The Great Kush-Off of 2023 - Who will be crowned?

[Till Valhalla]

nothing wrong with a little competition. toss in some fun comparisons and some ball busting jokes and you've got a winner thread.
when listing out my strains on deck for the 2023 outdoor season, blueberryrose made the comment it might be cool to see comparisons of all the kush strains i'm growing. i had not considered other's interests as such, then thought it might be cool to have others join in and show off their contenders as well.
so... let's get started.
for the record i am all organic soil (growing medicine) using a mix of dr.earth and giai green dry amendments and occasional uses of alaska fish fertilizer between dry amendment top dressings. soil is my own mix based off build a soil's recipe minus the rice hulls and substituting coco choir for peat moss.
*EDIT - before the haters come*
i am also only using seeds in my possession. yes i am sure there are other breeders/strains out there that blow my selections away. i am well aware of this, but that's not the point. just trying to have a little competition/fun with the "best" of what i've got. (but if you STILL have something better, feel free to send me some. )
= = = = =

ladies and gentleman. it's time for your first bout of the evening for the title of best OG Kush. *crowd cheers*
out of the red corner - this newcomer is a limited edition and not for resale. fighting out of Seedsman, England, put your hands together for Limited Edition OG Kush!
out of the blue corner - this contender needs no introduction. fighting out of Humbolt Seed Co, USA put your hands together for OG Kush!



ladies and gentleman - it's now time for your second bout of the evening for the title of best Bubba Kush.
out of the red corner - this contender is up and coming but has several noteworthy victories. fighting out of Seedsman, England, out your hands together for pre-'98 Bubba Kush!
out of the blue corner - this contender is well known and has the skills to pay the bills. fighting out of Barney's Farm, Netherlands, put your hands together for Bubba Kush!




ladies in gentleman. it is now time for our main event of the evening. a bitter three way cage deathmatch. three men enter, one man leaves. for the title of best Purple Kush.
in the red corner, fighting out of Seedsman England, put your hands together for Critical Purple Kush!
in the blue corner, fighting out of Blimburn, Spain, put your hands together for Purple Kush!
in the orange corner, fighting out of Kannabia, Spain, put your hands together for Purple Kush!



Last, but certainly not least, we have some warmup/exhibition bouts where no suitable contenders showed up to challenge for the belts, so the fighters who did show up will be forced to fight themselves for the title:
- Blackberry Kush from Garden of Green, Ireland
- Purple Bubba Kush from Blimburn, Spain

who are your contenders this year? post below and let the kush rumble begin!

 

[PopAndSonGrows]

FUCK YES! Subbed!

Off the top of my head, I'm rooting for HSC/OG Kush, Barneys Farm/Bubba, and because I'm unfamiliar with Kannabia, I'm rooting for Seedsman in the PK bout.

Can't wait to see how this goes! Very cool!

 

[FirstCavApache64]

Pre 98 bubba kush at 2 weeks of flower right now. I ran og kush from seed last round and it was good but not great. I'm going to get a cut of ghost og or sfv og and run the clone only stuff to see if it's much better.

 

[Till Valhalla]

UPDATE:

ok. started germination of 14 different seeds on 3/23. i use paper towel inside ziplocks method.
below is the list and the results of germination:

1. OG Kush (Humboldt) - popped. had 2nd longest tail
2. OG Kush (Seedsman) - popped
3. Bubba Kush (Barney's Farm) - popped. 3rd longest tail
4. Bubba Kush (Seedsman) - DID NOT POP
5. Purple Kush (Blimburn) - popped. WINNER - MOST VIGOROUS
6. Purple Kush (Kannabia) - popped would have tied for 3rd if not for the tail squiggle
7. Critical Purple Kush (Seedsman) - DID NOT POP
8. Blackberry Kush (Blimburn) - popped
9. Purple Bubba Kush (Blimburn) - popped (unexpected. one of the dogs chewed a seed box and the vial made it thru the washer and dryer. i have never had a blimburn seed not pop... yet. *knocks on wood* and they have all been vigorous.)
10. Godfather OG (Blimburn) - popped
11. Candyland (Garden of Green) - popped
12. GG4 (Blimburn) - popped
13. Strawberry Lemonade (Barney's Farm) - popped. super squiggly vigor
14. Silver Surfer Haze (Blimburn) - popped

checked on them today after 3 days. of 14 seeds started, 12 popped, 2 did not.
transplanted those that popped into their starter pots (about the same volume as the beloved red solo cups) and put them out in the sun.

