Breeding in B.C.

You could have heard such terms as Beasters or beasty buds a couple of times before, phrases touching on the thick, heavy sinsemilla grown in western Canada, inside the Canadian province of British Columbia, or BC (hence the name). Through the years, the reputation of Beasters has climbed steadily as new varieties were produced by BC breeders-strains that compete each year within the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam, and whose seeds are now popular in seed banks in Canada and world wide.

Not surprisingly, a lot of these strains are developed in, and well-suited for, outdoor climates. But you’ll be bowled over just a chunk by precisely where and how most of these seed companies are doing it. As the hot York City slickers from the HIGH TIMES cultivation department navigated our way from city to island, it quickly became evident that there was going to be much more here than we had previously expected.

To begin with, growing in BC is completed in a very beastly climate that comprises the moist, mountainous rain forests of northern Vancouver Island. Shocked as we were, it’s true – Vancouver Island is, actually, the northern-most rainforest (technically called a temperate rainforest biome) on the earth. And rain it does.

Unfortunately, for bud growers, this may cause problems inside the flowering stages and shorten the grow season by a couple of weeks, severely affecting yields. The excellent news, however, is that the climate – when all is going in line with schedule – can create the suitable breeding grounds for seed production and strain stabilization.

Forget the indisputable fact that, when trekking in the course of the forests to the isolated grow patches, you’ll enjoy some unbelievable scenery with thrilling opportunities to spy on bears or lick Jurassic-sized slugs (turns out this provides better visuals than licking frogs). And forget the indisputable fact that you may make the two-hour drive over a winding dirt road – traversing both cliffs and rivers – and never cross paths with another living soul. Forget these nice things, which is, because at the tip of the day, here’s about exertions in even harder terrain.

The grow sites afforded listed below are only accessible at certain times and simply cannot receive the entire attention that these breeders wish to give their crops. On the other hand, here’s outdoor growing in BC, where the question from season to season is: Will we grow for bud, or will we grow for seed? The answer depends not only on the long-term weather forecasts, but in addition on the current marijuana markets.

For breeders in BC, there’s certainly a much better passion involved. Up here, more emotion goes into a farm than it might some skeleton house with a blown-out hydro operation. As Mr. Danko and I set out with our hosts and tour guides from a number of local seed companies, I sensed immediately that these were my form of people. I looked on, watching families load into the trucks, talking harvest talk and hyping up hopes for the diverse strains of fungi that we’d also encounter on our journey throughout the dense forests. Despite the rain, it was commencing to seem like a good looking day….

Gaps in genetics occur on occasion, and they’re an inevitable section of any lineage. Sometimes strains die off and disappear; other times, they become clone-only strains, closely guarded by people who want to preserve their character traits for the remainder of time. And then, sadly enough, there are those times – especially in scarcely populated regions – where the information and history becomes convoluted and slips away, erased by endless hybrids and the failed stabilization of those sacred genotypes.

The story in BC, however, is more encouraging. And the generation gaps we encountered there had nothing to do with genetics and existed only in the case of age. For my own part, I found myself in my usual situation of being the resident young whippersnapper. I’m always the perpetual new guy, the youngblood, the man who thinks he knows loads , but compared to those around him – well, suffice it to claim that I’m always the man at the bottom of the totem pole. Perhaps it’s because I look about 17 years old, or even it’s because I generally am the recent guy in some zany situation – but whatever the case, I didn’t mind it here. And it wasn’t just because these guys were genuine, down-to-earth people, but additionally because here I saw another type of generation gap.

This was the distance between the old ganja master and the hot kid on the block. The bridge over this gap was decades long, yet so solid that any one can be proud to cross over it, to hang in their company and fight on a similar side.

G., a founder of Vancouver Island Seed Company (VISC) together with his wife, K., had perhaps twenty years on Jay Generation, a more moderen sparkplug on this planet of cannabis breeding and the founder of Next Generation Seed Company (NGSC). Yet the two had a rapport that transcended any kind of competitiveness which may exist within the small world of breeding. These two obviously knew what was important, and pettiness had no place in their big picture.

Instead, Jay Generation imparted to me that he and G. had a distinct relationship, an important arrangement for any marijuana grower to cultivate. In street talk, G. and Jay Generation had each other’s backs… and then some.

With a short phone call and a straightforward code word, either breeder could anticipate the opposite to maintain business in an emergency. It’s a deal that many smarter growers make, but one they hope never should be fulfilled. The deal is unassuming and pretty standard: When the call is placed and that dreadful phrase is uttered, the fellow on the receiving end digs out your keys and heads over on your place with the one objective of eliminating all incriminating evidence. Discuss trust.

And sooner or later lately, Jay Generation received that call from G.…

Some of the good strains on the earth have come from seeds of unknown origin, pulled luckily from a pound of weed that was worked on a Dead tour or from a dime bag scored while traveling through India. Cannabis cultivation, very like life, is really a mixed bag of course.

