Rainbow Road

Rainbow Road is a sativa dominant hybrid from Paradise Seeds that announces itself with a sweet and fruity nature and claims of being one of the biggest yielding sativas Paradise have produced in their 26 year history.

A good deal of work has gone into developing this plant on behalf of the Paradise Seeds breeding team and the genetic mix is a combination of classic Hindu Kush and Strawberry Haze with some genetic fine tuning to optimize terpene profiles and yield performance.

Germination and Vegetative Stage

This strain test was carried out by the well respected European grower known as 'The Doc'. Two seeds were germinated and, once they had popped, were added to a soil grow mix. Within 2.5 days the heads of the seedlings were showing above the surface.

The sativa heritage of Rainbow Road was plain to see from the beginning of the grow process and the initial growth surge was particularly impressive. The plants topped 28cm and 32cm after three weeks in the veggie stage with both plants displaying fairly narrow shade leaves and four lateral branch pairs. After four weeks they were transferred into flowering and in that short time had reached heights of 40cm and 48cm, prompting The Doc to note in his grow diary his surprise at the vigour with which these plants were growing.

The Flowering Stage

Placed into bud after four weeks of veg state, the two plants continued to exhibit this incredible capacity to stretch and after four weeks of flowering the plants had increased their heights dramatically, almost tripling in size the form reminding The Doc of a classic tropical sativa.

Despite the incredible stretch the Rainbow Road plants were also demonstrating real power as they pushed on with aggressive flower production. Even at this early stage, bud formation was formidable with 'hairy' compact flower clusters on top of and along the lateral branches and main stem, plus a first silver resin shimmer on the calyxes and sugar leaves.

After six weeks of flowering, The Doc noted that these plants were showing monstrous tendencies with incredible growth. Both of them showed similar characteristics - the main shoot sticking out from the middle like a steep tower topped with an elongated top cola. The plants' growth was also illustrated by a high calyx to leaf ratio.

At the base of the main stem was a considerable growth of lateral branches (18 counted on one of the plants) which were garnished with beautiful big tops as well. Also noted at this stage was the copious resin production of both plants and a very intense scent of fruity sweetness, with definite shades of mango and strawberry. Such was the surging growth and the fullness of the bud laden lateral branches that some support was required as they raced towards their harvests.

Both plants took the full 10 weeks to mature, but the wait was worth it. Both plants delivered  a payload of unusually dense and rock hard buds, literally pulsating with trichomes and covered in incredibly lavish resin coats. This resin production was so prolific that it extended right to the base of the upper shade leaves.

Final heights of the two Rainbow Road plants were 155 cm and 135cm.

Harvest Yield

The combined yield from these two monsters  was a huge 340 grams (yes that is correct!).

Smell and Smoke Report

The Doc was stunned by the record breaking yield he recorded for these huge beasts of plants, especially considering the "heavenly flower quality" that accompanied this massive harvest. The dried buds were impressive too, resin soaked and presenting themselves with a distinctive strawberry swirl to their scent.

To test the taste and effect, a half gram of bud was rolled with a little tobacco into a long, thin joint. The first toke delivered a sensational sweetness that lingered on the lips even after the exhale. The flavor was the next pleasant surprise with that initial strawberry note becoming overtaken by a taste that was described as a "delicious potpourri of red fruits."

It took just one hit to bring a wave of electrifying clarity surging through the mind. With a  few more tokes the full effect took hold in the form of a hard hitting rush of euphoria that brought with it the onset of a permanent grin. This full throttle ascent into the stratosphere lasted for approximately 1.5 hours before the buzz levelled off into a sense of cozy relaxation and deep inner balance.

The Verdict

In the words of The Doc, Rainbow Road is the "adorable sativa queen every grower has always dreamt of." Strength runs through this plant - from its huge yield potential to the superb quality of its smell, taste and effect. Taking into consideration all these factors, Rainbow Road has all the makings of a plant that has the potential to become a new flagship in the Paradise Seeds fleet.

Cultivation data:

GeneticsRainbow Road (Sativa-dominant)

Vegetative stage4 weeks (after germination)

Flowering stage63and70 days / 65-70 days in general

MediumPlagron Grow Mix soil, 11 litre pots

pH6.2-6.6

EC1.2–1.8 mS

Lightup to 12 x SANlight S4W = 1680 watts

Temperature19-28°C

Air humidity40-60%

WateringBy hand

FertilisationOrganic Bloom Liquid + Organic More PK from Green Buzz Liquids

Additives/stimulantsLiving Organics, More Roots, HuminSäure Plus, Big Fruits, Fast Buds and CleanFruits from Green Buzz Liquids

ToolsCleanLight Pro for mould prevention

Height101and 155 cm

Yield103 and 237 g