Is it possible this is pre-US/European contamination Jamaican?

I'll preface this by saying: the old-timers are right. No contest. The average kid consumers really don't know. I didn't know and I'm not even a kid.



I post this not a small amount of trepidation. I only know that I know next to nothing about these plants compared to the folks in this sub-forum. And I certainly put no trust the general hearsay I find when it comes to getting to the bottom of any relevant background histories.


All I can say is if anything I have written is inaccurate, please correct me. I'm interested in learning, not being right. I am not new to horticulture, but a complete neophyte to gardening this species.


The seeds were not commercially produced. The source has nothing to gain whatsoever by lying with respect to the information they have been able to pass on: "Old school Jamaican, been here [not Jamaica] for a long time." The germination rate is only about ~25%. My understanding of timelines suggests the majority of Jamaican landrace contamination would have occurred in the late 1990's or thereafter.


I grew and flowered two females. The plants like to grow into Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree. One main cola. The sugar leaves and buds are a plain jungle-green with that resinous iridescence, with the sugar leaves presenting am electric, lime-green midrib. The pistils are a sparkling bright white. The buds foxtail with rosary-bead-shaped 8-10 mm calyxes. The buds are leafy, but these calyxes (and sugar leaves) are VERY resinous. One plant finished at 8.5 weeks. The one of which I will post pictures is being flushed right now, and is at a day over 9 weeks.


The smell is hard for me to place. Nothing like the terpenes everyone is chasing these days. A little piney, a little astringent, maybe some licorice? I can't really find a direct comparison; none of those descriptions are dead-on. It's very mild, however, not offensive. My taste-test bud, well I tried it last night. The flavor is nothing memorable. Very smooth, no harshness, maybe a little earth and pine? Reminiscent of that odd aroma.


Now, sativa or even sativa dominant flower is hard for me to come by, but I have had top-shelf "sativa" purchased at a well-known boutique recreational dispensary. It was nothing like this. And no poly-hybrid strain I've ever tried is like this.


This is the strongest flower I have ever smoked. IN MY LIFE. There is absolutely no contest. There's not an exhaling slingshot, just a little bit of involuntary squinting. I thought of the flavor as nice and smooth. Not unpleasant, but nothing memorable. Ten minutes later? "What the... I am high as shit. HILARIOUSLY high. What is this?! When did that happen?!" No stone. No immobilization. Euphoric, thoughtful, smiley, pins and needles body feel, and long-lasting. I went to bed last night on a manned mission to Mars, but not before some serious meditation on global-scale problems, while performing some menial housecleaning tasks and appreciating my dogs for existing.


I am re-vegging that first plant right now. Unreal.


Does all of this sound consistent with a true pre-contamination Jamaican landrace plant? Any other details I can provide? Photos in the next post.

"They were careful
as someone crossing an iced-over stream.
Alert as a warrior in enemy territory.
Courteous as a guest.
Fluid as melting ice.
Shapable as a block of wood.
Receptive as a valley.
Clear as a glass of water."
-Tao Te ching


sounds good bro.
8-9 weeks seems a bit quick though.
some contamination occured by the 60's or 70's

not enough "jamaican" around here.
lets see the pics.

From weeks 7 and 9:

Would that contamination have been from the Coptic church folks?

Water- said:

"They were careful
as someone crossing an iced-over stream.
Alert as a warrior in ene
Courteous as a guest.
Fluid as melting ice.
Shapable as a block of wood.
Receptive as a valley.
Clear as a glass of water."
-Tao Te ching


sounds good bro.
8-9 weeks seems a bit quick though.
some contamination occured by the 60's or 70's

not enough "jamaican" around here.
lets see the pics.

Click to expand...

Jamaica in the 70s was a great producer of ganjah, a lot of genetics have passed on the island in decades, first seeds brought home by many Rasta from Ethiopia, and at the same time the Colombian seeds destined for large crops, (if even the hippies have imported seeds I do not know, I do not think), and then Afghans, skunk, and so on...
Surely there are populations not too contaminated, but rarely with such a short flowering period ...

Sounds amazing, regardless of whether it's contaminated or not. So glad you're sharing your experience and this information.

BTW, Welcome to ICMag!!

Sounds like you've got yourself a great strain. I love contemplative highs, lying in bed having all sorts of epiphanies. My answer is not at all, it's definitely not an 'old' Jamaican strain, pre 1980s. The copious amounts of resin, medium wide leaves, bud and plant shape, early finish, type of high all give it away as an Indica hybrid.

