When you shop for cannabis, you expect to come across deep green cannabis strains, just as you’ve seen on TV and in the movies. So, when a budtender pulls out of a grape-like purple strain, you may be a bit confused — but this colorful purple pigment is oh-so-real.
But, what makes purple weed purple? Is it safe? Does it mean it’s better than other, greener strains?
If you have questions about these plum and violet cannabis flowers that catch the eye and draw so much attention, we have answers.
Let’s take a deep dive into what this color means for your favorite marijuana buds.
Read to the end to see how you can get an additional discount on your medical marijuana!
What is Purple Weed?
Purple cannabis is simply a cannabis plant with a purple coloration or shades of purple hue. The coloration is often a result of the effects of water-soluble compounds called anthocyanins.
Typically, you can associate these wine-colored flowers with indicas.
Indica buds tend to grow with this type of coloration, indicating a potentially sleepy, relaxing profile.
Today, the cannabis community has a variety of exotic purple weed strains that you can find in your local dispensary.
And if you don’t know what to ask for, you can always inquire about the deepest purple buds a shop has.
Affordable weed? It’s all in the card.
What Are Some Popular Purple Weed Strains?
Every purple strain is going to look different. While some buds demonstrate extremely deep violet colors, others will only have slight hues of mauve or plum.
Just because one strain is more purple than the other doesn’t mean that strain is any better! It’s simply just genetics.
If you’re looking for some well-known grape-like strains, we’ve got you covered. Here are a handful of high-quality dark purple strains that you’ll love for more than just their color.
Grandaddy Purple (GDP)
A blend of Purple Urkle and Big Bud, Granddaddy Purple is one of the most distinctive, sought-after purple strains in the cannabis industry.
This indica-dominant purple marijuana strain was introduced to California in the early 2000s by Ken Estes, and its appeal has not dropped since then.
Its aroma is a pleasing note of grapes and berries. Many people turn to Granddaddy Purple to combat pain, stress, loss of appetite, and insomnia.
After use, they report feelings of euphoria, sedation, relaxation, and increased appetite.
Purple Haze
Purple Haze is one of the very few pure purple sativa strains in the world and is generally just about the most sought-after strain globally.
This purple marijuana strain is so good Jimi Hendrix popularized it in his 1967 hit song titled Purple Haze.
Its flavor is a mix of earthy and sweet, and its aroma will have you thinking of berries and spices. Purple Haze is a favorite because of the creativity and energy it inspires.
Purple Kush
Purple Kush does its namesake justice: this strain offers deeply purple leaves with a sweet aroma and earthy flavors that you’ll be sure to fall in love with.
A cross of Hindu Kush and Purple Afghani, Purple Kush boasts powerful indica effects that are great for enjoying after a long, hard day.
The distinct effects mixed with vibrant colors make this cannabis strain one of the most popular purple options on the market. (Not to mention its high THC content.)
Sour Grape
If the name didn’t give it away yet, this purple strain is legendary for its fruity aroma.
Sour Grape is an indica-dominant blend of Sour Diesel and GDP with some bits of sourness to boot. We’d describe this strain as potent, pure, and oh-so-purple.
If you want something that makes you feel energetic and calm simultaneously, reach for this one. Its relaxing effects make it perfect for stress relief, and consumers have also reported that it helps with relieving muscle tension.
Grape Ape
Grape is a potent indica-dominant hybrid that’s beyond purple. It’s the result of a cross between Mendocino Purps, Skunk, and Afghani.
Its THC level averages 18%-21%, so if you want a truly immersive high, this is just right for you.
Users report a relaxing, full-body experience that culminates in deep, sedative effects; so, it’s best to enjoy at night when you have nowhere to go or work to do.
It can help alleviate the symptoms of insomnia, chronic pain, appetite loss, anxiety, and depression.
Purple Thai
As the name implies, this strain has a dark purple color and a fruity taste.
Purple Thai is a sativa-dominant strain that Oaxacan Gold and Chocolate Thai created. Many cannabis enthusiasts flock to this strain for its high THC levels, usually ranging around 23%.
Consumers report a deep feeling of euphoria and relaxation that fills the mind and disperses the gloomy clouds. It can help alleviate the symptoms of muscle soreness, appetite loss, and neuropathy.
Myths About Purple Weed Flower
As access to the internet increases, a lot of information floats around, with people spreading various narratives on how the purple marijuana flower came into existence.