But once in a blue moon, you come back across a bud god, a ganja guru, a breeder with a capital B. These are the folk who create our beloved strains, seemingly out of thin air, perhaps crossing an old Indian landrace with a more moderen, more rigorous hybrid, thus finding that rare and miraculous phenotype that sets the weed world on its ear. Relating to G., this dude has been growing marijuana since 1975, honing his skills with study, research and cultivation in the course of the ’80s. Then, in 1993, he founded Vancouver Island Seed Company and became component to a movement that saw marijuana cultivation spread across the globe.

I, for all of my naivete, knew enough to milk the great company I was in and commenced to churn up the dirt. My first question went well, but my followup was a total flop. Asking a breeder his favorite strain is something, but inquiring for the lineage – well, that’s something breeders don’t usually quit.

“Favorite strain?” G. repeated. “That’s easy – GSPOT!” But for anything of the response, he only added: “A secret family recipe combining sativa and indica genetics in perfect harmony.” Gee whiz, thanks, mister… I’d been hoping for just a little additional info there, as this bud was fantastic.

Luckily, anything else of the time I spent nagging at these two breeders yielded better. For example, related to selection, G. broke it down succinctly. For us non-breeders, selection is just the strategy of choosing parents – one male, one female – for breeding. People often ask about selection methods and quantities: What characteristics must you seek for in parents, and what percentage plants do you sometimes make a choice from when choosing?

As it turns out, there are three desired outcomes that guide breeders:

Stabilization of the current breed. Here you’re searching for characteristics that have remained a similar over several generations. This proves that those genetics have stabilized and are easier to pass on to offspring.

Breeding toward or aiming for certain characteristics. Subsequently, a breeder has certain traits or phenotypes that he or she desires for the offspring. These phenotypes might include shorter height, a selected leaf or bud color or maybe a unique smell.

Breeding for the unknown. As G. puts it, it’s the quest for a better great “Super Weed,” that is what leads breeders to aim new combinations of genetics. Here, there isn’t any right or wrong, so the grower selects those plants that entice him or her for whatever reason. Because a random cross or genetic mutation may transform the subsequent “Super Weed,” there is not any reason to stick with only the same old desirable traits.

The trickiest part for beginner breeders is usually choosing the right males, because today’s growers aren’t used to coping with male plants. It’s easy to understand and select an appropriate phenotypes in female plants, but what do you search for in males? Height is one prominent characteristic that breeders search for, but there are other important considerations in addition, reminiscent of how quickly the male flowers mature and the plant’s resistance to bugs and fungus.

In terms of the volume of plants used in selective breeding, true breeders will grow out 50 to 100 seeds (and infrequently more) reckoning on the available space. Once suitable females are found, they’re grown into mothers, to be able to then supply the cuttings which might be raised to breed with the male plant that has been selected. Once the male and female plants are chosen, they may be cloned, and the clones are kept as genetic back-ups – exact replicas of the original parents.

When it comes time for breeding, the offspring (cuttings) taken from the selected mother plants are grown out to the specified maturity in preparation for pollination by the males. When all plants are mature enough to breed, the flowering cycle is induced. Most breeders, including G., will start the female plants seven to 10 days before the males to make certain they’re able to catch their pollen when it comes. With the females slightly ahead within the bud cycle, breeders then watch carefully and note the day that the males begin to open their flowers and let out pollen. Some two weeks later, the males are removed from the room. This short pollination time helps a majority of the seeds ripen together on each plant. Six to seven weeks later, the plants are harvested, the seeds are extracted, and breeding is complete.

… By the time I heard the top of the phone call story, the narrative were handed off from Jay Generation to G., who, in a low and humble voice, confided anything else of the non-public tale, which came with an unexpected twist.

You see, when that fretful call was made, G. and K. were in the course of a hair-raising encounter with some of Canada’s finest, and the chance existed that G. and K.’s offices – where that they had earned the livelihood that supported their family – could be raided by law enforcement. And so the call to Jay Generation was made, and it was up to him to “clean house.”

When G. arrived back at his offices later that night, the sorrowful reality of what had happened slowly began to set in. quite a lot of work have been lost – and for a breeder as passionate as G., those losses were devastating, to assert the least. The most recent advances in his breeding programs, his newest hybrids, his genetic maps – all of it was gone. Clone of that, in a flash, it was back to square one.

G. called Jay Generation to thank him, but Jay Generation could tell that he was badly shaken, so he invited G. and his family over for dinner. When G. arrived, he was still visibly upset, so Jay Generation took him to a back nursery where they can quietly have a smoke far from their families and discuss what had happened.

And that’s when Jay Generation made good on his promise – a sincere thank-you for years of mentoring and true friendship, both within the weed business and in life.

“I walked in, expecting some nice hash and maybe to observe some of Jay Generation’s new work,” G. recalled. But instead, as the door swung open, first thing he noticed was how crowded the nursery had become. “I began to seem around and realized that these kind of plants looked plenty like my trees.”

In fact, they all were his trees. Every mother, every strain, even the babies tucked into every corner of the nursery room – they were all there, alive and well. Jay Generation had boxed each plant and run them back to his farm by the truckload, finding room for them wherever he could among his own nursery rooms and greenhouses. G.’s trees, his life’s work – a complete business on which he and K. had made a life and raised a family – was safe and sound.

