I’ve decided to finish my elite clone hunt by January 2023, which will be exactly 2 years from when I first started on it. No strain has really jumped out at me as being so much better than anything I could find in seed form, and I’ve got so many good seeds to get through! Granted, I’m still taking in new clones over the next couple months, but the great purge will start soon.
I will be keeping a small stable of maybe 6 clones. I want to keep the Ohio heirlooms just to make sure they stay available locally and because of nostalgia. These would be Deathstar, Afghan Mango, and Lemon G. So with 3(ish) spots left to fill I’ve realized I need to keep better notes to help make my decision. I will keep adding to this post as I gather more reports. I’ve got around 25 clones going right now. For reference, all bud shots are taken in wide-mouth lids.
Apple Fritter
This plant had the 2nd highest yield, right behind B1G Chem. Maybe 2.5 - 3X stretch, she gets tall and flops over at the end. Took to 67 days. Super easy trim job. Dense nugs with splotches of purple and dark green. The smells are complex of sour and sweet fruit, bit of funk. The taste is pretty good, not at all like it smells though. All around intriguing smell/taste. It’s a solid stone but it doesn’t hit hard right away like some others but kind of creeps up and lasts a good while. Doesn’t leave me feeling lethargic. Decent all around but nothing really standout.
Afghan Mango
[coming soon]
B1gwyrm Chem (Big Chem)
This is an all-around awesome strain. B1gwyrm described the lineage as “Unknown I think it’s likely the chem x og headband that skva and duke diamond use”. She’s a vigorous grower, has a healthy 2.5X stretch, and often produces the biggest yields in the garden which are ready in about 70 days. The buds reek of that classic chem smell; sour, fuel, earth, lots of cedar in this one. I have come to love the smell because the resulting taste of the buds is so good. Lots of sour notes that tingle the tasters. The high is clear headed and relaxed, without the knockout effect. It’s great outside adventure herb.
Blue Dream (Santa Cruz cut)
[coming soon]
Blueberry
[coming soon]
Bubba Kush
This may be one cut that has the best overall performance in every category. Vigorous grower, strong frame, and makes great yields of golfball buds that stink of coffee, dark chocolate, and earth. Done at 70 days and you can take earlier. The high is well balanced and then kind of melts you at the end where I can get a bit tired feeling. Just a great plant to grow. But being so well balanced in her greatness, there’s also nothing that really stands out except for that coffee/chocolate smell.
Death Star
This is a longtime favorite of mine. She takes at least 70 days and grows average in most respects. Standard 2X stretch, grows into a nice bush when topped, makes lots of bud sites closely zig zagged up the stems. If you can keep her voracious appetite in check throughout flower then she’ll reward you with very nice yields of greasy buds that just REEK of skunky, sour, earth. The taste translates pretty well from all that. The high is strong and a great hybrid blend. The Sour D keeps it kind of fun and exciting while the Sensi Star eventually just wants to knock you out. You have to be careful keeping a bud in your pocket, everyone will know. Her dried buds are nothing much fancy to look at, small bracts, kind of leafy. I’ve been smoking this basically since I started and I think it’s what really got me into the stanky stuff. A strain that was basically the inception for The Bank of Stank.
Durban Poison
This plant has a strong frame and a standard 2X stretch. She grows fairly average in most respects but then when budset comes on she just packs it on. She has some of the largest buds in the tent, and they’re certainly not as dense as others, but she brings in a great yield for being an average grower. Nice big spear shaped colas and decent lower buds too. Her buds get greasy to the touch and smell so strong of anise, sweet tropical fruits, and black licorice. Very similar smells to Super Lemon Haze. The high is energetic and motivating. I don’t feel much tired or knocked out from smoking her, but I can get a little racey if I over do it. Great day time stuff.
Forbidden Fruit
This one is all about the smell and taste! The plant is sturdy and grows nice thick colas and is fairly bushy/leafy. Dark purple buds the whole way through. I took her to 70 days. The smell is even more orangey than Skunk Tangerine. The smoke leaves orange fruity terps on your pallet. The high is certainly not as strong as Skunk Tangerine but the smell and taste is so damn good that I don’t even mind. It’s great day time weed when you don’t want to be knocked out. It’s my absolute favorite to sniff the jar. Then of course I gots to have a little taste. Grade A flavors with a mild high.
GG#4
This is what I smoke when I want to get stupid high and become a useless mass. I reserve it for night time only. Very strong stuff that saps motivation. Took to 70 days but the 60 day cuts were just as good. It’s a vigorous plant that grows easy and stretches pretty tall. Makes super dense nugs and yields good too. Awesome smell and flavor on the smoke like coffee, sour funk, and pine.
