Ruderalis

Akornpatch

Well-Known Member
Ruderalis Indica® ( Sensi )

The Ruderalis originates as a land race from Hungary and the Soviet Union. Flowering in the Ruderalis is not related to photoperiod like most other strains but to age. The Ruderalis Indica® hybrid is a very early and short but also potent hybrid. The heavy Indica makes it more susceptible to mould than Early Pearl®, Early Girl®, Durban® and Mexican® for example. If you are lucky with a good autumn then this will be no problem, so prepare to be suprised by its good (Indica) quality.

Ruderalis Indica captures the unique flowering properties of the Cannabis Ruderalis land-race, which grows wild across Eastern Europe. Through breeding with psychoactive Indicas from the south, Sensi has added potency and the result is this hardy, extra-early hybrid that can succeed in almost any environment. Requiring little equipment other than pots, soil and plant food, Ruderalis Indica can reward even first-time growers.

This wild hemp strain, once discarded as useless, is making a comeback among both serious breeders and casual croppers.

Deep in the North American woods lurks a recent addition to the marijuana gene pool: Ruderalis hybrids! The forests and fields are coming alive with resinated plants, blasting their way to maturity under the intense light of the summer sun, long before the buzzing of choppers or moldy autumn weather.

Until recently, Ruderalis had been almost unanimously given a bad name by cultivators and breeders alike. Early Dutch seed pioneers like Super Sativa Seed Club voiced their concerns about Ruderalis early in the homegrown revolution. This was all with understandable reason, as pure Ruderalis varieties are almost completely devoid of THC and come with a host of other problems for the grower or breeder.

Breeding programs between Ruderalis and drug type strains can and have produced plants of notable quality. The aim of this article is to shine some light on this recent advance in marijuana breeding and pave the way to what could be the future of outdoor marijuana cultivation for many areas of the world.

What is Ruderalis?

Cannabis Ruderalis is a subspecies of Cannabis Sativa. The term was originally used in the former Soviet Union to describe the varieties of hemp that had escaped cultivation and adapted to the surrounding region.

Similar Ruderalis populations can be found in most of the areas where hemp cultivation was once prevalent. The most notable region in North America is the midwest, though populations occur sporadically throughout the United States and Canada. Without the human hand aiding in selection, these plants have lost many of the traits they were originally selected for, and have acclimatized to their locale.

Though they contain little THC, these plants hold large potential for use in breeding, both in hemp and marijuana applications. Early flowering and resistance to locally significant insect and disease pressures are but a few of the important traits present in these feral populations.

Thankfully, despite years of US government sponsored eradication programs, these wild plants still remain in bountiful abundance.

The first documented experiments in crossing drug strain varieties with their Ruderalis cousins were performed by Ernest Small of Agriculture Canada in Ontario during the 1970's, for the aiding in the purposes of taxonomic classification. Crosses between these strains usually produced offspring of intermediate THC levels, with a few that leaned more towards the high THC end of the spectrum. It was concluded during this research that hybrids between drug and non-drug (both ruderal and hemp cultivars were tested) generally produced progeny of intermediate potency.1

Perhaps the most known efforts to incorporate Ruderalis traits into drug hybrids are those of Nevil, proprietor of the original Seed Bank, and the person largely responsible for the original dispersion of many of today's drug varieties.

During the 1980's, Nevil experimented with crossing Ruderalis strains to plants such as Mexican, Skunk#1 and several Indicas, in hopes of combining the early flowering of the Ruderalis with the potency and flavor of the others.

Although some of Neville's crosses matured much earlier than previous marijuana strains, they tended to be low in potency, unstable in terms of maturity, and often sported buds that were leafy with shrunken calyxes.

About this time, on British Columbia's Gulf islands, an outdoor grower was noticing that his October finishing strain always threw out a few plants that finished much earlier – by late July or early August. After several years of selections for this early flowering trait, the Mighty Mite strain was born.2 Mighty Mite effectively incorporated the auto-flowering trait, while retaining the habit and potency of its drug cultivar heritage.

For those in the know, Mighty Mite quickly became a popular outdoor strain for filling the traditional late summer drought in BC's pot market before the market was flooded with regular seasonal outdoor bud. Slowly, over the years, these genetics have spread further amongst underground pot growers and been used most successfully in hybridizations with more potent strains.

