What Is Albino Weed, And Does It Really Exist?

Is this phenomenon real or just another urban legend circulating among stoners and growers?

When you look for cannabis strains, you may come across buds of different shades and colors, like deep purple, orange pistils, or just the characteristic vibrant green full of trichomes. But if you’ve been around long enough, you may have stumbled upon the unlikely find of a snow-white bud. You might ask, Is this real?

Many may be surprised that, from time to time, an albino plant is born. Albinism is also possible in plants, and while it is a rare phenomenon, it is not impossible, and there are a couple of different possible causes that make the buds look like snowflakes.

Let’s embark on a journey to unravel the mysteries surrounding the elusive albino cannabis.

Is Albino Weed Possible?

Yes, it is. It’s not common, but it’s not impossible either.

Contrary to popular belief, albino cannabis is not a figment of imagination or meticulous breeding. It is a real, albeit extremely rare, occurrence. Like any albino species, albino plants lack pigmentation, especially chlorophyll, the green pigment crucial for photosynthesis.

Why Does This Happen?

The lack of chlorophyll is a large reason why cannabis plants become albino. Chlorophyll absorbs the specific wavelengths of light that it needs (ultraviolet blue and red), and what it doesn’t absorb bounces off, causing us to see a green color when looking at a plant in sunlight or another white light. Without this pigment, the plant appears more white than it does green.

When the chlorophyll absorbs the right types of light, it converts light energy into usable sugar via the process of photosynthesis. And since albino plants don’t have chlorophyll, that means that there is no pigment available to absorb energy from the sun. Consequently, albino plants struggle to synthesize energy efficiently, which slows down their growth and reduces their viability.

Basically, these plants have lost their ability to respond appropriately to light, sort of like they are constantly in the dark. This is why most albino plants die at an early stage before they’ve reached maturity.

Two Reasons Why Albino Weed Lacks Chlorophyll

Why do albino weed plants lack chlorophyll in the first place? Genetics and light whitening or bleaching are two common explanations.

Genetics

As in humans, albinism in plants is a rare genetic anomaly. Albinism is a recessive genetic trait that weakens plants. This trait makes plants weaker and can sometimes show signs of albinism from the time they are seedlings.

Not all albino plants are completely white; some only lose chlorophyll in some parts, which can be caused by genes or the environment in which they grow.

There are some albino plants, such as the albino sequoia, that can survive on their own. But, instead of photosynthesizing like other plants, the albino sequoia becomes a parasite and gets nutrients from other plants. Although these plants can survive, they are smaller and weaker than their normal relatives.

In addition, when breeders mix different varieties of plants, albino traits may appear from time to time. This is because certain albino genes may be expressed more when different plants are crossed.

Light Whitening

Light bleaching is another major cause of whitening. Perhaps some strains are more genetically predisposed to turn white under certain lighting circumstances.

It is usually the case that plants turn white in the areas closest to the lights. Occasionally, the buds and upper leaves of a plant turn white when the light intensity is too strong. This is a major source of stress for the plant, as the bleached bud then loses the ability to photosynthesize.

Can White Cannabis Be Good?

As you may have guessed, the answer to this question is a simple “no”. White cannabis cannot harness the energy from the sun in the way that a green (or purple or red) cannabis plant can. Light bounces off of white objects, which is why grow room walls are often painted a flat white.

Coloration in leaves and buds helps the plant take in sunlight and convert it to energy. Without the chlorophyll needed to convert light into sugars, the plant cannot survive.

While providing supplemental nutrients may help, the overall quality of the crop will suffer.

What Do I Do if My Cannabis Plant Turns White?

Whether it’s because of a lighting mistake or an unexpected breeding problem, there may be a couple ways to salvage a plant that has started to show white coloration.

Very early research found that feeding plants sugars in the absence of light will help them grow and increase in volume. However, plant growth may be abnormal, and the gains may be small.

Experiments completed as early as 1919 found that adding supplemental sugars and nutrients to albino corn samples did help them grow and increased the overall weight of the seed. Yet, without these supplemental sugars, the albino plants died.

Should a cannabis plant begin to turn white or show signs of albinism, supplemental feedings may help save your crop from being a total bust if some green coloration is still present.

Lighting adjustments are certainly another recommended option. Perhaps consider switching to a LED grow light with a lower wattage. Adjusting the height of the light may also be beneficial. Lights should be close enough to provide adequate lumens to the entire canopy, but not close enough to cause plants to show signs of heat stress.

If a plant is white from a seedling stage, it’s probably one to toss. Some suggest that white cannabis plants will produce less THC and CBD than a green plant.

This is a fair guess, as a white plant will have less of an ability to create the energy it needs to produce cannabinoids.