New Cultivars for 2023!
Spring is here and that means it’s time to think about planting this season’s hemp crop and trying out some new cultivars. We had a bunch of late snow in March so it’s still looking a little wintry out there but the robins will be arriving any day now. I’ll start planting next week in the days approaching the full moon–strictly indoors of course for those first few weeks at least, then the seedlings will move into coldframes outside until the frost danger passes.
I’m excited to explore some new varieties this year in addition to the Cherry Wine and Merlot (did a trial of Merlot last season–cross between Cherry Wine and Berry Blossom–I think it’s a keeper!). I decided it would be nice to try some cultivars with terpene profiles different than Cherry Wine, which is dominated by myrcene and caryophyllene, since terpenes have so much impact on flavor and effect.
Another consideration is how early in the fall the flower can be harvested, since here in Maine once we get into October the weather can get cool and damp just as the flowers are reaching their plump peak of ripeness–when the risk of mold is greatest.
New cultivar trials are a fun opportunity to expand your horizons while discovering how each cultivar responds to our soil, climate, latitude, etc. Last year the Merlot did very well although the “early finish” the seedbank promised turned out to be mid-October–not exactly “early.” The flowers turned out great though.
This year we’re going to try several new cultivars:
La Crema CBG
CBG is a cannabinoid that seems to be attracting some medical research and popular interest recently so I thought I’d check it out. The word on the street is that the terpenes on CBD-dominant cultivars tend to be quieter but we’ll find out. This is a sativa-dominant hybrid.
Abacus
A cross between Fruity Pebble OG and Alien Sour Apple (gotta love those names), this indica-dominant hybrid is apparently a little citrusy. The dominant terpenes are pinene and caryophyllene.
Acid Rock
Parents are River Rock and Suzy Q. Terpenes found include the common myrcene, β-caryophyllene, limonene, earthy pinene, and flowery linalool, but also a variety of rarer compounds including terpinolene, ocimene, and valencene.
MB300
Not the most promising name, but names can be deceptive, right? Apparently MB stands for “Magic Bullet.” Figured it was worth a try. Bred from the Wife and Otto2 (The Wife is one of the Cherry Wine parents). MB300 is an indica-dominant hybrid. Sounds like it’s an excellent medicine for insomniacs or folks just wanting to chill out in the evening.
Can’t wait to plant some of these seeds and see what Mother Nature brings. One of the interesting things about growing hemp (or any cannabis for that matter) is the unpredictable variety of phenotypes that appear–there’s a lot of individual variability in hemp than in most domesticated crops.
I’ll be sure to post updates as these plants mature and begin flowering in August, so be sure to check back!
