Late May heralds the high season for cannabis planting in North America.
Millions upon millions of starters root in soil for their 2023 full-sun run. The clone trays at Mainstage dispensary in Sacramento, CA look picked over.
On the weed contest circuit, strains like Grape Stank and Trop Cherry are crushing it in Oregon. Blue Face brought gas back to California at The Emerald Cup May 13.
And fresh on seed banks this week: new crosses from Seed Junky, Compound, and Clearwater.
Here’s what’s cooking in the white-hot magma core of the US’ $60 billion cannabis industry. Here’s Leafly Strain News Weekly #5.
New in the Leafly Strain Database
We’re living in a Golden Age of cannabis cultivars—adding new strains to the 5,000-strong Leafly database every day. Recent additions include:
Blue Face, the Emerald Cup 2023 winner.
Blue Guava, a Transbay Challenge 2023 qualifier.
Blue Lobster, the East Coast Zalympix 2023 winner.
Strain creators who want to get listed can email us at strains@leafly.com.
Top strain news
Grape Stank wins two ways at Oregon Leaf Bowl
Oregon’s major contest the Leaf Bowl concluded May 26, with the frontrunner growers Left Coast Standard and TrueCare Farms slugging it out for first and second place in five categories of sungrown flower.
The indoor contest proved ferocious; ten brands won or placed across five categories. Watch out for that Trop Cherry by Verdant Leaf—the Best Exotic Fruit. A Grape Stank strain won the citrus and sap category and took second in the fuel/og/chem category.
Desserts rule—a Biscotti Pie from High Noon Cultivation won the Open category, while a Z-type called Moonbow 112 from Archive took second.
In mixed-light/greenhouse, the brand Real Eve swept four of six categories with the strains: Hash Burger, Super Boof, Sherb Cake, and Chem-Lato. Huzzah.
Overall, we see lots of Leafly Buzz and Strain News Weekly faves holding trophies; very affirming. Read up on the Oregon Leaf Bowl winners in carts, extracts, edibles and more.
Blue Face takes The Emerald Cup 2023
The smoke has cleared on the epic May 13 Emerald Cup Awards 2023—the world’s biggest cannabis contest. Seed Junky Genetics‘ beastly Animal Face phenotype Blue Face, grown by Fig Farms, took Best in Show. Double OG Chem returned to the podium. Here’s the full list of winners, we’re cooking up a buyer’s guide for your summer.
Gucci Mane will headline the Zalympix Awards Show in LA June 17 (ticket link). We’ve smoked all 25 jars in the judges kit; plenty of gorgeous weed and a good amount of great-smelling weed. The proof came in the taste and effect, where a few clear winners emerged. Overall—the California Zalympix 2023 showcases intense competition on the top shelf. Yet space remains on that shelf for newcomers who can blast our taste buds with unique, revelatory flavors. Here’s an hour of us judging live on Instagram May 26.
Featured photo: Litty in the City pitted Cherry Guava vs Z May 20
Rad strain release radar
Most hottest
LA’s Seed Junky Genetics continues to dominate like peak Kobe Bryant. Seeds of Hawaiian Rain (London Pound Mints x Jealousy) x Permanent Marker, and Zkittlez x Sherb bx1 x Permanent Marker F debuted Friday at 4:20pm PST for $200. They won’t last long.
Supreme Seed Bank also scored another exclusive SJG assist with 10-packs of Caribbean Breeze (Pineapple Fruz) x (Biscotti x Sherb BX) fems for $450—apparently the “last restock ever.”
On May 28, Compound Genetics set off some of their own fireworks with drops of Double Up (Mellowz #8 x Gastro Pop #5 ) and Total Eclipse (King Slayer x Gastro Pop #5); part of their Gastro Pop Vol. 3 Collection.
Candy gas station
Clearwater Genetics did a big Discord pre-sale on May 27 of two dozen new Hi-Chew 47 [(Oreocake (Wedding Cake x Oreoz) x Now N Later (Platinum Cookies x Granddaddy Purple) x Blue Power)] crosses with 12 feminized seeds per pack.
James Loud and Mosca Seeds recently released dark-flowered Dread Zeppelin and Sugar Fly fems that brighten things up considerably with their gassy candy aromas and terps.
