Jimi DevineIt’s that time of year when many of the world’s best cannabis farmers are in full prep for summer.
We reached out to them and asked what strains they are most excited to grow. Here is what they told us.
Ridgeline Farms, Back-to-Back Reigning Emerald Cup Sungrown Flower Champion
The world champs told L.A. Weekly they have plenty of tricks up their sleeve on the quest for the threepeat. “This year I am playing with lots of strains. I have been lucky enough to have some real good people hook me up with some new amazing strains,” Ridgeline’s founder Jason Gellman told us. This year’s crop will include Seed Junkie’s Berry Pie, a cross of London Pound Cake x Kush Mint 11. “I’m also working on an amazing citrus strain called Southern Humboldt Citrus. The taste is so fruity and citrusy, it’s like a dessert. Probably don’t need to say it, but Lambo OG and of course the winner two years ago Green Lantern will always be growing in my garden, along with last year’s winner Ridgeline Runtz, which is my hands down favorite to smoke.”
Josh D, 2019 Emerald Cup Mixed Light Flower Champion
Josh D has had plenty of great genetics to work with over the past 25 years, and after taking home the Emerald Cup last year, we asked what he’s hyped on for this summer. While we can obviously expect much of the stable that took four slots in the top 10 in December, the newest edition to the pack — The Ÿerbert — is also pretty hype. Ÿerbert pairs two of the Cookie Fam’s most famous genetics, Sunset Sherbert and Y Life. Josh will certainly grow a must-have rendition. Once the mixed light gardens start dropping soon, be ready to pounce if you see The Ÿerbert on shelves.
With both of the champs growing Cookies genetics, we figured we should check them off the list next. The Cookie Fam’s chief geneticist and breeder of the original famed cut Jigga told L.A. Weekly we can expect a lot of special things from this summer’s efforts. One of the most exciting locally is the collaboration Seed Junkie, which is pairing some of the most famed lineages in the state. Honestly, you should go scoop some Animal Minntz at Cookies Melrose as soon as you get the chance.
One of L.A.’s premier exporters of fine cannabis to the rest of the state these days, Wonderbrett is currently working on a few variations of their popular OZK. “We’re most excited for our full launch of Orange Banana and a new strain we have coming up for the summer is Pineapple OZK,” Wonderbrett told L.A. Weekly. “Orange Banana is hitting over 30 percent and is an amazing flavor with heavy indica smoke. Pineapple OZK is a gassier OZK that is perfect for your everyday smoker. This one Is hitting over 30 percent as well.” This all sounds lovely to us, and we look forward to trying the pair soon.
Orange Banana – Courtesy of Wonderbrett
On the verge of opening the state’s newest high tech greenhouse in Sacramento, you can expect to see a ton of heat from Pistilpoint heading south in the not too distant future. They plan on filling that facility with some Melon Runtz, Gelatti Runtz, and even some of the uber-exclusive Devine Runtz. The company also has family connections to Southeast Asia, so expect some Thai landrace genetics nobody else has, in addition to some Colombian lines they plan to work with.
Photo courtesy of Pistilpoint
Miracle Alien Cookies breeder Capulator told us his newest effort to keep an eye out for is The Bootyclapper. The strain brings together the Sunset MAC and Big Buns. Cap’s seeds are among the most coveted out there, so we expect to see enough Bootyclapper to fill a juvenile concert at a reputable-sized venue.
We’ve generally been hyped on all the work the Jungle Boys have been putting in on their TK line, but we’re very excited for something a bit more throwback. The Jungle Boys helped put Purple Punch on the map back when it won the final rendition of Chalice, one of the world’s premier cannabis contests at the time. The new Purple Punchsicle is a further stabilization of those wild genetics that taste like Blue Powerade.
The Gak line has been on our radar for the last couple of years, but according to the winningest farm in cannabis this will be the Year of The Melon we have been waiting for. Standing out from the lineup, Gak Zkittlelz has worldbeater written all over it. We expect it to be one of the nicest things we’ll see come harvest.
One of the most exciting responses to our query of the elite cannabis farmers of California came from The Village. The Village will be pairing his award-winning Super Lemon Haze phenotype, probably the second-best version of it we’ve seen in America, with his trophy shelf buster pheno of Mimosa. Mimosa was of course bred from his work on the Purple Punch line at Symbiotic Genetics alongside Budologist.
In addition to all the hype of getting his Instagram account back after a few years, the other half of Symbiotic Genetics has some exciting things lined up for summer. As opposed to getting amped on the “new new,” Budologist told L.A. Weekly he is excited to put some more work in on the Amarelo and Greasebucket lines. Greasebucket was some of the craziest rosin we tried in 2019, and we can’t wait to see the flower get more popular.
One of the cultivators we’re most excited to see return to the marketplace is Str8organics. Without a doubt, Str8organics grew the best mixed light wedding cake we ever smoked in our lives. “I’m most hyped about this Florida Juicy fruit as far as elite clones go. Now for seeds, there are so many!” There will also be a ton of world-class Papaya.
The Man who saved OGKB, one of the best Cookies phenotypes out there, NorCal ICMag told us to keep an eye out for the collaborations he’s doing with Compound Genetics, who was recently featured in our Garden Glance. The idea of the OGKB getting paired with strains like Jetlato and Garlic Grove has our mouths absolutely watering.
While the Alien Labs crew drops more new heat on a seemingly monthly basis, the one they are most excited about at the moment is a pairing of their famous Lemon Fuel OG and the Biscotti they’ve been working with for a bit. Alien Labs founder Ted Lidie told L.A. Weekly the pairing “dumped some fuel on that biscotti but the winner was selected for its biscotti terpene profile. That added some complexity to it.”
You can already find Emerald Valley on some of the most reputable top shelves in Los Angeles, and you can expect their newest to maintain their current enthusiasm levels. “Our private label reserve line is probably the project we are most excited about,” Ember Valley founder Ryan Muse told L.A. Weekly. “We aren’t breeders by any stretch, but we’ve been chucking pollen and popping new seeds to test out exclusive strains for as long as we’ve been in the game.” Ember Valley is also working on a lineup of throwback strains that should be dropping soon too.
The stuff coming out of State Flower right now looks to be some heat. “Got a couple of new ones in the garden that I’m really excited about. The Sundae Driver and Garanimals we’re running are insane although I’m well aware we’re not the only ones growing those,” @Jewcci_mane told the Weekly. “We also have an amazing cut of Ice Cream Cake and an awesome looking “sativa” called Flowhite I’m also pretty pumped about.”
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