Blackwater

For Blackwater, The Cali Connection used a different father depending on the seed type. According to the breeder's description, the regular version traces back to Mendo Purps as the mother and a male of the F3 generation of SFV OG Kush, while the feminized Blackwater Fem is listed with a reversed Tahoe OG S1 as the father. The stated breeding goal was one of the darkest Purple OG Kush variants.

Genetics and Origin:

The name comes from a favorite song of the breeder, according to strain descriptions the song of the same name by the Doobie Brothers. In the breeder's text, Blackwater appears as a special release for the Cannabis Cup 2010; another account dates the start of breeding by Swerve, the breeder behind The Cali Connection, to 2014. A single description instead assigns the strain to a Californian clone line with inconsistent breeder attribution. The spellings Black Water and Blackwater OG are also in use. Strain descriptions classify the strain as mostly indica-dominant and cite an indica share of 80 %, one of 90 %.

At the High Times Los Angeles Cannabis Cup in 2014, a Blackwater took 3rd place in the Indica category, submitted by the Terrapin Terpene Collective according to the winners' list. Several descriptions list the competition as the Medical Cup, and one attributes the placement to the feminized version. For the Karma Cup, one strain description records 5th place among the Indicas in 2014 and 1st place among the hybrids in 2016.

A Blackwater male is the father of Purple Crack, which The Cali Connection bred by crossing with Green Crack.

Versions from Different Breeders:

According to The Cali Connection, the regular Blackwater was never available as feminized seeds. The breeder puts its flowering time at 8 to 9 weeks, as it does for Blackwater Fem. For the father of the feminized version, other descriptions depart from Tahoe OG and name SFV OG Kush.

Another feminized Blackwater comes from Original Sensible Seeds. It is listed as mostly indica-dominant with 63 days of flowering, and one strain description also gives Mendo Purps and SFV OG as its parents.

Aroma and Flavor:

Several descriptions name a sweet grape scent accompanied by lemon and pine. Earthy and woody notes join berry tones, and user reports also mention nut and a hint of gasoline. One description emphasizes a floral component, another a musky pine tone. In flavor, the sweetness continues with grape, lemon and pine. Strain descriptions give myrcene as the leading terpene, followed by β-caryophyllene and limonene; one puts delta-3-carene next to myrcene at the top.

Effects:

Users mainly describe a relaxation that spreads through the body after a short, head-centered onset and can end in tiredness; one description speaks of strong physical heaviness. Euphoria, cheerfulness and talkativeness are also mentioned. Individual reports, by contrast, find the strain stimulating and focused. Side effects listed are dry mouth and dry eyes, along with dizziness, headaches, nervousness and paranoid thoughts; one report ties the nervousness to the person's own condition during use.

THC and CBD Content:

Strain descriptions give no uniform THC values. In 2 descriptions the figure is 19 %, in another 18 %, while the same source lists 20 to 25 % on a different strain page; one further description cites 10 to 22 %. For CBD, figures between 0 and 1 % are found.

Cultivation:

According to the breeder, the regular Blackwater is suited to indoor and outdoor cultivation. Departing from the breeder's 8 to 9 weeks, other strain descriptions give 8 to 10 weeks of flowering. Outdoors, harvest is said to fall from late September to early October, or from early to mid-October according to another statement. Descriptions rate the difficulty as easy to medium and the yield as medium to high.

For the feminized version, a color change from dark green to purple over the course of flowering is described; one description speaks of plants that turn almost black at suitable temperatures. According to another account, the dark purple sets in only late, when night temperatures fall. The flowers are considered dense, with OG Kush structure and heavy trichome coverage. Since the plants are said to set little below the canopy, one strain description recommends training several main shoots by topping or growing in a Sea of Green.

Community Experiences:

Growers highlight the dense trichome coverage, a favorable ratio of flowers to leaf mass and an above-average yield; the compact flowers did become looser after drying, however. Consumers mostly describe the strain as relaxing and making them drowsy, while some find it more activating. Some consider the effect strong and long-lasting, others moderate or weaker than that of the parent strains.