African Strains

[LumberJackJay]

Swazi is probably the most common weed you get in SA,its flowering time is really long aswell its not particular potent even if grown sensi,i grew it once,iv smoked it 1000s of time i wouldnt buy it again ever or even smoke a free blunt of it offered to me.
Durban Poison is mostly exported goodluck finding it here,and as far as i can tell from what iv read the Europeans selling DP have crossed it with Afghan to shorten the flowering time.
Alot of commercial weed on the streets comes from Eastern Cape and Lesotho.
Mostly everything is sativa and maybe some sativa/indica hybrids.
According to a government agriculture site we also have our own 'Ruderalis' in the Northern Cape, Spontanica something or other.

*This is to my knowledge,experience & opinion im not saying its the gospel truth

I can vouch for most of this information, however it should be explained that any airy sativa looking bud is solid as "Swazi" on our streets. It generally has two profiles, one being lime green and peppery in smell and flavor, the other a darker foliage plant with pure Mint smell and flavor. Most of these street varieties are grown well, however the actual bud isn't cared for thus resulting in an absolutely appalling end product. Worth keeping the beans though, I have found some good base haze phenotypes that would make some serious hybrids when bred to the right land race Indicas.

There is also a higher tier of Swaziland product available from a very specific source in the mother City, that is way better in quality and is often as potent as our Indoor varieties but way cheaper to purchase as it is seeded most of the time. Hybrids of both local and import strains are visible in these buds, and the buzz varies depending on the "batch" you get. Mostly NL, Blueberry and Cheese Hybrids AFAIK.

We also get Rooibaard, which is a transvaal variety very similar to the Pepper Swazi, Lime green however throughout flowering the pistils of this genotype turn a crimson red from white. It does not transition like other strains or turn a brown/orange shade, it turns straight blood red. This plant has a soaring head high that has no ceiling, and may have you in panic attack mode for the first half an hour if you are not ready for blast off.

 

[LumberJackJay]

An Example from my thread of the hybrid I am growing this season, This seed came from the above mentioned Top Tier Distributor:

14 days flowering:

For a more in depth look and discription please see my thread I posted in the Outdoor Section. I can tell you she has a really solid sweet smell, the frost should come in soon, this was a import x landrace so it doesn't frost up as quickly as some of the poly hybrids you guys are used too, but trust me she will frost up and the smell is intoxicating, beautiful sweet grape aroma that I hope holds until the chop at around 9/10 weeks.

 

[DjKinetics]

I can vouch for most of this information, however it should be explained that any airy sativa looking bud is solid as "Swazi" on our streets. It generally has two profiles, one being lime green and peppery in smell and flavor, the other a darker foliage plant with pure Mint smell and flavor. Most of these street varieties are grown well, however the actual bud isn't cared for thus resulting in an absolutely appalling end product. Worth keeping the beans though, I have found some good base haze phenotypes that would make some serious hybrids when bred to the right land race Indicas.

There is also a higher tier of Swaziland product available from a very specific source in the mother City, that is way better in quality and is often as potent as our Indoor varieties but way cheaper to purchase as it is seeded most of the time. Hybrids of both local and import strains are visible in these buds, and the buzz varies depending on the "batch" you get. Mostly NL, Blueberry and Cheese Hybrids AFAIK.

We also get Rooibaard, which is a transvaal variety very similar to the Pepper Swazi, Lime green however throughout flowering the pistils of this genotype turn a crimson red from white. It does not transition like other strains or turn a brown/orange shade, it turns straight blood red. This plant has a soaring head high that has no ceiling, and may have you in panic attack mode for the first half an hour if you are not ready for blast off.

True that.
Poor drying and handling and lack of curing definitely contributes to the lower grade of Swazi available.
Rooibaard used to be one of my favourite smokes back in the day, I always thought it was perhaps a red phenotype of Swazi selectively bred. Heavy on that spicy pepper smell and taste. Remember my first bag I didn't even chop up bud just shaked off the long red hairs and rolled it up

 

[yesum]

I have some USC Senegal seeds coming, any reports on this strain's high?

 

[vinrusso]

I have some USC Senegal seeds coming, any reports on this strain's high?

There are 2 phenotypes. Actually both pheno's are in this forum. I can't say anything really until cured. You know how some sativa's are. At least 90 days before you really get the taste and high. It has a lot of resin, if that tells you anything.

 

[vinrusso]

Hi my friend I take it you are in SA where abouts?
good to have a SA resident chiming in stay cool bro.
Tangwena

Tang, sorry, for bumping in.I'm not much of a breeder but, I crossed a 2013 meao thai dominant Zamaldelica with a Green Haze Thai, Meao thai dominant. I'm trying to milk the Meao, as to have almost pure Meao to cross with Angola. Angola x Meao Thai is the trippest weed i've ever smoked.So with this Haze Thai/Zamaldelica. Should I just inbreed it, or what?

