Ice Kush - A great combination

An amazing hybrid combining perfect Indica traits – an astonishing flowering speed and huge resin-filled buds – with the advantages of a Sativa strain, i.e. a lush growth and abundant yields. Another distinctive feature is its special and exquisite aroma with fruity notes. This feminised Advanced Seeds strain was produced by crossing a Kush and a South African Sativa. Plants are medium sized and retain all the traits of the original strain, with large Sativa leaves, a very rapid flowering period and a quite high yield of high-quality weed. Buds are also sizeable, dense and resinous, which is typical of Indicas. These plants are easy to grow, with no particular issues or requirements throughout their lifecycle. They are also suited for any growing style or substrate, do not require a large quantity of fertilisers and are particularly resistant to moulds and insects. Indoors, this strain grows up to around 90-120 cm and – under lamps – easily yields 400-450 g/m2 in 8 weeks only. Outdoors, it is among the first strains to be harvested in late September. Indeed, if grown appropriately, it can reach 2 – 3 m in height, with yields in excess of 500g per plant. Its sweet, fruity aroma with citric/hash tones is remarkable and will please your palate as you continue tasting it. THC is 16% and its effect is very pleasant and soft. The agreeable and relaxing feeling it elicits will not hit you hard, so it can be tasted at any time of the day. [caption id="attachment_8399" align="alignnone" width="500"] General view.[/caption]

Germination and growth

Ice Kush looks like a good plant from its seed form. We germinated 10 seeds of this specimen between wet cloths, then planted them, after two days, into a thin earth substrate (with radicles facing downward) and exposed them to light, at a prudent distance from sodium lamps. The next day, the first leaves started to appear and find their way towards to light. Plants were left for 10 days in pots of slightly less than one litre, filled with fairly light soil, and later transplanted to large, seven and eleven litre pots. During the first 2 weeks of growth, we gradually added a root booster to irrigation water, so as to favour the formation of a good root ball because, given our forthcoming harvest, we had to wait enough time for plants to develop. After their first transplantation, we also added a specific fertiliser to strengthen them and help them complete the final phase. We also fed a quite moderate quantity of nutrients. Based on our previous experience, we found that this strain does not need large nutrient doses. Its growth is not ‘explosive’, although it is rather constant and smooth. Its side branches and central stem are both large, and inter-knot distance is fairly short. In roughly one month’s time, our specimens developed a remarkable structure and branches, so we decided to move them to our flowering room, where we created the best possible conditions to make the most of their flowering period. [caption id="attachment_8400" align="alignnone" width="500"] An astonishing central bud.[/caption]

Flowering

After starting the flowering phase, as usual, we added a nitrogen-rich fertiliser to irrigation water, followed by a short root wash. Then, we started feeding a flowering stimulator – which we always combine with a powerful biostimulator, plus other additives such as Bactobloom. With 12 hours of light and 12 of darkness, plants experienced a short burst of growth during the next few days and, finally, the last shoots were formed. When the growth slowed down, pistils appeared and rapidly developed into huge buds. With the passing of days, flowers grew larger and denser with an increasingly sticky resin cover. Their unmistakeable fragrance could be smelt at the lightest touch. Leaves were constantly pointing towards the light. At around week six of the flowering period, we removed the fertiliser and stimulators from irrigation water, made a final root wash and, finally, only fed plants with pure water. We used a microscope to check that trichomes were ripe enough for our specimens to be harvested, which was made on day 55 of flowering and all of them had an excellent appearance and smell. [caption id="attachment_8401" align="alignnone" width="500"] Another spectacular central bud.[/caption]

Harvest

All ten specimens were harvested on the same day. The low leaf-to-bud ratio required minimum trimming and care, which only took us a few hours. Plants were very homogeneous among themselves as to yield, effect and taste. With the cuttings we took from each of them, we will select a mother with even more outstanding features.

Tasting

We have been growing seeds for more than ten years now. So far, all the strains we grew were well worth our efforts. A part of the name given to them was either ‘Ice’ or ‘Kush’, mainly for their aromas and effects. What struck us in Ice Kush was its refreshing and delicate berry taste with touches of lemon and hash. For its balanced effect, this delicacy can be enjoyed at any time of the day, without fear of getting too high. TricomaTeam (tricomateam@gmail.com)