Why Boomers Think Sativa was better than it really was

[LetItGrowFarAndWide]

From DJ Short:
Equatorial Sativa varieties are of interest for quality herb production (Thailand, Oaxaca, Colombia, Central Africa, etc.) as the Indica zones are more renowned for hashish production. Parts of Nepal tend to produce both excellent hashish and fine Sativa buds, with some plants reportedly living longer than two years!

"Quality herb" was... sativa?

That's not what I remembered.

Used to get tons of Mexican and Columbian back in the 70s.

Most of it wasn't that good. Only about 2-3 times a year would we get anything really good.

In the 90s I smoked some of the famous Columbian Red (aka Panama Red) that I bought from a Rasta in Costa Rica.

It was like smoking hash. Very sticky, dense bud. You only had to smoke a little bit. Very sleepy weed. Up in bed with old Panama Red, indeed.

Also got to try real Columbian Gold that I bought in Columbia for $8 an ounce. Couldn't finish a joint. Super paranoia inducing.

And I've smoked Acapulco Gold and Michoacan Green.

The first was very potent and I was told the Green was a cross and not the real deal that was grown by an old man way up in the mountains and it was a real dangerous trip to buy some but the match tip size buds were killer.

Those were the highlights.

Most of the sativa we smoked was weak crap.

You could smoke joint after joint of that schwag.

Saw a recent interview with DJ Short. He still has all of his source seeds and offspring going way back to the 70s.

He said the same thing.

Many of the sativas DJ grew out were "not that good".

Any comments?

 

[Fromunda506]

To each their own. A lot of sativas from the 70s and 80s were also poorly grown outdoors and transported long distances in questionable conditions to get to (at least) me. When we used to grow the seeds from that “schwag” outdoors, it was almost unrecognizable compared to the brick weed it came out of. Always found a couple each season that melted my face. Got ahold of some really trippy head pot that way. You do you tho my guy. Best thing about growing your own is getting exactly what you want exactly how you want it…cheers

 

[LetItGrowFarAndWide]

Always found a couple each season that melted my face. Got ahold of some really trippy head pot that way

Exactly.

Head pot.

And you confirmed what I said -- it was real hit or miss what you got.

Low floor, high ceiling genetically.

People who grew huge fields of landraces didn't care about individual plants. It was all open pollinated. That's why it's a genetic crapshoot for breeders.

In fact I think it's probably impractical for people to phenotype hunt with pure sativas if you grow in temperate latitudes or indoors.

Unless there's a way to do it with landrace males, tossing the females...?!?

There's usually no balanced body high like with today's hybrids.

The last time I planted a seed I found in some weed I bought from a Rasta in Santa Marta, Columbia who told me it was a cross with a landrace similar to Columbian Gold. The seeds were huge unlike the landrace sativa I bought that had small, dark seeds.

In my past experiences, huge seeds meant indica.

I was totally disappointed that after FLOWERING 26 weeks outdoors, there were zero buds beyond a couple of wispy hairs at the bud sites. Huge plant, 2 meters tall, but a total waste of time.

And the last time I grew a sativa Liberty Haze F1 cross, I made the mistake of selecting the sativa phenos and threw away the indica phenos.

Should have did the opposite.

Totally weak. Great high, but weak.

Sorry, the biggest complaint I get from people is that sativas are too weak.

That's why my current project is to produce a more powerful sativa cross with a hash plant like that Thaighani I got in NoCal in 2022. That stuff was fire. Uplifting but potent.

That's my goal.

Hey, different strains for different brains.

 

[LetItGrowFarAndWide]

Oh, I forgot the original post relating to why your memory of weed you smoked long ago is better than today?

The human brain enhances good memories over time, making them better than they originally were. And it prunes out the bad memories.

I remember sinsemilla from the early 80s (probably from the Emerald Triangle in NoCal) being great. An ounce was huge--filling up a ziplock bag that would hold a quarter pound of sativa at the time.

Early 80s sinsemilla was very fluffy, pine smell gassy aftertaste.

Paid $65 an ounce for it when good Columbian Gold that was almost half seeds and stems was $50/ounce making the actual cost of good sativa back then more expensive than kind buds.

Was it better than the Flo x White I got in 2022 in NoCal?

Not likely.

 

[cannafarmer420]

From DJ Short:
Equatorial Sativa varieties are of interest for quality herb production (Thailand, Oaxaca, Colombia, Central Africa, etc.) as the Indica zones are more renowned for hashish production. Parts of Nepal tend to produce both excellent hashish and fine Sativa buds, with some plants reportedly living longer than two years!

"Quality herb" was... sativa?

That's not what I remembered.

Used to get tons of Mexican and Columbian back in the 70s.

Most of it wasn't that good. Only about 2-3 times a year would we get anything really good.

In the 90s I smoked some of the famous Columbian Red (aka Panama Red) that I bought from a Rasta in Costa Rica.

It was like smoking hash. Very sticky, dense bud. You only had to smoke a little bit. Very sleepy weed. Up in bed with old Panama Red, indeed.

Also got to try real Columbian Gold that I bought in Columbia for $8 an ounce. Couldn't finish a joint. Super paranoia inducing.

And I've smoked Acapulco Gold and Michoacan Green.

The first was very potent and I was told the Green was a cross and not the real deal that was grown by an old man way up in the mountains and it was a real dangerous trip to buy some but the match tip size buds were killer.

Those were the highlights.

Most of the sativa we smoked was weak crap.

You could smoke joint after joint of that schwag.

Saw a recent interview with DJ Short. He still has all of his source seeds and offspring going way back to the 70s.

He said the same thing.

Many of the sativas DJ grew out were "not that good".

Any comments?

Sativas are weird, i don't feel high from a pure sativa it's like coffee to me. I need something in the body

 

[LetItGrowFarAndWide]

Sativas are weird, i don't feel high from a pure sativa it's like coffee to me. I need something in the body

Funny that's exactly what the reviewer of this Chocolope said...just like coffee in the morning.

Apparently he's reviewing a pheno of DNA Chocolope.

Chocolope
DNA GENETICS
OG Chocolate Thai x Cannalope Haze
95% Sativa | 5% Indica
Flowering: 8-9+ Weeks

I can say without a doubt that no "pure" sativa flowers in 8-10 weeks. It's gotta have some Afghani in its gene history.

I got some Chocolate Thai buds on order from a delivery service this week that looks promising. So far, been disappointed with the quality of the landrace sativa around here. Bought an ounce of bricked Chocolate Thai and the high is nice but it's so weak it's a little harsh on the lungs. Going to make edibles out of it, hopefully the kind that causes you to see cartoons when you close your eyes like any good sativa edibles.