Purple Cannabis Flower: How to Grow It

Purple cannabis flower and buds have been immortalized in pop culture. Songs like Jimi Hendrix’s acid rock anthem ‘Purple Haze’ and more recently ASAP Rocky’s southern influenced ‘Purple Swag’ reference the undeniable appeal of enjoying violet-colored cannabis. As a result, growers who have identified an increase in demand for exotic cannabis lean into the popular trend to increase their profits.

While our control over nature is limited, some methods can bring out those deep purple hues so you can provide cannabis that is worthy of glorification in rock and roll music. Today we will discuss why marijuana comes in a plethora of different shades and how you can bring out the purple in your next crop.

Why is Purple Weed so Popular?

Offering brightly colored purple weed is justification to sell at a higher price, but why? Is purple cannabis more psychoactive? Are the cannabinoid potency levels higher in purple strains?

The answer is no.

Purple weed strains aren’t more potent and don’t even correlate to higher quality. However, it is relatively unusual. Purple weed is more expensive and featured in rap songs stemming from the illegal market when the consumer was at the mercy of whatever product their supplier had available. Coming across purple cannabis was a rare treat for many, and as a result, the phenomenon was glorified in popular culture.

Today, purple buds are more readily available due to a legal market. While access has increased, the rarity does remain, and most consumers still appreciate exotic-looking cannabis.  

What Makes Purple Cannabis Flower Colorful?

We can enjoy the highly instagramable appearance of purple weed because of two significant circumstances: genetics and the environment the plants are subject to during their lifecycle. Growers who want to focus on growing purple cannabis can use both factors to their advantage through selecting seeds of historically purple strains and ensuring they give the predisposed genetic qualities the conditions to thrive.

Genetics

Many strains produce purple cannabis flower. These strains are predominately indica dominant because these types of cannabis are more likely to provide dark colors. Breeders use purple genetics to create hybrids, mixing desirable traits from specific strains. Purple appearance has historically been one of the more desirable qualities in the industry, leading to a plethora of options for growers looking to offer purple cannabis.

Choosing a strain that has proven to deliver purple nugs is necessary if you are looking to grow purple cannabis. However, environmental factors create the chemical composition that provides purple features and ways to bring out these desirable qualities.

Environment

Purple traits overwhelmingly come from cannabis strains with genetic roots tied to high elevations of Afghanistan, Northern Pakistan, India, Nepal, and the Hindu Kush Mountain range. The cold temperatures in this region of the world led to short, bushy plants with broad leaves and dark colors.

Recreating the cooler conditions can bring out the purple hues in your cannabis flowers. Slowly lowering the temperature during the dark cycle close to harvest time will amplify the plant’s natural ability to turn purple. However, you need to be careful. A dramatic change can shock cannabis plants, and temperatures too cold will reduce yields.

Why are Cannabis Plants Different Colors?

Cannabis plants experience a wide array of different colors primarily due to naturally occurring pigments called anthocyanins. The compound is responsible for the darker shades found in cannabis plants as well as the deep hues of blueberries, blackberries, and red grapes.

Stains with higher concentrations of anthocyanins tend to naturally show off their dark colors when temperatures begin to fall. Selecting strains with purple traits and providing the right growing conditions combine to produce those highly coveted purple nugs.

Potentially Purple Parts of Cannabis

Not all parts of the plant have the ability to turn purple. Thankfully, the most desirable features of the plant are where the anthocyanins tend to concentrate.

Calyxes (Buds)

Trichomes

Pistils

Leaves

How You Can Encourage Purple Buds

There is a lot of misinformation regarding cannabis production online. The driving factors turning weed purple doesn’t escape the endless hearsay in the cannabis industry. Many people have claimed that depriving your plants of nutrients or freezing the buds after harvest will force the pigments to change colors. These are both myths that can destroy your crop or freshly trimmed cannabis flower.

pH levels can influence the anthocyanins; however, we don’t recommend going this route if you are looking to bring out shades of purple. The best way to grow purple weed is by choosing the correct strain and adjusting your grow environment’s temperature close to harvest. We recommend going no lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night and closely monitoring your plants during the process.

Choosing Popular Purple Strains of Weed

Growing purple weed strains starts when you buy your seeds or clones. Our cannabis trimming team offers complete support in the incredibly important early stages of marijuana cultivation if you need nursery assistance. Below are some of the most famous strains with undeniable purple features.

Purple Kush

Purple Haze

Grand Daddy Purple

Purple Power

Purple Widow

Purple Urkle

Purple Afghani

Ayahuasca Purple

Each is a tremendously popular and excellent choice when choosing what strains will fill your next grow operation.

Services from Mary Jane’s Friends & Co

Growing cannabis of all shades is complicated. With the help of our experienced Michigan defoliation crew and complete service cannabis plant maintenance, we take on some of the pressure of running a grow operation. From nursery care to post-harvest sanitation, Mary Jane’s Friends & Co can help you maximize your yields. We specialize in plant maintenance techniques like lollipopping, defoliation, and staking so your plants are exposed to as much air and light as possible. Our trimming team is ready for hire when harvest time comes. We also provide post-harvest services like sanitation and facility clean-up.

Whether you are interested in growing purple cannabis or just want to increase your yields, contact us today to discuss how we can maximize your cultivation efforts.