Which Cannabis Strain Breeders Can I Trust?

Last updated Dec 16, 2023

by Nebula Haze

Don’t you want the best-of-the-best cannabis genetics for your next grow? You can help ensure you get a great strain by starting with a great breeder. This article shares some of the most popular and reputable cannabis breeders, including information and recommended strains for each one. I’ve divided this tutorial into two parts. First I’ll give a list of recommended breeders and strains, then the second half will discuss the current state of genetics in the cannabis world.

Recommended Breeders of American Genetics

  • Seed Supreme – They offer modern genetics, but unlike the two examples below, they stabilize each strain in seed form so you can get the consistency of growing the same strain every time. I want to be able to come back and order the same strain if I like it, and Seed Supreme is (so far) one of the first breeders of American genetics I’ve found that offers that option.
  • Ethos Genetics – Mostly offers “crosses”, which means they breed two good cannabis plants together and sell the seeds without much (if any) stabilization or back-crossing. Even though they don’t offer stabilized strains and their yields/results are variable, I have always grown good-to-great plants from their seeds. Even when the buds are not what I expected, they’re still excellent. I included Ethos on the list for people who don’t care as much about consistency and want a fun surprise or like to hunt for new phenotypes using modern genetics with lots of variation.
  • Square One Genetics – I like the strains I’ve grown from this breeder, but the seeds are EXPENSIVE. My friend who gave me some of these seeds paid $200 for 10 feminized seeds. I wouldn’t recommend them unless you plan on taking clones and doing a breeding program as the strains are not stabilized (same as Ethos Genetics) but if you’re looking for lots of new phenotypes to explore with cutting-edge genetics, this is another great choice. They release their strains in “drops” and it can be difficult to get your hands on their seeds. I recommend following them on their Instagram account to learn when and where to buy seeds for the next drop.

The Seed Supreme version of Platinum Cookies is something special

Recommended European Cannabis Breeders

These breeders have good reputations and stabilized genetics, which means their strain descriptions can be trusted. Although some of them do source some genetics from the USA, they primarily breed with genetics that made it to Europe years ago. Some of these genetics are difficult to find in the US, and may offer unique or interesting effects compared to the trendy American strains. European strains tend to be lower in THC (under 20%, though not always), which is great if you want more classic effects, but not the best choice if you want to feel overwhelmed by the bud effects. If you’re looking for “Face melting” strains, then I recommend sticking to the section of American breeders.

  • Barney’s Farm – Barney’s Farm has been selling seeds out of Amsterdam since 1992, and they regularly develop new genetics and refine their lineup. In my experience, strains can be hit or miss, but I included Barney’s Farm on the list because they offer some real winners. When I’ve grown these strains, I’ve been consistently impressed: Acapulco Gold, Ayahuasca Purple, Cookies Kush, Liberty Haze (one of my favorite strains for daytime), LSD, Pineapple Chunk (best Pineapple strain I’ve grown) & Sweet Tooth.
  • BlimBurn Seeds – Specializes in stabilizing strains to capture classic strains, clone-only strains, and other hard-to-find genetics in seed form
  • Bomb Seeds – Sparkly strong buds
  • DNA Genetics (they also breed seeds under the name Reserva Privada)
  • G13 Labs – Great all-around selection with something for everyone
  • Ripper Seeds – potent, consistent results
  • Royal Queen Seeds – delightful great-smelling buds

Pineapple Chunk is a quintessential European strain that continues to impress me I grew it in 2012, then 2015, and recently again in 2022. Every time the buds came out even better than the previous time. I personally think this may be Barney Farm’s best strain, and that explains why they keep refining it. This one was grown under a newer LED grow light and smelled like a mix of citrus with a hint of strawberry. Buds came out dense and sparkly.

Recommended Autoflowering Breeders

Auto-flowering strains cannot be cloned and therefore have somewhat different breeding protocols vs standard (photoperiod) strains. On top of that, old auto-flowering genetics produce weak plants with low potency buds. Therefore it’s extremely important to use a breeder that’s got a high-quality (and current) auto-flowering breeding program. Many breeders produce great auto-flowering strains (Barney’s Farm, etc.), but the following breeders stand out for consistency and potency. Click the name of the breeder to see a list of their currently available auto-flowering strains.

  • Bomb Seeds – Sparkly and potent buds
  • Buddha Seeds – Feel-good potency, great choice for growers who struggle with anxiety
  • Dutch Passion – Excellent yields, classic effects
  • FastBuds – Fast and potent
  • G13 Labs – Consistent
  • Mephisto (auto-flowering only) – Some of the best auto-flowering strains. Their most popular strain is 3 Bears OG Auto, and they keep improving it.
  • Royal Queen Seeds – Buds always come out beautiful (they look just like the pictures) and smell great.
  • Seedsman – fast germination, auto-flowering plants grow fast and vigorous
  • Sweet Seeds – Spanish genetics with beautiful and colorful strains like Cream Caramel Auto
  • Victory Seeds – Dense high-quality buds that look and smell like photoperiod strains

Cinderella Jack Auto by Dutch Passion makes extra-potent, rock-hard buds with above-average yields. This little plant produced several ounces by itself.

