Which strain?

Hello all. I'm starting out a new hydro grow with a fairly specific idea of what kind of plant I'm looking for, can anyone put a name to my description? I've been reading tons of threads and trawling the web, but can't quite settle on the perfect strain.

I'm looking for something indica dominant, I need short-medium plants (don't have to be dwarfs, but not lanky for sure). This grow's for personal use, so yield doesn't have to be huge, especially if it'strong. I only need about 0.5-1 ounce per plant, but I'd love a bit more, obviously high yielding plants are prefered.

In terms of high, I'm looking for a *strong* smoke, a real arse kicker, but not so sedative I can't talk, play video games and laugh. A cerebral, conversational high built on indica foundations.

What's your favourite strain in this sort of area? Any experience growing them? Any help appreciated.

Peace.

PS. Here's the setup I'm going to be using: http://www.abergreen.co.uk/Wilma-Basic-Kit-p-479.html (the hydro version with 400w lighting).

http://www.abergreen.co.uk/Wilma-4-p-334.html

I think everyone should try Blueberry at least once. It's still my favorite after all these years.

It has everything, taste, smell, yield and bag appeal. The high sticks with you for a long time. It's great medicine for pain and nausea.

DJ Shorts is the man with the real deal. He has the original Oregon Purple Thai male. That's what makes his Blueberry so special. His Blueberry is not a backcross like so many others.

Try it and enjoy!

What kind of effect do you want?

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Know your own stone

by DJ Short (01 Sept, 1999) An educated and descerning palate is a key requirement in breeding and appreciating cannabis.

An educated palate

The breeding and production of fine quality cannabis is more an art than a science. A creative mind and sense of imagination is necessary to achieve success in this field. The other requirement is a very discerning palate, including the ability to discern and appreciate subtle variations in taste, smell and mental experience.

Anatomically, the palate is located between the roof of the mouth and the nasal passages. The intricacies of taste and palate are complex and poorly understood. The taste buds in the tongue and mouth make up only a small fraction of the mechanisms used to interpret taste and smell.

Olfaction is the term used to describe the sense of smell. The olfactory bulb is the main sensor used to experience and interpret smells. This organ is located behind the nasal passages – up your nose. The sense of smell is one of the most complex we possess, and more of the brain is dedicated to processing smells than any other sense. Smell is closely related to memory, especially older memories. Anatomically, this region is located between the cortex and the occipital lobes, above and around the ears to the top of the head.

Research and experience suggest that some people have a greater natural ability to discern taste and smell than others. The palate can also be developed, educated and refined.

There are many similarities between the wine industry and the cannabis industry. One of these is that both use "expert palates" to identify and discern the various desirable traits of a product. However, unlike wine, cannabis has another added aspect to consider: the type of experience produced by the product. Alcohol's main experience is similar (and overconsumption can be fatal) while cannabis provides a wide range of effects and is non-toxic.

Some herb is strictly pleasing to the mental palate but is not so tasty, while other might taste great but have mild or unpleasant effects.

Spectrums of experience

The first spectrum to consider is the "up and down" experience. "Up" refers to the stimulating aspects of cannabis, while "down" refers to sedative qualities. Up pot tends to liven the disposition and stimulate the emotions, inspiring sociability and talkativeness. Down pot tends to produce sedative and depressant effects. Some people refer to stimulating pot as being a "head" high and sedative pot as being a "body" high, yet although partially true this is also misleading.

Body and head highs are the next spectrum of the cannabis experience. Generally speaking, head highs are stimulating and body highs are sedative, but not all are. Some body highs are stimulating and some head highs are depressing. I once sampled a terribly paranoia-inducing head pot that inspired great couch lock qualities. I called it Boo-Goo.

Early to late harvest will affect the head to body spectrum expressed by a certain plant, with the later harvest tending to produce more body and sedative effects. However, I believe that certain aspects of this spectrum to be genetically inherited.

Next to consider are aspects of duration. Some cannabis tends to be short-acting (15-30min) whereas other varieties last much longer (6-7 hours). Once again production, harvesting and curing techniques can influence aspects of this spectrum, but much of this effect is inherited.

For me, the most important aspect of the cannabis experience to consider is tolerance. This refers to the product's ability to provide the same experience via the same amount over time – the burnout factor. By "over time" I mean the long run: months, years, decades...