 

[Tangwena]

Tang, sorry, for bumping in.I'm not much of a breeder but, I crossed a 2013 meao thai dominant Zamaldelica with a Green Haze Thai, Meao thai dominant. I'm trying to milk the Meao, as to have almost pure Meao to cross with Angola. Angola x Meao Thai is the trippest weed i've ever smoked.So with this Haze Thai/Zamaldelica. Should I just inbreed it, or what?

Hi my friend if that question was directed at me I cant help, I have no experience at breeding just pollen chucking sorry cant help.
Tangwena

 

[Londinium]

Tang, sorry, for bumping in.I'm not much of a breeder but, I crossed a 2013 meao thai dominant Zamaldelica with a Green Haze Thai, Meao thai dominant. I'm trying to milk the Meao, as to have almost pure Meao to cross with Angola. Angola x Meao Thai is the trippest weed i've ever smoked.So with this Haze Thai/Zamaldelica. Should I just inbreed it, or what?

Yeah...if you intend to outcross it with angola(I assume thats a pure Angola with no shared genetics with this ZamHazeThai)then you should inbreed it(self it) with selection towards your Meao-leaning goals and then out-cross to the Angola later. The F2 (second generation of in-breeding) should split it into many pheno's,with some being Meao-ish...
Crossing 2 in-bred lines with quite different genetics usually leads to good hybrid vigour too....so an F1 you make of the ZamHazeThai and Angola,with both being in-bred first should be strong,vigorous growers as well as a nice mix of your 2 faves and a great addition to the genepool for all of us Luck'n'Lite jbo

 

[THCengineer]

http://www.archaeology.org/news/4499-160531-madagascar-mung-beans

"Linguistic and genetic evidence has hinted that migrants from Southeast Asia could be among the ancestors of the modern inhabitants of Madagascar. Now Science reports that Austronesians may have settled in Madagascar between 1,000 and 1,200 years ago. Led by archaeologist Alison Crowther of the University of Queensland, an international team of scientists collected more than 2,400 ancient crop samples from 20 archaeological sites on the eastern coast of Africa, Madagascar, and the Comoro Islands, which are situated between Madagascar and the African coast. Radiocarbon dates of the charred seeds indicate that between A.D. 700 and 1200, crops such as pearl millet, cowpea, and sorghum were grown on the coast of East Africa, where Asian crops such as rice, mung bean, and cotton were rare. But the Asian crops were common on the Comoros Islands and on Madagascar. And although rice and mung bean were grown in India at the time, other common Indian crops were not found in Madagascar and the other islands. “We finally have a signal of this Austronesian expansion,” said Nicole Boivin of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History."

Very informative! I was wondering who originally brought cannabis to the Reunion Islands near Madagascar. I had read that in 900AD, Arab traders were active in that region, and they gave seeds to the natives living thereabouts. Since a zamal was included in my Ace Zamaldelica hybrid, I was curious, especially after I harvested 3 Zams last Monday, (2 dense Malawi phenos and 1 less dense, lighter green possibly Thai or zamal pheno.)

 

[LumberJackJay]

True that.
Poor drying and handling and lack of curing definitely contributes to the lower grade of Swazi available.
Rooibaard used to be one of my favourite smokes back in the day, I always thought it was perhaps a red phenotype of Swazi selectively bred. Heavy on that spicy pepper smell and taste. Remember my first bag I didn't even chop up bud just shaked off the long red hairs and rolled it up

I agree with you DJ, I think that Rooibaard stems from traditional Swaziland Hazes, That were selectively bred in the Transvaal since the 70's/80's thus creating another landrace. Much of the same Sativa phenotypes come from Lesotho too, which tells me that most of our genetics originated in Swaziland.

I do believe Rooibaard is an exceptional Haze. I have over 100 beans and some crosses I've made with it too, All pure power head high varieties. I had a really good harvest last season of it too, so many regular smokers enjoyed a puff with me but the panic attacks were real.

You know those guys that smoke Cheese and say they can smoke dank, then they see our airy homegrown and think it doesn't have a kick, little do they know

 

[vinrusso]

Good information, I appreciate it!

 

[LowFalutin]

a bouquet of ciskei...

this clone finished in 9wks under 11/13 light schedule.
energetic effect starting to come on song 2.5wks after harvest.
pretty clean effect that should only get cleaner with a proper cure.
amber woody taste on vape intake. kind of carrot-y aftertaste.
light, air-y buds. little density = perfect for vaping, or making hash.

cheers y'all

 

[Genghis Kush]

I agree with you DJ, I think that Rooibaard stems from traditional Swaziland Hazes, That were selectively bred in the Transvaal since the 70's/80's thus creating another landrace. Much of the same Sativa phenotypes come from Lesotho too, which tells me that most of our genetics originated in Swaziland.