Cookie jar
Raw Genetics restocks include more potent and fragrant Gary Payton crosses for your all-star squad.
Strawberry Milk & Qookies F2 (Milk & Qookies x Bruce Banner #3)—an exemplary autoflower bred by Night Owl seeds—is back once again by popular demand.
OG Kush and friends
Pure Sativa Seed Bank keeps things sacramental with restocks of DNA Geneticsclassic Kosher Kush crosses.
Cream terps
Solfire’s creamy fruit concoction, Udder Madness (Bitties x Mind Flayer), is now available; with additional frosty feminized crosses out soon.
Funky town
Stank innovator Skunktek offers Gas Cap, now available for your olfactory pleasure.
Speaking of funk, scoop up GMO Gelato Conga seeds, as well as Ice Cream Cake x Meatbreath seeds and clones direct from Fresh Coast Seed Co.
Get your sticky, weed-growing hands on some Thug Pug Genetics restocks that include PB Diesel, PB Wuu, and PB Skunk regs.
Mendocino county’s Freeborn Selections’ latest regular seed drops include the kush gas of their Grape Lime Skunk, Hollywood Pure Kush x Jaro, and the “heavily-worked” Skycuddler Double Kush F4—a breeder’s fave.
Quote of the week
“If it’s heat, it’s heat. You don’t need to get three or four pounds a light.”
Dan Adler, CEO of Node Labs
Hash dumpers
The latest limited releases from Twenty20 Mendocino includes a cross of two solventless extraction monsters—Queen of Diamonds (BubbaWhip! A17 x MMXX #48)—among several new autoflower and photoperiod seeds available.
Gnome Automatics’ October Sky is another exclusive autoflower cultivar with vigorous genetics and amazing hash-washing ability.
Symbiotic Genetics’ Ginger Mints and Champaya (Papaya x Mimosa v6) can hold you over until their Kombucha line debuts soon.
Old-school
Get some Sour and Haze power in your grow with the classic genetics of Top Dawg Seeds and the 24 strains recently restocked at Gas Lamp Seeds.
Genetics stories of note
The panic over the cannabis virus called hop latent viroid ratcheted up a level with a breathless SFGate.com story: More than 90% of Calif. pot farms infected with ‘severe’ pathogen
Podcast time: Smoke and Bridges: Jimi Devine talks with Dan Goldman from Node Labs.
Brain break
Upcoming seed/clone releases
Pacific NW Roots will soon release limited Koffee crosses like Arizona Green Tea, Mac Koffee Breath S1, and Mac Koffee Breath BX S1.
Mass Medical Strains releases ChemDMT fem seeds on June 2 for any psychonauts looking for some distinct mothball DMT terps in their weed.
Pre-orders for Symbiotic Genetics Kombucha crosses are still available on Horror Seeds.
Cannabis contest calendar 2023
A contest win can change lives. Here’s what’s coming up.
June 3—Nomination period opens for the GreenGrow Oklahoma Cup. [link] Also, The Grow-Off Oklahoma and Maine clones drop. [link]
June 10—Voting closes for the Nevada Cannabis Awards Music Festival. [link]
June 17—The Zalympix California awards ceremony in LA. [link] Also, Judge Kits available for Cannabis Cup People’s Choice NM. Peep the award show September 4. [link]
June 24—Secret Stash Genetics and Culture pop-up in Denver. [link] Oklahoma Cup festival and winners announced. [link]
July 1—Entry window opens for 1st annual Missouri Growers Cup. [link] Closes September 15.
July 10—High Times Cannabis Cup People’s Choice Michigan winners announced. Judging underway. [link]
July 15—Intake forms due for The Grow-Off Massachusetts and Maine. [link]
July 22—Entry drop off for Maine division of the multistate NECANN Cup 2023. Ceremony slated for Aug 12. [link]
September 11—Submission window opens for all categories of the New England Harvest Cup. Closes September 24. [link]
September 15—Deadline for entries for Missouri Growmaster competition. [link]
Oct. 7-8—Errl Cup Arizona in Mesa. [link]
Dec. 9—Oregon Growers Cup in Riddle. [link]
What is Leafly Strain News Weekly?
If strains are the celebrities on Leafly—then Strain News Weekly is TMZ. Send tips to david.downs@leafly.com.
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