Aside from getting crops in before cops and other thieves can plunder them, these early plants have allowed growers to produce plants with much more commercial appeal than traditional Northern latitude outdoor marijuana.

Warm, dry summer weather with high light values allow buds to finish bright green and rock hard, making for better bag appeal. It is impossible to tell whether the many auto-flowering strains floating around all originated in the Mighty Mite family or are a result of many similar incidents, but it is certainly the most proven of all the auto-flowering strains. The fact that Mighty Mite is an inbred line and relatively true breeding for its auto-flowering trait would make it seem likely to have been a large contributor.

DJ Short has recently speculated that Ruderalis introductions into the drug cannabis gene pool likely came from repeated selections for early flowering traits from Indica based lines rather than actually being imported from Russia or surrounding countries (CC#39, Breeding Tips). Both of these scenarios are quite possible. General consensus is that all drug, hemp and feral strains of cannabis originated from the same source gene pool, therefore, Indica varieties would also have these auto-flower genes present somewhere in their genetic makeup.

Get those buds in before choppers and thieves come looking!
Get those buds in before choppers and thieves come looking!
Early flowering explored

The marijuana strains most of us have been familiar with begin flowering once the night period reaches the individual plant's critical night length. This critical length varies depending on where the strain originated. Generally, there is a critical period of darkness required to begin flowering, and a second slightly longer critical dark requirement for it to ripen completely.

Many Indica varieties begin to flower when the day length drops to about 13 1/2-14 hours, while Sativas will often not begin to flower until less than a 12 hour day length is achieved.

In comparison, many of today's Ruderalis/drug strain hybrids flower automatically when they reach a given maturity, regardless of photoperiod. Even under lights on 18 hours a day, they completely mature from seed to bud in less than 90 days.

I've seen test plants from Mighty Mite hybrid lines that were started outdoors in early March, and had completely finished by late July. This could indicate that crossing auto-flowering plants to those that are photoperiod determinant lengthens a genetically predetermined period required before non-photoperiod dependent floral onset.

A second scenario is that within the ruderal strains that have been introduced to the drug gene pool there also exists genetic information of photoperiod adaptation to north latitudes.

Many of these Ruderalis/drug hybrids are also known for being very sensitive to other environmental factors. Things such as cloning, letting plants go too dry or getting pot bound can easily send them into heavy flowering.

The big unknown that still remains in these new lines of marijuana is what is actually causing the flowering on a biological level? Is there an internal clock, a genetically predetermined number of cell divisions that must take place before the plant begins to put up buds?

Another possibility is that once night-induced flowering hormone levels accumulate to certain levels within the plant it will begin to flower.

If the flowering is not dependent on having a dark period, these new cultivars could prove useful in backyard city growing situations, where streetlights and other forms of light pollution often prevent proper maturation of photoperiod dependent strains.

Rudy tooty, so fruity!
Rudy tooty, so fruity!
Problems and pitfalls

As these genetics further penetrate the drug cannabis gene pool they have potential to cause both harm and good.

Imagine getting mothers up and going for your next big crop and finding that at 60 days they all begin to go into full flower. A costly inconvenience at the least!

However, the potential for great advances is also there for the taking. How about auto-flowering Haze strains that ripen in the middle of summer, in areas where previously even the earliest Indicas would not ripen in time? Commercial growers could pull two crops per summer without ever having to worry about shading!

Breeding climate

One of the largest problems associated with breeding outdoor varieties for northern latitude areas like Canada or Holland is that the climate puts no pressure on plants to produce high psychoactivity. In fact it selects for the opposite.

So long as the breeder is selecting for high potency on a multi-parent level, potency can be upheld. However, if this same breeding program were undertaken in an environment that naturally selects for high THC plants (like highland Colombia or Thailand) the resulting average desirable cannabinoid levels would be much higher.

There is likely a threshold effect on the potential of any given strain as related to the environment it is being selected in. By incorporating auto-flower genes into the north latitude outdoor marijuana gene pool, plants would be finishing under more direct sunlight and warmer weather. This environment is much more conducive to high THC levels, thereby raising the threshold level for the particular strain.

