Live Stoners Landraces and me

[Rasterman]

I just told an acquaintance that I wouldn't mind getting this landrace (link) because it would grow really well in my backyard. He started asking me, "Why would you want to do that when there's so much good gear out there that isn't landraces?"

It was a text message so I decided to come here and answer the question.

Here's the way I have started looking at it. Whenever a prize phenotype is selected and used for breeding a strain, that strain's genetics are bottlenecked into what that breeder wanted. If his choices wouldn't have been your choices, too bad.

Back in the day, we couldn't be sure what we were getting until we smoked it. Contrary to popular belief, there was plenty of fire weed. But there was also plenty of ragweed.

But fire weed wasn't so predictable and similar to all the others like it is now. You could smell the bud and know it's good. But you didn't know how it would affect you until you smoked it. And there were scores of different effects back then, unlike now, at least in my experience. Awesome effects I haven't experienced in 35+ years, but I did experience them then.

So I'm thinking, why pick a single phenotype? Why not just pick out a stable of good mothers of different phenos, different effects, and breed all of them? Just get rid of the bad moms each generation and otherwise keep as much diversity in the strain as possible.

Anyway, that's what I've been thinking about. Over the years I'm going to see if I can't put some of this into action

 

[Hog_M@Gundy]

I just told an acquaintance that I wouldn't mind getting this landrace (link) because it would grow really well in my backyard. He started asking me, "Why would you want to do that when there's so much good gear out there that isn't landraces?"

It was a text message so I decided to come here and answer the question.

Here's the way I have started looking at it. Whenever a prize phenotype is selected and used for breeding a strain, that strain's genetics are bottlenecked into what that breeder wanted. If his choices wouldn't have been your choices, too bad.

Back in the day, we couldn't be sure what we were getting until we smoked it. Contrary to popular belief, there was plenty of fire weed. But there was also plenty of ragweed.

But fire weed wasn't so predictable and similar to all the others like it is now. You could smell the bud and know it's good. But you didn't know how it would affect you until you smoked it. And there were scores of different effects back then, unlike now, at least in my experience. Awesome effects I haven't experienced in 35+ years, but I did experience them then.

So I'm thinking, why pick a single phenotype? Why not just pick out a stable of good mothers of different phenos, different effects, and breed all of them? Just get rid of the bad moms each generation and otherwise keep as much diversity in the strain as possible.

Anyway, that's what I've been thinking about. Over the years I'm going to see if I can't put some of this into action

Been listening to a couple podcasts (The Potcast and Breeders Syndicate 2.0) where they interview breeders and this is a common theme, especially among the old school guys. What you're talking about is basically open pollination and people do is for exactly the reason you state: to preserve the line's genetic diversity. They'll all the males pollinate all the females.
CSI humboldt/Pirates of the Emerald Triangle have some interesting open pollinated releases of landraces and IBLs like Pine Tar Kush and Pakistani Chitral Kush.
I'm starting my adventures with photoperiods soon and am definitely interested in trying to find something different. Once you dig a little bit, most every popular strain today has its roots in the same few cuts.

 

[Jpkindbud]

I would like some of the landrace strains. Been checking ACE on multiverse all the time. At one point I found a site specific to landrace native strains and Africa has some nice ones. Sativas that grow and show like indica but high like sat. Fast growing short sativas. Would like Colombian landrace as well. Durban hasn’t gone through many changes since discovery… but pure LR would be nice.

 

[JP1]

Not exactly landrace but agseedco/Todd McCormick has skunk#1 x NL#2 on sale right now for $2/seed

 

[JP1]

@Jpkindbud he's got Columbian and Durban on his site too

 

[Jpkindbud]

@Jpkindbud he's got Columbian and Durban on his site too

Nice, think I was gawking at his catalog online the other day!