Most of the cannabis I see on the market today has a terrible tolerance factor – a quick burnout time with the product's novelty lasting less than a week. Luther Burbank's model of breeding needs to be employed here and no expression of tolerance to your product is to be tolerated. An example of where intolerance to tolerance is tolerated – enough already!

Another aspect of tolerance is "ceiling." This refers to how high (or far) one is capable of going with the variety. How many hits can you consume until more hits are unnoticeable? Most indicas have a low ceiling of less than 10 hits. For me that's usually around 5 hits in one smoking session. If I smoke more than 5 hits of a strong indica I will either not notice the post-ceiling hits, or I will fall asleep.

Some sativas have a very high ceiling, or seem to have none at all! This means that the more you consume, the higher and further you go. Oaxaca Highland Gold, Black Magic African, and Highland Thai were some of the herbs I've tried with very high or no ceiling.

The final aspect of mental effects to consider when sampling strains for breeding is the tendency to produce anxiety. Certain strains of cannabis increase anxiety while others decrease it. This is also true for other emotions, which some strains may suppress while others may augment their intensity. Generally stimulating and head varieties are the ones that can produce unwanted anxiety, but this is not always the case. Quickly cured buds or an over-early harvest are contributing factors to anxiety-increasing pot, but this trait is also genetic in nature.


Tastes and tasters

The physical palates of cannabis add another dimension to the equation. Taste is an important factor toward determining the desirability of most cannabis. The range of flavours expressed by the genus cannabis is extraordinary. No other plant on the planet can equal the cacophony of smells and tastes available from cannabis. This fact alone should interest researchers from several fields.

The range of possible smells and tastes a human can experience is large and complex. To date, no-one has created a fully usable olfaction chart, but Ann Noble developed a nifty "aroma wheel" for the wine industry, which inspired me to develop a cannabis olfaction chart. Like Ann's wheel, more basic aroma categories like "fruity", "floral", "spicy" and "pungent" go in the centre, and branch out into more specific aromas. So beneath "fruity" goes "berry" and "citrus", and beneath "citrus" is "lemon", "lime" and "orange".

The main cannabis aromas are: woody, spicy, fruity, earthen, pungent, chemical and vegetative – a wide range indeed. More specific aromas include pine and cedar under "woody", musty and dusty for "earthen", blueberry and mango under "fruity", and many others. Most aromas are possible through some combination of strains. Many of these strains were best expressed and acclimated when they were grown outdoors in their region-of-origin, or homeland.

Note that aroma and flavour vary between various stages of the plant. The aroma of a live bud on the plant, a dried and cured bud, and the smoke on the inhale and exhale, may all be different from each other. My number one goal when breeding cannabis is the quality of the perfectly matured, trimmed and cured bud and the experience it provides.

I strongly recommend the use of "tasters" to help analyze the qualities of a given smoke. I prefer highly educated, seasoned and critical elders as they tend to be the most helpful in their analysis and feedback. If there is the slightest drawback to the product, such as arrhythmia, tachycardia, paranoia, or what have you, the experienced elder taster will be the first to notice it. By the same token, if a product is exceptionally fine, the experienced elder taster will also likely be among the first to fully appreciate this. Besides, the elders always appreciate good medicine.

The best way to educate and train the palate is through experience. Unfortunately, there has been a great depletion of variance among the product available to the public. Most grow-ops focus on quantity over quality, and as a result a general blandness has developed. In future articles I will describe some of the great region-of-origin varieties that were available twenty years ago, describing their aroma, flavour, effects, and growth patterns.

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A mostly Sativa list. I've been looking for up highs mostly, and one strain for a nice euphoric and/or trippy stone.

AK47 - Serious Seeds: Rocket Fuel. Up, soaring, not functional. One hit, incredibly potent. Stinks like cat piss and dead skunk. Or perhaps smells as if a cat pissed on a skunk and the smell was so bad the skunk died, then the cat dragged the skunk into a garbage bag and left it in the sun for a week. Get odor control if you're doing this strain.

Alaskan Ice - Greenhouse: one of the strongest cannabis plants ever bred .. a cross of original Green House White Widow and Pure Haze ... has all the well known characteristics of the White Widow, with a much higher THC content and a very sativa-like effect, energizing and very trippy. CBD level is also very high at over 1%, giving it a complete physical effect that follows the first burst of high. The taste is spicy and hazy, with a very well balanced bouquet in between the White Widow and the Haze flavors.

