Winter 2020 - Orient Express, Kali China, R&D Annapurna's crosses

[BenoitV1984]

Started week 5 of flowering. I started PK compost tea last week for Kali China and Orient Express. I have more brewing for this week and both Nepalese hybrids will get some as well to find out how they handle nuts. Really sorry for the lack of focus on some pictures, my camera is not really top notch quality. Maybe I can borrow the reflex of my parents later for better quality closer to harvest.

The garden

Kali China

Looks like halfway there, so closer to 9 weeks phenotype.

Orient Express

 

[BenoitV1984]

Stretch is finally over. Those thin branches and long internodal space are really nice as I have been able to train then everywhere, resulting in several layer of branches without really loosing light penetration. Only starting to stack pistils, guess it will be around 13-14 weeks for those ones.

Nepal Annapurna #53 x Nepal Mist

Nepal Mist #16 x Nepal Annapurna

 

[dubi]

Lovely update Benoit! Plants look very healthy and well developed after 5 weeks of flowering.

The Kali China seems to be a classic hashplant indica pheno of the strain, while the Orient Express is a more balanced sativa/indica expression, should be a good yielder at the end with proper feeding.

Very curious to know your comments about aromas and other traits of Annapurna x Nepal Mist vs Nepal Mist x Annapurna when they are more developed and you are more familiarized with them

 

[BenoitV1984]

Thanks

About Orient Express, I remember you identified her as a Vietnam Black sativa pheno last time I grew her, did you change your mind?

Regarding the Nepalese hybrids, smell very fruity/woody. Can't really place it, something closer to the citrus family than anything else (not pungent like that panama lemon), but something more delicate. Nepal Mist x Nepal Annapurna has even some spicy notes, but which spice, that's a million dollar question for now! It will probably be more obvious later down the road.

Lovely update Benoit! Plants look very healthy and well developed after 5 weeks of flowering.

The Kali China seems to be a classic hashplant indica pheno of the strain, while the Orient Express is a more balanced sativa/indica expression, should be a good yielder at the end with proper feeding.

Very curious to know your comments about aromas and other traits of Annapurna x Nepal Mist vs Nepal Mist x Annapurna when they are more developed and you are more familiarized with them

 

[BenoitV1984]

Been a little while since I gave some update about this grow, let fix that

Kali China is almost ready but I feel like I will let her go a bit longer than 9 weeks (Next Wednesday). She is getting some beautiful dark colours and her smell is really complex to describe... Mouthwatering to say the least and nice little nuggets, looks like she liked the PK compost tea all right

 

[BenoitV1984]

Orient Express is doing way better than last time I grew her. She is no hurry to finish and it looks like she has quite a bit more to give, that's going to be nice colas once those calyxes start to swell. I won't complaint

However, even so her description mentions she is a heavy eater, I feel like the PK compost tea was not really necessary for this one (burnt leaflet tips).

 

[BenoitV1984]

The Nepalese are doing nicely as well. Definitely no more PK compost tea ever for those ones...

If I had to make an early comparison, I'd say the former here is more sexually firm than the later. As you can see in the last 2 pictures, the Nepal Mist #16 cross is throwing some male flowers. Nothing crazy but still... Feel like I will only keep the Nepal Annapurna cross later down the road. Still have 11 seeds of the Nepal Mist one if I want to but busy planning...

Nepal Annapurna #53 x Nepal Mist

Nepal Mist #16 x Nepal Annapurna

 

[BenoitV1984]

Hello there,

I am really sorry for the lack of updates toward the end... Got a new job lately. I'm in charge of market gardening for a little nonprofit organisation (organic fruits/vegetables production) and between that new job, family (beyond fucked up at the moment with brother still in nervous breakdown for like a year and currently in a psychiatric institution until things get better if that's even possible anymore...) and me time, I didn't really have lots of time. They even suffered some draught. I'll try getting my head out of my ass for next one. Well could be better could be worse...

Kali China is really a nice smoke. I don't think I will ever mix indica and sativa in the same grow anymore. Got barely above 50g. They really need longer veg time to yield remotely good. Guess I'll make dedicated Snow Moon/Kali China grow. Anyway, the taste is sweet. Taste mostly like blackberry and oriental spices as far as I can tell but my smell/taste is terrible so there is that. Other ones are still drying (Orient Express mostly dry, guess I will trim and put in jar lately this weekend).

Both Nepalese could have flowered a couple more week easy but with the endured stress, I didn't expect them to really give more and I wanted to start fresh with the Oaxacan hybrids. They could easily pass for pure sativa. They smell super nice. Something like orange and sage or so. By the way, the one I thought was a male is actually female so there will definitely be another grow of those three. I'm still keeping the mother even the one that turned hermaphrodite since that might actually be my fault..