It is very likely that Ruderalis varieties have already made for an important advance in hemp cultivars. The variety FIN314 was developed from genetic material originating in Russia and seems to have the same auto-flowering trait noted in Mighty Mite and other hybrids.

FIN314 seeds that accidentally germinated in a Quebec farmer's field in early April were found in full flower by early June.3 Along with adding the possibility of twin crops in a season, this allows the oilseed variety to finish short enough to be easily harvested by current machinery, which clogs when fed the standard taller hemp varieties.

The genetic history of the parents of FIN 314 is unknown, other than that they were acquired from a germplasm collection from Russia. However, it is believed that at least one of the parents was a Ruderalis accession.4 If the widespread adoption of FIN314 by hemp farmers is any indication of the future of Ruderalis/drug hybrids with pot growers, there will be a mass dispersal in the coming years.

Buyer beware

There are still many commercially offered Ruderalis hybrid strains that are very low quality and should barely be classed as drug varieties. At the same time, the finest Canadian outdoor pot to have crossed my path so far was from Mighty Mite derived lines that were harvested in July and August.

The future seems clear for Ruderalis/marijuana hybrids. As many governments ease up on antiquated cannabis laws, more and more people will take up growing. A couple of auto-flowers on the back deck will likely fit the lifestyle of many more folks than would an indoor grow room.

Demand for stabilized, auto-flowering hybrids of high drug value, in combination with saner drug laws, will pressure marijuana breeders to move forward on bringing these to fruition.

Until then, the ability to have marijuana crops maturing at any time of the growing season should wreak havoc on CAMP style police tactics that have been accustomed to only searching for plants one or two months of the year. This, if for no other reason, seems ample enough to plant some auto-flowerers today!


References

1 Small, Ernest. 1979. The Species Problem in Cannabis Science & Semantics. Volume 1: Science. Corpus Information Services Limited. In cooperation with Agriculture Canada and the Canadian Government Publishing Center. pp.121-127
2 Poole, MIchael. Romancing Mary Jane: A Year in the Life of a Failed Marijuana Grower. Greystone Books.
3 Przytyk, Sasha. Undated article. FIN 314 in Canada, Gen-X research Inc. Regina, Sask.
4 Callaway, JC, and TT Laakonen. Undated article. Cultivation of Oilseed Varieties in Finland. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kuopio, Finland.
 
..so do you think since ruderalis doesnt flower during a photoperiod it flowers by age...do you think the ruderalis/indica crosses will finish around the same time as a strain without the ruderalis gene...

nice article by the way akorn, very usefull information
 
Originally posted by another previous Mod so I can't take credit, but it is a great read.

Ruderalis' flowering tendencies can be selectively bred into you favorite Indica. Even on the first cross you'd find some tendencies thru-out the seed batch to auto-flower.
 
this could be a handy piece of information to many growers alike...for myself i would love...lets just say an autoflowering white skunk....it would cut down on total time invested and you could harvest more frequently
 
Ordered some Mighty Mite seeds today. Should be here in no time. Then what you guys? I'll be talking with you a bunch

I think they'll be perfect for stealth growing, 3-4 feet high. Auto flower, outdoor, Norcal.. tis a pleasure to live here. :cheesygrinsmiley: :peace:

Oh, and of course INDICA. Yeah.. "a couple of auto flowers on the back deck would definitely fit" my lifestyle.
 
Got my Mighty Mite seeds this past week and they are under the wet paper towels as we write. Got my outdoor planters with two basil plants (stealth suggestion from this site) going and ready for the MM. Wish me luck.:cheesygrinsmiley: :peace:

My attempt at being a gentleman farmer.. well, a gardener any ways.
 
