African Strains

[Valley Mike]

We used to get "Durban Poison" pencils by the hundreds back in the late 80s and by the time 2k rolled through the pencils were half the size and you would never get the same quality ever. Ive watched our strains change over the decades and the European influence is undeniable. Everything from Malawi to Swaziland to Durban to Transkei/Ciskei (Eastern Cape) has in some way or form in a chain of cross pollination been altered either indigenously or from other Alien strains brought in by growers. I know 100% the old Rooibaard or redbeard was taken from Swaziland by a group of farmers to cultivate in the Transkei. This was around 1990. The Skunk#1 was already hear in the early 80s and that was the beginning of the end for the pure Landrace strains. The similarities of all southern African strains is uncanny and as slight a difference as a finger print. No matter if you grow a seed from Durban Cape Town Eastern Cape johannesburg Swaziland Malawi Zimbabwe... The look smell and taste will be almost identical. The smell we call "Homegrown" .. minty kind of sweet flavour but rarely a differnce where you could point out it origins. It's that close. Further north up towards the great lakes and on could be less affected.

 

[Valley Mike]

Sorry to add ... The one thing that you could always tell back in the day was a Malawi seed. When you would crack open the cobs, you would find massive black seeds in them. I have not grown a Malawi plant in a couple decades and last grew a Swazi x cheese 2 years back for shits and giggles and well... we decided to just donate it to the extraction pile.

 

[Tangwena]

Its a sad sign of the times its good to here from someone actually on the ground. I think you are spot on my friend still we have to work with what we have got. Good post.
Tangwena

 

[Valley Mike]

Here is a list of strains I can think of off head that were given to farmers in Swaziland over the years.

Skunk#1 - early 1980s - that I know of*
Super Skunk - Mid 80s - that I know of*
Bazooka around 97
Northern Lights - around 2k of the seed I know of
Accapulco Gold - 1997
Purple and Silver Haze - early 1990s
Silver Pearl - 2004
Orange Bud - Cali Orange -98ish
OG Kush - mid 2ks.
Hindu Kush - same as above
Cheese - same crew not sure of time but around 2007

*note
These are just strains I know we're grown in Swaziland. I'm in no way saying every single strain cross pollinated our land race, I'm Just putting out the variety that I am aware of personally. I'm sure by tomorrow I will have remembered a few more hehehe.
In 2004, 1000 silver pearl were given to a farmer who neglected to pull any of the male plants out from his crop that season. He pollinatedthe whole Valley and probably miles around him too. Now go back 20 years and realise this has been going on since back then.

 

[Valley Mike]

*Note Note - Addition sorry hehe
AK47 and Jack Herer - around 05

There are a bunch of other strains being grown there now but it's hard to keep up hahaha.
But if you ever go to Swaziland as a tourist... the menu will always be Swazi, Swazi Skunk or High Grade Skunk / Super Skunk.

 

[#1cheesebuds]

Uzbeka LMN x (Deep Chunk x [Purple uzbeka / mongolia x Mr. nice] ) x male Ethiopian highland.

Hybrid of Indian manifolds crossed with male dominant ethiopian highland.Cultivated by a good friend

View Image
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Wow dude! This one is huge lady. the flowers look great!

 

[DjKinetics]

Sorry to add ... The one thing that you could always tell back in the day was a Malawi seed. When you would crack open the cobs, you would find massive black seeds in them. I have not grown a Malawi plant in a couple decades and last grew a Swazi x cheese 2 years back for shits and giggles and well... we decided to just donate it to the extraction pile.

True that on identifying Malawi ! Well back then at least

 

[Genghis Kush]

.sorry , security takedown

 

[mexcurandero420]

Its Tiny but Mighty strong.

Keep on growing

 

[oldbootz]

The similarities of all southern African strains is uncanny and as slight a difference as a finger print. No matter if you grow a seed from Durban Cape Town Eastern Cape johannesburg Swaziland Malawi Zimbabwe... The look smell and taste will be almost identical. The smell we call "Homegrown" .. minty kind of sweet flavour but rarely a differnce where you could point out it origins. It's that close.

Hi,

Nice to see some more info from South Africa. But I have to disagree that you cant tell the difference between the different land races before the western influence. There was even a distinct difference between a swazi gold and a swazi rooibard and those supposedly came from the same area. There are definitely similarities. Many of them are oily and leave a brown tar stain on the end of the joint or in the filter. There are a range of smells and flavors, eg. mud, cigar, mango-citrus, hash, earth, wood, cut grass. But some of the old varieties I was lucky to have had stood out from the usual weed we were buying at the time. Definitely something different. Malawi was a lighter floral scent than usual with a golden color in the cob. Transkei Red was sweet earthy peppery with small compact pencil shaped buds. Swazi gold always had this beautiful hash brick smell when you opened the bag. The Durban pencil sticks some of them were bunk and tasted like ditch weed but some were peppery lemony with a good uplifting buzz.