Nebula Haze giving the thumbs up to this Cinderella Jack autoflowering plant just before harvest

Recommended Cannabis Strains 

Now that I’ve given some examples of recommended breeders, I wanted to share some examples of particular strains that my friends and I have grown over the years and recommend. These are all great for beginners unless otherwise noted, and produce excellent buds.

These strain recommendations are based on…

  • Potency – THC & CBD content, plus does it have the described effects?

  • Bag Appeal – Bud structure, color, density, smell

  • Consistency – Do strains grow the way the breeder says they will? Do plant characteristics vary a lot from plant to plant of the same strain?

  • Ease of growing – General hardiness of strains

  • Reputation – Has this breeder earned an excellent reputation over the years?

Girl Scout Cookies

Girl Scout Cookies is a famous clone-only strain from California that has spawned countless copycats and been incorporated into other famous strains like Platinum Cookies. BlimBurn Seeds has captured the magic in their version so growers can see what Girl Scout Cookies is like without having to find a clone.

The BlimBurn version of Girl Scout Cookies produces excellent buds. They don’t always turn purple, but cooler night temperatures towards the last 2 weeks of flowering can help bring out purpling.

Purple Girl Scout Cookies plant

 

Liberty Haze

I am a huge fan of Liberty Haze. The bud effects remind me of the unique psychedelic “day” (uplifting) effects of now-rare outdoor Sativa strains. You never see them anymore because they get huge and need long hot summers in order to produce properly. Liberty Haze gives you access to those bud effects yet is suitable to grow indoors. It still tends to grow tall and stretchy, but as long as you top the plants when they’re small (cut off the tops, which forces the buds to makes many buds instead of one), you can wrangle them indoors.

The left plant here is the 2nd time I grew Liberty Haze. As you can see it got a bit tall, which I’ve come to expect, but it was otherwise easy to grow and produced excellent yields. The Critical Kush on the right was also a good plant, but the Liberty Haze buds won when it came to effects.

Example of a Liberty Haze plant sent in by a reader

Liberty Haze cannabis plant by Barney's Farm

 

Tangerine Dream

For the fruity lovers, Tangerine Dream smells great and produces beautiful buds.

Example of Tangerine Dream

A cannabis bud of the strain Tangerine Dream

 

Amnesia

This strain lives up to its name. Amnesia buds are known for making you forget what you were just saying. Not necessarily the best choice for social situations (unless you all just want to chill) but perfect for relaxation at the end of a long day.

Example of an Amnesia plant I grew in a hydroponic setup

Original Amnesia cannabis plant under a 250W lightCloseup of Amnesia buds. Dense and chunky!

Start with great genetics to get great results!

 

Moby Dick

Moby Dick is a whale of a strain. The bud effects let you swim through life with THC levels that can hit 27%. However, it also has a good amount of CBD (1%),  which means it’s much less likely to cause brains to dive down into a state of panic or anxiety (especially compared to high-THC strains that lack the calming gentle waves of CBD). Smoke a bud and sail through your mental stress into a state of relaxation.

Okay, that’s enough whale jokes, but seriously this is an excellent strain that’s easy to grow and produces high-quality buds. The one downside is it tends to get a bit tall, but as long as you bend over and tie down any branches that are getting taller than the rest, it grows well indoors and rewards you with above-average yields.

Closeup of a Moby Dick bud

Example of a Moby Dick cannabis bud cola. This marijuana strain is by Dinafem and tends to produce dense buds.

 

Critical Mass CBD Autoflower

Speaking of CBD, some growers would like to maximize the amount of CBD but aren’t looking for a strain with a lot of mind-altering THC. Critical CBD Auto is a great choice and comes in auto-flowering form, which means that it will automatically grow buds and be ready to harvest about 10 weeks from germination. A nice easy strain for someone who’s just getting started.

Example of bud from a Critical CBD Auto

A cola from a Critical+ CBD cannabis plant just before harvest


I’ll be adding more details about the recommended strains below soon 🙂

Frisian Dew is a great choice for outdoor growing

Example of a mid-size outdoor cannabis plantCloseup of Frisian Dew bud

This main cola of this Frisian Dew cannabis plant has turned bright purple

Example of a Durban Poison plant that was grown under fluorescent lights. Excellent yield for such low light levels!

