Now that you’ve gotten all that 4/20 excitement out of your system, it’s time to talk about April’s second most exciting annual pot topic, what the killers are growing this year.

While there are a lot of people growing great pot in California, this list is dedicated to that heat heat heat. Across the list, you’ll see a lot of cup winners and thought leaders willing to share a glimpse of genetics they’re excited about. And while we imagine some of these rockstar cultivators are keeping a few of their cards closer to the chest for harvest season, we’re still thrilled to be able to give you a peek at what they’ll be working on.

Apart from the farmers, someone who has great insights into what the legal operators are getting ready to grow is Dan Adler-Golden of Node Labs. Node Labs produces thousands of elite disease-free cuttings every month that are then further propagated by commercial nurseries into moms that become tens of thousands of cuttings a month for farmers.

Adler-Golden reviews Compound Genetics’ Summer 2020 Phenohunt results at Node Labs.

“Dudes are super stoked on Horchata this year,” Adler-Golden told L.A. Weekly. “There is going to be a lot of Horchata. That’s great. That’s partially due to us. The other one is Cocoa Pebbles, as well as Motorhead. You’re also going to see quite a bit of Watermelon Mimosa.”

Adler-Golden and the Compound Genetics team chat their favorites from the pack.

Adler-Golden explained some of the new factors for the market going into summer 2021.

“I mean, it’s taken off pretty well,” Adler-Golden said. “You have some really big nurseries coming onto the scene this year which didn’t exactly exist last year. You know you have what Phinest is putting on the map, which is like some of the repeats of last year, like the Fatso and the Wedding Pie. The Natura nursery is putting a lot of what I just mentioned out there as well and then you got the guys down in SoCal. They’re doing the Peanut Butter Breath and some of those other Peanut Butter crosses. A lot of peanut butter.”

Adler-Golden told us he expects to see the new Seed Junky nursery putting a lot out into the market this year too. Who doesn’t want their Ice Cream Cake cut from the mothership?

High Society #103

“You’re gonna see a ton of Ice Cream Cake and Runtz on the map this year, of course. It just got so flooded. It just so out there dude, just so many, 1000s and 1000s and 1000s of those fucking cuts,” he said.

Adler-Golden is expecting a lot of Blue Dream to make a comeback this year too. Some expected that to play out last year, but a lot of the Blue Dream grown here left the state, as is the way. This year there will probably be more sticking around locally.

Here is what some of our favorite farmers are growing this summer:

 

Massive Creations

One of the first folks to chat with us on their summer prospects was Shiloh Massive of Massive Creations. Among the prospects for 2021, a few that really jumped out to us included the Northern Lights #5 x Neville’s Haze, Grape Mintz, and a Diesel Stardawg Pakistani.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t stoked on every single one. I started messing around with pineapple ocimene dominate stuff cause it’s Taylor’s favorite,” Massive told L.A. Weekly of his adherence to the happy wife happy life mentality. “However, it seems to be a lot of people’s fav as well. Karma bx2 x Pineapple Thai x master Kush f3 also has me excited.”

Massive said he’ll release the name of a super dope and secret male he’s been working with later in the fall.

 

Ridgeline

The team at Ridgeline said they’re hyped on Gelonade, Fish Scale, and Georgia Pie to begin their quest to capture a third Emerald Cup after a year off the podium.

“Been smoking the Georgia Pie lately, taste like OG with fruit, delicious. The Fish Scale is pretty amazing dark purp and has a citrus candy smell,” Ridgeline owner Jason Gellman told L.A. Weekly. “Also, Apples n Bananas should be good. Still think Cheetah Piss is a winner even though the cup didn’t, but that was the third smoked-out round.”

Gellman noted they’re always going to run some Ridgeline Runtz and Green Lantern. And for his personal stash? “I am going to do a small batch of Zkittlez just so I can jar it because it’s still one of my favorites.”

 

Cookies

The team at Cookies told us they’re generally also hyped on Ridgeline’s summer plans. They have upcoming drops of the Ridgeline Runtz and Green Lantern. “Jason has been an incredible Cookies family cultivator and his deep connection to Humboldt, its culture and rich history, has allowed him to hone his craft and produce some of the finest organic cannabis,” Cookies’ VP of Marketing Tori Cole told L.A. Weekly.

 

Sonoma Hills Farms

Aaron Keefer of Sonoma Hills Farms and dope Michelin star vegetables fame told us the Pink Jesus we highlighted on the cover of L.A. Weekly last year will feature prominently in their summer lineup. But they’ve got some other new stuff to get excited about.

“Bodega Sunset is a Cherry Cheesecake/ Double Rainbow Sherbet mix,” Keefer said, “Budview Snowsweet is an Emerald Triangle secret back bred for 20 generations on itself. Very classic high.”

Keefer will also be popping some seeds he’s been sitting on for years.

“Rasta Fuel – NYC Sour Diesel from 2005 mixed with a backcountry Jamaican landrace that a musician friend scored while staying upcountry for six months and jamming with locals,” Keefer said. “He got the seed the last week he was there from the best he had had his whole time in Jamaica. I used to grow it indoor back around 2007 to 2009 when an 11-week flower still made sense numbers-wise. One of my favorite highs. Fingers crossed I get the pheno I remember.”

 

Royal Key Organics

The team at one of the most fabled flower and hash companies on the planet are getting ready for a massive seed propagation to hunt down some fresh flavors. They told us gear from Humboldt Seed Organization and the underrated heat at Biovortex will feature prominently during the hunt. Saint Ashley’s Mazar is very high on the list. It’s the Black Dog BC6 x Mazar.

 

Terp Hogz

We chatted with Tony Mendocino about what the Terp Hogz and their championship stable of genetics is putting in the dirt this year.

Mendocino prefaced his response by saying he didn’t want us to think he was being a hater, but his favorite new one is Nanya, a Papaya x Banana cross. He sent an audio recording attached noting he didn’t want us to think he was telling us to mind our own business.

He also said you can expect to see the Passion Lemon, Zmoothie and a Larry x Headband. The Blooberry Zkittelz they premiered last year will also be coming back strong.

Sierra Nevada Cannabis Co

The Sierra Nevada Cannabis Co team is hyped to run their Strawberry Mimosa again this year. Owner Cole Hightower told us they’re also super pumped to run Sherbinski’s Mochi, “which gets that real deep purple tone.”  A Biker Kush heavy pheno of Headstash from Karma Genetics and testers of Trace Dog OG round out the pack.

 

Alien Labs 

While most associated with some of the best indoor on the planet, Alien Labs usually has some very heat “Moongrown” offerings come harvest time.

“This is the first year we’re doing tunnels and this giant wind screen so I’m just hella excited to see the quality of our outdoor go up and the quality of the live resin go up because of that,” Alien Labs Founder Ted Lidie told L.A. Weekly before pointing to the next round of apples as extra exciting. “Atomic Apple was my favorite live resin pen this year so probably the crosses of that. Biscotti X Atomic Apple, Atomic Apple x Kryptochronic.”

 

Anonymous Trapper #1

We reached out to Anonymous Trapper #1 deep in the hills of the Emerald Triangle to see what he’s growing this year. He said a big chunk will be higher yielding winners like GMO, Ice Cream Cake and Wedding Cake.

He said he doesn’t care what’s popular this year. “I think they’re gonna dump dude. I’m just growing it because they are way healthier and just way more vigorous than the other shit, you know? It’s great pot. The quality is there for sure, but I’m definitely a weight and vigor grower,” he told L.A. Weekly.

 

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