Purple strains: When colour is both health and sickness

Variations in pH levels (in acidic conditions they tend to turn reddish, and to hues of blue or purple in more alkaline conditions), lack of nitrogen (yellow) or potassium (dark green and purple) and cold, above all, are among the factors that may produce these changes. If temperatures drop considerably, plants tend to display different colours.

Of course, these changes in pigment should be monitored, because if they are due to health issues, the result will be marijuana with a lower quality than that with a bright green colour. 

However, this is by no means an axiom. There are marijuana strains of almost any colour, colours that have a genetic source and have nothing to do with problems or deficiencies. The most famous and eye-catching are the so-called purple strains, which display a beautiful purple colour in different shades.

With a common genetic origin rooted in the lands of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, purple strains owe their beauty to secondary pigments called anthocyanins. These are disguised by green chlorophyll at the beginning of the season but, towards the end, as this one weakens, they appear in all their glory (the condition for this is the dropping of night-time temperatures in the last stage of growth). 

The pioneer and queen of purple strains is Blueberry Original, from Dutch Passion. It was created in the United States by D.J. Short – with permission from Purple Haze, another distinguished aristocrat- but today there are many other versions of the same quality or even higher: Blue Widow from Dinafem, Purple Ryder from Joint Doctor, Blue Kush from BOG Seeds, Pakistan Chitral Kush from Cannabiogen, Grapefruit x Blueberry from Chimera, etc., etc.

All of them have guaranteed quality and potency, disproving the old myth that purple marijuana is softer. Another advantage is how you can surprise your friends, showing them a rock of purple hash, almost a precious gem.

Having a colourful garden, planting marijuana alone, is perfectly possible. Besides purple, there is an array of strains with different shades of green, from yellow to deep reds (thanks to other secondary pigments, carotenoids) and even smoked greys and blacks, due to various genetic characteristics.

Try Stinky Pinky (pink) from British Columbia Seeds, Red Dwarf (red) from Buddha Seeds or Vietnam Black Thai (smoked) from Ace Seeds. Obviously, they need to be cared for – organic fertilisers whenever possible – to reach their full potential.

But if you succeed, the beauty of your plantation alone can be compared to the quality of your harvest.