Its always good to hear others experiences. All the stories can stitch together some sort of idea of what our lost heritage was. I have read all of Derayld (spelling?) stories those are quite interesting.

 

[OregonBorn]

Ay ya. Its not only Africa where the land races are vaporizing, but worldwide. The locals everywhere buy or are given Holland bread auto and feminized seeds and have virtually wiped out local strains around the globe. In Mexico, Colombia, Thailand, Jamaica, Brazil, etc. etc. Sadly.

I have grown some great Durban Poison from seeds that I got from ZA in the late 1980s. Tiny tiny seeds, pure sativa plants. It was like Thai, but better. There is a cut of Durban Poison going around here in the western US that was worked by a guy in San Francisco. It is potent, but not the same high as the seed grown Durban that I had. There are other genetics in there. I tried to get some more seeds from ZA recently, but a friend in Durban said that he cannot find any Poison weed or seeds there any more. Its apparently all Swazi and Holland stuff there now? Durban Poison is one of my favorite strains to smoke.

 

[OregonBorn]

Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s in California there was some incredibly potent African weed going around for a premium. Now they call it Black African Magic, or something like that. Not sure where it came from, back then it was just called "African". I still have a few seeds from that in the deep freeze.

 

[Roms]

Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s in California there was some incredibly potent African weed going around for a premium. Now they call it Black African Magic, or something like that. Not sure where it came from, back then it was just called "African". I still have a few seeds from that in the deep freeze.

Wow let's try to grow them bro!
This is the legend Pygmy weed from Congo right? RIP Franco!

 

[OregonBorn]

Wow let's try to grow them bro!
This is the legend Pygmy weed from Congo right? RIP Franco!

I have no idea where it was from in Africa. I have never grown it and I only have a few of these beans.

As for Franco, yes RIP buddy!

 

[Valley Mike]

African black.Magic is a Nigerian strain if I'm not mistaken... well in the US that's what's it's called. Go to Nigeria and ask for that you will get something completely different haha

 

[Valley Mike]

Ay ya. Its not only Africa where the land races are vaporizing, but worldwide. The locals everywhere buy or are given Holland bread auto and feminized seeds and have virtually wiped out local strains around the globe. In Mexico, Colombia, Thailand, Jamaica, Brazil, etc. etc. Sadly.

I have grown some great Durban Poison from seeds that I got from ZA in the late 1980s. Tiny tiny seeds, pure sativa plants. It was like Thai, but better. There is a cut of Durban Poison going around here in the western US that was worked by a guy in San Francisco. It is potent, but not the same high as the seed grown Durban that I had. There are other genetics in there. I tried to get some more seeds from ZA recently, but a friend in Durban said that he cannot find any Poison weed or seeds there any more. Its apparently all Swazi and Holland stuff there now? Durban Poison is one of my favorite strains to smoke.

Yep you won't find that real old durban anymore. The old illusive hehe.

 

[DjKinetics]

it is also likely 'pure' Swazi is probably facing the same fate; being pollinated with foreign genetics. And as the other dude said this is a global occurrence happening with landraces.

 

[vinrusso]

Tropical Seeds Senegal.
The three seeded gals where chopped when the seeds were ready, but some time before I would have chopped them for bud, the other one finished. I would say this is a 12-14 week strain.
4 females (the group shot if pretty early on)
Smells were mostly a ripe mango smell or sweet, but one had a slight "fuely" smell.
Seeded 3 plants, and one was mostly unseeded. The unseeded one was super frosty, and reaked of overly ripe mangos, and got purple late in flower.
I dont get hermies often, and grow strains as this often, but 3 hermied immediately, and the other 3 males all eventually hermied, and it was hard to get them to pollinate. The females didnt really hermie. Despite this I really like this strain.

I grew a Tropical seed Senegal. Lot's of foxtails. I was a little disappointed at the initial high. It was almost drowsy, not strong. But as sativa's do after about 4 months cure it was like night and day. My pheno went 14 weeks, no pepper smell, the smell I can;t really describe. Nice high.

 

[Nico Farmer]

Seeds I have since 1999 from Congo.
I will grow some of them this winter.

Big up all

 

[Jellyfish]

That's a long time to keep some seeds. Hope it works out great!