Skunk

The Skunk is without a question one of the most widely known cannabis strains. You won’t find many marijuana connoisseurs or growers who don’t have at least some experience with this legendary and very popular weed strain.

Cannabis history tells us, that Skunk was created in California back in the early 1970s as a poly-hybrid cross between two sativas, Columbian Gold and Acapulco Gold and a purebred Afghani indica. The strain had been developed by Sam the Skunkman, who had been a member of a collective of passionate growers and breeders. It is noteworthy to mention, that cannabis lore tells us, that Sam the Skunkman was at that time merely a junior member of the group and according to his own words had only a limited number of grows under his belt.

Back at that time, before the age of high-tech grow lighting and hydroponics, cannabis breeders were making the selection of thousands of plants outdoors. It normally took many years to detect and select the best genetics and then to stabilize them. In the case of Skunk, these sought after qualities had been great yields, a short flowering time, nice branching, a superb aroma and an optimal bud to leaves ratio.

After Skunk had been developed, the strain made its way to Europe in the 1980s, when Sam the Skunkman brought it to the Netherlands, where he started to sell some seeds with his own company. 

It didn’t take long after Skunk was introduced into the cannabis scene and the name “Skunk” itself became synonym for a number of strains, that emerged at bout the same time like the original Skunk, with expressions like “skunky” today still widely used among cannabis enthusiasts and often meaning old-school marijuana, like how weed was “back in the good ol’ days”. In the United Kingdom, “Skunk” has a similar meaning, but there it is more generally used as a word to describe very potent cannabis strains, that are high in THC, regardless of their genetic heritage or it is used as a slang for potent cannabis buds.

What sets the original Skunk #1 apart from other strains, is that it is among the most stable, reliable and homogenous cannabis plants. This is the reason, that Skunk genetics are often used in the creation of new hybrids like Haze x Skunk, along with a plethora of others.

Somewhat in contrast to the Skunk’s legendary stability, the parents of the original Skunk #1 could differ somewhat from one year to the next which led to different phenotypes of the strain with slight variations. A good example for this is Cheese Exodus, which lore lets us know it came from a bag of Skunk Seeds in the UK in the late 1980s and which by itself became a very popular classic strain.

Today, we have two main variations of Skunk #1 genetics: There is Sam the Skunkman’s variety “Sweet Skunk”, which is mostly Sativa. This variety has a very pleasant effect and a rather sweet aroma. The other genetic variety is “Roadkill Skunk”, which had been developed by Neville. This Skunk line shows more of the Afghani traits and has a very intense aroma and more relaxing effect.

Cannabis hybrids, that had been or still are created with Skunk genetics, will have one of the two as their relative. It’s common, that breeders are crossing Skunk phenotypes with Indica genetics, when they plan to further increase yields and potency.

STRAINS DEVELOPED WITH SKUNK GENES

When you look at cannabis strains today, you will come across hundreds of great strains, that have Skunk genetics in them, either as their direct parent or somewhere further back in their gene pool. Saying that you can find Skunk genetics (almost) everywhere today, is definitely not an exaggeration!

One good example for a great strain with Skunk genetics is Zambeza Seeds’s Vanilla Ice. This is a strain, that combines not only Skunk genes, but also the qualities of Northern Lights and an Afghani, making Vanilla Ice a powerful fusion of three of the best performing Indicas. The result is a spectacular productive plant, that delights with very frosty buds and a great Vanilla aroma, which makes Vanilla Ice a great choice especially for hash making.

Obviously, an article about Skunk genetics wouldn’t be complete without covering a classic Skunk, such as Zambeza Seeds’ Skunk. This Skunk variety is just the perfect strain, if you want to take advantage of Skunk’s reliable genetics, short flowering time and excellent yields. No doubt, that we’re dealing with a classic Skunk when you enjoy her unique aroma, clearly having the “skunky” notes mixed together with sweet and spicy flavours. Seeing that she’s a first-rate classic Skunk it’s not exactly surprising, that she’s also incredibly potent and delivers a very relaxing and euphoric high.

Not much can go wrong when you combine a classic Afghani with Skunk genetics, two of the most reliable cannabis genetics. This is exactly what we did to create our White Cheese Fast Flowering here at Zambeza Seeds. One of our goals was to shorten the flowering period, so that growers can see results without the long wait. Our White Cheese Fast Flowering is a premium Cheese strain, that delivers an abundance of white crystals and an out of this world potency like you’d expect from a top Cheese in a short 50 days. Now add the spiciness of Skunk and you’ll know why White Cheese Fast Flowering is a cheese strain that’s very popular among growers and connoisseurs.

Yet another fantastic strain with Skunk genetics is Zambeza Seeds’ Super Silver Haze. Super Silver Haze (or short SSH) is an all-time classic that you can still find in many Dutch coffee shops today. The Skunk genetics here yet again meet the always popular Northern Lights qualities, but this time in combination with equally great Haze genes. Here at Zambeza Seeds we can proudly say, that Super Silver Haze is one of our most popular strains. No surprise there when you learn about her staggering 21% of THC, enormous indoor yields and a still decently short flowering time for a Haze hybrid. Some even go so far as to say, that Super Silver Haze is probably the best Haze hybrid and we would definitely agree there.

Of course these are only some of the great strains with Skunk genetics, that you can find today. What all of them have in common with the original Skunk #1 and why they stand out from other strains is, along with many other qualities, their short flowering time and the fact, that they are not difficult to grow. You won’t need any special skills to grow a Skunk, which makes these strains also well suited for new growers. The proven and always reliable Skunk genetics help cannabis growers for decades, so they can look forward to fantastic yields, excellent taste and an amazingly potent smoke!