The John Doe Radio Show

Lemon Skunk is a smooth, very tasty, connoisseur strain.  Both Green House Seeds and DNA Genetics have versions of this strain.  Franco from Green House Seeds says the DNA Genetics version is more available and assumes we might be reviewing that version.  After careful examination and testing it seems he was probably correct.  The subtle differences in versions seem decently clear when tested.  DNA Genetics Lemon Skunk hails from Las Vegas, with the father of the two Lemon crosses being from Holland.  When we toked on this strain it didn’t have a particularly potent lemon smell or taste to it.  That’s not to say it wasn’t one of the smoothest and tastiest strains you can find.   I’m sure the Green House Seeds version probably reminds you more of a lemon than the DNA.  Also, their is a third version of Lemon Skunk traveling through Europe.  Some might know it as Citral from the Citral Valley.  It has a very lemony flavor Franco says.  If you get the chance to grab either the DNA Genetics or Green House versions I would not pass it up.  One of the best Sativa like strains anywhere.  The high was very clear with it settling in the head, neck, and chest area.  It has a very citrus smell and taste with a very light and cool flavor on exhale.  The taste also stays with you and gets better in the seconds leading out of your exhale.  Not many strains give a better taste after inhalation than this one.  When examining buds I look at not only the trichomes, but also the calyxes and structure of the entire specimen.  I think you can tell top quality strains by how symmetrical and uniform the bud and plant grows, and from that how much potential it holds.

When growing out this plant it likes the chance to stretch.  The node spacing can be farther apart than some other strains and this plant really does well with high ceilings and large pots to allow the roots to spread as much as they like.  Branching is also spectacular in this strain Franco says.  Unlike the Sour D, the Lemon Skunk shouldn’t be too hard to control smell.  Reports online have said it is not a highly smelly plant when growing.  But, every situation is different and make sure you are mindful of your surroundings and who can tell what is where. The plant takes 8-9 weeks to finish out says the DNA Genetics profile, but I’m sure it could go out 10-11 weeks easily.

DNA Genetics has feminized Lemon Skunk available, and won 1st Place in 2007 with the Outdoor High Life Cup.  Give it a chance.  And, if you do get the chance to grab the Green House Seeds version get that one too.  Of course that one is great also, its a Cannabis Cup Award Winner.  One of those connoisseur strains everyone around you will be proud to say they medicated with.

Jacks Cleaner is a Super High strain.  And when I say Super High, I mean it gets you Super HIGH!  A very effective Sativa that will conk you behind the eyes more than most strains will.  I could not keep my eyes open after medicating with this strain.  My eyelids felt like they were weighed down with 5 pound weights.  The toke is very nice and not too harsh, with an uplifting, yet relaxing high.  A Sativa with a relaxing edge to it is amazing and worth the time it takes to grow, and this one has got what it takes.  The nugs look a lot like Jack Herer nugs and smell in my opinion a lot like them too.  I have not been fortunate enough to grow out this strain so I really cant comment on the finickiness of it from seed/cut to harvest.  But, luckily the breeder himself gives you a great story and background on Jacks Cleaner.  So really, that’s a lot better than me just rambling on.  Here yah go.

Subcool – Mr. Ganja himself says:

You may not have heard of the strain Jacks Cleaner, but among collectors of Elite genetics it has become somewhat of an urban legend. This is due to a few factors. The first is I grew it for many years before other respected growers tried it and let me know it was probably the best Sativa Hybrid in existence. In 1997 I had a gathering known in breeder circles as “Jamaica 1” several respected under ground breeder/growers met at my place and we spent 3 days toking testing talking and feasting on BBQ and southern food. We had a un official judging and JC won every first place vote. Now maybe the guys were just being nice because I tossed the gig but I knew at least I had found a great strain. But where did it come from?