Hi All, I think the mistery with the "ruderalis" is far by being solved... 10

years ago I have learned at school that there are only 2 types of cannabis

plants - c.sativa and c.indica. C.sativa has no psihoactive effect and for

this reason was cultivated for its fibers,oil..etc and the psihoactive strain

is c.indica. In nature (ex.Himalaya - India) C.Indica is growing at high

altitudes but sativa at low altitudes and both have quite high THC levels,

why ? because they got polinated...just think at the birds...they love

cannabis seeds...this can be one reason and from here the whole

confusion. I can straight confirm that there is no "ruderalis" only c.sativa

and c.indica and hibrids. ... such things were made up for I don't know

what reason perhaps ... ignorance. In my life I met marijuana very late

..because it was not so popular in Eastern Europe where i live..Back in

the days when I took the first real Ganja smoke I realised that since i was

low I lived, played (hiding with the other kids) between these monster

plants nowadays called C.Ruderalis. No no ! they are not small

plants......they grow over 6-7ft (over 2 m) , with a beautyfull dark-green

color, thin sativa leafs with nice big buds full of resin at maturity.. verry

sticky and a lot of seeds !!!, rich in CBD,CBN and other canabinoids - but

verry low in THC having ALL c.sativa caracteristics. but ALL --- I will post

some pictures in the summer as it grows--- please remind If i forget.:D.
Now regarding the smoke....
I tried it in many ways ... I smoked the buds

--- verry harsh smoke --- after the first try I said that I woudn't try it ever

again. No high, I felt only a pressure in my head, was disorientated

(physical) a little bit dizzy but I guess that was from the tabak and what I

think the most important-weird feeling I had was the impact of the

canabinoids on my muscular mass ... I felt the muscles atrofiated with no

power...laziness. The whole experience lasted for about 10 minutes I

guess.
As a second try I made some "charras" of it as here is plenty of this

weed but was not so lucky because I extracted with the (CND,CBN)

charras also impurties. The weird thing with this charras is that with

lack of THC it woun't stick toghether - perhaps because of the impurites

or I don't know but the buds were stick definetly. Regarding the smoke,

the experience was similar to one related above.
As bottom line .... there

is no "ruderalis" - only indica and sativa and the hibrids. The TRUTH

Sativa has no THC level actually it has but very very low ... unsesisable if

smoked. In fact I was at the botanical garden in my town and they had

exposed outdoors the plant I am telling you about .. named .... c.sativa

....exactly. I can also submit here some photos but ...only by request and

in autumn. I think there is a big missunderstanding ---- everybody knows

the good weed -- skunk is original from India - from which comes also the

name "indica".
Indica wasn't cultivated for the fiber,oil.etc but only

for the THC and is growing in the mountains where the light

intensity is also higher and from here the photoperiodicality by turning

into flowering when autumn approches. C.sativa according to Wiki is the

one "cultivated for domestic crops : Sativa, Latin botanical adjective

meaning cultivated, used to designate seed-grown domestic crops. "
On

C.sativa the fibers can be easily seen on the stem and and has a lot of

seeds very productive, tall and for the mentioned reasons was so

appreciated.

Every cannabis seed on the market which is labbeled as

pure Sativa is actually a hoax !!! the base could be a sativa but befintely

has selected indica traits in it because otherwise with pure sativa YOU

CAN'T GET HIGH!!! and the THC potency is genetically given so they had

to invent something / hoaxing to ernich the offer ! this is pure marketing

not sativa :p


Do not belive that corporatistic sh&* they sell !!! stay smart !!!
 
Awesome group of reads. I live in an area with thousands and thousands of feral plants growing near every farm. We will call it Zone 4 on the planting map. These plants grow 12' tall, Finnish before the first frost and well before 12/12 starts. They have sativa leaves and colas like baseball bats. At least 1lb of seeds per girl..You can cure and smoke but you will not get high on these monsters.
 
Hi All, I think the mistery with the "ruderalis" is far by being solved... 10

years ago I have learned at school that there are only 2 types of cannabis

plants - c.sativa and c.indica. C.sativa has no psihoactive effect and for

this reason was cultivated for its fibers,oil..etc and the psihoactive strain

is c.indica. In nature (ex.Himalaya - India) C.Indica is growing at high

altitudes but sativa at low altitudes and both have quite high THC levels,

why ? because they got polinated...just think at the birds...they love

cannabis seeds...this can be one reason and from here the whole

confusion. I can straight confirm that there is no "ruderalis" only c.sativa

and c.indica and hibrids. ... such things were made up for I don't know

what reason perhaps ... ignorance. In my life I met marijuana very late

..because it was not so popular in Eastern Europe where i live..Back in

the days when I took the first real Ganja smoke I realised that since i was

low I lived, played (hiding with the other kids) between these monster

plants nowadays called C.Ruderalis. No no ! they are not small

plants......they grow over 6-7ft (over 2 m) , with a beautyfull dark-green

color, thin sativa leafs with nice big buds full of resin at maturity.. verry

sticky and a lot of seeds !!!, rich in CBD,CBN and other canabinoids - but

verry low in THC having ALL c.sativa caracteristics. but ALL --- I will post

some pictures in the summer as it grows--- please remind If i forget.:D.
Now regarding the smoke....
I tried it in many ways ... I smoked the buds