i tried to set up all my transplants and the non popped seeds for a photoshoot, went back inside to grab the ziplocks and the dogs were wrestling/chasing each other and knocked a bunch on the ground. (they got into my new flower garden too. tore up the bulbs) i was pretty pissed. they bolted. lucky.
luckily i had transplanted all the seedlings that popped, but the two that didn't ended up on the ground. i never found them. so no photos of that part of the process...

i just got off work, so just wanted to quick update. will take a photos of the seedling pots tomorrow and see if any of them poked thru the dirt overnight.

 

[Till Valhalla]

FUCK YES! Subbed!

Off the top of my head, I'm rooting for HSC/OG Kush, Barneys Farm/Bubba, and because I'm unfamiliar with Kannabia, I'm rooting for Seedsman in the PK bout.

Can't wait to see how this goes! Very cool!

HSC OG Kush ended up 2nd place with the germination tail.
Barney's Farm BK was 3rd place.
sadly seedsman CPK did not pop...

i hope my grow doesn't disappoint. i'm excited for some competition and results as well.
feel free to post your own rivals!

 

[Till Valhalla]

Pre 98 bubba kush at 2 weeks of flower right now. I ran og kush from seed last round and it was good but not great. I'm going to get a cut of ghost og or sfv og and run the clone only stuff to see if it's much better.View attachment 5274966

look at those fatty leaves. nice. looks healthy. wish i could smell.
who is the breeder of your seeds? and do you have rivals to pit against each other?

speaking of clone only... someone suggested the "strainly" site. excuse my frozen caveman but i was kinda blown away that they sell and ship clones... as well as sell male and female pollen.
MIND.
BLOWN.

gotta ask... how they hell do they ship clones without them getting torn up or wilted or... any number of terrible fates?
and
are they worth the crazy prices?

 

[FirstCavApache64]

I'd stay away from most of the Strainly sellers as there have been a good amount of pest ridden and virus laden plants sold there. If you have Discord there's a good clone site called the Cut Hut but you need an invite to join. Ask around the Strainly thread and someone can help you out. I got my bubba and motorbreath 15 from a guy named Dookie, he's on Instagram at Dookiefarms2 and has clean, legit clones for decent prices. The DEA considers clone as legal under the Farm Bill because they have hardly any THC. Since they announced that, clone sales have gone crazy. Just do research on who you're buying from and quarantine anything you bring in until you're sure their clean. The OG Kush I ran was a seed from a coffee shop in Amsterdam and it had good terps but sort of weak effect wise for an OG. That's why I wanted the Ghost OG cut. Best of luck in your hunt.

 

[grayeyes]

Do you have a DEA letter that states clones are okay to ship? I have seen the one from the DEA about seeds but not clones. Thanks for your help.

 

[Till Valhalla]

I'd stay away from most of the Strainly sellers as there have been a good amount of pest ridden and virus laden plants sold there. If you have Discord there's a good clone site called the Cut Hut but you need an invite to join. Ask around the Strainly thread and someone can help you out. I got my bubba and motorbreath 15 from a guy named Dookie, he's on Instagram at Dookiefarms2 and has clean, legit clones for decent prices. The DEA considers clone as legal under the Farm Bill because they have hardly any THC. Since they announced that, clone sales have gone crazy. Just do research on who you're buying from and quarantine anything you bring in until you're sure their clean. The OG Kush I ran was a seed from a coffee shop in Amsterdam and it had good terps but sort of weak effect wise for an OG. That's why I wanted the Ghost OG cut. Best of luck in your hunt.

i have no intention of buying clones right now. too friggin expensive. for the cost of one clone i could buy several packs of strain hunt seeds.
i was just curious how they ship them. for example, what do they pack them in? how do they keep them from wilting? or going into flower from lack of light? they pack them with a flashlight or something?
i have never seen a shipped clone. i didn't even know you could buy them or pollen online. (i've been away for a LONG time)

good advice on the quarantine. i learned my lesson this winter with my first indoor grows. brought some acapulco gold clones inside that didn't finish before the sh*tty winter weather came. my indoor space got INFESTED with God damned spider mites.
never again.