I do believe Rooibaard is an exceptional Haze. I have over 100 beans and some crosses I've made with it too, All pure power head high varieties. I had a really good harvest last season of it too, so many regular smokers enjoyed a puff with me but the panic attacks were real.

You know those guys that smoke Cheese and say they can smoke dank, then they see our airy homegrown and think it doesn't have a kick, little do they know

hi LumberJackJay,

are you reffering to the origin of the herb you see in the Transvaal as being Swazi or did you mean that all the herb is SA originates in Swazi including the stuff in the Transkei region?

I have read that cannabis was grown in the Transvaal to give to the mine workers as motivation like coffee. Have you ever heard about that? If so I wonder if the dutch and english imported strains from India and southeast asia for such purposes.

I also wonder about the arab connected civilizations like the kingdoms of Mapungubwe and Zimbabwe and how much of the genetics in the area originate from back then.

aloha

 

[DjKinetics]

i dont think anyone is going to be able that question for certain but it seems likely that South African landraces possibly originate from Swaziland. id also like to give some geographical input in general. Swaziland is not a province of SA its a country of its own as is Lesotho. Transvaal is the name of the northern provinces under apartheid we dont use that name anymore.
Here's a map for anyone interested ,you'll notice Lesotho is surrounded by South Africa

 

[LumberJackJay]

Tang, sorry, for bumping in.I'm not much of a breeder but, I crossed a 2013 meao thai dominant Zamaldelica with a Green Haze Thai, Meao thai dominant. I'm trying to milk the Meao, as to have almost pure Meao to cross with Angola. Angola x Meao Thai is the trippest weed i've ever smoked.So with this Haze Thai/Zamaldelica. Should I just inbreed it, or what?

I am no expert in breeding marijuana, but I do have experience with other species and from what I've learnt in nature, the best way to lock in the traits you're looking for is to inbreed first, then Pheno hunt those seeds. Different traits may also be different types of genes. Some recessive, some Dominant or Co-Dominant and some are going to be Line Bred.

Once you have a male and a female showing the desired Meao traits, you can bring them together and search the F3's. Do so until you have seeds that grow exactly as you want every single time.

This can go into the F7/F8 generation but be careful and mindful, at a certain point these traits will not show and the genetics will degenerate. You may even have to out-cross during the generations or you will not have stable genetics going forward. Hybrid vigor is one of the most important things to look for.

You could also back cross to the parents from the F2 seeds, just to see if any of the traits you are looking for are recessive/dominant, otherwise it will have to be line bred until you get what you want.

There is no guarantee that you can replicate the traits you are looking for so don't be disappointed if you only get 70/80% Meao traits.

 

[LumberJackJay]

hi LumberJackJay,

are you reffering to the origin of the herb you see in the Transvaal as being Swazi or did you mean that all the herb is SA originates in Swazi including the stuff in the Transkei region?

I have read that cannabis was grown in the Transvaal to give to the mine workers as motivation like coffee. Have you ever heard about that? If so I wonder if the dutch and english imported strains from India and southeast asia for such purposes.

I also wonder about the arab connected civilizations like the kingdoms of Mapungubwe and Zimbabwe and how much of the genetics in the area originate from back then.

aloha

Great Question Genghis

I should've clarified a bit better, I was talking specifically of the Rooibaard Haze or Red Beard Haze as I like to call it. This is a locality of Haze that grows in the Transvaal and is almost an exact replica of traditional Swaziland Haze. But with its own genetic traits which I believe come from 20 years of inbreeding.

t is not the only locality in Transvaal or around SA so there are plenty of other mixed "landraces" or area specific genetic pools that could have other genetics, like I mentioned above with the higher tier Marijuana from the upper mountains in Swaziland being mixed with imports such as Blueberry, UK Cheese and Northern lights for example.

Durban Poison could also have orginated from Swaziland Genetics, If you see a true DP plant growing it is almost exactly the same as a Swaziland Haze just like the Red Beard, However produces much more THC and Trichomes, with a guarenteed Liqourice smell when you touch the stems and flowers. Once again, This could be Swaziland Haze seeds that have been inbred for generations. If you look on the map DJ posted, Swaziland is very close to the KZN mountains that DP originated in. The rumors over the naming of this strain come from two stories. One being that the coppers sprayed the crop one year and the growers decided to name this batch Durban Poison, prewarning the sellers that they had been sprayed. Another story is that the narcotic head high is so strong that you will feel a little crazy for the first hour or two, and the locals started to call this marijuana durban poison for how it made them feel mentally. I think the second story is more plausible but who really cares, we only care about the genetics and preserving an amazing Haze variety.

