Featured Flower: Blueberry

At a Glance

Aroma and Taste: Sweet, fruity, tart, earthy and, of course, like blueberries
Common Dominant Terpenes: Pinene, Myrcene, Caryophyllene
Average THC: High     Average CBD: Low

What Is  Blueberry?

To answer this question and more, we turned to a few experts: Buds and Tantalus Labs.

Blueberry is a high-THC indica-dominant hybrid with a lavender blue hue and a strong blueberry aroma. Its dense, trichome-heavy buds are sure to impress and are highly sought-after among breeders, having inspired many crosses.

History

Originally developed on the West Coast, Blueberry quickly became well-known across the continent for its huge purplish buds and sweet blueberry aroma. Like so many cannabis strains, this one’s exact genetic background is hazy, but many believe Blueberry is a three-way cross of Purple Thai, Thai and Afghani.

In recent years, Blueberry has become the proud parent to many popular strains, including Blue Dream, Blueberry Kush, Tantalus Lab’s Sky Pilot and Buds’s Bag of Weed Sativa.

Buds told us more about why developing a Blueberry cross made perfect sense for its brand: “Our Blueberry strain is a cross between Blueberry and Haze, creating the best of both worlds. Any flower aficionado or passionate grower will tell you the beauty, nuance and unique growing conditions make a Haze worth the long wait, especially when bred with the fruity aromas of Blueberry. The cross with Blueberry provides added potency and tart flavour to our Haze — think of it as a sweet tart in a sativa-forward bud.”

Characteristics

You don’t have to be a cannabis scientist to figure out how Blueberry got its name. At first glance — and first whiff — this strain jumps out at you with its signature colouring and strong blueberry aroma. While on the plant, Blueberry can appear red, purple and blue, but it changes to lavender during the curing process.

The team at Buds shared the secret behind Blueberry’s colour: “Pigments called ‘anthocyanins’ can be present if the plant is exposed to cooler temperatures typical at a certain stage of cultivation, and they are unique to the Blueberry genus. So the bag appeal from Blueberry’s colour and aroma were key drivers in our selection of this cultivar.”

Blueberry is a mostly indica hybrid strain (about 80% indica and 20% sativa), with high THC and little to no CBD. Its large, dense buds are covered in sticky trichomes.

Since both Tantalus Labs and Buds (grown by Organigram) have unique Blueberry crosses, their strains offer different takes on the versatile Blueberry.

Tantalus Labs explains: “We grow Sky Pilot at Tantalus Labs, a specifically selected cross between Blue Dream (Sativa Haze and Blueberry Indica) and Snow Lotus (Afgooey and Blockhead). Our phenotype is sativa-leaning, with sweet blueberry frosting. Think of it as a more sativa-leaning take on your favourite Blueberry Indica. Our Sky Pilot has a big, strong scent, with a highly resinous and floral quality.”

Buds offered up this description of its Blueberry cross (which happens to be a sativa) that’s sure to please even the most discerning nose: “A serious sativa, hydro-grown with big, crystally buds, it smells like a cross between bumbleberry muffins and a freshly cut lawn. The high myrcene from this strain provides a hint of tropical sweetness mixed with a classic earthiness.”

Growing

Blueberry has a high stretch rate (meaning it can grow quite quickly during flowering), reaching a medium-tall height during its eight- to 10-week flowering period. Its heavy buds have medium to large calyxes.

For Tantalus Labs, growing a Blueberry cross starts from the ground up: “There are a few ways we maximize the genetic potential of our plants. First, we custom blend our own unique fertilizer mix for to each cultivar. By taking a tissue culture analysis of the plant, we can measure the nutrient uptake and then customize the nutrient mix. This makes sure the plant is always getting the right amount of nutrients at the right time.”

What is a strain?

To help you understand what a cannabis strain is, you can think of it like a breed of dog. While all dogs share similar traits, there are definitely differences among breeds (you wouldn’t confuse a Great Dane with a dachshund, for example). When it comes to different cannabis strains, this means one may have a sweet, lemony aroma, while another may boast a pungent, sour diesel-like scent. These differences have been fine-tuned by cannabis growers over many generations. Growers will choose two plants with desirable traits (for example, a strong diesel scent) and cross (or breed) those plants together, creating an offspring with a stronger expression of those desirable traits. When breeding cannabis plants, growers are often focused on the unique aroma, and taste, and potential THC and CBD content of a strain. And just like no two Great Danes are the same, strains can vary from lot to lot and grower to grower.

Will I like Blueberry?

The answer to this one is pretty simple. If you like the taste and aroma of blueberries the fruit, you will probably like the taste and aroma of the cannabis version. This is a high-THC strain, so make sure you start low and go slow, especially if you’re used to consuming lower-THC products or a new cannabis consumer.

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