Release : AK47 “Reg” summer 2023, fresh batches. Direct from the mothership.
You can find some datas and others pics of their official grow in the website, when you click on the bottom of the description “Grow Report by G.B.I”.
A necessary introduction
To be straight with the lurkers that will land here, I’ve to expose a bit the momentum i had with this label overall. At first when i saw an ex-sensi employee opening a seebank, i just ignored. I’m a kind of anti-thesis of the FOMO in general, even today.
Add to this that i considered Sensi Seeds as the mother of all seedbanks under the direction of Ben Dronkers, the inevitable starting point. I’m still thinking it on a proportional level, but at this time i was more like a devotee of the brand dreaming to integrate the breeding facilities, even to just sweep the entry hall ^^ The only thing i got is some intel and porosity in seeds (i bite my nuts retrospectively) by a “in house” bro while Sensi was buying the biggest French forum. Sensi to the neck … until a contact decide to come visiting me for a “buds on the table” discussion. A famous cut in our scene at this time, very competitive retrospectively but it’s another subject.
One cone was enough to get me down, super effective on me. The chainsaw high/stone worked like a charm, first time i smoked a plant able to degrade so fast/early so much THC in CBN without losing the kick or being transformed in a super-creeper.
So impressed that i got a bunch of seeds just after. The real shock was there for me. I wasn’t imagining possible such a high level of breeding, even in having known the golden age of Sensi. It wasn’t ridiculous too in the circles i was swimming, boosted by a far more reliable genetic than today and the “one P1 per pack” really insured without any screening before. Prices were high, but very easy to rentabilize to speak straight.
So indirectly Simon become an hero and his clones-in-seeds a kind of model for a standard and a grade. I started to be more interested too by satellite labels, reinforcing my impressions even more.
His speech also when Dutch Passion was just making rain feminized seeds (and no, they were never “rodelized” lol … we are talking about insane volumes that need to be industrialized). In 2024, their wholesale prices are still build to make volumes … not really the “garage seedbank” depicted sometimes ^^
Serious Seeds openly declared that they were sub-product without much risks to be taken for a fool, and that they will not fall in this degradation of their standards and grades.
20 years later, democratization helping, the level of quality of commercial regs have so much reached their abyssal limits that it’s almost hard to remember the time where you was actually able to work directly with an expensive genetic.
So it’s tinted anyway and you have to take in count this grid of reading. Not because i’m specially a self-claimed templar of the AK, but more about the canary in the mine that it represents for me.
A necessary deconstruction of the marketing
Before going directly in the phenos and their weed, it’s important to present some past/new specificities on traits that make the identity of the AK.
Yield
The grow report is quite spot on, but very much underestimated and it's surprising. Generally you're expecting the reverse.
I get the same average yield without much efforts on the 2023 release BUT :
- with 750w of neons instead 1800w of HPS
- with 3.5 Liters pots instead 6.5 Liters pots
I will be happy to pour my ego all over the place on this point, but it was just a simple repro on two packs and i’m very not an elite grower … i think it’s obvious that i have others priorities ^^
The flowers have not the same density, but the AK 2023 is today able to fight decently against a Big Bud 2023 on well vegged plants. But it totally lost its leadership on the SOG, the AK was just a reign on this point. Previously.
Flo speed
The AK was fast, with a reduced window to catch the potency peak but you was able to almost grow it at the tempo of any skunk. Beware i speak about the timeline, it’s not a comparison of these plants and their need in any way.
But now the AK is turbocharged : senescence is engaged earlier (can be as soon that day 50) and the plants are triggered faster. It look like that the fem version is even faster. I pushed them to death as usual, and they handled almost a 120 days.
Faster and enough resilient to continue to continue to flower quite longer. It’s a change that i find equally stimulating and helping to heal the line.
THC level
“Very high” … but just let’s throw these commercial rates that mean nothing and let’s talk about chemotype’s efficiency instead.
Before
The smoke was enough rich in its specific balance to resist my body. Any abuse ending by a nap with its singularity on CBN : not mostly developed during the fall of the potency and not specially linked with an over-matured weed. Actually, it was the soul of the AK for me in term of chemotype.