 

[FirstCavApache64]

I have only seen the one for seeds but as clones have less than the maximum percentage of THC the Fed's aren't going to mess with it. If you live in an outlaw state there are other concerns from the state. They ship next day or Express mail in little clone carriers to protect them and some breeders even have a little light in the box to reduce the stress. I've personally sent unrooted clippings to several people just in a Ziploc bag with a damp paper towel around the cut ends and they had no trouble cloning them. Here's the bubble gum and grape punch cuts I had received in ziplock bags with paper towels. Sorry for the blurple pic but my veg setup is ancient and at a buddies due to our plant count laws.
There's a new clone seller I just heard of called CalicloneCo. They sell at 20 bucks a clone and a little higher for the premium line. They say they test for the virus (HLVD) but I haven't seen test results. Also Cannaventure seeds will sell clones at a great price for the lineup he has. You can get the list by emailing Rusty, the owner. The address is on his web page.

 

[Till Valhalla]

I have only seen the one for seeds but as clones have less than the maximum percentage of THC the Fed's aren't going to mess with it. If you live in an outlaw state there are other concerns from the state. They ship next day or Express mail in little clone carriers to protect them and some breeders even have a little light in the box to reduce the stress. I've personally sent unrooted clippings to several people just in a Ziploc bag with a damp paper towel around the cut ends and they had no trouble cloning them. Here's the bubble gum and grape punch cuts I had received in ziplock bags with paper towels. Sorry for the blurple pic but my veg setup is ancient and at a buddies due to our plant count laws.View attachment 5275160
There's a new clone seller I just heard of called CalicloneCo. They sell at 20 bucks a clone and a little higher for the premium line. They say they test for the virus (HLVD) but I haven't seen test results. Also Cannaventure seeds will sell clones at a great price for the lineup he has. You can get the list by emailing Rusty, the owner. The address is on his web page.

were those clones rooted in rockwool cubes? or bare root in paper towels?

 

[FirstCavApache64]

They came as just snips in a Ziploc bag and I rooted them in Root Riot plugs in Solo cups with Ziploc bags over the cup to boost humidity. 2 out of 3 of both strains rooted. The one Bubblegum clone rooted in 5 days which was a record for me.

 

[Till Valhalla]

They came as just snips in a Ziploc bag and I rooted them in Root Riot plugs in Solo cups with Ziploc bags over the cup to boost humidity. 2 out of 3 of both strains rooted. The one Bubblegum clone rooted in 5 days which was a record for me.View attachment 5275177

oh... so the cuttings aren't rooted yet? just cuttings kept moist in paper towels and you have to root them?

my clone game has been typically weak. i got a suggestion to try technoflora gel. it has dramatically changed my clone game. used to be i could get maybe 1 in 10 to live if i was lucky. now it's more like 8 in 10. i end up with more clones than i have space for now. with that being said i have NEVER seen a cutting grow such vigorous roots in 5 days. that's got to be a record period.

 

[FirstCavApache64]

I've gotten rooted cuts once and they came in a clone carrier. They looked like this

Clone Shipper

The patent pending design of the Clone Shipper enables plants, specifically clones or young plants, to be shipped safely with our one-of-a-kind packaging. The Clone Shipper was designed to ensure that your growing plants are nurtured during the entirety of your shipment.

www.cloneshipper.com

and you can get them from Amazon for unrooted snips or rooted clones in plugs, rockwool or soil plugs. I like the unrooted snips in baggies as it's pretty stealthy and Express mail will get them across the country in time to stay healthy. Sellers usually give you 3 times as many snips as rooted clones for the same price so if you can get them all to root you end up with 3-5 more clones to give to buddies or just grow.

