White Widow

Resin on resin

In the 1990s, White Widow became famous all over the world for the large amount of resin visible to the naked eye on its buds. In addition to being a plant that can be easily grown in a short amount of time, it has multiple medicinal properties to help combat anxiety, insomnia or stress.

The Dinafem seed bank markets a feminised version of a 1997 élite clone of this mythical strain which retains all the potency and aroma of the original plant. With an Indica/Sativa ratio of 65/35%, Dinafem’s White Widow is a medium sized plant that can exceed 2.5 meters outdoors. It is also very robust, compact and with strong branches.

Its dark and small leaves make it stand out among other plants. It flowers rapidly and is ready in just 8 weeks indoors, whereas outdoors it can be harvested between early and mid-October.

Although it develops optimally in temperate climates, it perfectly adapts to all types of growing environments, as long as humidity is not too high to rot its buds. Harvests of White Widow are abundant with yields exceeding 500g/m2 indoors, and up to one kilo per plant outdoors.

Buds are dense, oval, very hairy and covered by a large layer of white resin that lives up to its name. THC concentration is between 12 and 16% with a very pleasant effect of peace and relaxation. Its aroma is fresh and its taste excellent, both bittersweet and fruity. It is advisable to use a good anti-odour filter to prevent the scent given off by the plants during flowering from finding its way to the neighbouring area.

Germination and growth

We have previously grown several packets of White Widow seeds sourced from Dinafem on several occasions and in different environments, and invariably obtained excellent results with a 100% germination rate.

We put our seeds between wet cloths and, after 24 to 48 hours, they had all germinated. We then planted the germinated seeds in pots of little less than one litre and used a substrate low in nutrients. We left them grow in these pots for approximately 10-12 days. In the first watering cycles, we added a rooting stimulator. After almost two weeks, we moved the seedlings to larger pots (we normally use 18 litre pots with nutrient-rich soil). In the new pot, we added more root growth stimulator to the irrigation water in order to achieve a good root ball capable of feeding large plants.

Little by little, we also started to feed them with a growth fertiliser in small doses, which was gradually increased without exaggerating, since White Widow does not require a large amount of nutrients.

Approximately one month after germination, the plants had gained a remarkable size, their stems and branches were wide and their buds innumerable. We also saw the first pistils and thought it was time to make some cuttings and move them to the flowering room at 12 hours of light and 12 of darkness.

Flowering

A few days after changing the photoperiod, our White Widows had a final growth spurt and showed their full potential at 12 hours of light under 600W lamps. They were not too tall, but very wide, strong and robust, with a fairly short internodal distance.

After reducing the hours of light, we began to water them with a fertiliser and a special stimulator for this stage and saw that the first bunches of flowers were forming. Buds were oval, hairy and covered with an impressive, white and sticky layer of resin.

Buds were not too big, but very dense and heavy and distributed all over the plant. Two weeks before harvest, we washed roots to remove all traces of fertiliser in the final product, and waited until the trichomes were fully ripe to harvest them. At the end of flowering, plants were quite compact, with abundant buds giving off a very fresh aroma.

Harvest and tasting

Leaves that grow on this plant are scarce and small. In addition, given the low leaf-to-bud ratio, trimming was fairly easy and quick. Harvest was also quite fast and rich.

The concentration of resin on the buds was visible to the naked eye. Although buds are not as large as those of other strains, their large quantity and density per plant makes the yield per square metre of White Widow quite similar to that of other genotypes.

We let the grass dry for at least two weeks in a dark and well-ventilated room before tasting it. White Widow has a very special and intense taste, somewhat spicy, fruity and bittersweet at the same time. The effect is strong but not overwhelming and produces a pleasant feeling of relaxation and tranquillity. It is ideal at the end the day to combat any kind of tension or stress.