Best strains for Northern California outdoor?

[SpicySativa]

Hey, everyone.

I’m just doing a little daydreaming, plotting, and scheming for next years outdoor season here in West Sonoma County…

I’d like to grow a few Sativa-dom, a few hybrids, and a few Indica-dom from seed. I don’t want to grow monsters - more like small to mid-sized plants in, say, 20-30 gallon pots. I guess that means I’ll be starting my seeds a little later in the season. (I like variety, and I don’t really need several pounds of the same strain.)

Any Sonoma County (or nearby) growers out there want to recommend strains (and/or seed suppliers) that have worked well in your garden recently? (Especially if you’ve grown them out as smaller plants as opposed to giant bushes!)

Thanks!

~SS

 

[sirtalis]

I'm in the same boat, growing in foggy SF and can't have monsters because of neighbors. I went for a similar variety this year: some indicas, some hybrids.

So far the indicas are not doing well with budrot. Already had to chop one down. My GSC crosses are doing the best, because of the big node spacing and smaller nugs. All of my plants are from CSI Humboldt, and man they smell sooooo good. I'd 100% recommend finding his sativa leaning crosses.

The key to a smaller plant is almost entirely the time you start the seeds. These seeds were planted indoors on June 1st, and moved outside July 1st. If you notice the one on the right, it's likely going to be a pain in the ass because of it's structure. I learned my lesson in not topping too late, you get these weird three-headed buds that grow really close together and have no airflow ---> budrot. I'd top early and then let them grow naturally.




Here's the GSC structure I'm referring to. Nice and spaced out, plenty of airflow.

 

[SpicySativa]

Nice looking plants!

It’s less soggy and foggy up here, and I don’t have any neighbor or ripper concerns (neighbors on both sides also grow, and I have a big dog!). We definitely get some morning dew, but we don’t have days on end of fog like you do in SF. (I grew up in Sonoma County, but actually just moved back up here from Oakland.)

Sounds like starting my seeds in early June and moving outdoors in early July is the way to go. What kind of light setup did you use indoors to get them started, and about how big were they when you put them out? I’ve got a 4 foot 6 bulb T5 HO light I can use to start seeds and veg.

 

[sirtalis]

Nice looking plants!

It’s less soggy and foggy up here, and I don’t have any neighbor or ripper concerns (neighbors on both sides also grow, and I have a big dog!). We definitely get some morning dew, but we don’t have days on end of fog like you do in SF. (I grew up in Sonoma County, but actually just moved back up here from Oakland.)

Sounds like starting my seeds in early June and moving outdoors in early July is the way to go. What kind of light setup did you use indoors to get them started, and about how big were they when you put them out? I’ve got a 4 foot 6 bulb T5 HO light I can use to start seeds and veg.

Thanks, the fog is a massive challenge but I'm still able to get bud. Sounds like you can be a little more liberal with indica-leaning strains.

Your T5 should be fine. I used this light for 6 plants, and they got to about 4 nodes? Can't remember. https://www.amazon.com/Coverage-Sunlike-Spectrum-Hydroponics-Efficiency/dp/B08NWXLD71/

I started indoor because of overcast days and night temps in the 50s. You might not need to.

Also, I made a thread about low-yielding frosty strains, and got some good answers if you want to check it out: https://www.rollitup.org/t/low-yield-but-frosty-strains.1061199/

I'll be trying some In-House genetics next year along with running some CSI Humboldt Bubba and GSC crosses. Also the smell on my Zkittlez x T-1000 is absolutely insane. It smells like funky fermented tropical fruit candy in the best, mindblowing way. Every time I rub a sugar leaf my brain short-circuits on what kind of smell it is. Super unique. Probably going to run it again if there isn't mold issues.

 

[SpicySativa]

Right on. Yield really isn’t a big concern for me, but quality definitely is. If I’m able to grow a handful of small/medium plants to maturity I’ll have plenty of bud to keep me and my fam happy for a while. I’ll have to check out that thread you linked.

Another reason I’m opting for a variety of small plants is that I won’t have to deal with the stressful time crunch of harvesting, drying and trimming multiple pounds of cannabis each time a plant is ready to chop. By picking a few different strains that finish at different times and keeping the plants relatively small, I hope to make it a little easier for myself at the end of the season.

 

[mudballs]

I'm in the same boat, growing in foggy SF and can't have monsters because of neighbors. I went for a similar variety this year: some indicas, some hybrids.

So far the indicas are not doing well with budrot. Already had to chop one down. My GSC crosses are doing the best, because of the big node spacing and smaller nugs. All of my plants are from CSI Humboldt, and man they smell sooooo good. I'd 100% recommend finding his sativa leaning crosses.