I got my first PC in about 1994 it was an Acer 133 and soon found a great deal of information on Cannabis, certainly not anything like today but it led me to grow chats where I met others that shared an interest for growing. One of the first I became close online friends with was a guy with the nick ‘Skoosh’. I was amazed that there was another seriously hard working tax paying Loyal American that waked and baked everyday of his adult life. We swapped stories online, toked while we typed and found out we both love ice cream. He offered me some seeds and over time traded around what we each had. He sent me about 200 seeds of a old strain called Skoosh that was pretty infamous in his circles and I started cracking large treys looking for a keeper. The make up of these seeds were Pluton, Lambs bread, Purple Haze, and Northern Lights. What mix or pattern these crosses occurred I am not sure. Most of what I found was not impressive, super thin spindly sativa’s and mutants with whorled leaves. I did find a few that seemed normal and grew them to maturity. Of all the seeds I started over a period of a year one phenotype stood out. It was a extremely resinous ultra lemon wonder. It reminded me of a house hold cleaner named “Mr Clean” So I named it “The Cleaner”. It had one poor trait and that was weak stems and smaller size. I had not yet read botany and we all thought breeders were smarter than god so it was just luck I had a Jack Herer male from Sensi Seeds that I was too lazy to kill and just placed in a dark garage. It refused to die so I placed a small 12” Cleaner clone with him and she produced about 35 seeds.

From these I selected the best female and tossed all the males. From these was the Phenotype many now consider to be the holy grail of Cannabis, Jacks Cleaner is a large heavy producer with ultra white raised trichomes that actually give the plant a gooey appearance. Heavy citrus with over bearing lemon smell and taste I have yet to see anything like it. In 2003 we out crossed the P1 mother with a JC X blueberry offspring and created JC bx. This first stage back cross recently won third place in the 420 cup in Amsterdam by a grower named HOG. It had a 12 day cure and blew everyone away as he was an unknown in there neck of the woods. There is some confusion cause many that have the JC bx misstate the fact and say they have JC leaving off the BX indicating a back cross.

You can see by the photo’s that JC is not a normal hemp dominant plant. Just the speed of resin production makes her somewhat of a freak .You can see how the large raised resin heads give some shots a glass effect. I will attempt to describe toking JC from a clean bong, the smoke is crisp and thick with a heavy lemon oiliness that seems to coat the sinuses with citrus, it is a bit harsh and tends to make me wince, then the expansion starts and if you took a small enough hit and don’t cough the buzz is instant. At first the buzz is visual and very cerebral. Then the other side starts creeping and you feel as if you smoked some heavy indica. The munchies come on and after you eat plates full of bizarre food combinations you are ready for a nap. Once you are used to the high it has amazing analgesic properties and a good friend said it even made him last longer with his GF due to it’s pain relieving aspects.

Good times and good tokes for sure.  If you have the chance to visit In Hamony Wellness in Windsor, CO you will no doubt be presented with some great strains with histories like Jacks Cleaner.  I am a huge fan of a strain having a history and it being really what people say it is.  I love to know what I am medicating on and I like to know as much as I can about the plant and where it came from.  Nothing is more interesting to me than collecting and learning about these strains.  If you would like to hear more and Derek’s response to this strain, be sure to check out the JDR Show v7s6 Strain Review, where we fill you in on how it really tokes.

Supergirl is a new strain from Nirvana seeds and is an awesome strain to grab if you are looking for a new addition to your garden or medicine cabinet.  Especially if you are looking to find something most people don’t have in their collection yet.  Dutch Cannabis Seeds website has beans available if you are looking for them.  Supergirl beans aren’t too available outside that seed bank right now though.  (I think Derek picked this one to challenge my knowledge and prowess of green learnabilty. So lets get to it.  Good times)

