What Is A Marijuana Strain? 10 Weed Words To Know

Marijuana is an incredibly diverse product that can be enjoyed in so many unique ways. For instance, some users enjoy the soothing effects of indica strains whereas others prefer stimulating sativa strains. Some users love the ritual of rolling a joint of weed and passing it around with their friends whereas others prefer the experience of vaping. The more you get into it, the more weed words there are to learn. New users would be forgiven for wondering exactly what is a marijuana strain.

When you buy weed, you’ll be met by a diverse range of products. While all of these products are derived from cannabis plants, there are so many variations offering unique experiences. For instance, indica strains, sativa strains, and hybrid strains all have differences in their genetic makeup. Things get even more diverse when you delve into other types of products like cannabis concentrates, edibles, tinctures, and many more.

There are so many confusing words and terms when it comes to smoking weed that it takes most users a long time to learn about all the different ways they can enjoy marijuana. Luckily, you can find all kinds of marijuana products online at GetKush with product descriptions and reviews to help inform your buying choices. Here’s a guide to marijuana strains and weed words you should know.

What Is A Marijuana Strain?

Marijuana, also known as weed, kush, green, cannabis, and many other terms, is the smokable product that comes from harvesting, drying, and curing the flowers of cannabis plants. Smoking marijuana will generally give you a range of strong physical and mental effects, including heightening your senses, boosting your mood, and relaxing your body. However, there are many different types and strains of marijuana that differ from each other.

Although all marijuana comes from cannabis plants, there are different types of cannabis plants with different properties. The two main types of cannabis plants used to harvest weed are cannabis indica and cannabis sativa. Indica plants are short and bushy whereas sativa plants are long and slender. Not only do the plants differ, but the marijuana extracted from them has different effects.

Indica strains usually offer a more relaxing physical high whereas sativa strains will give you more stimulating mental effects. However, every strain differs in its scent, taste, and cannabinoid content. As such, one indica strain could look and smell significantly different from another and give a different kind of high.

You can also get hybrid strains. These are strains that are made by crossing an indica strain with a sativa strain, resulting in a plant with properties of both types. The marijuana strains harvested from hybrid cannabis plants are often among the most diverse and versatile as they offer a mix of indica and sativa genetics.

What Is Indica?

Indica is one of the two main types of cannabis plants used to grow marijuana, with the other being sativa. Most people associate indica with relaxing effects- these strains are known to produce a heavy relaxing and sedating body high. Some users even refer to them as “in-da-couch” strains for their ability to make it feel like you can’t get up.

Cannabis indica plants are shorter and bushier than sativa plants. They usually grow to around 3-6 feet in length. They also grow faster and can produce impressive yields. Indica plants are often preferred by indoor growers- they don’t take much space and are easy to grow under artificial conditions.

Users often opt for indica strains when they’re looking for something to help them mellow out. They’re considered nighttime strains as they can take away the stress of the day and calm you mentally and physically to the point that you’re ready to sleep. They’re also popular for medical users who want to relieve pain, inflammation, nausea, and insomnia.

What Is Sativa?

Sativa is the other main type of cannabis plant used to grow marijuana, and the plants differ quite significantly from indica plants. Sativa plants can grow to exceptionally tall heights- sometimes as high as 20 feet. They’re long and thin and produce narrow leaves and buds shaped like slender pine cones.

These plants take longer to fully grow than indica plants, especially as they need time to reach their full height. However, the payoff is often worth it- sativa plants can grow plenty of quality marijuana and many users prefer the effects of sativa strains. They’re primed for outdoor growing in warm weather.

The effects of sativa strains are much more mentally uplifting. When you smoke them, you’ll experience a surge of mental energy and creativity. They can also help you snap out of a bad mood and make you feel more optimistic, positive, and focused. As such they’re ideal daytime strains and are also great for medical users who want to counteract chronic fatigue and mood disorders.

What Is Hybrid?

Cannabis indica and cannabis sativa are two natural types of cannabis plants. However, when you crossbreed an indica strain with a sativa strain, you get a hybrid strain. Hybrid plants carry properties of both indica and sativa plants as well as offering balanced effects.

There are all kinds of hybrid strains on the market today as growers continue to breed new combinations. Some hybrid strains are indica-dominant, meaning they have a higher ratio of indica to sativa genetics. These strains will usually be more relaxing while still offering mental stimulation. On the other hand, sativa-dominant strains lean more towards head-focused effects.

You can also get hybrid strains that contain a 50:50 balance of indica to sativa or close. These are known as balanced or true hybrid strains as they offer an even mix of indica and sativa properties. Hybrid strains are great for users who want versatile effects, such as a strain that can offer powerful relaxation while still keeping you focused and stimulated. They can also help medical users who want a strain to help with various physical and mental symptoms.

What Is A Joint?

A Joint is a rolled cannabis cigarette and the primary mode of smoking for many users. Instead of using tobacco, joints are filled with weed- although you can mix tobacco and weed to make a spliff. Joints are one of the most popular ways to use weed as they’re convenient for smoking either alone or with friends.