Gooey
This old sativa-only mashup from 1986 still has some allure. Her standout feature is the frost production which is not rivalled by many. She grows on a sturdy frame with mild stretch (1.5X) and makes rather fluffy buds that are leafy. Yields have been below average for me. Done in about 9 weeks. Very intriguing smells of incense, berries/fruit, perfume and dries out to add a spicy note. The high is equally as interesting, not like many other strains I smoke. It generally feels kind of light, but motivational. A great strain to roll a spliff with. You can’t really over do it.
GMO
[coming soon]
Grape Ape
It’s such a fitting name for this beast of a plant. Extremely vigorous grower, maybe 3X stretch, strong sturdy frame that supports her heavy yields quite nicely. Eats through my hot soil like it’s an appetizer. Done relatively quickly at 9 weeks and smokes well even at 8. She’s true to the name with strong grape smells and some ape-ish stank notes. The smoke has a powerful start and evens out to a nice balance, leaning more to the body side. It does leave me feeling a bit tired at the end but taking another rip will wake you up enough to kick that can a little further down the road.
Indiana Bubblegum
This plant grows squat and has a less than average stretch of like 1.5X. Nice lateral branching and likes to be topped into a bush. The buds grow middle density and have a unique shape to them with little foxtail crowns that come in later in flower. Ready in about 9 weeks. She yields average or below-average for me. The smells while growing are that sweet fruity bubblegum scent with some other floral and earthy tones. And she does manage to hold onto it after many months of cure. But the smoke doesn’t really translate as well, with kind of a herbal/spicy taste. I’ve grown some seed of Bubblelicious from Nirvana many moons ago that seemed to have an even more obvious pink bubblegum smell and taste compared to this cut. The high for me is just OK. It comes on strong feeling but quickly tapers, and leaves me mostly wanting to eat everything in sight. It just makes me so damn tired and drag ass (even if I don’t eat). It’s not that strong after the initial burst and generally misses the mark for me.
LA Confidential
This is almost a near perfect strain for me except for one major issue, barely any stank! She has a lot going for her though. She’s a vigorous grower, always has a big yield of dense crystally nugs, done in 50 days!, and the smoke is very strong. Just your average hybrid high, but it is one of the stronger strains. She does stretch a bit more than I like and tends to crowd the tent, but it’s manageable with constant topping throughout veg. But there is just hardly any discernable smell or taste. After a good cure I do finally get some sweetness like light marshmallow and some creamy lime zest. Weird description but it’s all I can conjure. Almost the total package. But I do enjoy running her solely for the quick harvests. She’s dried and ready to smoke by the time I’m cutting most of the 10-11 weekers.
MAC1
This has been the longest running clone in my arsenal. The undisputed frost champ. She’s an average grower with sturdy stems and a standard 2X stretch. An easy to manage frame with equally easy trim job. The buds stack real nice all the way down and she has respectable yields that are ready in only about 60 days. The nugs have a strong smell that’s like sweet fruit mixed with creamy and sour notes. I really like the high as it’s mentally stimulating and doesn’t bog me down. It’s great for a quick head change. If I smoke it before bed I’m usually lying awake, thoughts racing. I may have to keep her around because she’s a favorite among many in my crew.
Mother of Berries
[coming soon]
Purple Urkle
[coming soon]
Skunk Tangerine (orgnkid cut)
This plant grows into a nice bush when topped and is very leafy. She stays fairly squat with a 2X stretch. Her yields were moderate semi-dense spear shaped colas. Takes around 77 days. She has a ridiculous tangerine peel smell AND taste that is hard to beat. It lingers on the pallet. Sadly I’ve found that after several months of curing the tangerine kind of fades and gives way to more of the acrid tones of her skunk lineage. But the high is really good. It’s strong, lasts long, and makes me feel happy and creative. I didn’t think anything could have such a strong orange smell and taste but now the Forbidden Fruit is a major contender.
SR71 Purple Kush
[coming soon]
Super Lemon Haze (Franco’s cut)
This plant is a vigorous grower that likes the soil mix kind of light. Takes 10-11 weeks with a decent 2.5X stretch. She makes heavy yields of greasy buds that smell of anise, sweet tropical fruit, bubblegum, and surprisingly no lemon all. Almost identical smell to the Durban cut I have. The buds are not super dense but spongey and large. She’s likely the most sativa leaning cut I have going right now (along with Durban and Blue Dream). The smoke is smooth and gives a nice soaring head high with just a little body that comes in towards the end. Makes me antsy sometimes but you could easily smoke it all day if your tolerance is up for it. A favorite of my dad’s so I may be obliged to keep her.
Triangle Kush
Overall this plant is a royal pain in the ass but delivers top grade bud and a good yield. She’s a dog to clone, has a spindly OG structure, can be sensitive to hot soil, stretches like 3.5X, and can take 77 days or more if you want. The buds are dense with fat bracts and reek of cleaner and lemon and earthy kush. The high is very potent and comes on fast. Not for lightweights and I don’t like puffing on it in the day if I have much to do. It’s an enjoyable high but the come down can leave me feeling tired.