--- verry harsh smoke --- after the first try I said that I woudn't try it ever

again. No high, I felt only a pressure in my head, was disorientated

(physical) a little bit dizzy but I guess that was from the tabak and what I

think the most important-weird feeling I had was the impact of the

canabinoids on my muscular mass ... I felt the muscles atrofiated with no

power...laziness. The whole experience lasted for about 10 minutes I

guess.
As a second try I made some "charras" of it as here is plenty of this

weed but was not so lucky because I extracted with the (CND,CBN)

charras also impurties. The weird thing with this charras is that with

lack of THC it woun't stick toghether - perhaps because of the impurites

or I don't know but the buds were stick definetly. Regarding the smoke,

the experience was similar to one related above.
As bottom line .... there

is no "ruderalis" - only indica and sativa and the hibrids. The TRUTH

Sativa has no THC level actually it has but very very low ... unsesisable if

smoked. In fact I was at the botanical garden in my town and they had

exposed outdoors the plant I am telling you about .. named .... c.sativa

....exactly. I can also submit here some photos but ...only by request and

in autumn. I think there is a big missunderstanding ---- everybody knows

the good weed -- skunk is original from India - from which comes also the

name "indica".
Indica wasn't cultivated for the fiber,oil.etc but only

for the THC and is growing in the mountains where the light

intensity is also higher and from here the photoperiodicality by turning

into flowering when autumn approches. C.sativa according to Wiki is the

one "cultivated for domestic crops : Sativa, Latin botanical adjective

meaning cultivated, used to designate seed-grown domestic crops. "
On

C.sativa the fibers can be easily seen on the stem and and has a lot of

seeds very productive, tall and for the mentioned reasons was so

appreciated.

Every cannabis seed on the market which is labbeled as

pure Sativa is actually a hoax !!! the base could be a sativa but befintely

has selected indica traits in it because otherwise with pure sativa YOU

CAN'T GET HIGH!!! and the THC potency is genetically given so they had

to invent something / hoaxing to ernich the offer ! this is pure marketing

not sativa :p


Do not belive that corporatistic sh&* they sell !!! stay smart !!!

Cannabis ruderalis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
So the ruderalis grows in your wood? which country you from, thats awesome, haha
 

Just thought id make this clear. I respect Sativus for his input but i strongly disagree with the info he has given below i have provided a link on the topic. with all the information wiki can provide.

Cannabis ruderalis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Further more, advances have been made in breeding these plants with cannabis strain plants. resulting in ( auto flowers )
Hybrids that can be sprouted and harvest in as little as 8-7 weeks, but generally tend to be smaller yeilding

:peace:
 
Hi All, I think the mistery with the "ruderalis" is far by being solved... 10

years ago I have learned at school that there are only 2 types of cannabis

plants - c.sativa and c.indica. C.sativa has no psihoactive effect and for

this reason was cultivated for its fibers,oil..etc and the psihoactive strain

is c.indica. In nature (ex.Himalaya - India) C.Indica is growing at high

altitudes but sativa at low altitudes and both have quite high THC levels,

why ? because they got polinated...just think at the birds...they love

cannabis seeds...this can be one reason and from here the whole

confusion. I can straight confirm that there is no "ruderalis" only c.sativa

and c.indica and hibrids. ... such things were made up for I don't know

what reason perhaps ... ignorance. In my life I met marijuana very late

..because it was not so popular in Eastern Europe where i live..Back in

the days when I took the first real Ganja smoke I realised that since i was

low I lived, played (hiding with the other kids) between these monster

plants nowadays called C.Ruderalis. No no ! they are not small

plants......they grow over 6-7ft (over 2 m) , with a beautyfull dark-green

color, thin sativa leafs with nice big buds full of resin at maturity.. verry

sticky and a lot of seeds !!!, rich in CBD,CBN and other canabinoids - but

verry low in THC having ALL c.sativa caracteristics. but ALL --- I will post

some pictures in the summer as it grows--- please remind If i forget.:D.
Now regarding the smoke....
I tried it in many ways ... I smoked the buds