Anyway, pictures of the plants at harvest:

Kali China at 9 weeks:

Orient Express at 11:

Nepal Annapurna #53 x Nepal Mist at 13

Nepal Mist #16 x Nepal Annapurna at 13

Really sorry Luis, I suppose you expected better from me... As explained above, not really happy thought at the moment... Will do better next time hopefully but there is potential in those Annapurna hybrids. The Nepal Mist x Nepal Annapurna one seems to be a better yielder if you want to explore toward such traits. Her smell is more pugent as well, more toward citrus family fruit. Nepal Annapurna x Nepal Mist looks definitely wilder and is foxtailing like crazy. Well both are happy foxtailer, but I don't know, the later seems just wilder to me.

 

[BenoitV1984]

So some news after a bit of curing...

Kali China is amazing. Taste is a mix of berries and spices, very nice. Remind me a bit of my Snow Moon. Very relaxing for the evening. Orient Express is all floral/incense. The 15 weeks samples I smoke from a friend’s friend was strong as shit, kinda took me off guard! Smoking weed without tobacco is really something else, I wanted to quit for a while and smoke nothing else but my organic weed... And I smoke way less so good call I guess.

About the Nepalese hybrids now... My preference is growing toward the Nepal Annapurna x Nepal Mist. More developed terpenes (strong tropical fruits scent, kinda hard to pinpoint which ones and fruity frangipane kind of taste) and she did handle stress without throwing balls like the Nepal Mist x Nepal Annapurna did. Effect is kinda dreamy, but very clear too. She is not showing much of indica influence... she could have probably gone until 15 maybe 16 weeks. I plan to revisit both crosses sometime next year alongside Orient Express after the Oaxacan, OTH hybrids and GT3/GTxPan/NHxPan/Zamaldelica and pick one mother between the 2 Nepal Annapurna x Nepal Mist and the Nepal Mist x Nepal Annapurna. I kept the later even if she hermied, don’t want to throw her away just yet.

dubi , I think there is something worth to explore in those Nepalese crosses. Maybe inbred Annapurna a bit and then cross her again to Nepal Mist. Just thinking out loud, my experience is nowhere near yours...

Anyway, gotta get up, work time.

Cheers,
Benni

 

[dubi]

Hi BenoitV1984 friend Don't worry, i'm here to help, not to judge. I really appreciate your motivation to run these 2 new Nepalese hybrids, and no matter how are the results of a grow diary, there are lessons to be learnt in all of them, and we always learn more from failures than successes.

To be honest, i could never replicate the outdoor quality of my pure Nepaleses (like Kathmandu) indoors, they really need sun, wind and soil to develop properly their resins and potency. Glad you got a vibe of them, and you are right, they look like pure sativa plants with no indica influence although Kali Mist has indica influence. Glad you still keep clones of the Nepaleses, hopefully some of your friends with better climate can finish some outdoors, you will be surprised how resistant to cold, winds and rains they are.

heheheheh yeah i forgot about it sorry Your OE mother clearly shows a very sativa expression more advanced flowering, floral/incensey your friend did a great growing her

And really nice results with Kali China! Looks line 22 from here to me. Happy you are enjoying with her complex exotic terpenes and lovely effects, it's great smoke for early-mid afternoons.

And you are right, it's not very convenient to mix in the same tent small sized, short flowering indicas with tall, long flowering pure sativa like Nepalese Annapurna.
I also just quit tobacco and i think is a good move Looking forward for your upcoming gardening adventure!

 

[BenoitV1984]

Hi mate,

Yeah well I learnt that I need to be less careless regarding water and less lost in spliff... You can’t grow properly with your brain stuck in your ass so to speak. Quitting tobacco helps a lot, next step is stop smoking and start vaping. Maybe I can start growing more strains in that same space in smaller pots since I don’t need the biggest harvest possible anymore. That way, I could finally get to the end of my collected strains/seeds sooner rather than later.

So you think I could try those Nepalese here at 55N with temperate climate? Autumn is really humid around here, and cannabis doesn’t really start flowering before end August / early September...

Thank you for identifying my Kali China, she is lovely indeed terpenes wise but I realise I’m way more into sativa than indica, both for growing and smoking. I miss Haze and anything Panama/Oaxaca related...

Take care,
Ben

 

[dubi]

Hi Ben,

I think 55ºN is probably too up north but worth to try from clone since they flower faster. Nepalese sativa genetics are very resistant against cold and temp fluctuations.

 

[BenoitV1984]

Well, maybe I try some in guerrilla as I already have a Purple Satellite growing in the garden. We have a descending moon passing in front of the Gemini on June 12th, guess I'll make some cuts and try to find a spot in the meantime.