Top 5 Home-Grown Strains in North America in
With cannabis legalization stretching further across North America, home growers have been keen to experiment with their strains.
Beyond yield potential, there are a myriad of factors to consider when deciding what strain of cannabis to grow at home. Growers look at THC content, desired effects, as well as their experience, budget, and growing environment. Legalization has opened the doors to a range of growing conditions and the advancement of new strains to match.
“I’m growing a plant of White Gold and two of Girl Scout Cookies,” says Rob Russell, who’s three thriving outdoor plants were cultivated from seed this spring. “None are auto-flower. I was lucky to get three females.”
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Russell, from Ontario, considers himself to be a “lazy grower” with about five years of experience under his belt.
“Whatever I get in the fall is awesome,” he says. “It will cut down on the weed I have to purchase throughout the year.”
While Russell takes a super-relaxed approach to his cannabis growing operation, auto is the motto for many others.
Read also: The 5 Best High-CBD Cannabis Strains to Grow
Unlike Russell’s photoperiod cannabis, which requires a shift in light to trigger flowering, auto-flowering strains have been crossbred with ruderalis to automatically flower at seven to 10 weeks regardless of the light.
What are people growing on the west coast these days? According to the Vancouver Seed Bank, “People are loving the auto fems.”
A company spokesperson explained, “They are easy, discreet, and reliable for almost any climate outdoors in Canada.”
With consultation from several major seedbanks (and through word on the street), here’s a roundup of the top five home-grown strains in 2020:
Blueberry Auto
1.Blueberry Auto — Feminized
Growers were craving the dense and dreamy resin-soaked buds of classic Blueberry’s foolproof variant in 2020. For a strong, euphoric, and relaxing high, Blueberry Auto feminized seeds flower in roughly eight to 10 weeks. As a bushy indica-dominant strain, she’s ideal for growing in small indoor or outdoor spaces.
Pineapple Express Auto
2.Pineapple Express Auto
This descendant of the world-famous Pineapple Chunk strain wears the crown for easy-to-grow pot plants. Reaching a medium height, Pineapple Express Auto will produce impressive yields in as fast as nine weeks. With sweet lemon and spicy pine notes, this top-selling strain is recommended for individuals looking to both awaken their creative side and relieve anxiety.
Green Gelato Auto
3.Green Gelato Auto — Feminized
Green Gelato Auto is a rare, dank, and delicious variant of 2018’s cannabis strain of the year: Green Gelato. With potent buds, typically flowering in less than eight weeks, she rarely exceeds four feet in height. This makes Green Gelato Auto ideal for sunny balconies where she will easily camouflage with other plants. Needless to say, Green Gelato auto is popular with urban gardeners.
Special Kush #1
4.Special Kush #1 — Feminized
As a descendent from the Afghanistan and Pakistan region, Special Kush #1 will thrive outdoors in warm climates. With enough sun, food, and water, this indica-dominant strain will typically grow over nine feet tall and yield roughly 550 grams per plant in a period of about eight to 10 weeks. Buds from this strain tend to be small and covered in trichomes for a savory hash-like smoke and full-body stone.
Girl Scout Cookies
5.Girl Scout Cookies — Feminized
Just like a delicious girl scout cookie, this award-winning sativa-dominant hybrid will turn your frown upside down and, likely, that is why it remains so popular today. In a world of autos, Girl Scout Cookies is appreciated for its abundant yields, colorful and sticky flowers, and powerful effects — as euphoric as they are uplifting. Outside, this California girl will flower in about nine weeks and harvest roughly 280 grams/plant.
As much as we’re all happy to see the end of 2020, these strains will likely carry on as crowd favorites. Can’t wait to see what strains top the list in 2021!
Read next: The Dawn of a Dank Decade: Inside a Pro’s 2020 Growroom
