by Nebula Haze
Have you ever grown multiple cannabis strains together? You can give plants the exact same environment, nutrients, and care, yet some strains turn out wildly different.
It happens indoors…
And outdoors!
That’s fine when all plants produce a great harvest. But what’s not fine is when bud quality or yields don’t live up to your goals, and you don’t know why.
It hurts when some buds mysteriously grow airy, lack sparkle/smell, or don’t produce the effects you want. Especially when you’re doing everything right during the grow.
Many growers think, “I must be doing something wrong during the grow.”
But it might not be you, your equipment, or your grow skills.
If your plants are generally healthy and you use a solid harvest system, but your buds still aren’t “top-shelf” bud quality…
It could be your seeds sabotaging you.
Different Genetics, Different Plant
Give two seeds the exact same care, and plants may still grow radically different.
- One plant grows fast and tall, the other grows slow and stays short
- One plant smells like candy, the other plant smells like BO
- One makes a ton of huge buds, the other makes fewer, smaller buds
Two cannabis plants grown exactly the same. Why so different?
Different bud colors, smells…
5 very different strains (see my review)
And don’t forget about yield potential…
Blue Dream plants make huge “baseball bat” colas, while Candy Games #38 plants grow smaller round “golfball” nuggets.
Genetics are what made the difference.
Sometimes, when plants don’t grow as you hoped, it’s not you. It’s them.
Key takeaway: Great grow technique helps plants reach their genetic potential, but no technique can overcome their genetic ceiling.
Same Genetics, Same Plant
The effects become most clear when growing clones, which are genetically identical.
I’ve documented multiple times over the years how clones grown with different LED grow lights produce similar growth patterns and bud characteristics. At the lab, the buds test with similar THC and terpene levels, and no one can tell the difference in smoke tests.
These two grow tents used different LED grow lights, but at harvest, it’s hard to tell the difference. The 3 plants grew almost exactly the same in each tent because they are clones.
Clones in each tent, different grow lights.
Peak Punch, Amnesia Lemon, and Zweet Inzanity (see the grow journal)
Key takeaway: Even if you use the best possible grow equipment with perfect grow technique, you can’t control how buds develop. The genetics still determine your maximum yields and bud quality.
Why This Matters
If your plants grow inconsistently from each other, or even worse, if plants seem okay but buds just don’t grow the way you hope, it creates a frustrating cycle.
You may find yourself “upgrading” your setup, paying a ton of money for gadgets or special supplements, changing your grow methods…
But even after making all those changes, plants still don’t always grow how you want.
Take Back Control
The best way to take back control is choose the right seeds for your next grow.
- Strong germination
- Fast, healthy plant growth
- Great bud development
- Desired potency, effects, & smell
Whether you’re looking for a ton of sparkle, a pretty color, a particular smell, the potential is decided before you germinate the first seed.
Time for grows to stop feeling haphazard or uneven. Time for buds to grow how you want. Once you choose the right seeds, everything gets easier.
Remove the Randomness
The right genetics make the difference, but what seeds can you trust? Today I wanted to share examples of seeds with stabilized, proven genetics.
Top-Shelf Bud Quality
Mandarin Cookies R3 – Stabilized easy-to-grow version of the legendary original. Mandarin Cookies buds have a pungent smell and mouth-watering fat calyxes with extremely high potency. Pairs well with White Wedding Rbx or Crescendo RBx1 .
The Mandarin Cookies I grew
I love the beauty, smell, and insane potency of this strain.
Honorable Mention (Advanced Growers)
Slurricane #7 S1 – Though yields are only average, this may be one of the most consistently sparkly strains and comes with extremely high “bag appeal”. Other top-shelf strains that play well with Slurricane #7 include: Sugar Cane v2 BX1, Platinum Dosha, Tropical Twist, and Frozen Gelato. Although their plant structures are not totally matched, they all respond extremely well to training and are ready to harvest about the same time. Each of these strains gives you buds so captivating they look Photoshopped!
This strain came to my attention after seeing some of the amazing grows with these genetics in the GrowWeedEasy cannabis grow forum.
Check out a grow journal with Slurricane #7 by forum veteran Going2Fast.
Check out a different grow journal with Slurricane #7 by forum veteran Ckbrew.
Big Yields
Purple Ghost Candy – A good choice if you want to grow big plants with enormous yields. Get a sea of long, dense buds with a delicious smell and extreme potency. Pairs well with Sour Diesel, Black Sugar 2.0 and Cherry Punch F1, as they all have similar growth characteristics and timing.
Purple Ghost Candy (check out the full strain review)
Leaves turn purple at the end, but buds may stay partly green.
Buds consistently come out dense with a lovely sweet smell.
Autoflowers
Purple Lemonade Auto – Vibrant color, top-shelf appearance, and FAST. One of the fastest autos, typically ready to harvest about 2 months from germination. Can be planted alongside photoperiod plants for a bonus early harvest. Autoflowers can be hard to match, but this one tends to play well with Gelato Auto, Gorilla Punch Auto, and Green Crack Auto.
Purple Lemonade Auto can handle some mistakes and still thrive.
Purple Lemonade Auto buds consistently turn vibrant purple.
Outdoors
Blue Dream – Big yields, gets big, mold resistant. Easy to grow yet rewards you. Pairs with White Widow, Gorilla Glue #4 (GG4), Lemon Cherry Gelato, and Durban Poison. All are big plants, resistant to mold, smell great, and insanely productive.
Check out this insane outdoor Blue Dream harvest by Mr. K from last summer.
Mr. K’s outdoor harvests are always beyond epic.
Next week, I’ll cover “F1” cannabis seeds. These specially bred seeds can give clone-like consistency, when done right.
About the Author: Nebula Haze
Nebula Haze co-founded GrowWeedEasy.com with her husband Sirius in 2010 to teach growers all over the world how to get professional cannabis bud quality and yields at home. Since then, they’ve written 650+ articles covering every aspect of the home grow process. We’ve helped millions of growers produce better harvests with bigger yields, denser buds, and more consistent effects.
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