Supergirl is a skunk variety that on report yields a good amount and is a great choice for the commercial Medical Marijuana grower.  The description of the strain says it grows very sturdy with swollen thick buds.  The plant is dark green with a ton of shiny crystals, and the buds we toked on certainly reflected the bling.  One of our more favorite strains to come across lately.  The toke is very smooth unlike the Chem/Sour/OG family and upon exhale you are left with a pleasant “mossy” taste that leaves you wishing you had taken a trip to the mountains or woods to enjoy the full ‘earth’ly’ flavor and high it presents.  A very relaxing but uplifting high presents itself immediately.  I felt like I might have to slightly get used to this strain if I were to be able to work at full capacity because the high is so strong.  The last strain I came across that does that much good work is Tangerine.  Not Tangerine Dream.  Or tangerine Haze.  But, the good ol’ Rocky Mountain Tangerine that is now very present around The Mile High State. (If you got it, grow it right people!)  I would argue Tangerine as the best strain in Colorado right now, and if not the best, certainly in that category.  Supergirl is not a Sativa like head high as Tangerine is and is for sure an Indica high, but not flattening if you know what I mean.  Since I can compare Supergirl to Tangerine, I would also put Supergirl on the list of great strains around that are a for sure don’t miss because of the effect it did have on us all.  December had a horrible headache the day we recorded the audio review and had taken Excedrin to get rid of the pain as to stay focused on the show.  Some people need to medicate with more Marijuana than they are comfortable being functionable with in public and I think December felt at the time Excedrin was the better choice.  Though it made her very anxious and I myself have also felt like I was on speed (whatever that feels like) after taking Excedrin.  December said Supergirl took care of the anxiety and nervousness caused by the Excedrin.  Bottom line is the Supergirl strain from Nirvana Seeds came through for her in the end and helped her relax enough to be comfortable and also I’m sure relieve some of the pain she was in.

I thought it was very relaxing and with a few tokes under the belt it would be a strain to help create a productive and creative session in the studio.  I could also feel a good relaxation in my shoulder and neck area nd to me that means it would help relax with a tension headache.  A valuable characteristic and important aspect for me in picking out my favorite strains.   The buds were very nicely cured out and had a lot to do with the smooth toke it produced.  Don’t miss this strain if it comes across your plate.  Very good times.

Flowering: ~56-62 days

Height: 5-6 ft on straight grow with no top after 24 in. veg.

Yield: Med-High

Indica/Sativa: 75/25

Sour Diesel is the founding father and is included in the three phenos we have come to know and love as Chem Dog, OG Kush, and as we just mentioned Sour Diesel.  The Sour D has a storied past and there is some argument how Chem Dog, and OG Kush were proliferated and who brought them where.  Some rumors say it all started in Colorado or around here with Sour D.  Then a pheno was taken to the East Coast  where it was renamed Chem Dog.  Then, as the story goes Chem Dog was taken to Cali and renamed OG Kush.  One of the most exciting parts of all this pioneering of a new industry is hearing the stories of how it all starts.  Whether its the dispensary itself or the quest for the best genetics.  They are all gold at this point.  Some say SOMA created the original Sour D pheno Rez got his from.  Derek and others say very strongly the original Sour Diesel came from Rez Dog and Reservoir Seeds.  The original 13 beans from Reservoir Seeds of Sour Diesel you now know were popped by Rez and bred for max efficiency.  The high performing Sour D, OG Kush and Chem Dog, all are from Reservoir Seeds.  I tend to fall in line with thinking and research agreeing with Derek and others who say Rez is the original creator of these fabled strains.  At least the pheno you all now know and use as Sour D is bred by Rez for larger harvests and high potency is Reservoir Seeds.  More people are growing Sour Diesel and it is a hot cross right now with a lot of breeders.  It has become a standard of sorts.  I really do enjoy keeping the history and lineage of the true breeders in tact and those stories of how each strain got to be is part of what makes what we do so darn interesting.

Sour Diesel is also part of the family of strains I like to include in the “Cacti Family”.  It enjoys high temperatures and low humidity.  In fact sometimes during the late flower cycle it seems Sour D enjoys less water and higher temps.  All the way up to 85 degrees as its normal day cycle temp.  It is not a leafy plant and will shoot up to over six feet by finish of you don’t top or do allow it to veg over 18″.  Although the Sour D’s are not a fan of topping so I don’t necessarily suggest it as one of the best strains to top if that is your bag for growing out your plants.  This makes it an easy grow for most growers as the maintenance of this plant isn’t very high either.  So long as you stay away from mites in most occasions Sour Diesel will grow strong with light nutes and little attention.  The smell of Sour Diesel is one of a kind.  No other plant smells like it.  The deep fuel and skunk smell is very evident early on in the flower stage and even in veg the plants stalks when rubbed give off a highly potent ‘diesel’ smell.  This one is not for those of you trying to grow like ninjas.  Sour D, OG Kush, and Chem Dog are all almost impossible to hide without any type of high quality filtration system.  I don’t mean just one carbon filter either.  These plants are possibly some of the most stank and skunk smelling plants indoors.  Again, don’t attempt to grow these in a stealth environment.  There are equal strains of potency with less of an aroma to hide.  That is if you can find any original beans.  Your best bet is to find a clone.  The chances of actually “winning” the raffle on a Reservoir Seeds release are better spent on hoping to get struck by lightning.

