Articles
My articles on genetics, breeding, the history of strains and breeders, and cannabis around the world.
Genetics
Genetics made clear: taxonomy
The first article in the Genetics Made Clear series: the hemp family, sativa, indica and ruderalis, phenotype and genotype, chemotypes and chemovars. Why preserve genetic diversity, and what do seedbanks and breeders do?
Genetics made clear: preservation and distribution
The second article in the Genetics Made Clear series: landraces and heirloom strains, autoflowers and Lowryder, hybridization and feminization.
Genetics made clear: modern breeding
How American breeding differs from European breeding, and which brands and strains set the tone on both scenes.
Genetics made clear: open-source breeding
Why strain patents threaten diversity and independent breeders, and how the alternative works: the OSSI Pledge, open-source licenses, OpenSourceSeeds, Strainly and 7 East Genetics.
Genetics made clear: IBL - WTF?
What is an IBL, how are inbred lines created, and where do backcrossing and autoflowers fit in? Why a stable line gives growers, breeders and researchers predictability.
Genetics made clear: Fast Flowering
What Fast Version and Fast Flowering strains are, where their short flowering periods come from, and their advantages. Two myths: yield and cannabinoid content.
Mutation mastery: the history of Freakshow
Freakshow and its creator Shapeshifter: the Pineapple Express and Holy Chiquita pedigree and the path from alligator teeth to type 1 and type 2.
Breeding through my own experience
An introduction to practical breeding from my experience: organizing a workspace in a small grow room, finding genetics, and getting started. The article ends with a selection of books, forums and channels to study.
Cannabis ruderalis: the history of autoflowering
Where ruderalis came from, how feral hemp differs from wild ruderalis, what two schools dispute, and how ruderal genes reached autoflowers via Lowryder.
SWAG: the story of smooth-edged cannabis leaves
KalySeeds lines with smooth leaf edges: SWAG Original, Trinidat, hops in the pedigree via Legitimo, the first ICMag photos in 2015 and Opalo SWAG.
AD17: how Apricot Delia got its name
Smooth lance-shaped leaves, Aprico Delia, Afghan SWAG and Skinny Purple: where AD17 from the KalySeeds collection came from and which lines followed it.
Variegation: colorful leaves with a complicated history
From Correns's and Baur's experiments in 1909 to the variegated Divina: how variegation was studied in plants and what is known about it in cannabis.
Buds on leaves: a history of flowering in the wrong place
Flowers on cannabis leaves: Robert Clarke's 1981 record, the botany of epiphylly, forum observations, and the history of the name Cannabis chinensis.
Fasciation: from botanical oddities to ribbon-like cannabis
Fasciation from Major in 1665 and Masters to Crescini's 1934 paper on hemp: what happens to the meristem, and which genes and infections cause it.
The Australian Stranger: The History of Australian Bastard Cannabis
How ABC got its name and who preserved it: Mr Ayers and Cannabis Culture in 1999, MongyMan, the 2015 study, Subterfuge, Drunken Bastard and newer lines.
The Duck's Foot: The History of Ducksfoot and Its Webbed Relatives
Wally Duck's Ducksfoot, the Hawaiian Strawberry Web and Webbed Indica, a Ferramington leaf from a 1922 paper, USC, Frisian Duck and Auto Duck.
A Resemblance to Rosemary: The History of the Rosemary Phenotype
A narrow-leaved phenotype from Drunken Bastard × Freakshow F2: the ABC and Freakshow parent lines, the second generation and the entry of November 4, 2023.
Strain and breeder histories
A breeder's story: Joint Doctor and Doctor's Choice
The story of Joint Doctor and Lowryder: research in Poland, Lowryder 2, and the path to Doctor's Choice.
The history of Purple Punch
Purple Punch’s origins in Granddaddy Purple and Larry OG, its creation at Supernova Gardens, and the clone’s path through Budologist, The Village, and Symbiotic Genetics. Also, the plant’s structure and the strain’s aroma.