--- verry harsh smoke --- after the first try I said that I woudn't try it ever

again. No high, I felt only a pressure in my head, was disorientated

(physical) a little bit dizzy but I guess that was from the tabak and what I

think the most important-weird feeling I had was the impact of the

canabinoids on my muscular mass ... I felt the muscles atrofiated with no

power...laziness. The whole experience lasted for about 10 minutes I

guess.
As a second try I made some "charras" of it as here is plenty of this

weed but was not so lucky because I extracted with the (CND,CBN)

charras also impurties. The weird thing with this charras is that with

lack of THC it woun't stick toghether - perhaps because of the impurites

or I don't know but the buds were stick definetly. Regarding the smoke,

the experience was similar to one related above.
As bottom line .... there

is no "ruderalis" - only indica and sativa and the hibrids. The TRUTH

Sativa has no THC level actually it has but very very low ... unsesisable if

smoked. In fact I was at the botanical garden in my town and they had

exposed outdoors the plant I am telling you about .. named .... c.sativa

....exactly. I can also submit here some photos but ...only by request and

in autumn. I think there is a big missunderstanding ---- everybody knows

the good weed -- skunk is original from India - from which comes also the

name "indica".
Indica wasn't cultivated for the fiber,oil.etc but only

for the THC and is growing in the mountains where the light

intensity is also higher and from here the photoperiodicality by turning

into flowering when autumn approches. C.sativa according to Wiki is the

one "cultivated for domestic crops : Sativa, Latin botanical adjective

meaning cultivated, used to designate seed-grown domestic crops. "
On

C.sativa the fibers can be easily seen on the stem and and has a lot of

seeds very productive, tall and for the mentioned reasons was so

appreciated.

Every cannabis seed on the market which is labbeled as

pure Sativa is actually a hoax !!! the base could be a sativa but befintely

has selected indica traits in it because otherwise with pure sativa YOU

CAN'T GET HIGH!!! and the THC potency is genetically given so they had

to invent something / hoaxing to ernich the offer ! this is pure marketing

not sativa :p


Do not belive that corporatistic sh&* they sell !!! stay smart !!!

uhm actually I hate to be that guy but your all so wrong man. One, there is your hemp variety for fibers textiles etc. Theres what the tell you in school is cannabis indica which is a short statured broad leaved plant which produces more of a body stone narcotic effect in nature. c staiva DOES get you high, Im sure you've smoked some haze before and got high right? well hey bud that "haze" if it was real haze is a pure cannabis sativa. And as far as autoflowering varieties are concerned I have had success with many, it seems to vary batch by batch, some will flower by age, others you have no choice but to switch the photoperiod.
 
hi, i'm new cannabis grower and i do not have a green thumb at all. so please, take my stupidity with ease, this is my first grow and i am growing one plant and i actually have no idea what strain it is or if its male or female :/ i am well aware that it is a ruderalis because of the leaves. Its been growing since 4/25/ it is now 5/22 and it is looking healthy enough but it does not have a lot of leaves on it. i have not applied nutrients to it what so ever, but the soil mix i am currently using is doing a half decent job. i water it once a day and my lighting is pretty good. I'm just wondering how far am i going to get without nutrients and will my yield be decent? That is if it is a female :/
 
Hemp is a Cannabis Sativa. Cannabis Sativa is not hemp and yes it does have THC. Area it comes from and what the plant was used for has a lot to do with fiber and THC content.
I'm old school and grow photo period strains. Followed the Ruderalis thing way back when SSSC ran it. In the past Ruderalis crosses have lacked THC content of other strains. Personally while some may be very good these days Auto strains will never compete with Photo period strains for potency. There is a place for Auto's these days only because it is easier not better. To many people take the easy way out these days.
 
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