Classic Strains: Super Silver Haze

Few strains have made such an impact on the scene as Super Silver Haze, which imparts a powerful haze 'high' with strong indica undertones.

Strain Name: Super Silver Haze

Creator: Greenhouse Seed Company
Genetics: Roughly 75% Sativa / 25% Indica
Origins: [Northern Lights x Neville's Haze] X [Skunk x Neville's Haze]
Flowering: 56 - 63 Days (Haze-dominant phenotypes can be flowered for up to 77 days)
Outdoor Harvest: Late October

Super Silver Haze exploded onto the Dutch seed scene in the late 1990s, a brainchild of the Greenhouse Seed Company, creators of White Widow and Neville's Haze - among others. A hybrid of Skunk #1, Northern Lights and Neville's, the Super Silver helped to revolutionize sativa-dominant commercial strains of that era, and few other varieties have ever enjoyed such glory.

Award-Winning Cannabis Genetics

While some measure the success of a strain by the number of awards it has won, Super Silver Haze is a different matter. The variety did indeed win consecutive Cannabis Cups in the years after its inception (1997, 1998 and 1999) but its longevity is even more remarkable. Certain strains blow up like fireworks, only to shine brightly for a brief moment and then fade away into instability history, whereas the Super Silver continues to be grown and smoked by amateurs and aficionados alike, across the globe. In addition, it consistently wins Highlife and Cannabis Cups, year after year.

So what makes this particular plant so special? The secret is in the hybrid: the haze family of Cannabis offers the highest high, which used to be the most desirable effect from smoking pot, hearkening back to the days of readily-available equatorial landrace strains. These are the old-school varieties that pre-date the modern fascination with CBD-laden indicas, from the time when people preferred to get 'high' rather than 'stoned'.

Unfortunately, such varieties are often very difficult to grow, due to their tall, lanky phenotypes and extremely long flowering periods, a phenotype that resulted from their origin in geographical locations that received a steady 12/12 dose of light and darkness. Haze plants from the equator and outlying regions are gangly and stretchy, with thin stalks dotted by puff-ball buds clustered around distant internodes - this plant type proves to be frustrating for many growers. Thus, landrace hazes were hybridized to breed out undesirable growth, flowering and smoking attributes, while breeding in desirable traits with regards to flavor, flowering time and yield. The SSH hybrid, combining ultra-desirable haze genetics with the Northern Lights indica and stabilizing pure-bred Skunk #1, resulted in a manageable variety that was actually grow-able.

While the phenotype changed drastically upon such hybridization (as did its genotype, obviously), the effect this strain imparts manages to retain a 'high' that other haze hybrids cannot match. The 25% indica content is not enough to ruin or dissipate the 75% sativa content, leaving the user with a heady, euphoric feeling - the slight indica content merely keeps the smoker from completely tripping out, as happens when consuming pure hazes. In short, the Super Silver Haze keeps even haze lovers from getting 'too high', and yes, there is such a thing. Rather than becoming stuck in your own head, the indica values of the SSH help to balance out the elevation and keep your feet on the ground.

Atypical Haze for Haze Lovers

The Skunk and NL varieties not only shortened the flowering period but also increased the density and decreased the space between internodes; haze yields are often much lower than their more sativa- or indica-dominant counterparts, and the lengthy flowering time adds to growers' frustration. The Super Silver Haze countered all such issues, offering great yields of silver-frosted, Christmas tree-shaped buds and a heady smoke in a reasonable amount of time, about nine to eleven weeks of flowering.

Unlike pure or nearly pure haze varieties, SSH does not continue to grow full throttle during the pre-flower phase; however a definite growth spurt can occur, so plan accordingly. This means that you can veg for short periods - or not at all - and still somewhat control the size of the flowering plants. For this reason, it is possible to grow SSH in height-restricted areas; sea-of-green cultivation is also no problem. Outdoor growers might want to be careful, as the genetic tendency to stretch out and grow upwards is still present in these genetics; cutting out the central cola (or tying down) is a good way to shorten in- or outdoor plants without sacrificing yield.

The SSH flavor is also quite special. Haze strains typically impart a 'cat piss' or grassy taste, which is usually only acceptable to old hippies (read: those who were actually alive to smoke the classic landraces available in the 1960s and 1970s). Careful hybridization removed much of this acrid taste and instead created a slightly-sweet, distinctly floral flavor that could not be replicated in other modern haze hybrids. Even the aroma is recognizable, both from the growing plant and when dried, cured and smoked.

Super Silver Haze Relatives

Silver Haze is an obvious relation to the Super Silver Haze; in fact, back in the days of honestly-labeled genetics, anything with the word 'super' in the title implied that a back-cross had taken place.

A now-famous variety by the name of Champagne Haze is said to be a cousin of the Super Silver, and many other strains are either linked genetically to the latter or simply re-named versions - this becomes obvious when smoking the product. It is difficult to mask the strain's signature flavor and scent, silvery-gray colas and semi-confusing high.

Amnesia Haze is another famous relative of the Super Silver Haze; this strain continues the lineage with frosty, silvery buds, conical flower structure and a floral-yet-spicy flavor. The Amnesia also imparts a strong, vibrant high.