OG Kush - The North American Superstar

There are a couple of theories around the real meaning of OG. According to one theory, it is the acronym of “Original Gangsta”, which is used for a person who has climbed high on the ladder of the cannabis scene. Another version, instead, suggests it is short for “Ocean Grown” (a strain grown alongside the ocean). This latter theory is apparently the most widely accepted in the cannabis community. There is no doubt, however, that it is the best-selling plant in California, the most sought-after seed on the US market, and is little by little becoming the favourite choice of all cannabis growers around the globe. [caption id="attachment_8528" align="alignnone" width="800"] Trichomes at first glance.[/caption] Dinafem Seeds now offers his own OG Kush version obtained by crossing a ChemDog with a hybrid of a Thai Lemon and a Pakistani Kush so as to generate an offspring with an Indica-Sativa proportion of 75% to 25%. Plants are easy to grow, reach a medium size and flower rapidly. Their shape is shrubby, with a high number of branches requiring the use of a training system. This strain is ideally grown indoors under powerful lamps and ripens after only 55 days. If grown in the open air, it can be harvested in early October, although a temperate or Mediterranean climate is required in this case. Production is plentiful. Despite their small size, buds are full of trichomes, dense and heavy, which ultimately results in yields that can even exceed 500 g/m2 indoors and one kg per plant outdoors. Their incredibly high potency and rich complex taste have classed these plants among the queens of the cannabis scene. With THC concentrations rising up to 24%, since the early puffs of smoke, the effect is strong on both the mind and body. An initial, relatively short, state of euphoria fades quickly into a deep feeling of cheerfulness and relaxation. The plant’s amazing taste lingers on the palate matched by a sweet and very complex aroma, with a special citric and fuel aftertaste, in which notes of pine and spices can also be perceived.

Germination and growth

We put 10 seeds of OG Kush between wet cloths and all of them germinated in less than 48 hours. We then planted them in pots of less than one litre, with a light substrate, where they remained for about 10 days. Later, we transplanted them to 18 litre pots with a nutrient-rich substrate. [caption id="attachment_8529" align="alignnone" width="800"] Central buds.[/caption] This variety grows tall rapidly, with a rich production of side branches. A training system is needed since the early stages of growth. At the beginning of the growth cycle, we added a root booster to irrigation water combined with a specific fertiliser. We cannot say these plants stand out for their growth potential. Their branches are not robust and foliage is not buoyant. In short, they do not seem to grow vigorously and are rather weak and long. However, at the end of the growth cycle, the result will be superior. In little more than one month, we moved them to the flowering room and exposed them to a photo period of 12 hours of light and 12 of darkness under 600W lamps. In the end, we were able to collect a large quantity of cuttings, which we identified in order to select a mother.

Flowering

A few days after changing the photo period, we saw OG Kush exhibiting a last growth spurt, to the extent that we had to tie additional branches to training rods. We noticed that inter-knot distance was not long, which normally prevents the development of large flowers, despite the substantial quantity of shoots all along its extensive branches. Buds are oval and quite small, but abundant and dense. They tend to be covered by a white and sticky layer of resin. The penetrating smell released by the plants will force growers to use anti-odour filters since the beginning of flowering. For the fruiting phase, we used a specific fertiliser and a stimulator combined with Bactobloom in the early watering cycles. Two weeks before harvest, we washed roots accurately and, at around week eight, buds were as hard as stone and trichomes had reached their optimal level of growth – which we checked through a microscope.

Harvest and tasting

Harvest is relatively rapid with uncountable buds and reduced foliage. In most specimens, buds look like small round marbles covered with resin. The high concentration of trichomes was more than appreciable. [caption id="attachment_8530" align="alignnone" width="800"] Resinous side buds.[/caption] Yield is by no means inferior to that of other plants for the high number of buds growing on each specimen and their astonishing density in spite of their small size. Each snip of the scissors released an overwhelming fragrance that spread all over the room. After drying the plants for little more than two weeks, we could not resist the temptation to try out the specimens we had grown. All had a very homogeneous, strong and fresh taste. Their aroma was quite intense and rewarding and filled us at each puff. The effect was equally very potent, cheerful, relaxing and caused some sleepiness. Indeed, it is ideal to alleviate stress, anxiety, migraine and pain and wet appetite. Unquestionably, quality has raised to a higher level with this strain and she deserves the fame she has won. By TricomaTeam (tricomateam@gmail.com)