Arjan's Haze #3 - Greenhouse: Euphoric, cerebral high with trippy undertones.

Big Bang - Greenhouse: Very known for its medicinal properties, it is sold in the Dutch pharmacies as prescription medicine. Relaxing and calming effect.

Big Laughing - Dr Greenthumb: instant mood changer, you will not be able to stop laughing, up silly high, very potent. Easy to grow, forgiving, very low odor, 9 weeks flower. Amazing spicy wood taste, you never want to exhale. My favorite strain.

Blueberry - DJ Short: Very fruity aroma, and taste of blueberry. Produces a notable and pleasantly euphoric high. Highest quality and is very long lasting. A classic.

Blue Moonshine - DJ Short: the White Widow of the blue family. Potent and narcotic.

Bubblegum - Serious Seeds: uplifting, euphoric, clear, social. I'm at 8 weeks flower: easy to grow, great yield, low fruity smell, great taste in early testing, potency is good and going to be great. I highly recommend this strain. Bag appeal is phenomenal if you're into that kind of thing.

Cheese - Big Bhudda: appealing fruity fresh smell, uplifting effect, highly pungent hence its name! No ceiling high, little tolerance build up.

Cheese S1 Feminized seeds from original clone - Dr Greenthumb: Uplifting high that lasts four hour, unusual cheesy smell with deeply pungent earthy taste.

Durban Poison - Dutch Passion: The plant produces a Thai-like aniseed smell similar to licorice. A husky, earthy taste pleasant to the smoker. Durban Poison is well known for it's "up - feel good" high that produces an energetic, trip effect. A good beginner strain, inside or out, does well under artificial light, 8-9 week flower, 100% Sativa.

F13 - DJ Short: F-13 a Holy Grail plant of four-star excellence. Previously unreleased, a very desirable product and potential breeder. A more sativa hybrid of medium height with long, spear-shaped, dense and resinous buds and an earlier finish-time than most sativa. The superlative quality of the finished product is remarkable: A clear, clean, crisp head of the kindest order. This girl really rings the bell every time! Not for the couch-lock crowd, this heady sativa is for those who truly enjoy its stimulating yet comfortable appeal. A real day-brightener. DJ's personal favorite from this batch. Grow Location: Indoor Flowering: 7 - 9 weeks Yield: Average

Flo - DJ Short: Unique motivating high.

Jack Flash (Jack Herer) - Sensi: Exotic high, powerful on body and mind. Trippy. The best Jack Herer is often passed around a select circle of friends - an example of one of those things that money just can’t buy. The trait common to all Jack Herer phenotypes is a dazzling double-edged potency - a stratospheric cerebral high underpinned by a breathtaking body-buzz with seismic power. Smokers should be prepared to feel the earth shake beneath their feet - which can be a very pleasant feeling when your head is firmly in the clouds. The cat's meow.

Kali Mist - Serious Seeds: up, clear, energized, no ceiling. Top sativa today, so says the advertising. Warning: It is reported that women love this strain, both for the pure enjoyment of the experience and for medicinal properties that stand out during menstruation. Be sure to have extra security at your house to keep the women out, you may send them to my place as I would feel responsible for your plight.

Power Plant - Dutch Passion: Pure Power Plant has a pleasant almost pine after taste and a powerful up social buzz. Large yield, 8-9 weeks flower, VERY odorous in late flowering. The smoke after 15 days of drying and 15 of curing is soft,smooth,sweet,fruity (mainly citrus and orange) with piney undertones. The effect is mainly in the head ,uplifting with a good potency without body effect; very good day smoking, almost inspiring.

Red Diesel - Barney's Farm: up and trippy.

Skunk #1 (Original) - Seedsman: Like the origional Cheese: a sweet smell and taste with a cerebral high.

Strawberry Cough - Dutch Passion: up, clear, mild, melts anxiety, good all day bud.

Super Silver Haze - Greenhouse: Potent. Potent. Potent. Creepy and powerful on the body. 4 phenos, the best sativa pheno: Smell is fairly strong floral & spicey with a hint of sweetness. Taste is very spicey with a great hazey slightly sweet aftertaste. The high is a stupifying mix of Sativa and Indica effects. The Sativa side is visual mentally confusing (hard to think straight/concentrate) while the Indica is just enough to relax the body (kill the pain) & take away most of the edgy racey paranoia feeling of the Haze.

