Swazi (IBL Lower Puna )

Lolo94 said:

As Aficaseeds said, Swazi seeds are still available, however I doubt that they would be exactly the same as this Swazi varietal. Even if it was the same genetics, inbreeding for many years in a particular environment would likely alter some of the traits.
I tried Hawaiian grown White Widow in the 90s and it's effects were much more sativa than an indoor Widow, I tried a decade later on the mainland.

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Lolo94 said:

Started 12 Swazi seeds stored since January 2011. 10 germinated and 9 survived. Strain is originally from Swaziland but inbred in Hawaii (lower Puna) since the mid 80s. Have had it since the early 90s.(...)

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Schwinn Simpson said:

What was the island grown widow like?

I tried some mainland grown indoor widow and it smelled like ammonia. It creeped and gave me a panic attack. I hated it! Some of the strongest stuff I ever came across. Really unique effects.

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Roms said:

Salut Lolo! Thank you to report and preserve this SA genetic in Hawaii and in its pure form! Funny ocean move for the Swaziland heritage! I imagine that its moisture fragility is resolved after decades of reproductions! I wonder how is its effects now, still be very pulsating and heart boom or it calmed down into happy/clear sativa? trippy buzz? Also have you seen blueish green pheno in the line?

Good suite to you with the LEDs! Interesting grow bro!

P.S : Here's the Swazi Red line from Afropips. My next step will be its 4th generation, with a lucky cocacola aroma to focus up!

Hola Roms,
Nice pics
This particular Swazi strain made it to the Big Island thru the local traveling surfer community in the 80s. Prior to the Dutch seedbanks, the seeds mainly came from veterans, hippies and surfers.
It's interesting you mention water fragility because this Swazi strain when first planted in upper puna did very poorly in the rain. It was originally inbred in more tropical and dryer lower Puna (Kalapana area) where the weather pattern is more passing showers and breezy. The rainy and colder environment in upper puna basically weeded out the plants most suceptible to mold, mildew, and disease. The first year, most plants were lost. The seeds from the ones that made it were replanted. It was typical of growers in a new environment with a new strain to plant alot more seed than would ever be harvested and cull along the way.

This is not a production strain. Even in the best plants, yield is low. I kept it mainly for the effects. There were others with that high energy, heart racing buzz but this was the most manageable compared to some of the other locally available sativa's. I made a cross with Red Congo that pulled the heart racing, pulsing effect. It wasn't quite as intense but it was also LED grown vs tropics.

The last pure Swazi I smoked was 5 years ago grown by a friend in Hawaii. The high was similar as when first smoked. Not sure what the results will be like indoors. I imagine that the yields will be paltry and will not be as strong (also because parts of the plants will be seeded) but I'm only after the quality.
If I have take an extra hit, so be it.

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oldbootz said:

Hi Lolo94

I would like to call myself a Swazi expert and I have been smoking and growing this variety for about 20 years. I have grown and smoked many types of Swazi and I have traveled through Swaziland, South African and neighboring countries trying out the various offerings of weed i could find and growing a few seeds along the way.

The Swazi that tropical seeds company was selling for some years came from my bag seeds when I sent Aeros (also called Aeritos?) about 500 seeds in mid 2000s.

Its great to hear that you like her effects and that you have a version that is suited to wet climate. A lot of Swazi is grown inland away from the coast and the heavy humidity. You would find better plants suited to humidity but still very similar to Swazi in Durban, Transkei/Ciskei and Mozambique.

Swazi traditionally comes in the red or "rooibaard" (red beard) form which describes the masses of red pistils that remain on the finished product which is darker green. Or the gold form which is lighter in bud color and very different sweeter smell. These traditional forms are not often found anymore as the Swazi types have segregated from the various communities that grow this plant as it has spread all over South Africa as the most produced weed around - nearly always coming with seeds inside that a smoker can plant at home.

I live in Durban, South Africa and when I first started growing the Swazi offerings here there was no problem with humidity causing rot or mildew. It was only after police ramped up aerial pesticide spraying of Paraquat that the weed started to change and then when I planted those seeds (from inland areas now) they would rot and mildew up. The guys who used to run Afropips were from Johannesburg which is on the inland plateau and it makes sense that these types would not take the humidity Roms!

The original types are still around but at lower potency usually and grown in poor rural communities and sold illegally at "taxi ranks" which are basically like bus terminals. But now I'm starting to talk more about the old Durban Poison and less about Swazi... Back in the days the Swazi was usually the lowest quality and most available. Imports like Malawi gold cob / Transkei red and gold / real Swazi gold - those were the top quality bud of the time. Durban poison was a more local type not as highly regarded, but still exported to other South African cities. These types of weed were very distinct from each other - something that has broken down over the years. A lot of South African sativa now days is not easily traced back to any specific variety and has traits of both old sativas and modern indica hybrids.

I have connections here with some people on the same mission as myself which is to revive some old varieties by using our collective knowledge to judge morphological characteristics, smells, effects and match to our knowledge of our youth while we test out many different poor persons rural seed batches that have had nothing to do with indicas. The last 3 years I have been growing and made some crosses and had limited success. We are getting there slowly. The major problem is with intersex on the more rare landraces. With Swazi the main problem is modern genetic pollution.

The old landraces had virtually no CBD. In pockets of the old landraces there was some indica mix at some stage and the "Swazi" that comes from those is thicket leaved, makes red eyes, munchies, energy for 15 minutes followed by confusion and couch. The taste from those types is mostly towards the "earthy" direction.

The ones that I like have citrus smells usually lemony or mango/guava, and delicate perfume smells that don't transfer to smoking once lit. The pistils are thin and long, the calyx are also long but slender and they stack to a spear shape.

If you want to chat more send me a PM.

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Ramsthepharoah said:

I bought the 70s durban poison from tropical seeds. Was going to do an open pollination with all the males and females to always have some in my library. Do you know anything of the authenticity of these seeds?? Thanks in advance!!

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Ramsthepharoah said:

Nice long beautiful colas. I wish one of them had been male!!

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