Most dedicated marijuana users learn how to roll joints as soon as possible. This usually involves getting rolling papers, putting some ground weed in the middle and a filter tip at the end, and then rolling one side over the other to create a cone-like shape. You can then burn the end of the joint and inhale through the filter for potent weed smoke.

Joints can also be enhanced in many ways. For instance, some users like to add concentrates such as Wax or Shatter on top of their weed for stronger effects. You can also get different sizes and materials of rolling papers- some are even flavored.

What Is A Bong?

Another exceptionally popular method of smoking weed is by using a Bong. Users who don’t want to go through the hassle of rolling a joint when they smoke weed often buy a Bong to make the process easier. What’s more, Bongs can give you incredibly smooth and powerful hits due to the way they’re built.

A Bong looks something like a glass vase with water in the base. It includes a small bowl where you can add your weed, light it, and inhale through the mouthpiece. The smoke is filtered through the water, removing toxins and giving you cool and smooth hits when they reach your mouth.

Since Bongs enable you to take huge hits of THC-filled smoke, many users find that using a Bong gets them high quicker than smoking a joint. Bongs also come in many shapes and sizes, from portable Mini Bongs to large Big Hitter Bongs. Some even include extra features designed to improve your weed smoke.

What Is A Pipe?

A Pipe is another highly convenient and effective smoking device used to smoke weed either at home or on-the-go. Pipes are small enough to fit in your pocket and can be taken with you to use anywhere you want to get a quick high. They’re the device of choice for many smokers who want to avoid the hassle of rolling joints but don’t want something as big as a Bong.

Using a Pipe is exceptionally easy. They’re usually made up of a small stem, a mouthpiece, and a bowl for filling with weed. You can pack some ground weed into the bowl, light it, and inhale. Many also have a carb hole at the side that you can hold while you inhale and release once you’re satisfied with your hit.

Pipes are perfect for getting you high quickly without too much effort. They also come in many different varieties. For instance, some are bigger than others, some feature unique themes or even pop culture characters, and some even glow in the dark. Whichever way, it’s worth getting one.

What Are Marijuana Concentrates?

Marijuana Concentrates are potent products made by extracting the trichomes from marijuana strains into a highly-concentrated form. While most strains of weed usually contain around 15-25% THC, concentrates are often 60-90% THC and some are even more potent. As such, you only need to use a small amount to get seriously high.

You can find various types of Concentrates with popular examples including Hash, Shatter, Wax, Live Resin, and Rosin. Each of these can be used by vaping, dabbing, or even mixing them with weed in a Joint, Bong, or Pipe. Users scoop a small piece of their chosen concentrate to use, often also known as a “dab”.

Despite all being derived from cannabis, these products look vastly different as they’re made using different extraction methods. For instance, Rosin involves compressing weed at high heats whereas Live Resin involves flash-freezing weed, blasting it with solvents, purging it, and re-infusing it with terpenes. They can be extracted from all types of weed and, as such, you can find various strains of any given marijuana concentrate.

What Is Vaping?

Vaping is a popular smokeless method of consumption that involves using a Vaporizer to heat weed, concentrates or oils without burning them. As a result, you get smooth, flavorful vapor that you can inhale to ingest the THC. While the experience might sound somewhat similar to using a Pipe or even smoking a Joint, there are many benefits to vaping.

Although smoking weed can have many benefits, some users prefer to avoid inhaling burning chemicals or simply don’t enjoy the harsh taste of marijuana smoke. Vaping gives you smoother and more flavorful hits, making it a preferable experience for many. Vaping can even give you stronger effects than smoking cannabis.

It’s also a highly versatile method of consumption and you can vape various types of products depending on the device you have. Dry Herb Vape Pens can be used with weed, Wax or Dab Pens can be used with concentrates and there are also various Vape Pens designed for use with THC Vape Oils and Cartridges. Some can even handle multiple types of products.

What Is Dabbing?

Dabbing is a niche method of marijuana consumption used for potent marijuana concentrates. The effects of Dabbing are even stronger than Vaping or using a Bong and, as such, this method isn’t recommended for beginners or those with low tolerance. Even experienced users might find that one dab hit is enough to make them extremely high.

A few pieces of equipment are needed for dabbing. For one, you need a Dab Rig– a device similar to a Bong but with a “dab nail” made of a material like Quartz, titanium, or ceramic rather than a glass bowl. These materials can withstand high heats without cracking, and you can use a blowtorch to heat them.

It’s also good to have a dab tool or dabber- a small tool used to scoop your chosen dab and apply it to your heated dab nail. When the nail is hot enough, your dabs will vaporize instantly and you can take in all of the THC-packed goodness through the mouthpiece.

Conclusion

There’s a lot to know about marijuana and even some seasoned marijuana users won’t know everything. However, these are some of the most important weed words to know and should help you make the best buying choices for your needs. Whichever kind of cannabis products you prefer, you can buy them online at GetKush.