 

[Rasterman]

Been listening to a couple podcasts (The Potcast and Breeders Syndicate 2.0) where they interview breeders and this is a common theme, especially among the old school guys. What you're talking about is basically open pollination and people do is for exactly the reason you state: to preserve the line's genetic diversity. They'll all the males pollinate all the females.
CSI humboldt/Pirates of the Emerald Triangle have some interesting open pollinated releases of landraces and IBLs like Pine Tar Kush and Pakistani Chitral Kush.
I'm starting my adventures with photoperiods soon and am definitely interested in trying to find something different. Once you dig a little bit, most every popular strain today has its roots in the same few cuts.

Cool - I'll check those out. I didn't think of it as open pollination, exactly, but I guess it is.

I'll check out those Kushes you mentioned. I have a bunch of diversity in my tent right now, but most of it is polyhybrids. I do have a landrace cross I made in there, and have some Syrian landrace seeds to start the next cycle. So hopefully at some point I'll be smoking the "inferior" gear I had access to in the '80s.

 

[Jpkindbud]

Cool - I'll check those out. I didn't think of it as open pollination, exactly, but I guess it is.

I'll check out those Kushes you mentioned. I have a bunch of diversity in my tent right now, but most of it is polyhybrids. I do have a landrace cross I made in there, and have some Syrian landrace seeds to start the next cycle. So hopefully at some point I'll be smoking the "inferior" gear I had access to in the '80s.

All that “inferior” gear from the long ago was banging. Hit you different than cultivars today. And way less THC content too. Got some “Hawaiian” from Rochester in 90… brother in law and I smoked a half pinned… EFFIN WOW! I laughed for like an hr straight, brother in law couldn’t drive and he trusted me to drive… his manual VW rabbit! I managed but took a few minutes to drive 300 yds! Got back to the house and continued to laugh. Watched Monty python… and passed out 4 hrs into high. Woke up to blue screen and drool on my chest. Most banging weed I’ve EVER smoked! Want me some of that! Hawaiian landrace sativa! Don’t care what island… wether Kona, Maui , pakalolo strain… need me some laughy weed!

 

[Hog_M@Gundy]

All that “inferior” gear from the long ago was banging. Hit you different than cultivars today. And way less THC content too. Got some “Hawaiian” from Rochester in 90… brother in law and I smoked a half pinned… EFFIN WOW! I laughed for like an hr straight, brother in law couldn’t drive and he trusted me to drive… his manual VW rabbit! I managed but took a few minutes to drive 300 yds! Got back to the house and continued to laugh. Watched Monty python… and passed out 4 hrs into high. Woke up to blue screen and drool on my chest. Most banging weed I’ve EVER smoked! Want me some of that! Hawaiian landrace sativa! Don’t care what island… wether Kona, Maui , pakalolo strain… need me some laughy weed!

Found it interesting hearing the discussions on how limited the gene pool has become because people want: dense frosty nugs with some purple and 8 weeks (10 at most flowering time) among others. Those factors alone really limit what is available to us and what breeders are able to do and be marketable. I'm definitely now more of the school of thought where I'm growing for specific effects that address my medical issues, pretty buds be damned (unless they work good) but, for the most part polyhybrids all make me feel about the same and there's definitely a "ceiling effect" on all of them where I only get so high, then just blah stoned...

 

[Hog_M@Gundy]

Cool - I'll check those out. I didn't think of it as open pollination, exactly, but I guess it is.

I'll check out those Kushes you mentioned. I have a bunch of diversity in my tent right now, but most of it is polyhybrids. I do have a landrace cross I made in there, and have some Syrian landrace seeds to start the next cycle. So hopefully at some point I'll be smoking the "inferior" gear I had access to in the '80s.

Pirates of the Emerald Triangle - Humboldt CSI

humboldtcsi.com

He's got a 420 sale going on: SPRINGCLEAN23 for 20% off and he's doing buy one get two free. I ordered a 7 pack of Headband x Bubblegum and got 26 freebies of 6 different strains