AK-47

AK-47 is one of the most renowned contemporary strains of this age. It was first conceived in 1992 and then further refined and improved to produce the strain that so many know and love to this day. Whilst the name suggests violence, it is not the reason AK-47 gained its name. It is actually named after the “one hit wonder” success of the gun. Much like the gun, it took the world by storm as a fairly cheap, efficient and reliable option that only requires one hit to get the desired effect. However, that is not to say that this strain can not be intimidating! It has a potent strength that will be appreciated by many.

To further explain why AK-47 XL has become such a popular strain, we thought its various accolades were worth a mention. AK-47 is the most awarding wining strain in history! If that doesn’t go some way to reassure you of its quality then we don’t know what will! This strain has won a total of twelve prizes altogether in various cannabis competitions. These include 1st place at the Highlife-Cup in Barcelona, 1st place in the sativa category of the Treating-Yourself Expo 2010 in Toronto, Canada, 2nd place at the 1999 High Times Cannabis Cup in the best sativa category and 2nd place in the 2003 High Times Cannabis Cup in the best indica category. That’s right, it has won an award in both indica and sativa categories. A true testament to the quality of the mixed and powerful traits of this hybrid.

As previously mentioned, much like the gun, the AK-47 strain is known as a one hit wonder. The high is immediate and strong, often only requiring one hit for a mid weight smoker to get into a comfortable state. As you may expect, novices should approach smoking this strain with extreme caution. It has a lot of couch-locking potential and someone less seasoned to smoking cannabis may be very quickly, and very easily overwhelmed.

The high itself induces a comfortable and relaxing body stone from its indica heritage combined with the clear and alert cerebral experience from its sativa heritage. This makes AK-47 an opportune strain to smoke on those lazy days either spent with friends or by yourself, relaxing in the sun or just hanging out – a time when you do not need to be anywhere but want the relaxation and social stimulation this quality strain has to offer.

AK-47's high THC and CBD content make it a very good all round smoke for medical users. It is effective at treating stress, anxiety, nausea, migraines, reducing the symptoms of depression and stimulating appetite. It can be fairly effective at treating mild pain, but it is not the focus and those with serious chronic pain should look for additional numbing strength mixed into this hybrid if they are set on an AK-47 strain.

In terms of aroma and taste, AK-47 tends to be skunky with undertones of sandlewood, but tastes more floral and sweet then the smell may lead you to believe. It is another part of the reason AK-47 is so popular and has become somewhat of a classic that smokers tend to look out for. It is an extremely smooth and pleasant smoke, which has earned it the nickname of “Winter Wonderland” in conjunction with its frosty appearance.

We at Zambeza have made our own hybrid to utilize and harness the awesome qualities of AK-47. We call it AK-47 XL Autoflowering. It has the strong and balanced high, great aroma and tastes and strong yields of AK-47 - but it improves on AK-47's ease of growth. You can expect a harvest of AK Passion to be ready in 9-10 weeks of planting, and all in an easy to manage, automatic form. It is perfect for pretty much any cultivator out there wanting to grow and experience the great qualities of AK-47 - especially guerrilla cultivators and cultivators without much time to put into their crops.

When growing, AK-47 will mainly display its sativa characteristics. It grows tall with long silver haired leaves, giving it a beautiful frosty appearance. It grows substantially fat calyxes that can bear a generous yield. Where its traits differ from the usual sativa characteristics is its grow time. Indoor clone growing times are roughly 5-10 days. Flowering time is usually 53-63 days. Outdoors the harvest time around mid to late October. In warmer climates cultivators will notice that the buds are fluffy and open; whereas in colder to medium climates the buds grow denser but less fluffy. There is no real distinction between the amount AK-47 yields in both cases. AK-47 thrives indoors, in both hydro and soil set-ups and has been known to produce pleasing results outdoors. AK-47 tends to yield in the region of 350-500g/m2, a relatively reasonable yield of the time and effort it takes to grow. This makes AK-47 a very attractive option for both commercial and connoisseur cultivators as it is a good cash crop and has very sought after, top quality highs. It should be noted, that AK-47 and its child strains tend to have a very pungent aroma. As a result, cultivators tend to have to take extra precautions and make sure they have good ventilation set-ups when growing in urban areas so they do not attract unwanted attention.

As you can see from this explanation, AK-47 is a modern masterpiece and completely deserves the popularity it has built around the world. We love it here at Zambeza, for both the great qualities it offers to smokers and the great potential it has for breeding hybrids. It has something for everyone and is a very well rounded strain, bringing the best of both sativa and indica together in one complete powerhouse. If you have not tried it or its children before then we implore you to do so. It is multi-award winning for a reason and is in many peoples all time favorites. Try it, you will not be disappointed.