After
Capped. I can binge an oz in blunts and be just a bit tired to move my ass. At harvest peak you experience the old high a bit racy, but it don’t last a good hour of entertaining chainsaw like before. You perceive it at the middle of the blunt, then it vanish before crushing the blunt in the ashtray to lit the next.
During a full day (24hrs) while i tested all phenos side by side like a machine, i almost reached by saturation this messy stone i dislike with the Chem#4. You don’t know if you’re dizzy, stone, ultra-stone … you can’t really rest and you can’t really be active. It’s like being sick without being sick … no way, i like sharp chemotypes that know who the fuck they are lol
So it’s a solid red alert for the potency. On the Kalimist it’s less annoying, but for a line that mostly won cups with its potency … it’s quite annoying.
It react very well in F1, the heterosis regenerate the high (but without the nap effect) at good levels perceived (saturated but not capped). There is life in this corpse, the potential still here if you cancel its use until it’s enough stabilized.
For one time i will speak about a notation because it represent very well the thousands of grams burned to realize this. I note the potency always on a ladder of 5. And the AK got among two packs score between 1.5/5 and 2.5/5. 3 being considered as decent, 4 being the ancient notation of the AK 20 years ago. I can’t be more direct.
Sexual stability
The line is literally fucked sexually, and they are regulars like i’m the hidden son of Ben Dronkers. But smartly fucked, like a desperate move to save the furnitures from a flood.
I got a lunar discussion on germination theories that I will not quote. It’s very hard to read your hero destroying all credibility he won over decades … in two mails of bro science that even on RIU they don’t dare to troll lol
If it was one of these weed artists that make fires lines without really understanding how … but it’s the total reverse and i’m glad to have debated a bit with the guy at a stand a while ago. Not that to be openly taken for an idiot is pleasant, but at least you know that something changed drastically in the approach.
So yeah, the AK reg are for me obviously a S1 outcrossed. Not even sure with a male reintroduced, the 2023 line is unable to produce males directly. 0% on 22 seeds is quite talkative for a line initially flawless on stability (overall). I pass on traces you’re used to see when you’re used to reverse industrially a bunch of lines and cuts.
It’s what make me the more crazy actually, more than the job to get the shine back. I mean, if i buy a reg that have to be worked at least x generations to start to wipe the shit out … where is the point on the price ?
My opinion :
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the regs offer very good females as pollen donors. I’ve not sprayed one but i’m enough used to screen for fem donors to say it’s a breeze to reverse and the females are really sturdy in front of multiple simultaneous tortures. It’s killing me to say this but Simon is selling in reg seeds, good pollen donor that can be directly used.
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If you want to inbred it to recover a competitive level of grade, be prepared and make directly a ton of seeds with smart pairings. Still a good beast on this point, i pulled out an average of 1K seeds per plant with very decent calibrations. You have to reintroduce males multiple times, then deal with the shit show resulting from this : an herm feast during a few generations. Yes, shitty job without much sight on duration.
"Turpz"
Like i said previously, the shine of the AK was mostly revolving around its singular potency, its great SOG performance in yield and its insane level of stability. This is the cost of the great gain in flavors, even if it’s very much too close of a bubblegum. And i don’t refer to a treat but the cut, three dutch breeders offering it and off course the serious one. I say “close” but it’s actually a copy-paste of the terps, without the “drunk” high coming with it.
Is it a good trade ?
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No. Because potency, stability and fast yield is a too expensive sacrifice for an organoleptic profile already known (BBGM).
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Yes. Because it’s a true addition to the dankness of the AK. In the past it was a rare occurence, and generally produced by the mildest phenos. Surprisingly, it’s quite stable now and the intensity isn’t linked with potency levels. The chance to get a potent treat can be envisaged when the males become more numerous than herms.
How it taste … just like a pink bubblegum roll, with little variations. Not more or less sweet, more on the level of complexity of the body of the smoke. Very dominant in the 2023 release, with recessive phenos offering the “old smoke” more on the classic-light-musky range. I got only one and a couple of doomed mendelian hybrids, the potency wasn’t specially on top of the BBgm phenos.
The phenos
The ride was quite different from one batch to another, in being the same nightmare. So i prefer to divide the feedback per round on main segregations.
I wasn’t aware yet that it was a lucky shot, these two females represent very well the fight at work between two main segregetation :
- the “classic” AK4 : the watered down version of the early 2000’s millesime.
