Guide for choosing your marijuana strain

The use of therapeutic or medicinal cannabis has seen an unprecedented boom in recent years, with thousands of people treating their illnesses, ailments and side-effects derived from other treatments either with the cannabis plant itself or the extracts that derive from it. The multiple benefits offered and the growing number of users bear witness to its effectiveness, which in recent times has led to redoubled efforts by breeders and seedbanks to create new hybrids with better ratios of certain cannabinoids, such as THC, CBD or, more recently, CBG.

Today we're going to take a look at the best cannabis varieties for medicinal use, in particular from the point of view of the relative quantity of cannabinoids they contain. Nowadays, although CBG is fast gaining popularity, the "star cannabinoids" in terms of medicinal properties are THC and CBD, and we can find plenty of varieties with different ratios or proportions between one compound and the other. So, here we're going to list them according to their cannabinoid ratio so that it's easier for you to find the one you're looking for.

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The most productive, the tastiest, the most resinous... you can find a plethora of criteria for classifying the thousands of genetics available on today’s cannabis seeds market, but few of them are capable of displaying all the traits we desire or remaining indefinitely in the user's memory. Anyone who has had the chance to grow a range of different types of cannabis will know that some genetics can leave unforgettable memories. They might not be the most popular or most sought-after strains, but they do have that special something.

We asked our team of growers a question: If you had to cultivate just one cannabis variety for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

Here you will find a selection of the genetics that hold a special place in the grow tents (and hearts) of Alchimia’s growers, a list of strains that, for one reason or another, members of our team have fallen head-over-heels in love with... If you could keep only one variety, what would it be?

Violeta by ACE Seeds: Purple and potent F1 hybrid

ACE Seeds’ Violeta is a hybrid of two landrace varieties that manages to bring together many of the key traits we look for when choosing a cannabis variety to cultivate.

Violeta is easy to grow both indoors and outdoors and is highly resistant even in humid climates. This balanced and well-structured cross is also very pleasing to the eye during cultivation, and especially during flowering, with extremely resinous buds and beautiful purple colours, as its name suggests.

On an organoleptic level, this plant offers a very rewarding experience. It’s very easy to consume, without any harshness on the throat, and burns with a very clean white ash, pretty much regardless of the growing, drying or curing techniques. It is very rich in terpenes, with a very pleasant fruity, citric flavour with notes of forest fruits and red berries, and truly refreshing aromas that also provide a well-balanced effect.

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Today, we invite you to try an excellent strain that has surprised us in many aspects: Pure Kush Cookies by Mamiko Seeds. A cross between L.A. Pure Kush and the famous Girl Scout Cookies Forum Cut, it represents one of the best hybrids of these two families; though some would say, and not without reason, that they are closely related, as in fact, Cookies contains 50% OG Kush genes.

Either way, and as you are about to see, it’s a strain that stands out for many reasons, including its taste and aroma, and the impressive amount of resin it produces. A generous yielder, it developes a medium-sized, bushy and robust structure (ideal for indoor growing), with a nice calyx-to-leaf ratio. A plant that definitely makes its 10 weeks of flowering time worthwhile... In fact, its hash is one of the best we've ever had!

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With the increasing popularity of cannabis concentrates and resin extractions, it's only natural that more and more growers are looking for genetics that are well suited to these techniques. Whether you're growing in a small grow tent for your own supply or in a huge legal cultivation facility for a dispensary, it's always best to be as efficient and effective as possible, and that means getting the best return in terms of quality and quantity from the time, money and effort that you've invested cultivating.

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Although many cannabis growers use seeds on each and every crop, whether growing under artificial lights or outdoors, some of them prefer to keep their mother plants in an indoor grow space and consistently take cuttings to get them to flower whenever it suits them. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages; on the one hand, when cultivating from seeds you get a greater variety of flavours, aromas and effects than when you grow from cuttings. In addition, plants cultivated from seeds are usually more vigorous and productive.

However, when using clones, you obtain identical plants, with exactly the same flavour, aroma and effect. In some cases, if you are looking for a particular flavour or high, it’s the easiest way to achieve it. For this reason, many growers cultivate from seed in order to choose the best specimen to keep it as a mother plant for their future crops. In this article, we explain how to do this.

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Nowadays we growers are faced with more choices than ever when buying cannabis seeds, which can be a little overwhelming for some of us. It's not uncommon to find a seed bank offering several different versions of their best genetics, so as well as feminised seeds, we can often find the same strain also being sold as an "auto" and sometimes even a "fast version". What exactly does all this mean, and why do breeders offer these different options?

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Most interesting and curious cannabis strains

Throughout the history of marijuana, breeders have strived to find the best possible specimens of each strain in order to get hold of the highest quality plants, refine their lineages, and obtain new hybrids that are as solid as impressive. But the truth is that Mother Nature is unpredictable and sometimes she surprises and delights us with some unique and out of the ordinary plants, which stand out for their morphology or ability to adapt, developing very different traits to what we commonly consider as marijuana.

Botanical inquisitiveness has led some breeders who have encountered these "mutant strains" to investigate whether they possess interesting features that could be used in cannabis breeding, thus popularizing these hybrids' peculiarities, pros, and cons.