Super Strawberry Diesel - Elite Genetics: the original Strawberry Cough clone crossed with a Diesel then back crossed with Sour OG Kush for added potency. The taste is of pure strawberry cough drops and strong diesel, with great potency. The Sour OG Kush seemed to add potency while leaving the strong strawberry cough drop flavor/diesel flavor. Matures very fast (9 weeks), amazing taste and potency.

Texada Timewarp - (Peak has been out for a year-who?): up high, beautiful lemony fresh smelling buds. Great producing strain outdoors, very dependable. Can grow to 12' outdoors. TT is from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada - good for short growing seasons.

Trainwreck - Greenhouse: Effect: Like the name suggests, a real blast. It hits fast, and it hits hard. Stoney on the body, confusing and trippy on the brain. A truly powerful smoke.

White Widow - Seedsman: Unique, refreshing taste, strong skunky smell, mind-blowing, sugary appearance, one of the finest quality highs you could ever experience. A few tokes of White Widow and you’ll be sent into a floating utopia. A light and airy high bursting with energy, White Widow is a classic, psychedelic sativa strain not to be missed.


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http://www.drgreenthumb.com/cannabis...dsEntrance.htm
http://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.uk/
http://www.pickandmixseeds.co.uk/
http://elitegenetics.webs.com/Elite%...og%20%2709.pdf
http://www.peakseedsbc.com/seeds.htm

If you're from the States, Attitude has a small Pick n Mix section if you want feminized singles. They ship to the US while the Pick n Mix seedbank does not. Greenthumb ships to the US.

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"I'm looking for something indica dominant, I need short-medium plants (don't have to be dwarfs, but not lanky for sure). "

Are you looking for indica dominant for height only? There are many short sativas, and ways to make tall sativas short.

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"In terms of high, I'm looking for a *strong* smoke, a real arse kicker, but not so sedative I can't talk, play video games and laugh. A cerebral, conversational high built on indica foundations. "

An indica sativa or a short sativa? Within reason, forget about height and work on height training techniques and cloning. What height do you have in your grow room?

I've got double topped Kali Mist and Bubblegum mothers from seed at 36" - 38", clones at 18"; Red Diesel at 34"; two Big Laughing at 29"; I just finished 2 Strawberry Cough at 14" and experimented with a 4" Kali Mist.

Want a great short sativa from seed: Kali Mist tripple topped (skip at least one node during topping for space), vegged to 12" from bottom bud site to top cola; re-potted to 2" below the first bud site; 36 hours dark on flower onset; use a 2 or 3 gallon pot to restrict roots first time growing; Light on nutes during flower transition, Open Seseme helps quicken transition into flower (less growth and stretch). 8 colas from 12" I'd be suprised if you hit 24", 30" top.

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"This grow's for personal use, so yield doesn't have to be huge, especially if it'strong. I only need about 0.5-1 ounce per plant, but I'd love a bit more, obviously high yielding plants are prefered."


Kali Mist and Bubblegum (serious) have long tall colas with less branching, easier for multi-plant res, Bubblegum has a great yield on 10/10 bag appeal bud; both strains very potent ... go to the chart above, skip the 9' to 12' strains and pick the effects you want.

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Like StinkBud said, Blueberry kicks ass, and go with DJ Short if you go blue. It is very branchy though, takes up space and best when it has lots of room. A single bucket RDWC with a tomato cage is great for Blueberry.

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"What's your favourite strain in this sort of area? Any experience growing them? Any help appreciated."

Big Laughing is great in single RDWC, but it's even more branchy than Blueberry. Kali Mist takes off in Hydro - I started at 5" and I'm up to 27" on my tallest with a couple of inches to go; Bubblegum (serious) has great tall colas with less branching; Red Diesel grows nice and tight, but stay away from Barney's feminized. Stay away from brancy plants unless you're spacing them out - you want Budsicles.

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Thanks a million for the help guys, especially you Hobbes, rep up!

I'm gonna give all that good read and digest all the info. Man, big laughing sounds amazing! Probably be too branchy for me though.

Right, I've got some reading to do!

Cheers.