Critical 2.0 

Critical Auto is among Dinafem’s flagships for the excellent quality of its genetics and its wide acceptance among consumers. As one of the first auto-flowering strains to be put on the market, it served as a base to introduce auto-flowering in other later varieties, such as Cheese Auto or Widow Auto. 

Critical Auto is among Dinafem’s flagships for the excellent quality of its genetics and its wide acceptance among consumers. As one of the first auto-flowering strains to be put on the market, it served as a base to introduce auto-flowering in other later varieties, such as Cheese Auto or Widow Auto. 

After several successful seasons of Critical 1.0, Dinafem’s engineers devoted themselves to improving its genetics.

The secret base

For the first time and on an exclusive basis, Soft Secrets could visit the secret site of Dinafem where Critical Auto is produced. On our mission, we had to spend several hours in the mountains and cross a border as an indispensible measure to safeguard the integrity and security of this enclave. 

On arriving at the production site, nothing would give away its actual use. It was only when a backdoor lead us to a secret place that we discovered several growing rooms dedicated to the creation and selection of Critical 2.0, as well as tents for germination and early growth. 

A distinctive feature of this site is its functionality. Plants would get anything they need, without the typical attention to detail of more modest crops. The selected growing medium is coconut shell watered with a hydroponic fertiliser in two parts. 

The indoor space is designed to host large square pots of the type normally used with earth substrates. The solution is quite simple, i.e. pots are filled with a coconut shell substrate only at the bottom, while the remaining space is left clear. Fertilisers are mixed with water in large tanks, used as fertiliser reservoirs, and pumped from here to the dropper lines positioned over pots, nutrients are also released as planned. Large exhaust fans fitted with carbon filters remove vitiated air from the room, there are also several floor and wall-mounted fans to remove indoor air. The whole system is connected to an Intelligent Crop Controller, a special unit that the controls temperature, humidity and irrigation parameters. Indeed, a simple but effective system. 

Dr Kush in one of the growing rooms for auto-flowering plants

Plant pots are watered by overhead irrigation lines

A matter of statistics

The final result can only be obtained with a great deal of perseverance and courage, following a lengthy process of discarding individual plants in various phases. Statistics show there is just one way forward to achieve good-quality auto-flowering strains, i.e. working with large quantities of plants to increase the chance of obtaining a few outstanding individuals to be used as genetic base. 

From a first-generation line, more than 1000 plants can normally germinate, one third of which are removed if they show signs of malformation or weakness in the early weeks of their life. Selection continues during growth and the first part of flowering by discarding plants that are visibly problematic, including late growers or those not matching the phenotype sought. Out of the 500 remaining plants, half are removed as their gender becomes apparent; about 250 females will therefore be left after this first selection. Other reasons for the immediate discarding of plants are visible signs of hermaphroditism or intersexuality, as the genetic pool should exclude hermaphrodite individuals. As a result, generation after generation, the grower’s persistence and ability to select plants will bear fruit with the stabilisation of all desired characteristics. 

8 generations of plants

This project started in the early days of auto-flowering plants with the inbreeding of Roadrunner – Dinafem’s first auto-flowering line – with the famous Critical Bilbo clone. Only a small percentage of auto-flowering individuals were obtained from this early inbred strain. These individuals were in turn crossed with each other to create the second generation.

The second generation was open-pollinated and the best females were selected on a comparison basis. At this stage, auto-flowering features were more apparent and the best auto-flowering individuals were selected to source seeds for the third generation. On selecting the third generation, special care was taken to choose the desired features. In this phase as many as 75% of plants were auto-flowering, raising to 99% in the fourth generation. Among them, the best plants were selected to be in turn used to pollinate others and therefore create the first batch of Critical Auto 1.0 seeds to be put on the market, which were highly appreciated among growers. 

The marketing of this strain was a great opportunity for the Dinafem team. Nevertheless, they did not rest on their laurels. Quite the opposite! They started the full process all over again. The first crossing they made was between Critical 1.0 and the elite Critical Bilbo clone to create the fifth generation, with almost no auto-flowering features. This plant was then further selected and crossed to obtain the sixth generation, where auto-flowering individuals rose up to 25% of the total. The seventh generation already presented a majority of auto-flowering plants, or 75%, growing to 99% in the eighth generation ultimately used for the first batch of Critical 2.0 seeds to be put on the market. 

Conclusions

As one of the originators of this new line puts it, “Initially these plants were nothing but oregano, I would never be tempted to smoke them. Critical 1.0 already proved to be a better plant. I now see these buds growing and they look so good that I am craving for a joint made with them, flowers are big and highly resinous and their appearance is quite close to the original Critical.”

Indeed the outstanding feature of this strain is its great resemblance, in appearance and taste, to the original Critical, with which it shares several characteristics ranging from its large buds generating twice the number of branches to its scarce foliage similar to that of a Sativa, with compound leaves made up of elongated and narrow leaflets. Flowers are big and very sticky, with a sweet taste to be even perceived by smelling live plants. Stone is strong and quite physical but somewhat balanced. It will slightly relax you without leaving you numb. 

Despite their close resemblance to the original Critical Bilbo phenotype, the first Critical 2.0 plants to be grown, harvested and tasted came as a real surprise with their incredible, very sweet taste and earthy notes. Another inherited characteristic is their overwhelming taste on the palate lingering for several minutes, leaving a slightly sticky feeling in the mouth, as if you have been sucking on candy. For the first time ever, an auto-flowering strain can boast the merit of presenting a clearly Critical taste. The typical Critical characteristics can even be perceived earlier in its smell, but will be fully appreciated in its great taste, well above that of Critical Auto 1.0, which makes the early auto-flowering strains pale into insignificance.

For experienced growers of auto-flowering plants, the progress made from the early Roadrunner to the current Critical 2.0 looks incredible for the continuous improvements made down the years. Life of growers is now made easier. All you need to do is buy a pack of Critical 2.0 and be astonished with its top quality!