Have Strains Become too Trend Led?

 Many of today's consumers purchase in line with particular growers and brands instead of opting for specific strains. Weed has become fashion-led, and trends rule. In the current marketplace, there is a lack of consistent availability as strains come and go quickly.  

The problem seems to be that breeders are crossing everything with everything else, eventually leaving you with many similar strains. For example, take "Cookies" crosses. They have been grown out of the same stuff, crossed a million times, and it's just produced this muddle of strains that are all unidentifiable from each other.

"Hype breeding", as it is also known, shortens the cycle of new strains. Like with all product categories in the world of sales, retailers demand an ongoing supply of new, fresh and different strains for their menu. The retailers' goals completely contrast with traditional cannabis breeders, who typically spend years stabilising, perfecting and maintaining genetics.

When it comes to cannabis, it can and does take generations to accomplish clear, defined, consistent, and predictable plant traits. For breeders, that is their point of difference, their USP, if you like. So with all these hype strains we are seeing, we are not getting that quality; they are not stabilised and are just a flash in the pan that can come and go in months.

Unstable genetics are one reason why many newer cannabis cultivars often lack staying power, but much of their success rests on their wave of popularity that rises and falls in about five years. As a result, some will have a much shorter lifespan as consumer demand drops. A common strain, like a Gelato cross, will have maybe a six to an eight-month window where sales are optimum before the next one comes, demand drops and production is dropped down and eventually phased out.

Marketing also has a lot to do with a strain's longevity. One genetics company can release four or five new cultivars a month, and not all of them will have a marketing package that would help extend the life of a strain. Another factor that keeps strains in the spotlight longer is their flavour profile and whether it fits in with the trends of the moment, such as what we see currently in fruity dessert sweet strains.

Many of the big hype strains have a lifespan of about five years. That's when everyone grows it to perfection and then starts crossbreeding. By this time, the new hype is emerging; growers are moving on in search of the next big thing.

The traditional market does still influence a lot of trends, however. The terpene profile of Zkittlez, for example, is undoubtedly outstanding. However, the big reason that this strain "can't/won't die" is down to the brand that has been built behind it. It's as recognisable to weed fans as Coca-cola. As you would expect in a commercial market driven by monetary benefit, the popularity of a strain like Zkittlez has led to many other brands capitalising on its notoriety by using it in their breeding projects.

Anytime breeders create a new cross with a Z on it, it is instantly recognisable and is being unconsciously marketed repeatedly in line with Zkittlez. As a result, it sells more, which might be nothing to do with the strain itself; it's just become about what brand it is associated with, like designer clothes. 

The question of a strain's longevity in today's market is complex. It is heavily intertwined with brand and marketing  and desirability. These are two things that a strain like Zkittlez has in bucket loads.

Although a few classics remain, much of today's legal market revolves around a continuous quest for new flavours, meaning that many cannabis breeders are not working as hard on genetic stability. The lifespan of many genetics is around four to five years when a strain flourishes in popularity and hype and starts getting crossbred before the next big thing arrives. Unfortunately, we see more and more cases where cultivar variability and differentiation, like many other consumers, trend-led markets, are based on what that market wants to see rather than the authentic hallmarks of quality and genetic stability.