The history of the MAC hybrid
How Capulator created Miracle Alien Cookies from Miracle 15 (Starfighter x Columbian Gold) and Alien Cookies, then MAC #1 through backcrossing. Plus derivative strains, terpenes, aroma, and growth characteristics.
The history of the Peanut Butter Breath hybrid
Peanut Butter Breath from ThugPug Genetics: Do-Si-Dos and Mendobreath F2 in its pedigree. The family of peanut crosses: Cake, Pie, Punch, Runtz, Cookies, and Mints.
The history of Gelato
How Mr. Sherbinski and Jigga created Gelato from Sunset Sherbet and GSC Thin Mint, and how the numbered phenotypes #25, #33, #41, #42, and #45 differ. Plus well-known crosses: Runtz, Biscotti, and Ice Cream Cake.
The history of Gorilla Glue
How Josey Wales and Lone Watty created GG4 through accidental pollination, why the clone was shared only for free, and how the strain reached first place at the High Times Cup.
DNA Genetics: a history of breeding
How Don Morris and Aaron Yarkoni moved from California to Amsterdam in 2003 and built DNA Genetics: High Times Cannabis Cup awards from 2004 to 2014, partnerships in 2015–2019, and the acquisition of Crockett Family Farms. The company’s three brands and their flagship strains.
Humboldt Seed Company: a history of breeding
The story of Humboldt Seed Company from Humboldt County: its founding in 2001, the team of Nathaniel Pennington, Ben Lind, and Hally Pennington, and entry into the Canadian, European, and South African markets. How the company evaluates around 10,000 plants every year and keeps the best 0.5%.
MrSoul and Brothers Grimm Seeds
The story of Rick “MrSoul” Campanella and Brothers Grimm Seeds: Princess from Jack Herer seeds, cubing to Cinderella 99, the 2002 closure, and the relaunch in Colorado.
Colin Gordon and Ethos Genetics
How Colin Gordon went from his first plantings and crosses to his own feminized seeds and the founding of Ethos Genetics. Cups, the team, the idea of accessible genetics, and the bank’s main strains.
Royal Queen Seeds: the company’s history
The history of Royal Queen Seeds since 2007 and founder Boy Ramsahai’s other projects, from High Life and Soft Secrets magazines to BitCanna. A review of the seed bank’s collections: regulars, cup winners, F1 hybrids, and the TYSON 2.0 lineup.
The history of Cannabis Cup
The history of the High Times Cannabis Cup, from the first cup in Amsterdam in 1988 to a festival in legal states. A review of other cups: Spannabis Champions Cup, Highlife Cup, Emerald Cup, Autoflower World Cup, Copa del Plata, Irun Expogrow Cup, and Dzagi Cup.
The history of Pot Sistemak: Dinafem and HSO
The history of San Sebastián’s Pot Sistemak: the Lamota grow shop, the Dinafem and Humboldt Seeds Organization brands, the 2020 shutdown, and the team’s relaunch as Silent Seeds and HSO in Austria.
The history of Seedstockers
Jouke Piepenbrink’s path from hobby grower in Alkmaar to Dutch Passion’s marketing director and the founding of Seedstockers in Barcelona in 2017. Classics and American genetics in the catalog, the Superior lineup, cups, the Humboldt Seed Company collaboration, and Seedstockers Plants.
The history of Original Sensible Seeds
How the Original Sensible Seeds seed bank began: the 1992 shop in Wales, the company’s relaunch in Spain, and five headlining strains.
Cannabis around the world
Cannabis in Poland, part 1: law, medicine and society
Poland's cannabis law and its history since the 1920s, medical marijuana since 2017, how widespread use is, and what society, politicians and the media think about it.
Cannabis in Poland, part 2: culture, activism and the market
Polish cannabis culture and slang, the marches and NGOs pushing for reform, well-known supporters of legalization, the legal CBD market, medical cannabis in pharmacies, and a timeline of the law from the 1920s to 2023.
India trip: exploring the country’s cannabis culture
My impressions of cannabis culture in India: bhang, encounters, Zen Seeds Bank and mutant strains.
Growing, Turkish style
My impressions of cannabis culture in Turkey: the law, communities and an Istanbul grow shop.