It was an additional bridge connecting the generations, in every sense.

Upon arriving at the drop spot, we bundled up and unloaded the gear: clippers, trimmers, machetes, a ton of sealable buckets and a couple of loaves of bread and bottles of water. The vehicles were stashed up the road, and the forage in the course of the mountainsides began. Just across the second river, the aromas of Timewarp and Blue Dynamite permeated the air. Small patches popped up slowly here and there, a Candyland maze of pot gardens.

Clippers and gloves were handed out and a short lived tutorial given. We weren’t chopping entire plants down; rather, this was a rescue mission for buds on the verge of mold, disease and botrytis. Trimming was minimal; only the massiver fan leaves were pulled, and the large, resinous colas were then placed upright in buckets to forestall the resin glands from rupturing. We were asked to go away many of the plants’ lower extremities intact, although that they had nice popcorn buds on them, so that these could either be rejuvenated or pollinated at a later time for seed.

Most of what Danko and I plucked that afternoon were from fields planted by Next Generation Seed Company. We harvested bucket after bucket of seedless varieties from NGSC, including Romulan, Island Sweet Skunk and one of Jay Generation’s favorites – Bonkers.

Bonkers has a reputation for being one of many stickiest, most highly resinous buds to grow outdoors – an imposing quality for plants that must battle nature’s elements. In step with Jay Generation, the Bonkers strain also finishes before the others, sometime in mid-September, and has huge cola tops. Intrigued, I tried my hand again at asking in regards to the genetic lineage of this type of hardy plant. The answer was astounding: an inventive combination of Burmese, Grapefruit, Purple Indica and a ruderalis strain.

As Jay Generation spewed his story, Danko and I trimmed and tagged, beaming like a number of kids at Disneyland. Despite the short pace and the unfortunate circumstance of having to harvest early resulting from heavy rains, the congenial family atmosphere made for a very unique experience. Later, Danny and I agreed that it was probably the greatest harvests we’ve ever had.

It is fantastic how seeds grow, how thoughts plant seeds and seeds plant thoughts. I had numerous thoughts as we climbed into those harvest trucks, and after one look toward Danny and a short reciprocal nod, I knew we were on an identical page. Both of us were around long enough to understand after we’re within the company of great marijuana growers, and both us have had a bit experience with the communal and even familial interaction in cultivation situations. This is able to sound weird, but if you’re around entire families who try this stuff for a living, you get an exceptionally different view than you’ll observing someone’s closet system. Out here, for these folks, it’s a lifestyle, as this is in so many parts of the sector which can be not Long island City.

That two-hour ride out into the deep Canadian wilderness afforded us time to chat with our hosts and actually get to understand one another. Soon enough, I began to achieve something in regards to the climate in BC and just how suitable it was for breeding. G. and K. spoke adoringly about their family – Jay Generation and his wife were just starting theirs – and it got me to thinking over again about generations….

I considered the various friends I’ve had who have traded in their grow lives for family life, or who have had their families torn apart by their wanton ways. I believed concerning the few family units I know of that have managed to hang together, to stay the course – and how tough it’s been for them to accommodate family and friends as their lives take vastly different directions. Then I assumed about how lucky Jay Generation and his wife were to have like-minded friends – a long family that they may trust, and who could show them by example that they might do that and all would still be good and right with the area. Of course , we should always all be afforded the correct to breed how we decide.

When that last day came to an in depth, we loaded up one of the most two trucks with numerous fine cannabis. The opposite truck – the less expendable of the two, complete with leather interior, seat warmers and DVD player – was to be full of wives, friends and family… and, for sure, the guests from HIGH TIMES. But once I looked back and saw G. climb aboard the rickety old reefer truck by himself, I told the crowd that I’d go back and ride with him.

“What are you, a thrill seeker?” G. asked as I strapped in for the ride.

A hundred responses rushed to my mind. Maybe I should tell him about driving through Manhattan, where arrest by the NYPD or perhaps death from crazy cab drivers looms large. Or even I should quip that I was there to offer protection to him… or to rob him. But these were the classic jerk-butt reactions that have probably kept me this long at the bottom of that totem pole.

Instead, I looked at him and said honestly, “No, that’s just what I do.” I wasn’t even sure why I said it, but I did know that it was a genuine sentiment, and person who was never going to modify – not for either of us. And for both of us, this was an exceedingly comforting moment. For G., perhaps because he realized that the recent generation would, basically, grow strong. And for me, perhaps because I noticed that for the entire science on this planet, it was ultimately thanks to people like these – not the weather or the stabilizing of genetics – that the cannabis kingdom is proliferating.

VISC and NGSC are currently working on some great early outdoor lines as a joint venture between the two companies. The premise is not only to promote Canadian breeds but in addition to point out the area what might be accomplished with the appropriate strains outdoors. We’ll keep you posted on these developments in future issues of HIGH TIMES.

In the meantime, it’s far highly recommended that you simply take a look at the Fucking Incredible and GSPOT strains from VISC in addition as the good work done by maestro Jay Generation of NGSC, particularly the Northern Flame and Island Sweet Skunk lines.

All of these strains are available in through vancouverseed.com.