- the “new” AK7 : terpy as fuck (BBgm) with equal potency.
No real fundamental difference on the chemotype’s profile (in term of style and kick), so it’s why i integrated the new deal in the breeding plan.
In term of shape, they are quite close, it’s the bad new. If you never grown a BBgm (any decent version), you will have time to spot the “AK7ish” specimen early, but the terps are enough loud to avoid any error later. On structure you will feel fast enough the difference. The BBgm phenos offering less elegant shapes, less structured buds very prone to foxtail, and a branching a lot more flexible … what a surprise ^^
It’s close to an ON/OFF in considering that the new terps are dominants, most of females of the second batch were in this range (BBgm). The F1 of both are very good, i ponder it with the Shishkaberry pollen of @SHSC-1 used, but the “indica pollen” was quite crushed genetically. This unexpected transparency will be maybe end to save the AK this way, over to pass maybe a decade to restructure its sexuality ^^ It’s a complicated decision at this step, i need to see some F2 and F3 first, to evaluate in how many time i can reverse the dynamic at my favor.
The exact equivalence of the female shown just in up, in males. To help the fresh meat to figure out how look a BBgm pheno ^^
Very qualitative until it turn totally herm when the specimens just get ultra low on Gib/Cytos … then they reverse naturally in a full female expression like this one :
Not this only one, but ALL males of the two batches perfectly synched. Yep, and you read some of my wikis there is not enigma behind this lol Outside the temp of the germination or because i don’t comply with the worldly renowned NL industrial standard patented … “to use plates and toilet paper”. To can cook the seeds on top of a radiator in plain winter (true story, not from serious) ^^
Sincerely, it’s pathetic. Specially when you contact the breeder to ask help to deal with it, talking phenos. Not to blame him, but you get an avalanche of bro science turned 100% to avoid any responsibility, respectability too. Not even a shy excuse to have wasted so much time and money at this : the price of one pack is the half i spend per month to run the lab, on cruising speed.
The second batch, outside the fake males, was a quite different. Shapes were here but in different variations and bud shape. Maybe another pollen donor, i will not be surprised at this point.
I will not be a douchebag and i will show the main phenos of this batch, seeded mothers included. Because this compass was really missing before launching the seeds last year, and nothing to hope from the breeder on datas. Just the logistic dialed by a pearl of a woman.
I will not make a wall on traits and how to dial this strain, wikis are there for this, but just explaining the smoke related to the phenos. Its actual state is a pain in the ass and in the heart, but the AK still an relatively easy strain to map and to breed. It’s not a JH i mean where each single detail and nuance count, with heavy notations. I don’t advise this until herms are reduced a lot but, anyone can drive the line “artistically” with good results. The core still alive with nice remnants.
I was very surprised by both, because they were just the baddest expression of the batch in term of grade of weed. Both not really deserving more than a 1.5/5 on potency.
The #10 is simply the worse smoke of the two batches. By far. Quite hay-green, capped at the first toke but on the higher side of CBN, a creeper very light sleepy stone. Not a pleasant one like the Big Bud that make you a smiling lazy ass. A tiring stone that you feel more like an annoying mosquito. This pheno still provoke a strange blur on sight (ocular pressure) and a frustrating render. You feel that half of the smoke are useless precursors, letting your mouth like vaporized with tasteless sap.
The #6 was quite smelly early, a mirage because the smoke don’t follow. Still pleasant, with a mix of spices / basic (not acid) fruit / pine tree resin that remember strangely the balance of the Kalimist (on spice specially). Not a theory, just throwing a very close reference.
Dense smoke (but not expanding), low potency, capped at one third of a blunt, but with a clear high that warm the temples. Worse root mass of all specimens.
Beside the apparences, both phenos are fighting on the same battleground : terp, potency, smoke type. On the ego side, they were the best to grow.
The #7 is the more flavorfull of all, quite relatable because i really pushed in this sense with this one with an agressive flush humic/fulvic then honey (to don’t ask a brand new throat at christmas lol). None “vaporized precursors” feeling in the back of the tongue, lasting taste perfectly in between the old AK and the new AK “Bubblegumized”. The only one enough sane to produce the historic chainsaw (a lot more mild ofc), it generate a light skull pressure (my actual condition still permit to be sensible to this) and the high CBN perceived indicate that at peak … it can be quite interresting. Not strong at the point to put me on bed, but enough for a chill nap on a hamoc. No juvenile scents, as well than a mature plants in flo that don’t really smell strong. All in the combustion. We are around a 2.5/5 potency on this one, almost decent.
