8 Ball Kush

Sources disagree on whether 8 Ball Kush derives from pure highland genetics of the Hindu Kush or from a cross of two Kush lines. Barney's Farm lists the strain as a pure indica from plants of the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Other strain descriptions and 2 Canadian producers, by contrast, name Bubba Kush and King Kush as parents.

Genetics and Origin:

The strain data from Barney's Farm give the ancestry as Afghanistan × Pakistan, and another description speaks of an Afghani landrace. A widely used strain overview, by contrast, lists the cross as presumably Bubba Kush × King and traces Bubba Kush back to OG Kush and an unknown indica. The pairing of Bubba Kush and King Kush also appears in the product descriptions of two licensed producers from Canada, who grow the strain on Vancouver Island and in Ontario. The short form 8 Ball is in common use.

As a parent, the strain is documented in 2 breedings. B. Seeds Co. pollinated a female with a Deep Chunk male and named the result 8 Ball Kush x Deep Chunk. Mylogrow crossed a selected phenotype with a MAC-1 male from Capulator to produce Mac8Ball Kush.

Aroma and Flavor:

Barney's Farm classes the flavor as typical of Kush, earthy and musky with a spicy finish, and the scent as bittersweet. Other strain descriptions add pine, herbs, sage and wood. Growers note garlic, sandalwood and hashish for the dried buds; an outdoor report describes a smell of cake batter and honey at first during flowering, later of garlic and anise. In a user report, a slight citrus note lay beneath the earthy base tone.

One strain description names myrcene, pinene and caryophyllene as the dominant terpenes. A Canadian producer lists caryophyllene and limonene for its flowers, another lists caryophyllene and humulene for an extract.

Effects:

Users report relaxation, euphoria and cheerfulness, and several reports describe pronounced physical heaviness that extends to a reluctance to move. Others found the strain stimulating, creative or focused. One description portrays a euphoric onset followed by a relaxing phase. Side effects mentioned are dry mouth, dry eyes, headache, dizziness and nervousness.

THC and CBD Content:

Barney's Farm states 20 % THC and 0.6 % CBD, while another reproduction of the breeder data gives up to 22 % THC. Other strain descriptions contradict each other markedly: one lists 22 % THC and 1 % CBG, another 15 to 18 % THC and 2 to 5 % CBD.

Cultivation:

According to Barney's Farm, the plant stays compact, forms thick stems, broad dark leaves and dense buds, and is suited to Sea of Green and ScrOG. The breeder data give 50 to 55 days of flowering indoors, up to 550 g/m² and a height of 70 to 80 cm, harvest readiness outdoors in September, and high resistance to mold. Another reproduction of these data differs and gives 9 weeks, 450 g/m² and about 60 cm.

Grow reports confirm hard, compact buds with a good bud-to-leaf ratio and plenty of resin. Indoors the plants grew bushy, outdoors squat and fir-shaped. In one documented indoor grow, the plant flowered for 63 days, grew from about 30 to about 118 cm after the switch and yielded 70 g of dried buds. Outdoor growers harvested in early to mid-October, later than the breeder states.

Assessments of the effort required are inconsistent. Indoors the strain was regarded as undemanding and content with little fertilizer, whereas one outdoor grower needed a lot of care and had to support the plants during flowering. The reports also contradict each other on susceptibility to mold. One grower obtained a uniform phenotype from 8 plants, and another report points to possible hermaphroditism.

Versions from Different Breeders:

For Barney's Farm, only feminized seeds are documented. Growers Lab lists a feminized, photoperiod version under the same name as a pure indica and gives 55 to 65 days of flowering, up to 450 g/m² indoors, up to 600 g per plant outdoors and 14 % THC. Whether this version goes back to the Barney's Farm line is left open by the description.