# where do strains come from?



## loolagigi (Mar 2, 2010)

ok, i can see how you can take lets say, blueberry, and white widow and call it, say, blue widow. that i get.  but where did ww come from?  or hymilayin, or romulan. the f1's, where did they come from.  and not only origin, but who names them, and where they hybrids of strains that are obsolete?  and what kinda strains were around when mj started to be consumed for medical purposes so long ago. i would like to learn more. maybe sub can chime in, or anyone with some ideas.  thanks


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## ickysticky (Mar 2, 2010)

I have been wondering this myself, actually. I am sure someone here can answer this great question.


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## Disco94 (Mar 2, 2010)

Some older and more experienced ppl will elaborate. Growers find a plant phenotype they like, cross it among other known strains which are going to exhibit other characteristics they like. There are some strains that have been backcrossed more and stabalized.


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## umbra (Mar 2, 2010)

Romulan was bred by a company thats not really around anymore, he was a trekie. He named other strains after star trek as well. Romulan was just a really good one that survived. White widow well that was shanti when he was at GHS. 
I was a part of the med community before there was one. My mother died more than 20 years ago. I grew for her and a few others that were a part of her cancer group. At that time, I was growing skunk#1, NL#9, and Williams Wonder. The willyw was the one that helped the most for my mother and her friends.


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## degenerative_disc (Mar 2, 2010)

My strains come from working too hard! Oh my aching back!

LOL

Sorry I am just in a funny mood today!

Loves ya all!

cheers!!!!


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## kal el (Mar 2, 2010)

Most strains were regional. Colombian, mexican, afghan, thai, hawaiian and such. After doing some cross breeding, the breeder would name his creation. Afghan x colombian/mexican = skunk#1, prolly got the name from the smell.
Crossing and crossing and crossing has been going on ever since and breeders still name their strains however they want to.


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## legalize_freedom (Mar 2, 2010)

kal el said:
			
		

> Most strains were regional. Colombian, mexican, afghan, thai, hawaiian and such. After doing some cross breeding, the breeder would name his creation. Afghan x colombian/mexican = skunk#1, prolly got the name from the smell.
> Crossing and crossing and crossing has been going on ever since and breeders still name their strains however they want to.


 
This is what it boils down to.  All of what we are smoking today goes back to basic landrace strains found in different parts of the world.  Breeders started makeing crosses to get certain traits that they desired.  Get yourself a couple of books man...umm I have so many, I'm trying to remember which ones explain this in detail.  "The Cannabis Grow Bible", by Greg Green explains this all pretty well, he also has a breeders bible I have not bought yet, but will soon, that I'm sure probably goes into even more detail.  All of Mel Franks books give a pretty good description of how strains evolved, but they will not have many of the modern strains in them.  It's amazing to me to see what has happened with MJ over the last 20 yrs... and how it has evolved through breeding to become easier to grow under lamps and still increase THC...it makes me wonder where it will be in another 20...especially if it ever becomes 100% legal!


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## Hick (Mar 2, 2010)

loolagigi said:
			
		

> ok, i can see how you can take lets say, blueberry, and white widow and call it, say, blue widow. that i get.  but where did ww come from?  or hymilayin, or romulan. the f1's, where did they come from.  and not only origin, but who names them, and where they hybrids of strains that are obsolete?  and what kinda strains were around when mj started to be consumed for medical purposes so long ago. i would like to learn more. maybe sub can chime in, or anyone with some ideas.  thanks



."_Strains"_ are created. Created from dedication, a lot of hard work, and probably a fair amount of luck.
  I think it required DJ short around 15 years to _create_ the blueberry. Selecting, testing, back crossing, selecting, testing, ect.  Until he reached his goal of a 'stable' strain. One that would produce nearlly identical plants from every seed. And.. expressed the characteristics that he desired.
"Strains" aren't created overnight. Hybrids and unstable phenotypes are.  :hubba:
  They probably all originated from the "landraces". Thc rich feral strains. A wise man began selecting and pollinating, selecting "for" positive, desirable qualities(potency, vigor, pest resistance, stress, ect) and selecting to 'remove' undesirables(hermies, low potency, ect.). Eventually producing better, more potent, more resistant plants. It 'snowballed".. 
  Those are the guys that we should thank for the ultra potent marijuana we are priviledged to have access to today.


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## loolagigi (Mar 6, 2010)

that shut me up


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## Hick (Mar 6, 2010)

loolagigi said:
			
		

> that shut me up


 :confused2: it wasn't meant too loo'. It was meant to maybe help you to understand why I don't put "pollen chuckers" in the same class as _"Breeders"_.  I can't hold the same esteem for someone that takes a coupe of plants, crosses them, Maybe backcrosses or squares them, sticks some "eye" catching name on it, and calls it "his" strain.  "IMO" it is never quite 'that' easy.


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## legalize_freedom (Mar 8, 2010)

Hick brings up a good point...there is alot that goes into makeing a strain.  Any of us could do like what Joey Weed does for example (not to pick on JW, because I'm happy with what I have got from him)  But if I'm lucky enough to have a few great cuts, it's not hard to make hybrids, and put them on the market.

It's the people who developed the "great cuts" that desrve the credit though.

Breeding in general does take alot of space and dedication, and an eye for the elites...even when just chuckin pollen.


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## subcool (Mar 8, 2010)

I will get slammed for this because I completely agree with Hick in theory but having grown out many of these stabilized strains like Super Skunk and Blueberry we found no limit to the variation we received and its been my experience thats its actually pretty hard to find a good blueberry from seed.
Herm traits both recessive and dominant are very common. I have heard and studied this point for many years but I am at my core a grower, one who starts thousands of seeds and I have never seen a strain that would be defined as stable that wasnt of really low quality.

I think more in lines these days meaning what is found within the genetic line and how dominant are the best females say out of 10 seeds. Some lines are much much better than others. 

I look up to DJ a great deal and have studied his methods for years but I just don't see the stability in any Cannabis seeds that we find in a pack of tomatoes.
It may interest you that when the final selection took place for the Blueberry mother a mistake was made and the best 2 mother plants were lost and what we all see now is the third choice. Everyone makes mistakes 

Just because someone works on something for years, the time itself doesn't insure the expected results.


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## subcool (Mar 8, 2010)

This really got me thinking I will ask B at HD to drop me a pack of DJ Blueberry and grow em out online. This will be my 5th BB grow but my first documented one


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## Locked (Mar 8, 2010)

subcool said:
			
		

> This really got me thinking I will ask B at HD to drop me a pack of DJ Blueberry and grow em out online. This will be my 5th BB grow but my first documented one



A subcool Grow Journal...very cool...I will be pulling up a chair for that for sure..


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## subcool (Mar 8, 2010)

Already ordered em


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## flaboy88 (Mar 8, 2010)

ill def have to pull up a chair as well.. and having seen ur beautiful ladies in "dank" i cant wait to see your GJ on here.. will def b watching.. thanks for all the valuble info sub


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## Rusty Gribble (Mar 8, 2010)

subcool GJ? im in! thank you for everything you do subcool


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## subcool (Mar 9, 2010)

I'm like one of you guys now just waiting on me beans 
Sub


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## Rusty Gribble (Mar 9, 2010)

i waited for beans, now im waiting for TGA beans. thanks again for the freebies subcool! youre a gentleman among men, and a man among plants.


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