The Ken Estes GDP Story
By: Mr. Riot - 4/27/12
Well I figure other people write articles so it's time for me to do my dity. Now I know there'll be people who will argue and assume that they know the facts...Luckily Mr. Estes kindly made a video to bury himself and the myth he's been spinning about Granddaddy Purple for years.
Ken Estes has proliferated the claim to breeding Granddaddy Purple over the past 5 years or so and associated his name with what is now known as the Ken's cut of Granddaddy Purple (often referred to as he ORIGINAL cut of GDP). Now, Granddaddy Purple is nothing more than a Purple Urkel hybrid... most people will say Big Bud as the pollen donor.. I don't disagree with that one bit. If you put Urkel and GDP next to eachother and a grow the similarities are boundless.
But do you know who does disagree with that? Why.... Ken Estes!
Ken Estes claims that the first purple were brought here during Vietnam...
"They brought Thai weed... They brought Buddha... They brought Afghani... In the US we had Colombian Gold, Panama Red but we didn't really see any of this indica stuff.."
I guess Ken forgot about the Purple Mexican strains of lore as well as the Colombian Blacks etc...
But that's getting sidetracked.... now onto the origins of GDP..
"The origins of MY purple came from the Vietnam Vets crossing California came up with Skunk... Other people crossed it, crossed it, back into itself, crossed it with other strains, and ...uhh... what I'm told about GDP was that it was...a direct...uhh... a skunk... a sister of the Skunk vets, or a Daughter of the Skunk. So it was crossed back into itself and all of these purple traits came out. And a lot of people didn't like it because it was a small yielder but some people loved it because of the potency. And it really never made it to commercial markets UNTIL I found it up with the....uhh... (big breath of air) up with the INDIANS [I think he means native americans and not people that are native to India] in Northern California....
It was a 22 year old strain of marijuana that was grown by the Indians up north [again, I think he means Native Americans] ... and they brought me into their circle...because they don't let white men in there.. and I kinda helped a few Indians [I give up] out when I was up there so they said "COME ON UP!"
I went up there and they had this big prayer thing and a Medicine Man gave me some Bud."
Okay...stop here.. Does anyone else get the picture of Ken Estes being the Almighty White God that this humble medicine man is giving the GIFT of the Special Purple Bud?.... I'm in tears.. Anyway back to the story...
"And like...I was blown away... The guy in the (indecipherable dribble) Got this big bright light and shined the light on it and beaaaaaaAAAAM Oh my GOD It's purple look at that! Everywhere inside, outside, crystals...I smelled it... IT SMELLED PURPLE... I don't know what purple smells like, but WOW. And at that point there I said...can I get MORE of this? And that's kinda the history of purple and how it came to California."
Now at this point, the random interviewer asks "Now what makes a purple"... simple enough question to answer... Anthocyanins, right?.... I mean that's what is involved with purple strains... well Ken has a diff answer..
"Well, it's genetics really...It's in the plant, so you need the right conditions and that's what a lot of people don't understand - it's really COLD..... Really you should be down at 55 Degrees during the end of the....plant...because they're used to being in cold weather..the mountains...wherever it's at... and the winters come quick and they're hard and they survive that.."
Now you know how purples become purple... because... they're used to harsh weather and the plant wants to be stressed and turn purple? 55 Degrees?!!? I guess Ken hasn't grown any of Riot Seeds purples because they do that **** on their own in hot weather... again besides the point.
So indeed, this is the story of Granddaddy Purple according to Ken Estes... Over the years it's gone from him working it over 10 years to create what it is today...to being gifted it by the great Indian Medicine Man of Northern California as payment and gratitude for his help in keeping them thriving with...something.
You heard it here first...and if you don't believe me...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps6mukfiS3s[/youtube]
Take it from the wise Ken Estes HIMSELF.
Now... I still have the original F1 seeds that the GDP came from. The purple traits are very minimal if any, it does have that grape koolaid smell pretty reliably. Not sure the genetics of GDP, as I said when given to me I didn't think to ask because it was widely known at the time that they were Urkel x Big Bud and the seeds were a few years old at that point. One thing I can tell you... a SE Asian it is NOT. I wonder if Ken still has any of the F1 seeds left..I'm doubting it as he's never produced a regular seed line from them... I'd imagine with all of the BREEDING Ken has done that that's one Male he'd keep... alas we're left with his story and words.
Hope you all enjoy this article - feel free to repost it EVERYWHERE!
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