 

[Till Valhalla]

I've gotten rooted cuts once and they came in a clone carrier. They looked like this

Clone Shipper

The patent pending design of the Clone Shipper enables plants, specifically clones or young plants, to be shipped safely with our one-of-a-kind packaging. The Clone Shipper was designed to ensure that your growing plants are nurtured during the entirety of your shipment.

www.cloneshipper.com

and you can get them from Amazon for unrooted snips or rooted clones in plugs, rockwool or soil plugs. I like the unrooted snips in baggies as it's pretty stealthy and Express mail will get them across the country in time to stay healthy. Sellers usually give you 3 times as many snips as rooted clones for the same price so if you can get them all to root you end up with 3-5 more clones to give to buddies or just grow.

*stares in frozen caveman awe*
i had been away from ganj for 20+ years. back then there was no internet, only high times magazine, sensi seed bank and lengthy jail sentences. me and some of my buddies would occasionally smuggle some seeds back from deployments worldwide (we were strain hunting before strain hunting was cool! lol) and try to get them to grow back in the states, but we didn't know what we were doing... deer would eat them most of the time or we would get deployed and they would die. i left it all behind when my kids were born. then had to stay clean for my work.
i came back about 2yrs ago and started growing out of necessity (medical grow for elderly relative) and my learning curve has been straight up. thankful for this site... there have been a LOT of helpful, PATIENT, and knowledgeable people helping to answer my "fat kid in candy store with a fresh $20" n00b questions.

thanks man. you just opened another rabbit hole for me to dive into. *cracks knuckles for voracious reading*
appreciate the clone case link. that's crazy, but expected of free market. a need has been fulfilled... for a nominal price of course.

next time you get the snips in baggies would you mind snapping a pic for me? i like to see the low-tech effective methods. pretty much how i have to roll anyways. i don't have the funds to allocate to all the fancy stuff (yet). pretty sure once this strain hunt is over i can branch out and focus and running the really good stuff of the strains that work for patient. then i can do some mad scientist sh*t. already have some GDP crosses in mind.

= =

ps: had an apache pilot lived next door to me at bragg. cool cajun guy. tried to smuggle me into the gunner seat but didn't work. thankfully no trouble.
thanks for your service. S!

 

[FirstCavApache64]

*stares in frozen caveman awe*
i had been away from ganj for 20+ years. back then there was no internet, only high times magazine, sensi seed bank and lengthy jail sentences. me and some of my buddies would occasionally smuggle some seeds back from deployments worldwide (we were strain hunting before strain hunting was cool! lol) and try to get them to grow back in the states, but we didn't know what we were doing... deer would eat them most of the time or we would get deployed and they would die. i left it all behind when my kids were born. then had to stay clean for my work.
i came back about 2yrs ago and started growing out of necessity (medical grow for elderly relative) and my learning curve has been straight up. thankful for this site... there have been a LOT of helpful, PATIENT, and knowledgeable people helping to answer my "fat kid in candy store with a fresh $20" n00b questions.

thanks man. you just opened another rabbit hole for me to dive into. *cracks knuckles for voracious reading*
appreciate the clone case link. that's crazy, but expected of free market. a need has been fulfilled... for a nominal price of course.

next time you get the snips in baggies would you mind snapping a pic for me? i like to see the low-tech effective methods. pretty much how i have to roll anyways. i don't have the funds to allocate to all the fancy stuff (yet). pretty sure once this strain hunt is over i can branch out and focus and running the really good stuff of the strains that work for patient. then i can do some mad scientist sh*t. already have some GDP crosses in mind.

= =

ps: had an apache pilot lived next door to me at bragg. cool cajun guy. tried to smuggle me into the gunner seat but didn't work. thankfully no trouble.
thanks for your service. S!

I was at Ft Hood when I got out. I was a crew chief for the Apache Longbow and I never got to go for a ride. The only non qualified air crew I ever saw get to ride was a certain US Senator that just happened to be on the Senate Defense committee lol. My Uncle that just passed away served at Ft. Bragg during and after 4 years in Vietnam as special forces. He was on the Golden Knights parachute jump team for years down there and we got to see him jump when I was a kid in the 70s. He's one of the reasons I joined the Army. Ft Bragg was terrible back in the 70s and 80s. I heard it was better after they did a bunch of renovations later on but my Uncle used to say " if God wanted to give the world an enema, he'd insert the hose in Fayetteville" lol.
Here's some pics of the snips I got and my Solo cup clone system I learned from a member here.


The last pic shows where I place them in the tent.