A bunch of Master Kush plants

Amazing example of well-trained cannabis plants - training your plants this way can increase your yields by up to 40%

Example of a Northern Lights bud

The Northern Light strain by Nirvana is high-yielding, potent, and known to be very easy to grow

Example of a small-but-beefy Aurora Indica plant

Only one big main cola on this plant

Example of Bubba Kush plant grown outdoors

Recommended Auto-Flowering Strains

Auto-flowering plants will make buds and be ready to harvest in 2-3 months from germination (check out the details on the page to see the exact estimate for each strain). Click here to learn more about auto-flowering strains.

Example of a Cinderella Jack Auto plant

Nebula Haze giving the thumbs up to this Cinderella Jack autoflowering plant just before harvestExample of a Mazar Auto

An auto-flowering Mazar plant from Dutch Passion - this huge plant looks nothing like its Ruderalis ancestors!

Example of Auto Amnesia

Auto Amnesia closeup

An Auto Blue Dream bud

Here’s the whole Auto Blue Dream  plant

An assortment of different autoflowering plants from the breeders listed above

Importance of Strain Names

While we’re talking about breeders and strains, I want to talk about an important topic that affects all of us…

Just 50 years ago, cannabis was considered one of the most immoral and destructive drugs in the world, putting it at the top of illegal drug lists in many countries. Many people still live with this attitude.

Cannabis growers have historically been locked up and put in prison for growing a simple plant

But in some ways, things have changed.

These days, people are generally more accepting of cannabis, and laws about marijuana are slowly being changed for the better in many places around the world, especially the US.

Silhouette of an outdoor cannabis plantBecause of better attitudes about cannabis around the world, we get…

  • Easier access to expert growing information, specialized equipment, and seeds
  • Fewer people are getting their lives ruined or going to prison because of a simple plant that’s more harmless than Tylenol
  • Medical patients are better able to get strains that offer relief for their specific symptoms
  • More people can get safe and reliable access to cannabis

But good things don’t come easily. We still have a long way to go, and the cannabis legalization movement highly scrutinized. The image we create now is going to set the tone for the rest of the world.

We are the face of the cannabis community. When people think about legalizing cannabis, they’re looking at our actions. As growers, every one of us has a responsibility to represent the growing community in a positive light.

Politicians around the world are trying to decide whether removing penalties for cannabis will have a positive effect. We are at a critical turning point, and it could go either way.

We’ve come to an important fork in the road

We've come to a fork in the road, which way will we go? Do we want cannabis legalization, or should we accept the status quo?

I believe that making cannabis legal and available to adults and medical patients is incredibly important. Whether someone uses cannabis for a medical condition or just because it helps them relax, I believe that everyone should have fair and equal access to this miraculous plant.

Yet with change comes responsibility. I believe that, as growers, we have a responsibility to present a good image to the public about growing cannabis. We must earn a better reputation to prove to the world that cannabis is not only a safe source of medicine but also that cannabis is less dangerous than cigarettes or alcohol. I believe adults and medical patients deserve the freedom to use this plant responsibly.

The world is watching us, and the way we act now is going to decide  whether cannabis ever gets fully legalized. That’s why I’m ashamed of some of the most popular strain names…

I am ashamed the cannabis growing community has popular strain names like…

  • Agent Orange
  • Cat Piss
  • Strawberry Dog Shit
  • Cheesy Dick
  • Donkey Dick
  • Purple Fuck
  • Dirty Girl
  • Stinky Pinky
  • P*ssy Juice

I know a lot of these strains have great genetics; in fact, some of them are award-winners!

But do these strain names bring to mind the image of peace-loving and laid-back growers and consumers which make up the majority of the cannabis community?

I believe we must improve our public image. I have chosen to no longer grow strains that carry an offensive name. Growers, I encourage you to do the same. Strain breeders, I’m begging you! Please be mindful of the cannabis movement when naming new strains.

A gorgeous cannabis bud - sparkling with trichomes!

 


 

Don’t Let This Happen To You!

I just received this slightly alarming email, and I had to share. Don’t let this happen to you!

This is supposed to be Auto Bubble. 4 weeks in from seed. What is the deal? What is this plant?

Rip off marijuana seed is growing into some unknown plant

Close-up of the plant growing out of the ripoff marijuana seed

This is NOT a marijuana plant! Unfortunately, this person got ripped off 🙁

Seeing a case like this is a huge reminder of why it’s so important to buy your seeds from a trusted seed source!

View GrowWeedEasy.com’s list of trusted seed vendors here: https://www.growweedeasy.com/seeds

Our list only contains seed banks who have proven themselves over the years with high-quality seeds from trusted breeders, discrete shipping, and reliable delivery.

Can you grow weed with LEDs?

 


 

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