Luckily for us, cannabis has become illegal. After all, if the US government hadn’t decided to criminalize marijuana, starting with a tax for growing it, we wouldn’t have so many different types. When cannabis growers and breeders were forced underground, they used male and female plants to create their own seed stock. The illegal distinction carried by the cannabis plant has made it one of the most diverse plants on the planet. When the War on Drugs meant that Americans could no longer obtain local genetics like Acapulco Gold from Mexico, we looked further afield to the marijuana melting pot of Amsterdam. The fusion of American cannabis enthusiasts and Highlights legends like Sam the Skunkman, Ed Rosenthal and Steve Hager along with Dutch seed companies have blessed the world with delicacies like Super Lemon Haze and provided the platform to promote them. Today, the global cannabis seed market is a booming industry.
Germination of seeds for outdoor cultivation begins in spring. Seeds require 10-15 days longer than clones, so late April is an excellent time to pop them to get the 2022 outdoor harvest out before Mother’s Day. We reached out to three stars of ganja culture to see what cannabis combinations are getting them excited this year.
David Downs
Senior Content Manager, leafy
What seeds are you excited for this planting season?
For this planting season, I’m super excited to re-launch Humboldt Seed Co’s Squirt (feminized) for the third year. I can smoke this super optimized modern Tangie cross all day, every day, and it makes a great salad with another sativa during the day or a bit of gas at night.
I’m also looking forward to bringing HumSeedCo’s Hella Jelly (fems) back for the second year as a super agronomized modern sativa that finishes early and tastes like wild cherry and cotton candy and has energetic daytime effects.
I’m thrilled to throw Archive Seeds Dosi-Tree outdoors for the first time for that Dosi gas plus Lemon Tree size and syrupy lemony smell. Yum! Last year, it was In-House Genetics’ Slurricane IX that killed!
And finally, I’m excited to race Terp Hogz Geneticz Z3 for the first time this year! I think I’ll always want Zkittlez in the garden, and Z3 is a way to get to the root of some optimized Z terps, as opposed to chasing new Z crosses. I can’t wait to get a pound of Z3 for Thanksgiving! Terp Hogz sells seeds right to your door on NXTLVL Bay Area delivery – if you don’t know how cool it is to shop, buy and have Terp Hogz genetics delivered within hours – now you know it ! It’s so clutch.
Do you usually grow from seed? If yes, why?
Yes! I like the vigor of the seeds, especially the regular ones – they get huge on the outside! There is also less risk of viral or parasitic infection from seeds than from clones. I buy seeds all year round and they keep well until planting time. (But I could still get a Jokerz clone from Compound Genetics for this year, and if I do, I’m all for it!)
What does your grow setup look like?
I start jumping indoors on the first day of spring and raising babies indoors where it’s warm, then sexing the juveniles and toughening them up on the porch of The City, before transplanting the keepers into 30 gallon fabric pots outside in sunny NorCal for Mother’s Day. ! We try and KISS (keep it simple, stupid). We use Fox Farm Ocean Forest soil plus amendments and well water on a drip timer. And LV to fight the caterpillars!
Are there certain types of cannabis or specific cultivars that do well where you grow?
Yes, I’m an outdoor grower in the NorCal Bay area, and purposely run Humboldt Seed Co, Archive, and Terp Hogz because I think their gear tends to be tested and checked for outdoor racing. I know HumSeedCo does a bunch of mixed light testing, and Terp Hogz in Mendo also works in mixed light. The Archive stuff seems to be more developed indoors in Oregon, but I know Lemon Tree killed it outdoors in Santa Cruz.
I want to run stuff that’s been tested outside, that’s for sure. Many of the latest crosses are bred and tested indoors and many breeders and growers are unsure how they will react to variations in heat, humidity, etc. outside. I want hard-to-fuck things, as opposed to a diva that molds the second it rains, or a crazy sativa that won’t finish until November. But that’s just me! Everyone’s needs are quite specific!
Jeff Jones
horticultural teacher, Oaksterdam University
What seeds are you excited for?
I like to recommend and grow strains that produce plump plants with new tastes and smells.
Do you usually grow from seed? If yes, why?
No, but I’ve done it often with students from Oaksterdam University over the years.
What does your grow setup look like these days?
A simple 4′ x 4′ area lights up with LED lights in a larger room which I didn’t find necessary for the AC to cool.
What has been your experience growing autoflowers?
For me, this is the best reason to grow from seed. They only come that way and get better strains all the time.
Are there certain types of cannabis or specific cultivars that do well where you grow in Oakland?
We have a mix of urban growers who are survivors. Many obstacles to avoid for a successful harvest in a tight city life. I’m growing on the inside thanks to this best neighbor policy. I find fewer problems and I settle with long-term success. But I know of a few good areas that have outdoor gardens with little or no concern for the garden or neighbors with bad odors.
Shango Los
Podcast Host, Shape the fire
Which seeds are you excited about this year?
Since I live on Vashon Island in the Pacific Northwest, I have to choose seeds that will finish flowering fairly quickly during our short summers. I will mainly be growing autoflowers so I can germinate them on June 1 and harvest them in late August before the rains start. I am delighted to develop the Purple Pope collaboration between Gnome Automatics and Night Owl Seeds. The flowers smell of sandalwood, lemongrass and yuzu. Northern Cheese Haze by Mephisto Genetics is always a winner for me too. It captures some of that sweet smell of fresh, sun-dried laundry with the bloomy-rind cheese funk that we love cheese varieties for.
The most reliable photoperiod for where I live is Mandelbrot’s famous Mendocino Royal Kush, which often ends in 50 days. There’s a new collaboration between Emerald Mountain Legacy and Mean Gene From Mendocino called Royale with Cherries which mixes gas and shorter flowering times with Mean Gene’s Cherry Lime Pop which brings a complex sweetness of maraschino cherry. It’s exquisite. Last summer, she finished way before all the other pictures. And it went well for us too.
How was the Autoflowering Cup 2021? Are you experimenting with autoflowers?
The 2021 Autoflower Cup was a great gathering. For so long, autoflowers really didn’t work the way we wanted them to. But the modern era of autoflowers are so much better in taste and yield. And because they can be grown almost anywhere in the United States, they are rapidly gaining popularity. And, of course, since autoflower enthusiasts are so often ridiculed by photoperiod growers, it’s nice to hang out with a large group of people who share that particular interest.
I’m not just experimenting with autoflowers anymore at this point and have fully embraced them. Before this season, I grew 156 varieties. I’m now at the point where I believe in them, understand their pros and cons, and can truly work with them to achieve my cultivation goals.
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