
Would that be a trait of this strain or might the Ethiopian be growing like a male plant ?

 

[Weedninja]

Hey handsome, great post. Funny!, I'm reading about stems regarding hollow ones, that was poor English!, do you know this myth about hollow stemmed plants being more potent?, all mine have hollow stems, it's just another place for bugs to crawl into until i see otherwise?

I don't think it has anything to do with potency either. I've had plants with a solid stalk(all sativas, btw) that are extremely potent.

Here is a visual question

Every plant I've grown grew branching from the fan leaf sites.
This Mazar is sprouting flowers directly from the same site.
Would that be a trait of this strain or might the Ethiopian be growing like a male plant ?

Strong lateral branching is a sativa trait. S. Indians and Thais branch like crazy. Its an auxin distribution issue. If you pinch the top growth, that will also cause it.
Some books you may be interested in are:
Marijuana Botany by R.C. Clarke
Marijuana Chemistry, Genetics, Processing And Potency by M. Starks
The Genus Cannabis: I forget the author
There are (free) rapidshare versions of all of these.

 

[Owl Mirror]

I don't think it has anything to do with potency either. I've had plants with a solid stalk(all sativas, btw) that are extremely potent.

Strong lateral branching is a sativa trait. S. Indians and Thais branch like crazy. Its an auxin distribution issue. If you pinch the top growth, that will also cause it.
Some books you may be interested in are:
Marijuana Botany by R.C. Clarke
Marijuana Chemistry, Genetics, Processing And Potency by M. Starks
The Genus Cannabis: I forget the author
There are (free) rapidshare versions of all of these.

So how does this trait affect cross-breeding ?
If one side goes wild with branching and the other grows a straight stalk, is this a trait we should watch for in future generation of seeds?

 

[foo_bird]

Some books you may be interested in are:
Marijuana Botany by R.C. Clarke
Marijuana Chemistry, Genetics, Processing And Potency by M. Starks
The Genus Cannabis: I forget the author
There are (free) rapidshare versions of all of these.

do you have the rapidshare links for these (hope)

thank you

 

[Owl Mirror]

Some books you may be interested in are:
Marijuana Botany by R.C. Clarke
Marijuana Chemistry, Genetics, Processing And Potency by M. Starks
The Genus Cannabis: I forget the author
There are (free) rapidshare versions of all of these.

do you have the rapidshare links for these (hope)

thank you

There are many FREE books to be found @ http://www.scribd.com/

http://www.scribd.com/doc/14571756/The-Biotechnology-of-Cannabis-Sativa

http://www.scribd.com/doc/6703834/Marijuana-Chemistry-Genetics-Processing-and-Potency

http://www.scribd.com/doc/9700900/Clarke-Robert-C-Marijuana-Botany-an-Advanced-Study

http://www.scribd.com/doc/10853276/Marijuana-The-Cannabis-Grow-Bible

 

[masterKahn]

cannabis stems are very strong and can repair almost any damage. I've pinched stems alot, sometimes just for fun to see how it smells so far. I've had stems split open so I can see to the other side. My plant just kept on growing and soon a huge knuckle grew there hard as a rock and seemed to not bother the buds at all, maybe helped. Cannabis is strong plant in the wild and can take alot of abuse. I have an early girl tomato plant that fell over at a 90 degree angle and twisted the base of the stem about 180 degrees around. It's still alive but no hard knuckles and surely not the adaptability of cannabis to repair and take it as a challenge.

Marijuana Botany is a good book I'm going to reread it for sure. My love of cannabis has inspired me to learn alot more about all plants and botany in general, very interesting subject!

 

[Owl Mirror]

cannabis stems are very strong and can repair almost any damage. I've pinched stems alot, sometimes just for fun to see how it smells so far. I've had stems split open so I can see to the other side. My plant just kept on growing and soon a huge knuckle grew there hard as a rock and seemed to not bother the buds at all, maybe helped. Cannabis is strong plant in the wild and can take alot of abuse. I have an early girl tomato plant that fell over at a 90 degree angle and twisted the base of the stem about 180 degrees around. It's still alive but no hard knuckles and surely not the adaptability of cannabis to repair and take it as a challenge.

Marijuana Botany is a good book I'm going to reread it for sure. My love of cannabis has inspired me to learn alot more about all plants and botany in general, very interesting subject!

I agree, it is a miracle plant in it's adaptability and survivability.
I am hopeful that everyone growing this plant will take more time in understanding how it grows. I believe an understanding of this process would also lead to a better understanding of crossing strains.

Like the difference between an Indica which doesn't naturally throw out many side branches and a Sativa which can often times grow wild with multiple branches.
How does a cross of these two strains effect it's progeny growth structure ?

 

[lord siva]

In past readings I have seen reference that leads me to believe solid stems are where bred out of consumable cannabis on purpose. Solid stems are better for making fiber goods such as cloth or paper; these are found in industrial hemp selected plants. In a quest for plant structure that will support big heavy flowers hollow in evolutions answer. Think bones.

 

[Owl Mirror]

In past readings I have seen reference that leads me to believe solid stems are where bred out of consumable cannabis on purpose. Solid stems are better for making fiber goods such as cloth or paper; these are found in industrial hemp selected plants. In a quest for plant structure that will support big heavy flowers hollow in evolutions answer. Think bones.

Are you saying that, if breeding, you should dissect the parent plants to examine their internal structure as well as all the other factors such as bud development and resin production?

If all things are equal, would you select a parent based solely on whether it has a hollow stem or solid stem ?

 

[masterKahn]

I know of some high quality strains that have very weak stems. However I can't think of a single plant i've flowered that hasn't needed support because of heavy buds. I think solid stem or hollow you still have to tie up the buds.

 

[Weedninja]

So how does this trait affect cross-breeding ?
If one side goes wild with branching and the other grows a straight stalk, is this a trait we should watch for in future generation of seeds?

That is entirely a matter of personal preference. I prefer a plant with strong lateral branching, like your Ethiopian, but I also prefer a tighter internode structure , like your Mazar, because more nodes= easier to clone.

If you prefer a large main cola, your priorities may be different.

Some books you may be interested in are:
Marijuana Botany by R.C. Clarke
Marijuana Chemistry, Genetics, Processing And Potency by M. Starks
The Genus Cannabis: I forget the author
There are (free) rapidshare versions of all of these.

do you have the rapidshare links for these (hope)

thank you

Well.........since you asked nicely, I uploaded all 3 in 1 file. You'll need Acrobat and Winrar to open the file.
http://rapidshare.com/files/271863780/mjebooks.rar

If you want the individual files, I think I found 'em on ebookee.

 

[Owl Mirror]

Does rain effect the marijuana plant, beyond providing water to the roots?
I wonder if indoor marijuana is missing a component of it's natural environment.
Rain provides moisture to the leaves, beats the plant about, perhaps adding to the strength of the stems.

Has anyone provided a 'rainy environment' indoors ?

 

[ureapwhatusow]

Does rain effect the marijuana plant, beyond providing water to the roots?
I wonder if indoor marijuana is missing a component of it's natural environment.
Rain provides moisture to the leaves, beats the plant about, perhaps adding to the strength of the stems.

Has anyone provided a 'rainy environment' indoors ?

more than rain which is an intermittent there is also dew