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Until the 1990s, any cannabis cultivator was aware that, at some point, they had to separate the male and female plants if they didn't want the first ones to pollinate the latter, which results in plants completely full of seeds. However, those were the days when pioneering seed banks like Dutch Passion were revolutionizing the cannabis scene with the birth of the first feminized cannabis strains, or in other words, seeds that only develop into female plants. At the beginning of the 20th century, many seeds banks were offering this type of seeds, feminized versions of classics strains that had been cultivated during many years as regular plants.

We are sure that by now you’d probably have grown some feminized seeds, maybe even though you are a purist and the fiercest defender of regular seeds. But... do you know where feminized seeds come from? Are you familiar with the processes used by both breeders and growers to obtain them? In this article we explain everything!

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Classification and taxonomy of cannabis

Even though it is estimated that the cannabis plant has been accompanying humanity for millennia, confusion still exists today regarding the classification of its species or varieties. In fact, the debate on how to classify this plant has been active for more than two centuries: are the different varieties of cannabis typical of a single and very diverse species? Or is it a polytypic genre with several species? In this article we will investigate and explain the main differences between hemp and marijuana.

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Among its many cherished characteristics, cannabis is highly appreciated for its aromas, but sometimes plants can generate a smell so powerful that it can attract the attention of neighbours and this issue can become a serious problem for those growing weed outdoors, where maximum discretion is essential and in which the use of carbon filters or other anti-odour systems is impossible.

In these cases choosing a cannabis variety that gives off discreet aromas is a good idea if we want to limit the smell generated by our garden, especially for outdoor crops on terraces and balconies. For this reason, you should avoid any genetics that stand out for their powerful and telltale aromas typical of cannabis, these include the varieties of the Diesel or Skunk families, Cheese or the Sour Diesel among many others... we are talking about varieties with a very high terpene content, which are distinguished by their characteristic, persistent and highly volatile aromas.

In this article we look at a selection of the varieties most recognised for their subtle and discreet scents, to help you avoid security headaches and uninvited guests at your grow spot.

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Moulds can quickly ruin your plants during the last weeks of the flowering stage, that's why many growers choose mould resistant cannabis strains to guarantee success. This type of genetics are resistant to high relative humidity levels, rarely developing moulds like botrytis or powdery mildew even if grown in humid climates.

If you checked the link above, you may have seen a wide rage of mould resistant varieties. Still, we want to make your decision easier for you by listing some of our favourites, genetics that - for one reason or another - have captivated us for their excellent results in humid climates. Let's see them now!

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The energizing effect of some cannabis strains is, without a doubt, a true favourite among many users. This uplifting feeling - often called "high" - is often associated to Sativa genetics with high THC content, although other plants with different cannabinoid ratios can provide a very pleasant, social and creative effect.

For this reason, and within the myriad of feminised seeds available on the market, we have selected 7 marijuana strains that will increase your creativity and social side, improve your mood and motivate you to perform daily activities. We hope you'll enjoy their vibrant energy!

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5 autoflowering strains that will surprise you

The quality of autoflowering (also known as automatic or simply auto) genetics have been greatly improved over the past years. Today, cannabis breeders develop top quality auto versions of some of the most acclaimed photoperiod varieties, so this type of genetics is being increasingly used by many growers.

Auto strains are ideal for those with small growing spaces, to make several outdoor crops per year easily or for those who have an outdoor growing space with light pollution (which can make it impossible to grow photoperiod strains). While just a few years ago the quality of these strains was mediocre, today you can find literally hundreds of autoflowering strains coming from the best genetics on the market.

We want to make things easy for you, that's why today we present you a list of 5 extraordinary auto varieties that you should definitely try if you're interested in this useful type of cannabis plants. New and classic strains, CBD-rich plants, high yielding genetics...you'll find whatever you're looking for!

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Today, we have thounsands of cannabis strains with tens of different traits, so that virtually any type of grower can easily find what he's looking for. Today we'll focus on strains with fruity flavour, like oranges, lemons, strawberries or blueberries. Thus, in this article we'll list some of the best and most reputed fruity cannabis strains, which have a terpene profile (terpenes are aromatic molecules which give marijuana its particular scent and taste) reminiscent of these fruits.

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Sometimes, you may not be sure about which cannabis strains to purchase for your next grow. Your personal taste and circumstances will greatly determine your decision, so while some of you may be looking for high yields or certain effect, others may prefer strains resistant to moulds or with the shortest possible flowering period.

In many occasions, the path followed by breeders to develop their genetics is similar, looking to fix certain traits in the offspring. Thus, today we'll present a list of strains known for their early flowering trait. As you'll see next, all varieties listed here have a bloom period no longer than 8 weeks, something that - on the other hand - doesn't question their quality at all.

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Among the myriad of marijuana strains available on the market nowadays, some of them stand out for certain traits which have been fixed during the breeding process and that will determine the main characteristics of each genetics. The most desirable and sought-after traits are normally fast flowering, certain size or flavour or very high yield.

In this article we'll focus on those cannabis varieties that stand out for their abundant production of buds, without a doubt one of the most desirable traits for growers. Indeed, you may know people looking for different flavours, or certain growth pattern, or a specified bloom period...but all of them love their plants to produce abundant harvests!

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