Up here at 50 degrees north it’s time to start germinating and getting those seedlings strong and hardened off for this year’s outdoor crop. For my American friends south of the border you should be well on your way by now. If not, there’s no time like the present. If you’ve never grown outdoor before, I don’t think I need to tell you that if there was ever a time, this is it.
Here are my top 4 fast flowering outdoor strains for Canadian growers with those notoriously short northern summers. This will give you some great options for a massive outdoor harvest of all-natural organic buds the way mother nature intended.
So let's stack up your stash and give the power company the middle finger at the same time...
Outdoor Strain #4: Okanagan Grape
Known as the Napa valley of the north, the Okanagan valley in British Columbia is world famous for it’s lakeside vineyards, world class wineries, gorgeous summer weather, and of course, BC Bud.
This fast flowering Indica was created one hot Okanagan summer when we discovered a rare mutant male in our outdoor crop of Grand Daddy Purple. It grew wide and thick with massive stacks of purple tinted pollen sacks that smelled of ripe concord grapes. Flowering in the middle of summer before any other plants had even hinted at blooming, we knew this was the secret ingredient we were looking for to breed our signature outdoor strain.
Combining the grape scented pollen from this mutant GDP male with a fast flowering Early Purple female was a no-brainer, and the offspring proved our intuitions right.
Okanagan Grape thrives outdoors, especially when planted in the ground with as much root space as it desires. Resin production comes on very early and will completely frost the fan leaves allowing you to make exceptional quality hash from the trim.
Flowering time is quick, averaging just 7 weeks. Bloom initiation begins much earlier than most other Indica varieties allowing you to harvest massive plants of dense Indica buds at the end of summer before the cold autumn rains arrive.
Phenotypes are very uniform in expression with half of the females taking on an extremely pungent kush-like aroma, with the other half leaning to the sweeter grape aroma of the Grand Daddy Purple.
As temperaures drop at the end of summer expect the buds to display a beautiful palette of blues, purple, and even some lavender coloured pistils.
Effect of Okanagan Grape is profoundly relaxing; soothing all your aches and pains, making this early flowering Indica an excellent companion to a glass of wine and a sunset at the end of the day.
Outdoor Strain #3: Peanut Butter Herijuana
A very unique fast flowering Indica with a thick peanut butter scent that is famous for it’s extremely narcotic stone. Peanut Butter Herijuana is exceptional for treating pain due to this powerfully numbing body effect. This also makes it primarily a nighttime strain as sedation is a very common occurrence along with it's anaesthetic quality. This is one of my go-to strains for treating a severe Crohn's flare up that has me in bed and out of commission. It calms my stomach, eases my pain, and helps me sleep through the worst of it.
When it comes to cultivating PBH, she has a sturdy growth pattern that is very well suited to outdoor crops with excellent node spacing and shockingly dense buds. This provides excellent airflow through the plant while sealing off the interior of the buds which makes her very resistant to mold and mildew. Resin production comes on early in the bloom cycle and builds quickly leaving all plants ripe and ready to harvest in just 7 weeks. Letting them bloom a week longer only enhances the already pronounced body-stone effect
Peanut Butter Herijuana phenotypes express in three main formats: The first has a traditional wide fingered Indica pattern, the second looks very sativa in nature with long internode spacing and thin-bladed leaves, and the third is very short and bushy. Effects are typical of a heavy couch-locking Indica body stone across all phenotypes. The peanut butter scent, intense potency, and fast flowering time is shared equally by all phenotypes. However it should be noted that the short and bushy phenotype will initiate flowering extremely early, allowing harvests before the end of summer in the north.
Outdoor Strain #2: Laughing Lion
Laughing Lion is a truly gorgeous specimen that turns amazing shades of fall colours and completes the flowering cycle in just 7 weeks time. Bag appeal is off the charts with deep purple buds and fan leaves that morph from green to yellow to black.
Laughing Lion is an extremely heavy hitting Indica with a powerful couch lock stone and a propensity to incite fits of laughter. Impressive yields with massively dense buds make this an easy choice for outdoor growers who are looking for a highly medicinal strain with top shelf connoisseur appeal that ripens fast.
If you're looking for a super pungent earthy kush aroma, look no further. Laughing Lion brings the funk in spades, drawing on the Indica heritage of LA Confidential and the intensely potent terpenes of the '91 Chemdog. This strain stores well long term and retains it's potency and powerful aroma for many months; allowing you to harvest big this summer, and smoke good all winter.
Laughing Lion's structure is short and wide when encouraged to branch laterally by topping once or twice, and cloning is a breeze with her extreme hybrid vigour. Phenotypes differentiate themselves in two main formats, one taller and one very short and thick. Both will display largely the same colours, aroma, and potency, but the shorter of the two phenotypes will not stretch at all when flipped to flower, and will finish exceptionally fast.
When it comes to effect, Laughing Lion is a very useful sleep aid and works wonders for many types of pain with an exceptionally potent body high. However, not as typical of heavy Indicas such as this, is a unique and uplifting effect to mood and disposition. Stress melts away, the world seems a more peaceful place, and sense of humour is enhanced. Expect munchies, giggles, and profound relaxation. This is truly excellent weed for gaming and movie nights.
Outdoor Strain #1: Frostberry
Developed specifically for short northern summers, Frostberry ripens extremely fast while producing heavy yields of fat berry scented buds. Frostberry was created by crossing an extremely early flowering Blackberry Kush with our signature outdoor strain, Okanagan Grape. We knew doubling down on grape and berry aromas wouldn’t disappoint, and Frostberry turned out even better than expected with an even speedier flowering time than the original Okanagan Grape.
Frostberry has the extremely rare trait of maintaining green foliage while the buds transform into lavender calyxes that sprout purple pistils. Aromas are sweet and berry forward with hints of cherry, cheesecake, and caramel.
When growing a limited number of Frostberry plants make sure to germinate indoors in April, and top early and often as this will encourage branching. Transplant outdoors in very large containers or directly in-ground by May 15th. This will ensure adequate growth time to acheive maximum yield with minimal plant counts. Alternatively, for supercharged growth rates, you can plant many seedlings close together for an impressive sea of stacked purple colas that will tower into the sky by summer’s end.
Most Phenotypes can be harvested at the end of August in all but the most extremely Northern latitudes, but letting them go a little longer will only bulk up your yields even further and deepen the purple colours and sweet-scented aromas.
Potency is very respectable with a nice blend of body stone and headiness while providing a very calm and peaceful state of mind with zero paranoia or anxiety.
Guerrilla growers, this one was made for you!