It seems like something out of a fairy tale and, although for a long time there was speculation about its true existence or not, it has been confirmed that yes, that albino marijuana is not the illusion that emerged from the imagination of a grower very creative.
Haberlas, haylas, as they say. Of course, with its peculiarities. And between what is legendary and what is true, we have found enough material to bring you a most attractive and mysterious post to reveal one of the most popular myths in the world of cannabiculture: that of white marijuana.
Albino marijuana growing in the sewers of New York?
Just the question already sounds like a cheat, doesn’t it? It is the typical story told to someone by a friend of a distant cousin from a remote town in an unspeakable state in North America. Come on, one of those stories whose origin would be very difficult to find out because you would have to be pulling the thread for hundreds of thousands of kilometers and totally, for nothing.
But in case you are interested in the legend, that is what is told. That there is a very peculiar variety of marijuana, the so-called New York White, that grows under the skin of the Big Apple. A little ridiculous, right? This is the myth part. Obviously, no marijuana plant can be grown in the dark from the sun, underground, in a sewer, without any light … And the thing about ‘albino’ is not exactly in those directions.
So we forget about this type of urban legends that fall under their own weight: the marijuana plant needs a source of light for its development, be it natural or artificial. No underground crops. But does white marijuana exist? Yes. Let’s find out why.
A simpler explanation than it sounds
When photographs of milk-white marijuana buds began to circulate on the Internet, the first reaction was to think it was a hoax. And no wonder. If we take crazy stories like sewer marijuana as a reference, the growers they become increasingly skeptical of what other fellow fans tell them.
Retouched photographs, optical effects, the desire to attract attention … Of course, there are always reasons why this type of news can be a bit suspicious, but when botanical experts are the ones who give their opinion on the matter, there is little left to refute them. And the experts have confirmed that yes, that this type of phenomenon occurs but that it is not strictly related to the deprivation of light, but there are other reasons that explain it.
Difference between albino marijuana plants and discolored plants
It is not a very common phenomenon in a cannabis plant, but from time to time it can occur. If this is the case, don’t hesitate: take photos of your plants and send them to us! We want to know all the details.
Of course, it must be borne in mind that an albino or white marijuana plant is not the same as a discolored plant. What is the difference between them? Well, it is very simple. A discolored marijuana plant, as its name suggests, is one that has lost its color because it has been too close to the spotlight or exposed to too intense light. In these cases, the cannabiculturist is responsible for the pallor of the plant, which has caused it to lose the chlorophyll photopigments and, what is even worse, its quality. Of course, as a decorative plant it has a really striking color effect, but when it comes to smoking it will have lost a lot of value.
The secret of an albino plant is not in the little expertise of the grower but hidden in the plant’s own genetics. Far from being plants bleached by the excess of light what we find is a puzzling natural phenomenon called variegation. Variegation is a rare but absolutely real genetic abnormality. This is not an optical trick or a montage to make you believe that what it is not, or a tall tale about a mysterious cannabis strain that grows in the sewers of New York.
There are some genes that control the production of chlorophyll in marijuana and, as you already know, it is these pigments that are responsible, among other things, for giving your plants that greenish tint. Variegation is a mutation that decompensates the presence of chlorophyll in the plant, giving rise to those markedly albino traits that can manifest themselves basically in two ways:
- In a single area of the plant (as, for example, only in the buds).
- In various areas of the plant interspersed with pigmented areas (as if the green and albino patterns were braided).
There is an extreme case in which the origin of the white color of the plant would be in the so-called double gene albino. In these cases, the entire marijuana plant would be white and would not have any option of photosynthesis (chlorophyll is what allows them to synthesize light) with which it would die in a very short time, so it would be very difficult for you will find a plant of these characteristics that has managed to develop.
Most curious marijuana plant mutations
Albino marijuana isn’t the only curious mutation in cannabis. In fact, there are many growers those who like to reserve the odd plant of their crops for carrying out this type of experiment, even knowing that the quality of the harvest they obtain (for example in the case of white marijuana, without chlorophyll) leaves a lot be desired.
In the field of mutations there is something for everyone. Among the most widespread are the marijuana ‘Duck feet’ (Ducksfoot), ideal for those looking for discreet outdoor crops, since it is a type of plant that does not grow in height but in width, as opposed to marijuana tentacular, which develops as if it were a vine or the Australian Bastard Cannabis, which could look like anything but a marijuana plant and which has shown extraordinary resistance to low temperatures.
