Up here at 50 degrees north it’s time to start germinating and getting those seedlings strong and hardened off for this year’s outdoor crop. With the cost of everything in life becoming exponentially expensive, growing outdoors can save you a significant amount of hard earned dollars - especially if you go the organic route - and set you up with months worth of beautiful sun grown bud.
I’ve updated this list for 2024 with a few new additions to the Lucky 13 Seed Company catalogue that have been developed specifically for outdoor northern growers dealing with a short season and challenging weather. In no particular order, here are my top 7 outdoor strain recommendations and one bonus submission.
Outdoor Strain #1 Romulan Warp Drive (NEW)
Romulan, our flagship strain, is now finally available in an outdoor friendly version for short season growers. After having worked it for well over a decade, and now past it’s 7th filial generation (since we first acquired it - in reality it is probably well past the F10 generation), we know it better than any other strain in existence. However, one thing we’ve learned in all those years is that if you attempt to grow this magnificent strain outdoors anywhere north of the Emerald Triangle, you will be sorely disappointed. Flowering initiation on this squat and branchy indica is just far too late in the season to make it to harvest time intact. You might be able to salvage a bud or two here or there, but ultimately the cold and damp weather of late autumn will wreak havoc on Romulan and render all your hard work for naught.
Thankfully, that is no longer the case. Our multiple year project to develop a faster flowering Romulan line has come to fruition in Romulan Warp Drive. Finishing a full month earlier than standard Romulan, this outdoor friendly cultivar retains all of the elite qualities of the original but with light-speed flowering time.
You can still expect the same knockdown, eye squinting, body melting effect of the original Romulan, along with its trademark pine forest aroma and thick sparkling buds. In fact, thanks to the powerfully dominant genes of this heavily worked IBL, the only thing you will find very different from standard Romulan is that you will be harvesting in the sun, rather than the snow.
While standard Romulan doesn’t fully ripen until well into November, expect Romulan Warp Drive to come flying across the finish line in late September to early October depending on location.
Outdoor Strain #2 Blood, Milk, & Sky (NEW)
Blood, Milk, & Sky brings the unbeatable aroma, effect, and bag appeal of classic OG cultivars to outdoor growers everywhere. The goal of this project was to speed up the flowering time of our Lucky OG Kush IBL (Red Blood SFV OG Phenotype) for outdoor growers in areas with abbreviated summers.
Due to being bred and selected in the outdoors without ever seeing artificial light or climate control; Blood, Milk, & Sky is intended strictly for outdoor growers with short seasons or those looking to stagger harvests windows with some earlier finishing plants.
Flowering begins early to mid July dependant on your initial planting date (earlier is better) which will bring you to peak ripeness around the middle of September or earlier.
Outdoor Strain #3 Granddaddy Purple Ultraviolet (NEW)
GDP is the Godfather of purple indicas, but if you prefer to grow your cannabis outdoors in the open elements, you pretty much need to be south of the 45th parallel in order to get in to finish before the weather turns against you.
The solution to this conundrum came in the form of a truly exotic male plant that emerged from our super early Frostberry line that we coined “Ultraviolet”. So named due to its gorgeous purple anthers reminiscent of freshly blooming African Violets, this stunning plant was an obvious choice to pair with our GDP to improve its harvest window.
The result is an absolutely bulletproof Grandaddy Purple strain that can take any environmental stress you can throw at it while finishing an entire month earlier than the original GDP.
Granddaddy Purple Ultraviolet plants exhibit much improved vigour and yield, with outstanding resin production and insane bag appeal. Terpene profiles are enhanced and intensified, and exotic colouration is guaranteed. This special strain includes every desirable aspect of GDP but with none of its weaknesses.
Now short-season northern growers can experience the incredible anti-anxiety effects of Granddaddy Purple, while puffing on greasy grapey purple nugs grown organically in the great outdoors.
Outdoor Strain #4: Okanagan Grape
Known as the Napa valley of the north, the Okanagan valley in British Columbia is world famous for its lakeside vineyards, world class wineries, gorgeous summer weather, and of course, BC Bud.
This fast flowering Indica was created one hot Okanagan summer when we discovered a rare mutant male in our outdoor crop of Granddaddy Purple. It grew wide and thick with massive stacks of purple tinted pollen sacks that smelled of ripe concord grapes. Flowering in the middle of summer before any other plants had even hinted at blooming, we knew this was the secret ingredient we were looking for to breed our signature outdoor strain.
Combining the grape scented pollen from this mutant GDP male with a fast flowering Early Purple female was a no-brainer, and the offspring proved our intuitions right.
Okanagan Grape thrives outdoors, especially when planted in the ground with as much root space as it desires. Resin production comes on very early and will completely frost the fan leaves allowing you to make exceptional quality hash from the trim.
Flowering time is quick, averaging just 7 weeks. Bloom initiation begins much earlier than most other Indica varieties allowing you to harvest massive plants of dense Indica buds at the end of summer before the cold autumn rains arrive.
Phenotypes are very uniform in expression with half of the females taking on an extremely pungent kush-like aroma, with the other half leaning to the sweeter grape aroma of the Granddaddy Purple.
As temperatures drop at the end of summer expect the buds to display a beautiful palette of blues, purple, and even some lavender coloured pistils.
Effect of Okanagan Grape is profoundly relaxing; soothing all your aches and pains, making this early flowering Indica an excellent companion to a glass of wine and a sunset at the end of the day.