Most of these narratives hinge on what makes weed purple and what growers may be doing on their farms to create these marijuana strains.
First, let’s look at some of the myths about how purple cannabis strains are derived.
Myth #1: Excessive nitrogen application
Undoubtedly, nitrogen is essential for the growth of marijuana. It is, in fact, one of the primary macronutrients that cannabis plants need at various stages of their lives.
Being a macronutrient means that cannabis plants need an abundance of nitrogen to survive — Nitrogen influences plant development, productivity, and yield.
However, while requiring a lot, too much nitrogen is a thing. Some people believe that you can get purple strains by applying excessive nitrogen, but what do the facts say?
Advanced research on the effects of nitrogen on medical cannabis showed that beyond optimum usage, a nitrogen overload could adversely affect your plant. And, instead of purps, you will be getting browns (no pun intended).
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Myth #2: Watering regimens
Water is undoubtedly a requirement for healthy cannabis plants, but how much water does cannabis need?
Some believe that watering cannabis plants using a specific schedule or not watering them at all within a given period would make the plant turn purple.
This myth fails to consider that cannabis plants also grow in the wild under varying conditions with varying water availability. And that while cannabis plants adapt to the fluctuating amounts of water they receive, none of the adaptations makes them yield purple weed flower.
Myth #3: Depriving the plant of oxygen or carbon dioxide
As an extension of water scheduling, you may have come across suggestions that overwatering your cannabis plant can inhibit the root’s oxygen absorption and make the leaves turn purple.
They say if you control your cannabis plant’s CO2 intake to be below the optimum requirement, you will be harvesting purple cannabis in no time.
While some growers may have used these deprivation techniques to force weed to have purple coloration, there are just as many growers that have tried and never got that result.
The most important thing to remember is that O2 and CO2 are vital elements cannabis plants need to survive. Depriving your plants of one or both will adversely affect your plant’s metabolism, and that’ll leave you with a sickly plant and low harvest.
You may be getting shades of the desired coloration, but definitely not the potency or bountiful harvests your plant would have given you. So, what do you want: healthy flowers or unhealthy purps?
Myth #4: Light cycle and high intensity get you purple flower weed
Light intensity may determine how fast a cannabis plant grows during the vegetative phase, as well as how fast it flowers.
In the pursuit of purpleness, stories are going around that with prolonged lighting and higher lighting intensity, one could get purple weed flowers.
What these myth fails to account for is that:
You can only get the purple hue if the coloration is part of the genetic composition of the parent plant. No amount of light will alter the natural characteristics of cannabis plants.
You don’t need to use very high light intensity. As a matter of fact, using high light intensity is more likely to get you yellow leaves, which, at best, is a sign of an unhealthy plant.
If you want to get the best out of your cannabis plants, it would be best if you don’t subject them to any harsh conditions, as is often suggested by these myths.
Facing the Facts
If you are keen on how to grow purple marijuana, then you have to forgo all the myths and focus on two factors regarding seed production and temperature:
Genes – It’s all in the seed production. If you want to get purple weed, then you have to cultivate the right seeds with the genetic potential to produce anthocyanins. Nurture indeed plays a significant role in expressing the innate characteristics of marijuana plants, but nature supplies the blueprint, or shall we say, purple print? You plant purple seeds, you get purple weed. It’s that simple.
Temperature – With the right seeds, the next thing you need is the right temperature to induce the purple hue. Expert growers suggest cold temperatures during the flowering phase, just as is experienced during fall. Like most other plants, the leaves of cannabis plants with anthocyanin change color during fall.
With these two in place, you will be well on your way to growing your purple marijuana.
Understanding Purple Weed Flowers With Elevate Holistics
With your medical marijuana card, you can get purple cannabis buds from any applicable state-authorized dispensary.
But how do you get your medical marijuana card in the first place? That’s where we come in.
Elevate Holistics can help you get your MMJ card in three quick, easy steps – and you can do it all from the comfort of your home. That’s right: Elevate’s telemedicine services allow you to meet with a board-certified physician over the phone or computer.
From there, you two can discuss your qualifying medical conditions and see if MMJ is right for you.
Simply start by finding your state and booking an appointment. Then, we’ll handle it from there. Before you know it, you’ll be picking out your new favorite — purple — cannabis strain.
As a reader of Elevate’s blog, you can get an additional $5 off your doctor’s appointment just by using the code BLOG5 at checkout!