Old Jamaican strains weren't super strong, maybe 12% THC and had very thin, light green leaves, 16 week flowering time. Very leggy long plants. Jamaican strains produced a very clear and cerebral high of a short duration. In the 50s and 60s, probably earlier, an export market developed as Jamaica is on the highway from South America to Florida. First it was Jamaican ganja, then Columbian ganja and cocaine.

The locals started growing the Columbian strains for their higher potency and yield. By the early 70s they dominated. Columbian strains have a more sedative psychoactive effect. Thin heavily serrated leaves and long flowering times give away Columbian strains. They're grown at the equator, to grow to any size at all strains at the equator need to flower for more then 15 weeks.

By the mid to late 70s Mexican strains were entering Jamaica, sometimes crossed with Indicas. Travelers were bringing Afghan strains from the US, Europe and the Middle East. By the mid 80s Jamaican strains were heavily hybridized which is the pattern in a lot of ganja growing countries. Jamaica is close enough to the equator the growers still wanted plenty of Narrow leaf genetics in their strains but they wanted the shorter flowering times, stronger potency, and smaller, easier to conceal types from the Hindu Kush.

There's another thread all about this, but Lambsbread isn't a particular strain of ganja. It's the finest ganja a grower has, usually sinsemilla on an island of seedy buds. It can be a tropical narrow leaf drug variety or hybrid doesn't matter as long as it's recognized as the best.

The description of the high, smell, and the look of your plants, shape of the buds and hairs, say Northern Lights hybrid to me. Love that piney earthy type smell that some of the old Indicas have. Don't worry about definitions and words if your strain kicks ass it kicks ass. The modern legal market has warped people's ideas of what good ganja is.

I've found their 'sativas' are usually heavily Indica. They call a strain sativa if it doesn't put you to sleep, Indica if it does. Their are narrow leaf tropical varieties, many Columbian varieties, that are narcotic heavy headed type strains. And their are Indicas that will keep you up all night. No one nowadays is growing real tropical narrow leaf strains commercially unless you get really lucky.

The good stuff is and always will be homegrown like your stuff. Try letting it go 10 weeks or even a bit longer, I'd guess it could handle it. If the high changes in a way you don't like chop it earlier but I like to experiment like that. My motto is always let it go another week.

willydread said:

Jamaica in the 70s was a great producer of ganjah, a lot of genetics have passed on the island in decades, first seeds brought home by many Rasta from Ethiopia, and at the same time the Colombian seeds destined for large crops, (if even the hippies have imported seeds I do not know, I do not think), and then Afghans, skunk, and so on...
Surely there are populations not too contaminated, but rarely with such a short flowering period ...

Click to expand...

Much gratitude. I’m not sure how to account for flowering time. The most likely explanation might be that I’m an idiot that doesn’t know how to properly judge when a plant is finished enough.

Beyond that, The plants had developed preflowers with pistils when flipped. The flowering light cycle is 10/14, and I am growing at what is on the rather high end of PAR values (>800 micromoles per m^2 per s)


The >9 week plant pictured above has around 15% amber pistils, cloudy bulbous trichomes, with many of these beginning to show small dots of amber.

Obviously I was not talking about quality, over the years I smoked a clearly hybrid nigerian that was one of the best herbs in my life, and a Jamaican who had large leaves indicates and ended at the end of September, with aroma of chemical and diesel, great high hibrid...
PS beautiful plants!

just found this video from jamaica.

some old school looking stuff toward the end

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ke0IXVOsoY

and then some modern stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8maO6WOUXsA

I think you have a modern strain but whatever floats your boat! I have a few quick finishers with obvious indica influence but they work very well in a sativa type way.

I have grown a Afghan Kush that had skinny leaves and took forever to finish but very sedative. Smoke em and then judge it. I take mine before amber resin appears, you might want to try it and see if makes for a better high.

Sounds like an interesting plant, wouldn't be too bad of an idea to make s1's with it.

Wow, thank you everyone for the hospitality and generosity with your knowledge. More response as soon as I have an extra few minutes. In the meantime, here’s a quick snapshot of two branches, currently drying, from the first plant.

Keep in mind that before 1850 ish, there no reports of Ganja being smoked in Jamaica. {look into the history of the sugar plantations, and records of life there}, {also give a nod to port royal but remember that travel across the island was not easy and just about impossible, so the idea that the smoking of ganja probably could not of left the "Kingston"area }.

