Good afternoon aficionados, gardeners, farmers, breeders, and dispensary buyers. Our tolerance is Starship-high after 4/20 on Hippie Hill, plus judging dabs for The Emerald Cup. Today, we’re smoking on some fresh Pledg from Sherbinskis, Zkittlez from MOCA Humboldt, and East Coast Sour Diesel from UJ.
Online and across the US, a deluge of new candy, peach, gas, and tropical terps await you. The weed universe’s expansion keeps accelerating, just in time for warmer weather. The 4/20 sales, strain debuts, clone drops, and contests feel like drinking from a flamethrower. But we faced it, distilling this fat dab of cannabis genetics intelligence for you. Presenting: Leafly Strain News Weekly #3.
New in the Leafly Strain Database
New or refreshed strain detail pages:
- Jungle Sunset from Seed Junky takes you on a sweaty cruise.
- Turtle Pie from Turtle Pie hits that dessert note.
- The Lemon Runtz strain adds more lemon to Runtz—never a bad idea.
(Strain creators who want to get listed can email us.)
Top strain news
Grower Royal Budline, rosin-maker Have Hash, and melt-maker Hash Muppits each took home a $40,000 purse on April 20 on Hippie Hill as winners of the first King of Z Hill competition, sponsored by Sticker Farmer. Twenty flower strains entered, but King of Z Hill went to “Royal Z”—Royal Budline’s Zkittlez cut. Second place in flower: Floraflameca’sFish Scale (Menthol x Biscotti).
Zalympix Michigan saw Candy Fumes by grower Rkive take Best Overall. A Sherb Pie took second, and a Titty Sprinkles came in third.
Shop highly rated dispensaries near you
Showing you dispensaries nearThe ZalympixEast Coast contest gave Gotti’s Zkittlez x Zoap the Best Overall title. Maine Trees’ tasty Blue Lobster took second, Epiphany-grown Apples and Bananas made third.
Growers hoping for a winning bean lined up around the block and overnight in downtown LA for Masonic Seed Co.’s Free Seed Day. Special freebies came from Compound Genetics and DNA Genetics.
Surfr Seeds’ strain Point Break became a High Times Strain of the Day. Get barreled with Surfr’s new: Mega Sour OG crosses.
Hot seed & clone drops to scoop
Z work
The global titan Archive Seeds lays down Tar (Moonbow #112 x Face Off Bx1), for when you love that candy but need that gas. Twelve regular seeds cost $250.
Trop Cookies scions Bloom Seeds heightens the confection wave with new crosses of Candy Fumez (Z x Sherbanger). Plus, sales on Sherbanger gear, Papaya Fuel, and Sherbanger F2; and don’t miss Black Maple.
Get tropical with Raw Genetics’ 4/20 sale on Rainbow Zlushiez x Tropical Runtz. Or grow big with GMO Pie (GMO x Georgia Pie).
Lemon desserts
Exotic Genetix crosses Lemon Cherry Gelato to Falcon-9 with Yikes; “fruit, flavor, and fun touches of candy fuel.”
Oakland grand slammer Grandiflora offers Lemon Cherry Gelato work Grandi Candi, and Eastmont.
The Cali cloners at Phinest point to the sweet and gassy Limoncello Runtz.
Lemonnade has fresh Medellin crosses on Cookies Seed Bank—like Peach Tea (Medellin x Georgia Pie) for your sweet tooth.
Gas station
Seed Junky Genetics’ of LA has Bubba Octane x SJG OG in the latest on Neptune Seedbank.
Golden Coast Genetics wants to take you to the Fun Zone (Super D Fire x Albert Walker OG).
Breeder Skunk House serves up PapaBurger (Papaya x Modified Banana) x Donny Burger; creamy, sweet papaya burger funk that dumps for hash.
On April 25, noted Oregon breeder Wyeast Farms released crosses of Cold Snap (Biscotti x The Menthol). I’d try Cryo Wolf, the Zuyaqui cross. $200 per pack of 10 fems. Maybe you can be the next King of Z Hill.
Vintage
Romulan Genetics keeps it vintage with Communion S1—(Grapestomper OG x Durban Poison) x Romulan.
Mass Medical Seeds recommends Watermelon Hashplant, a pure sativa landrace from Bodhi with smells of watermelon, rank, gnarly citrus, and chocolate.
Michigan breeder Cosmic Wisdom—maker of Banana Twerpz—released a vintage Bubba Hindu, as well as a “devastatingly strong” Michigan Purple Haze (Purple NL2 Haze x Pure Michigan 2.0).
Peach, please
Fidel’s, of hash hole and flower fame, has seeds with Pure Sativa. Squeeze the Peach Tart (Peach Oz x Pomelo x Gelatti x Kushmints).
Crockett Family Farms’ latest includes Peach Perfection—a strain called Juice (Shishkaberry x Tangie) crossed to Peaches. We’re hearing great things about this Shishkaberry.
Ethos Genetics automates peach terps with Peach Crescendo Auto RF3.
Art of the week
RAPID UNSCHEDULED DISASSEMBLY pic.twitter.com/aW80FWAFY8
— beeple (@beeple) April 21, 2023
Upcoming seed/clone releases
Cannarado—Colorado’s leading breeder—releases his “Freeze” line May 1, with fems of Fried Ice Cream, Grandpa’s Gun Chest, and Magenta Freeze (Y Life x Grape Gasoline) x (FIC x Grandpa’s Gun Chest).
Solfire Gardens will soon release the Udder Madness line off of Bitties x MindFlayer; sweet and heavy with couchlock.
Symbiotic Genetics has Kombucha crosses coming soon on Horror Seeds.
Weed genetics stories we liked this month
First Smoke of the Daypodcast with special guest Raw Genetics talking about the making of Stuffed French Toast, and White Zlushiez.
Leafly hash reporter Jimi Devine interviews Fig Farms’ Keith on breeding and growing; for the new Hearst podcast Smoke & Bridges.
Weed contest calendar
Winner, winner, or no dinner.
Right Now—the California State Fair Cannabis Awards submission window remains open. [link]
High Times Cannabis Cup New MexicoPeople’s Choice Edition judges kits available. [link]
May—The Grow Off–Oklahoma clones drop in May. [link]
May 5—Cinco de Higho May 5 in San Francisco includes a qualifier round for the next Transbay Challenge by Jimi Devine. Tickets are on sale now. [link]
May 8—High Times Cannabis Cup People’s Choice SoCal product submissions are due. [link]
May 13—The Emerald Cup awards ceremony in Richmond, CA. [link]
May 21—Oregon Leaf Bowl awards ceremony in Portland. [link]
June—The Zalympix California awards ceremony planned. [link]
June 23—The Grow-OffMassachusetts clones out. [link]
July 10—High Times Cannabis Cup People’s Choice Edition Michigan winners announced. Judges’ kits are available now. [link]
Oct. 7-8—Errl Cup Arizona in Mesa planned. [link]
Dec. 9—Oregon Growers Cup in Riddle, OR. [link]
May the best weed win!
Quote of the week
“PSA: Don’t use a grinder. Use your fingers and save the seeds.”
—@thejessebarney
See you next time with more fresh flavors.
What is Leafly Strain News Weekly?
Leafly Strain News Weekly is the reporter’s notebook of Leafly News Senior Editor David Downs, focused on the core of cannabis culture—the genetics. It’s like Politico Pro, but a lot cooler. Got strain news? Email us.
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