That story is true, the miners would be less combative to long hours and would actually have designated smoking areas as most mines are away from the Cities and aren't really frequented by Police. Mine Management turned the blind eye to allow the guys to smoke and grow as they had less issues to raise concerning their work environment. It is both a beautiful and tragic story. On one hand the marijuana helped the miners, but on the other it opened them to more exploitation. These practices died out in the 80's/90's with all the eyes from around the world on SA for obvious reasons.

 

[Genghis Kush]

.

 

[Genghis Kush]

Great Question Genghis

I should've clarified a bit better, I was talking specifically of the Rooibaard Haze or Red Beard Haze as I like to call it. This is a locality of Haze that grows in the Transvaal and is almost an exact replica of traditional Swaziland Haze. But with its own genetic traits which I believe come from 20 years of inbreeding.

t is not the only locality in Transvaal or around SA so there are plenty of other mixed "landraces" or area specific genetic pools that could have other genetics, like I mentioned above with the higher tier Marijuana from the upper mountains in Swaziland being mixed with imports such as Blueberry, UK Cheese and Northern lights for example.

Durban Poison could also have orginated from Swaziland Genetics, If you see a true DP plant growing it is almost exactly the same as a Swaziland Haze just like the Red Beard, However produces much more THC and Trichomes, with a guarenteed Liqourice smell when you touch the stems and flowers. Once again, This could be Swaziland Haze seeds that have been inbred for generations. If you look on the map DJ posted, Swaziland is very close to the KZN mountains that DP originated in. The rumors over the naming of this strain come from two stories. One being that the coppers sprayed the crop one year and the growers decided to name this batch Durban Poison, prewarning the sellers that they had been sprayed. Another story is that the narcotic head high is so strong that you will feel a little crazy for the first hour or two, and the locals started to call this marijuana durban poison for how it made them feel mentally. I think the second story is more plausible but who really cares, we only care about the genetics and preserving an amazing Haze variety.

That story is true, the miners would be less combative to long hours and would actually have designated smoking areas as most mines are away from the Cities and aren't really frequented by Police. Mine Management turned the blind eye to allow the guys to smoke and grow as they had less issues to raise concerning their work environment. It is both a beautiful and tragic story. On one hand the marijuana helped the miners, but on the other it opened them to more exploitation. These practices died out in the 80's/90's with all the eyes from around the world on SA for obvious reasons.

Thanks for the info, very informative.


Interestingly im currently growing some seeds I collected in Port St Johns a couple years ago along side some Thai seeds I just collected a few months ago and the plants look exactly the same. Very hard to tell the difference between the two varieties.

South Africa is a great great country!

aloha from hawaii

 

[vinrusso]

I am no expert in breeding marijuana, but I do have experience with other species and from what I've learnt in nature, the best way to lock in the traits you're looking for is to inbreed first, then Pheno hunt those seeds. Different traits may also be different types of genes. Some recessive, some Dominant or Co-Dominant and some are going to be Line Bred.

Once you have a male and a female showing the desired Meao traits, you can bring them together and search the F3's. Do so until you have seeds that grow exactly as you want every single time.

This can go into the F7/F8 generation but be careful and mindful, at a certain point these traits will not show and the genetics will degenerate. You may even have to out-cross during the generations or you will not have stable genetics going forward. Hybrid vigor is one of the most important things to look for.

You could also back cross to the parents from the F2 seeds, just to see if any of the traits you are looking for are recessive/dominant, otherwise it will have to be line bred until you get what you want.

There is no guarantee that you can replicate the traits you are looking for so don't be disappointed if you only get 70/80% Meao traits.

This "Meao" project actually was by accident. I happen to grow a really dark green very Meao Green Haze thai. I had Thai pheno 2013 Zameldelica Meao dominant, so I dusted the Thai Haze,. As I really liked the Meao Ace had. . So the seeds I have should be pretty much Meao you think? If so, if I grow out a female of these seeds, and dust her with the Meao X Zamal from before, I know it wouldn't be 100% Meao, but almost? Thanks for the advice.

 

[podiboy]

This was one of equilibrium's strawberry cough x deep chunk gal crossed with an heirloom Malawi male. Finished the end of the first week of October in Norcal, grew lime green, broad and long leafed all summer and darkening up with nice strawberry hues towards the end. Good mold and mildew resistance, I am guessing, due to the Malawi roots. My fave strain of the year.