In about 1850 ish "coolies" from India where brought to Jamaica, soon after you will find reports of Ganja being smoked.

Fast forward to 1930's when Rastafarianism started its roots in Jamaica, pilgrimages and travel to Ethiopia had started. Ethiopian genetics would of be added the India dominant ganja being grown in Jamaica. {{ I say India dominant genetics, other genetic sources may have been added, do to British common trade between it's colonies. If it was I do not think it would of added much to the total genetic make up to Jamaica Ganja}}

Fast forward to the 60's , when the genetics of america {{{ Mostly southern }}} were introduced, and Ganja was no longer smoked by just a few Jamaicans but by many and the start of commercial growing of Ganja began. This is the famed "Jamaican weed " that many remember....

Fast forward one last sad time, late 70's, European genetics, of Afghanistan, Turkey ,Ect where induced into the Jamaican Ganja genetics. These were favored by the commercial growers for the fact of two crops were able to be produced per year, and the now tourist boom going on wanted the new "Ganja" rather the old "foxtail" type.

There is a lot more but this gives a better "mental picture" of landraces. One big key to all is losing them has happened before, once it becomes a "commercial product" it loses what it was. Good or bad, is an opinion of the smoker. Myself, I wish we still had some of the old landraces around. For me any Ganja over 15% THC is like marinol (chemical made THC), not a pleasant thing. Kind of like mescaline VS peyote, but at least mescaline is rather pleasant.

As a last note;
African genics in Jamaican Ganja, pre 1850's this is a possibility,but I feel that if African genetics were introduced they would of been done in the early 1900's. The reason is most slave cargo was bodies with nothing and no choice. There was little trade between Africa and Britain till about 1900 {France controlled most of northern Africa and the Boer War kind of soured trade with south Africa}

Its been a hobby of mine, what can I say ? Lifelong learning is the only way.

therevverrend... Northern Lights... that makes me wonder...

Wasn’t Gainesville Green supposedly Jamaican x Afghani? Am I imagining that? I think that was the same thing as Micanopy Madness.

kookied said:

Keep in mind that before 1850 ish, there no reports of Ganja being smoked in Jamaica. {look into the history of the sugar plantations, and records of life there}, {also give a nod to port royal but remember that travel across the island was not easy and just about impossible, so the idea that the smoking of ganja probably could not of left the "Kingston"area }.

In about 1850 ish "coolies" from India where brought to Jamaica, soon after you will find reports of Ganja being smoked.

Fast forward to 1930's when Rastafarianism started its roots in Jamaica, pilgrimages and travel to Ethiopia had started. Ethiopian genetics would of be added the India dominant ganja being grown in Jamaica. {{ I say India dominant genetics, other genetic sources may have been added, do to British common trade between it's colonies. If it was I do not think it would of added much to the total genetic make up to Jamaica Ganja}}

Fast forward to the 60's , when the genetics of america {{{ Mostly southern }}} were introduced, and Ganja was no longer smoked by just a few Jamaicans but by many and the start of commercial growing of Ganja began. This is the famed "Jamaican weed " that many remember....

Fast forward one last sad time, late 70's, European genetics, of Afghanistan, Turkey ,Ect where induced into the Jamaican Ganja genetics. These were favored by the commercial growers for the fact of two crops were able to be produced per year, and the now tourist boom going on wanted the new "Ganja" rather the old "foxtail" type.

There is a lot more but this gives a better "mental picture" of landraces. One big key to all is losing them has happened before, once it becomes a "commercial product" it loses what it was. Good or bad, is an opinion of the smoker. Myself, I wish we still had some of the old landraces around. For me any Ganja over 15% THC is like marinol (chemical made THC), not a pleasant thing. Kind of like mescaline VS peyote, but at least mescaline is rather pleasant.

As a last note;
African genics in Jamaican Ganja, pre 1850's this is a possibility,but I feel that if African genetics were introduced they would of been done in the early 1900's. The reason is most slave cargo was bodies with nothing and no choice. There was little trade between Africa and Britain till about 1900 {France controlled most of northern Africa and the Boer War kind of soured trade with south Africa}

Its been a hobby of mine, what can I say ? Lifelong learning is the only way.

Click to expand...

Was there any British hemp farming in Jamaica?

