Growing

How to grow the Permanent Marker strain

Published on December 14, 2023
top of fuzzy marijuana plant with thick fleshy leaves and cola in shades of light and dark green and dark purple, with other plants visible behind it
Fresh Permanent Marker finishes flowering in Northridge in November 2023. (David Downs/Leafly)

Want to try your hand at growing Permanent Marker? A lot of people will—now that it’s Leafly Strain of the Year 2023.

Available first as clone in 2022, then as feminized seeds and crosses, Permanent Marker has hit grows big and small. It’s hyper-refined Gelato work, comprised of (Biscotti S1 x Sherb Bx1) x Jealousy F2. You can start growing it with seeds from SeedJunkyGenetics.com. Here’s what we’re learning about growing it.

Permanent Marker is an indoor-tested strain

Consider that Permanent Marker was developed as an indoor strain in Northridge, CA, with large yields, big bling, fashionably-intense flavor, medium stretch, and a solid finishing time.

Seed Junky Genetics’ founder J Beezy said it’s more of a veteran strain. 

“A lot of growers can’t grow it. It’s not the easiest to grow. It’s more of an advanced strain, skill-wise. Not everybody is going to be able to keep it around. The growers that figure it out will do well, while the others won’t get it to yield for them.”

It’s definitely an indoor strain—due to the size and density of the nugs. Outside, those thick dense nugs might invite botrytis.

“It could turn brown and get bud rot outside. Your settings and your environment have got to be proper—outdoors, I don’t know,” JB told Leafly.

Permanent Marker likes light, food, and won’t stretch

Inside, folks are running Permanent Marker in hydroponic setups under high-pressure sodium lamps, LEDs, or a mix of both.

Nicholas Mossman, Head Cultivator at Freddy’s Fuego said the strain isn’t hard (for him), likes to eat, and has a good structure. That’s in contrast to strains like OG Kush which dislike intense light and food, or Sour Diesel, which has a lot of sugar leaf.

Permanent Marker in Washington. (Courtesy Freddy's Fuego)
Easy and a joy to grow and smell: Permanent Marker in Washington. (Courtesy Freddy’s Fuego)

“This past year has been great growing Permanent Marker. It’s very easy to grow; we run our lights very bright, so she likes a little extra micronutrients compared to some other cultivars. The structure is one we enjoy too—branchy with a margarita glass structure if topped, and golf ball-sized nugs.”

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California cultivation champ CAM’s Anna Willey only runs high-performance strains in her large-scale indoor setups. She said Permanent Marker proved well-adapted to her terp factory. 

“It doesn’t stretch much. The stretching is perfect. It’s just a beautiful plant and one of the plants that always finishes. It’s a top performer,” she said.

(Courtesy CAM)
(Courtesy CAM)

When does Permanent Market finish?

The strain is neither a super-fast fast nor slow finisher, according to reports. Expect it to finish flowering in 8 to 9 weeks.

How much does Permanent Marker yield

Permanent Marker is considered a medium yielder, but can go big or small depending on the skill of the grower.

Read up on all of our Growing stores in our Leafly Learn/Growing section.

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David Downs
David Downs
Leafly Senior Editor David Downs is the former Cannabis Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. He's appeared on The Today Show, and written for Scientific American, The New York Times, WIRED, Rolling Stone, The Onion A/V Club, High Times, and many more outlets. He is a 2023 judge for The Emerald Cup, and has covered weed since 2009.
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