How to Increase CBD When Growing Weed

by Nebula Haze

CBD (Cannabidiol) is a cannabinoid found in Medical Marijuana which may offer relief for some symptoms including anxiety and seizuresWhen it comes to trying to increase the amount of CBD in your cannabis for medical reasons, the number one most important thing is choosing to grow a high-CBD strain. (What’s the difference between CBD, THC and other cannabinoids?)

The fact is, you can never make a cannabis plant produce more CBD than the amount limited by its genetics. Many of the popular adult-use cannabis strains available today can only produce minuscule amounts of CBD, often 0.5% or lower.

Older cannabis strains tend to have somewhat higher CBD levels, especially those from before the year 2000, but many modern strains were bred over several generations exclusively for high THC levels, and CBD levels dwindled over time. It’s interesting that now we are going back to producing high-CBD strains. As cannabis becomes more popular, it has become obvious to me that each person is looking for something different.

Example of “Thai Stick” Buds From 1976. Older strains like this one often had higher levels of CBD than most modern cannabis strains until recently.

Example of "Thai Stick" Buds From 1976 - older strains like this one usually have higher levels of CBD than most modern strains

Benefits of CBD

  • Lots of evidence that it provides relief for a variety of symptoms including seizures, anxiety, spasms and nausea. It can also provide some people relief from multiple sclerosis, IBS, PTSD, cancer treatments and many other conditions. We are learning more every day!
  • Higher levels of CBD in cannabis will mute the psychoactive effects of THC, so that it has less of an effect on your thinking, while still providing the same benefits
  • More of a relaxing and less of a “speedy” or “racing” effect with buds.

There are a few things you can do while growing which help maximize the CBD content with the genetics you have, but first lets discuss strains, since that is hands-down the most important part of producing CBD!

What is Considered a “High CBD” Strain?

Generally, strains with 2% or more of CBD is considered to be “high CBD.” However, for a lot of patients, the ratio between CBD and THC is more important than the individual percentages. For example, a 1:1 ratio of CBD to THC would mute the effects of THC but the effects would still be there. But once you start getting to the point where you have 2:1 or 3:1 CBD to THC, the buds may not have any noticeable psychoactive effects at all. So something with 12% CBD and 4% THC would not have a whole lot of psychoactive effect even though there’s a significant amount of THC there.

 

Where Do I Get High-CBD Strains?

  • Many high-CBD strains are available online in seed form
  • There are also clone-only strains which are available in plant form only

Trustworthy High-CBD Strains Available as Seeds

  • Royal Queen Painkiller XL by Royal Queen Seeds (1:1 ratio – 9% THC and 9% CBD) – Royal Queen Seeds produces strains that are easy to grow and buds turn out as described. Painkiller XL is their premier CBD strain.
  • Green Poison CBD by Sweet Seeds (minimum 1:1 up to 1:2 THC/CBD ratio) – Kind of a weird name for a CBD strain, frankly, but it’s because it’s based on their excellent “green poison” strain which they worked with to ramp up the CBD. Sweet Seeds strains are always a great relaxing chill option, and their CBD strains take that vibe to the next level.
  • CBD Charlotte’s Angel by Dutch Passion (less than 1% THC, up to 16% CBD) – If you want to get max CBD without being able to feel any mind-altering psychoactive effects, this is an excellent option

Purchasing from specialized breeders online gives you access to high-CBD strains no matter where you live in the world

Happy, healthy high-CBD cannabis strain in a solo cup - though CBD content is MOSTLY determined by genetics, there are a few things you can do to help maximize CBD content when growing cannabis!

 

Growing Tactics to Increase CBD Levels

  • General good care – keep plant healthy and avoid major problems until harvest because sickly plants produce overall lower levels of cannabinoids.
  • Harvest at the right time – if you harvest too early your plant won’t have reached the highest levels of CBD yet

Growing Tactics That May Increase CBD Levels

A young cannabis plant - high-CBD Medical Marijuana strainThis section is based solely on a 6-year study about industrial hemp, which is closely related to but not the same as cannabis varieties grown for their buds. The researchers followed several different types of hemp plants grown outside, and in their study the following factors were associated with the plants producing higher levels of CBD:

  • Warm soil temperature
  • Warm air temperature
  • Lower levels of precipitation (rain)

It’s hard to know if these factors will influence the CBD content of cannabis plants grown indoors, but I do think it’s a good idea to keep things warm (at least above 70°F/20°C which is the minimum recommended temperature for optimum growth) and avoid overwatering!

 


 

Jump to…

How Do THC, CBN, and CBD Relate to Marijuana Potency?

What’s the Difference Between a “Medical” and Non-Medical Strain?

How to Increase THC During the Growing Process

How Long Does It Take to Grow Weed?

Can I Use Cannabis to Help Prevent Seizures?

 


 

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