The key to a smaller plant is almost entirely the time you start the seeds. These seeds were planted indoors on June 1st, and moved outside July 1st. If you notice the one on the right, it's likely going to be a pain in the ass because of it's structure. I learned my lesson in not topping too late, you get these weird three-headed buds that grow really close together and have no airflow ---> budrot. I'd top early and then let them grow naturally.

View attachment 4983307


Here's the GSC structure I'm referring to. Nice and spaced out, plenty of airflow.
View attachment 4983306

Sick ass, dialed in grow brother! Very professional look going on

 

[fskitch]

West Sonoma County is the coast, mild, fog cool, it’s where ‘OG’ comes from, and covers inland to Sebastopol were it can get hot. I’m in the part of Sonoma County where it’s HOT lately.
White Widow
Gelato—-does great in the heat (100*+) and does great when humidity is high. Never had bud rot.
Blue berry Indica
AK47 —-does well but watch for bud rot. Train for smaller colas.
GSC
AFGHANI—-finishes early. Watch for bud rot train for small colas.

 

[ComfortCreator]

I just picked up Mountain Top Mint, from CSI Humboldt and they mention it has a longer flowering time. It is supposed to have major mint terps and is a neat cross of Mac and Thin Mint Cookies and The Bling, which is a few of their inhouse strains. Looked unique and fun to me.

CSI is who I would go with. In House Genetics if you want to spend a little more, I am pleasantly surprised how vigorous and strong their lines are.

 

[SpicySativa]

Thanks, guys. I’m in the warmer (but not hottest) portion of West County - out near the town of Graton, if you’re familiar with the area (about 15 miles inland). We do get some fog, but nothing like the coastal areas.

I’ll definitely see what CSI has to offer.

Are Subcool seeds still a thing? Didn’t he move to Sonoma County? I had good luck growing his stuff indoors, and figured it might be suitable for my area if it’s created locally.

 

[SpicySativa]

West Sonoma County is the coast, mild, fog cool, it’s where ‘OG’ comes from, and covers inland to Sebastopol were it can get hot. I’m in the part of Sonoma County where it’s HOT lately.
White Widow
Gelato—-does great in the heat (100*+) and does great when humidity is high. Never had bud rot.
Blue berry Indica
AK47 —-does well but watch for bud rot. Train for smaller colas.
GSC
AFGHANI—-finishes early. Watch for bud rot train for small colas.
View attachment 4983358

Nice…. I was born in Sonoma, raised out here near Graton.

 

[sirtalis]

I just picked up Mountain Top Mint, from CSI Humboldt and they mention it has a longer flowering time. It is supposed to have major mint terps and is a neat cross of Mac and Thin Mint Cookies and The Bling, which is a few of their inhouse strains. Looked unique and fun to me.

CSI is who I would go with. In House Genetics if you want to spend a little more, I am pleasantly surprised how vigorous and strong their lines are.

Wow nice, let me know how that turns out!

 

[sirtalis]

Sick ass, dialed in grow brother! Very professional look going on

Cheers, it's 50% genetics and 50% from finding an awesome new soil mix: Recipe 420 from EB Stone. Add in some compost tea every 2 weeks and they'll be praying non-stop. I'm only good for watering and spraying for caterpillars

 

[sirtalis]

Are Subcool seeds still a thing? Didn’t he move to Sonoma County? I had good luck growing his stuff indoors, and figured it might be suitable for my area if it’s created locally.

He passed away, but I'm pretty sure MzJill is keeping the genetics alive. I grew Querkle 10 yrs ago, so I have no idea if it's suitable for Sonoma.

 

[Rurumo]

I'd just look for reliable mold resistant strains. I like Serious 6, by Serious Seeds as a nice quick flowering 90% sativa with excellent mold resistance. Ace Seeds has some good mold resistant strains that work well outside, like Kali China, just a wonderful plant. I think some of their other Yunnan crosses are also mold resistant. As a looong time outdoor grower, I suggest looking at strains that are close to their landrace parents-that's why Ace is good. A lot of these polyhybrid chucks that people love so much don't have the vigor needed to fight off infections outdoors. They've been too pampered for generations.

 

[SpicySativa]

He passed away, but I'm pretty sure MzJill is keeping the genetics alive. I grew Querkle 10 yrs ago, so I have no idea if it's suitable for Sonoma.

No shit. I knew he had some health problems but didn’t hear the news.

I grew Querkle, Cheese Quake, Space Queen, and several others back in the day in my little “medicine cabinets” (400 to 1200 watt home-built creations.

Here’s some of my Cheese Quake just before harvest. It was really tasty.