I’m not a huge fan of Sour Diesel. The toke is harsh, but not as harsh as the Chem Dog, and as we mentioned above it is just too hard to keep the smell of these plants in check.  In its grow stages or while drying and even after when its sitting in your pocket sealed in a jar ready to be used, it still stinks almost just as much as when you cut it.  I really get the munchies with Sour D and I find the up high of it is better found in other buds.  I feel Sour D is overrated when matched up against its pheno family.  Chem Dog is certainly a better grow, and some would say OG Kush is even better than that.  In splitting hairs there are differences to the connoisseur.  But, really anyone would be fortunate to have genetics like the Sour D.  I think really I am just bummed with how easy it is to find strains crossed with Sour D right now.  They are all over Colorado.  But, with all that said it can be some of the most potent and uplifting green on the market for some people.  It also goes well in a bowl with any other strain.  I like to mix the bowl with Sour D and a heavy Indica.  The effect is fantastic.

It might be easier to get a hold of the SOMA Seeds version of the Diesel when looking for beans.  Theirs is a little sweeter than the Reservoir Seeds original, and definitely has less of a ‘fuel’ smell to it.  But have no doubt, if you don’t smell the diesel on the strain you’re looking at, its NOT Sour D.  Keep in mind genetics are everything.  And, the people who know what they are doing when breeding and pick the best of the best to pass on are producing the best strains far and above.  It takes extreme patients and knowledge to produce the greens that are one step above.  Those are what you want in your garden, and we will continue to bring you the best of the best on John Doe Radio so you can know what you’re working with.

90% Sativa

Flowering Time: 10 Weeks

Yield: Medium

Height: Very Tall, lanky strain

We are fortunate enough now in Colorado to be surrounded with the best genetics available in Marijuana strains.  No exception to this is the Chemdog DD strain from Resevoir Seeds.  Chemdog DD is the child of a Sour Diesel from Resevoir Seeds line crossed with Chemdog D from Rez also.  A very strong and potent strain it flowers in 9-12 weeks depending on what kind of soaring cloud 9 high you feel like.  Our circle of growers has grown out this strain many times, and each harvest ends with buds that bling brighter than most strains could dream of achieving.  Its no kidding also that this strain is one of the most lifting on the market.  If that wasn’t enough for you there is now also Chemdog DD – II.  A more stabilized version of the strain.  Growers who did grow out the original Chem DD reported the plant would hermie no matter what steps were taken to prevent it.  Although, the pollen from this line is the most benign that I have run into ever.  A trait Rez says is corrected in the new Chem DD – II.  Not a strain that should be grown when looking to be ninja-like though.  The Sour Diesel smell is very evident from the get go in first signs of flowering and only continues to permeate a rich and deep aroma that is very hard to control.   If you do have stealth ability though, like 3-4 carbon filters, then we highly suggest not passing this strain up.  Not very leafy, and does well under extreme conditions, and high heat.  It is decently easy to grow and the amount of time put into your plants compared to other strains will be minimal with a good return.  A drink is needed when toking the finished product also because it is not the smoothest of hits.  Coughing is a regular side effect of the Chemdog.  But, well worth the effort.

Information and ordering of Resevoir Seeds strains is tricky.  Unless you find beans sitting in dispensaries or coffee shops, chances are you will have to wait online ‘Ticketmaster’ style to order the seeds.  When released the seeds are posted and go fast.  Most seed vendors also don’t carry Chemdog DD.  Whether because of the hermie issue or lack of supply it is not an easy find from scratch.

Genetics: Sour Diesel x Chemdog D

Flower Time: 9-12 Weeks

Aroma: Potent spicy Sour Diesel. Hard to hide.

Height: Over 6ft indoors if grown straight up, and veg’d anything over 2 1/2 feet.