Outdoor Strain #5: Peanut Butter Herijuana
A very unique fast flowering Indica with a thick peanut butter scent that is famous for it’s extremely narcotic stone. Peanut Butter Herijuana is exceptional for treating pain due to this powerfully numbing body effect. This also makes it primarily a nighttime strain as sedation is a very common occurrence along with it's anaesthetic quality. This is one of my go-to strains for treating a severe Crohn's flare up that has me in bed and out of commission. It calms my stomach, eases my pain, and helps me sleep through the worst of it.
When it comes to cultivating PBH, she has a sturdy growth pattern that is very well suited to outdoor crops with excellent node spacing and shockingly dense buds. This provides excellent airflow through the plant while sealing off the interior of the buds which makes her very resistant to mold and mildew. Resin production comes on early in the bloom cycle and builds quickly leaving all plants ripe and ready to harvest in just 7 weeks. Letting them bloom a week longer only enhances the already pronounced body-stone effect
Peanut Butter Herijuana phenotypes express in three main formats: The first has a traditional wide fingered Indica pattern, the second looks very sativa in nature with long internode spacing and thin-bladed leaves, and the third is very short and bushy. Effects are typical of a heavy couch-locking Indica body stone across all phenotypes. The peanut butter scent, intense potency, and fast flowering time is shared equally by all phenotypes. However it should be noted that the short and bushy phenotype will initiate flowering extremely early, allowing harvests before the end of summer in the north.
Outdoor Strain #6: Laughing Lion
Laughing Lion is a truly gorgeous specimen that turns amazing shades of fall colours and completes the flowering cycle in just 7 weeks time. Bag appeal is off the charts with deep purple buds and fan leaves that morph from green to yellow to black.
Laughing Lion is an extremely heavy hitting Indica with a powerful couch lock stone and a propensity to incite fits of laughter. Impressive yields with massively dense buds make this an easy choice for outdoor growers who are looking for a highly medicinal strain with top shelf connoisseur appeal that ripens fast.
If you're looking for a super pungent earthy kush aroma, look no further. Laughing Lion brings the funk in spades, drawing on the Indica heritage of LA Confidential and the intensely potent terpenes of the '91 Chemdog. This strain stores well long term and retains its potency and powerful aroma for many months; allowing you to harvest big this summer, and smoke good all winter.
Laughing Lion's structure is short and wide when encouraged to branch laterally by topping once or twice, and cloning is a breeze with her extreme hybrid vigour. Phenotypes differentiate themselves in two main formats, one taller and one very short and thick. Both will display largely the same colours, aroma, and potency, but the shorter of the two phenotypes will not stretch at all when flipped to flower, and will finish exceptionally fast.
When it comes to effect, Laughing Lion is a very useful sleep aid and works wonders for many types of pain with an exceptionally potent body high. However, not as typical of heavy Indicas such as this, is a unique and uplifting effect to mood and disposition. Stress melts away, the world seems a more peaceful place, and sense of humour is enhanced. Expect munchies, giggles, and profound relaxation. This is truly excellent weed for gaming and movie nights.
Outdoor Strain #7: Frostberry
Developed specifically for short northern summers, Frostberry ripens extremely fast while producing heavy yields of fat berry scented buds. Frostberry was created by crossing an extremely early flowering Blackberry Kush with our signature outdoor strain, Okanagan Grape. We knew doubling down on grape and berry aromas wouldn’t disappoint, and Frostberry turned out even better than expected with an even speedier flowering time than the original Okanagan Grape.
Frostberry has the extremely rare trait of maintaining green foliage while the buds transform into lavender calyxes that sprout purple pistils. Aromas are sweet and berry forward with hints of cherry, cheesecake, and caramel.
When growing a limited number of Frostberry plants make sure to germinate indoors in April, and top early and often as this will encourage branching. Transplant outdoors in very large containers or directly in-ground by May 15th. This will ensure adequate growth time to achieve maximum yield with minimal plant counts. Alternatively, for supercharged growth rates, you can plant many seedlings close together for an impressive sea of stacked purple colas that will tower into the sky by summer’s end.
Most Phenotypes can be harvested at the end of August in all but the most extremely Northern latitudes, but letting them go a little longer will only bulk up your yields even further and deepen the purple colours and sweet-scented aromas.
Potency is very respectable with a nice blend of body stone and headiness while providing a very calm and peaceful state of mind with zero paranoia or anxiety.
Guerrilla growers, this one was made for you!
Bonus Outdoor Strain #8 - Lebanese Hashplant
Available by special request only, Lebanese Hashplant is a truly remarkable heirloom landrace strain from, you guessed it, Lebanon. We don’t include this one in our regular catalogue as the chemotypes are inconsistent, meaning you can end up with high THC expressions, in addition to high CBD phenotypes. However, if you’re looking for an extremely early flowering and massive yielding narrow-leaf sativa, you might want to inquire about this one.
Traditionally Lebanese hash (both blonde and red) is made by combining the dry sifted resin glands of many plants. This naturally creates an evenly balanced hashish that contains high levels of both CBD and THC in one homogenous product.
The aromas of the Lebanese can be remarkably fruity with a passionfruit and mango sweetness, but with a pungent underlying gas that is common across nearly all expressions. Effects are euphoric yet never overpowering thanks to the CBD content, with zero burnout and no sedation. This is the perfect strain to puff on all day, allowing you to keep a clear yet calm head, as you go about your daily tasks.
What makes the Lebanese such a great cultivar for northern growers is that it begins flowering in early July, leaving you with absolutely hulking sativa colas that are ripe in September.
Send us a message using the contact form if you’d like to explore this unique landrace in your outdoor garden.
-Professor Sprout
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