 

[Till Valhalla]

I was at Ft Hood when I got out. I was a crew chief for the Apache Longbow and I never got to go for a ride. The only non qualified air crew I ever saw get to ride was a certain US Senator that just happened to be on the Senate Defense committee lol. My Uncle that just passed away served at Ft. Bragg during and after 4 years in Vietnam as special forces. He was on the Golden Knights parachute jump team for years down there and we got to see him jump when I was a kid in the 70s. He's one of the reasons I joined the Army. Ft Bragg was terrible back in the 70s and 80s. I heard it was better after they did a bunch of renovations later on but my Uncle used to say " if God wanted to give the world an enema, he'd insert the hose in Fayetteville" lol.
Here's some pics of the snips I got and my Solo cup clone system I learned from a member here.View attachment 5275274
View attachment 5275276
View attachment 5275279
The last pic shows where I place them in the tent.

yeah... fayettenam is a nasty town. i'm a pretty big dude and crackheads would still try to roll me. fearless/shameless. lots of biker gangs too. lots of major highways converge there so it's transient central.

snips. simple. effective. love it. thanks for the photos. visual references help.

ahh... i see you battle the accursed fungus gnats as well. HATE those f*cking things.

ok. so you put your snips in a soil block and keep them in a humid environ with solos and ziplocks. again. simple and effective. love it.
(but still too advanced for me right now. i need to get better at cloning. i will certainly get practice this season.)

 

[Till Valhalla]

KUSH-OFF UPDATE:

so. after placing the germinated seedlings into their seedling pots, i went out and checked this morning to see who burst thru the dirt. 3 came to play.

EDIT:
- made a mistake earlier when i first posted this. apologies.
it was SEEDSMAN Ltd Ed OG Kush that won 2nd place for dirt burst, NOT Humboldt OG Kush.

simple setup surrounded by the wooden box to keep the puppies at bay.


1. first out of the gate was Blimburn Godfather OG in true godfather fashion to assert early dominance. *flashes costa nostra gang signs*
2. second appearance was from Seedsman OG Kush. the redcoats are still in the fight.
3. third place went to Blimburn Purple Bubba Kush - this one is amazing to be honest. one of the dogs got ahold of that seed pack and shredded it. never found the seed vial untill it went thru the laundry and dryer. i did not expect it to pop. thought it was a goner, so put it in there to see if it would even work. it sure did. a testament to blimburn's packing... and genetics. (but haters still gunna hate... i for one am happy with everything i have bought and run from blimburn (so far - *knocks on wood*))


Blimburn Godfather OG


Seedsman Ltd Ed OG Kush


Blimburn Purple Bubba Kush


just checked them again after i got done fixing the puppy damage to flower garden. there are a few more starting to poke their way thru... the warm Texas sun is beckoning...

 

[Till Valhalla]

KUSH-OFF UPDATE:

before I went to bed last night, i decided to give seedsman a second chance despite the fact they missed weight and didn't show up for the bout to begin with. to their defense, the dogs interfered with continuing to germinate for a few more days, so that factored into the decision as well. also, if i switched to my backups/alternative strains it would defeat the point of the kush-off.

so get back in there seedsman and represent! king chuck is watching.
round 2.... FIGHT!

 

[FirstCavApache64]

yeah... fayettenam is a nasty town. i'm a pretty big dude and crackheads would still try to roll me. fearless/shameless. lots of biker gangs too. lots of major highways converge there so it's transient central.

snips. simple. effective. love it. thanks for the photos. visual references help.

ahh... i see you battle the accursed fungus gnats as well. HATE those f*cking things.

ok. so you put your snips in a soil block and keep them in a humid environ with solos and ziplocks. again. simple and effective. love it.
(but still too advanced for me right now. i need to get better at cloning. i will certainly get practice this season.)

Just snip a couple lower branches when you're cleaning up the lower area. Then put them in a root cube like the pic shows. Toss a bag on it and spray the inside of the bag with a mister or spray bottle. Toss it under the canopy of the bigger plants for shade and leave it alone for a couple days. Then check if the root plug is dry and if it is give just the plug a light spraying. Usually takes about 10-14 days but can vary depending on strain. Best of luck with your grow and if you ever need some help with the garden just message me and I'll do what I can.