Compare your plant, the leaves, the buds, structure,...!





https://www.elclubdelrockandroll.com/uploads/7/6/7/9/76793449/s132834213532544176_p3256_i1_w700.jpeg

There's no reason to think that Jamaican cultivar hasn't been hybridized before, it looks like a classic NLD/BLD hybrid. Contamination happened since the 80s just like in Mexico, Hawai, Thailand, Colombia and so on... one of the reasons, the old Jamaican heilrooms being eradicated back then when the helicopters started spraying Paraquat all over Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico and so on. John Holdt already chanted about how they were burning the ganja fields and the helicopters in his classic song from 1983:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smWVKR_LYjs

The Jamaica Blue Mountain 1985 is already a 1st generation hybrid, yet you can find more "untamed" expressions where the bud has the classic ganja structure. On the other hand you can find much more compact phenotypes with hashplant traits (different sized bracts, more trichomes on bud leaves and so on) segregating indeed plus the sweet strawberry terpenes from the JBM85 are not the ones you could expect on traditional ganja cultivars, normally spicier and more similar to old Colombians, South Indians and so on.

Oldschool Jamaican is not much different than oldschool Punto Rojo or Kerala.


JBM85 (NLD pheno):






JBM85 (hybrid pheno):





Red Jamaican cut from Delicatessen seeds, also a modern hybridized Jamaican, clearly a hybrid too:

https://www.cannabisonline.es/foro/download/file.php?id=6025&sid=da52e237c56798abe56ea1d0abe5d776



Hope it helps,
Best.

This is more fitting to what happened to Jamaican Ganaj.....

Eek-a-Mouse - Ganja Smuggling

I almost loaded the Tosh photos those are great. When I think of Jamaican I think of those pictures. Thin, wispy leaves and very light green color. Jamaican plants don't get huge, the first ganja plant I ever saw growing was a 7 foot tall Jamaican growing outdoors. Harvest was a couple weeks away, the grower told me that if I stripped the fan leaves I could keep them. I was happy as could be.

The only thing I'd had to Kookied's description, and to answer PDX's question, there was likely an influence from British Empire hemp early on. There were attempts made in the 18th century. In the 19th century the British sent a Russian hemp expert to the island to see if it could be cultivated but the attempt failed. Probably because the days are too short for European hemp plants to mature properly plus the humid tropical climate.

The Spanish grew hemp in Cuba and attempted growing in Guatemala but quickly switched to sugar because it was much more profitable and productive. Hemp was grown much more successfully in Mexico from Cortez's time until the 19th century. European hemp strains from Brazil to the Caribbean to Mexico bred into the early drug strains in the region. Before the indentured East Indians arrived with Indian strains starting in the 1850s.

Hemp plants grown as landraces in the tropics rapidly lose their 'hempy' attributes and increase in THC, probably to around 10%. Jamaica was emancipated in 1838 it's not a coincidence that hemp smoking became popular around this time. Likely the former slaves had recognized the hemp plants as cannabis from their experience in Africa.

It's funny centrifuge, the more ganja you grow the more you recognize phenotypes from your past. Looking at your pics and your new ones of the dried stuff it's very similar to hybrid strains I've grown and enjoyed. (from California not Jamaica but who knows where they came from earlier) If you get the chance to run it outdoors you'll be pleased with the results. I'd guess finish by the end of September.

I feel like breeders in places like Jamaica don't get enough credit for the work they do. It's a tragedy the old landraces are getting lost but the growers in Jamaica love their ganja and are breeding great stuff. It hits home when you look at Mustafunk's pictures the modern hybrids look great although I'd love to see some old school thin leaf Jamaican. A big overlooked factor is how indoor growing has influenced growing in the Caribbean and Jamaica. You can't grow the old Narrow leaf types indoors for production. It's not a coincidence the Indica craze took hold in the 80s when indoor lighting tech improved.

Gainsville Green, nice. I don't know much about old East Coast strains. Don't know the specifics but the original GG was a piney hybrid, mostly sativa. By 1980 it was getting skunkier and more Indica. Not sure if the Micanopy Madness was a hybrid of the GG by an Indica or a different strain altogether but it was much more of an indoor strain, skunky and indica leaning. Of course everywhere ganja gets a reputation, if it's Maui Wowie, Acapulco Gold, Lambsbread, or Gainsville Green, once the reputation is built if it's excellent ganja people will call it by it's moniker regardless whether it's the genuine article. All the OGs nowadays are a great example of this.