So whats the catch beside the low potency ? It’s a solid latent herm that i managed to smoke it lol
A true representation of the “herms robbing the dank bank” of the line. Typically the type of pheno that can fuck up for good an open pollination ^^ If you don’t use it as pollen donor for fems F1, it’s the shit show with a sudden degradation of the grade of the smoke. It’s mostly for them that i screen so much for herms, these kind of bastards are able to vaporize your work with a single shot.
The #9 is a sub-#7 in all, but as a watered down female. It give you the envy to take a nap on abuse, but not enough to sleep or even rest. You get the terps balance of the #7 but as a nuance. The only big difference (beside the shape) is the heavy hashy taste and the according cough. Thick combustion, very pleasant in a blunt made from Nicaraguan wrappers. Not so in a thin cone, too aggressive.
My selection, that i will not comment much ^^ Rescuing this line still the objective, so the strategy of selection.
For the male no real selection by fate, I choose the more hard and the longer herm to trigger simply. Just like a Fem P1 selection. I’ve made S1 on him too with his own flowers … it was very necessary to reverse engineer what was done on this pour AK, then take the right decision on the two IBLs.
AK1 is an entertaining creeper with high efficiency CBN degradation.
AK5 is supercharged with precursors not used, in being quite terpy (BBgm/classic).
I’m glad that the AK still a very good seed producer, i’ve a ton of specimens to kill on the next IBL move.
A necessary conclusion
- Entering the line in production
It can be a smart move to use as pollen donor (STS). It’s a bit like the Big Bud for the average stoner, everybody have an opinion on it but the number of persons knowing its smoke and growth pattern is very restricted. But everybody like the smoke in hybrids without spotting it lol
It let you a big margin in an era filled by growers unable to recognize a skunk shape, on sight ^^
Just … have mercy and stop these fucked stories, the pre-“my ass”, the buddha himself that gave you sacred seeds under the full moon… well, you know the sing. Stay simple, the weed have to talk for you and it’s always far enough in most of cases.
I advise to only use the “F1”, because they aren’t F1 at all lol
- Saving the AK from the hell
Try to start at least on two parallel lines smartly dedicated around what you got. The advantage with Serious Seeds is that they still know how to make good seeds. Zero nightmare “sensi-style” and the vigor of seedlings permit to don’t waste weeks to maintain zombies.
But you will not be able to save the “AK” this way, it’s gone. I personally like the new drift, but not its cost, the standard is agonizing on the floor. Well at least with this wiki you will have a visual reference to don’t be double-fisted by a fake “pre-something” or a “simon breeder cut” that never existed anywhere anytime or i don’t know what other honey pot.
The Shiskaberry being quite transparent in the F1, it’s my failsafe if i see in S1 that it’s doomed to regenerate males from the genotype itself. It’s an option to keep in mind i think. More news about this during the next winter.
But yes, in IBL be ready to can’t use the line a while outside some F1 fems around. She need cares and it’s not only about screening herms, she need a lead again too.
- Just enjoying the weed
The fems aren’t really the most accurate version, you will get a streamlined average of what you just already read. With a lot less bottom, but with a lot less peaks too. You need three pack to be safe and to extract a decent mother-plant directly. That’s 240 bucks for a motherplant that can’t be competitive with even my F3, the leverage of a repro have always the last word.
So … what kind of cut you can get for 240 bucks within 48hrs ? ^^ It’s the real question for the usual stoner that don’t want to chunk around or that have a planning of production. I’m not speaking for USA only, i’m in the same shit here as a stoner.
The bonus level
It’s just a luxury i’m offering to myself, if you don’t come from a newsletter you can pass lol
Change this, and you finish in 2024 with 21 lines (instead 5 top notch) that only kept their good germination and seedlings vigor from the past. SS was entirely built initially as a war machine stacking cups … you can’t use it to mow the lawn.
See you around for the next strain-report. I’m quite in late now … 5 more to write and it’s evolving dangerously lol ^^