Chronic

The plant sold today as Chronic has a different lineage from the one that took 3rd place in the Hydro category at the 1994 High Times Cannabis Cup. According to an account by the US magazine Beard Bros, that original was a backcross to Northern Lights: a hybrid of Northern Lights and Skunk was crossed again with Northern Lights. It was bred by Simon, the breeder behind Serious Seeds.

Genetics and Origin:

In 1994 Simon founded the short-lived company Cerebral Seeds together with Tony of Sagarmatha Seeds; Serious Seeds followed in 1995. According to Beard Bros, Chronic was among the early varieties from this circle and was offered as a yield-oriented plant for commercial cultivation.

In the late 1990s, according to Serious Seeds, Simon considered the line outdated and crossed in AK-47; another variety description dates the revision to 2000. Today the breeder describes Chronic as a cross of AK-47, Northern Light and a hybrid of Northern Light and Skunk, classified as an F1 hybrid with sativa and indica components. Other descriptions classify the variety as indica-dominant.

Besides the 1994 result, Serious Seeds lists placements at Spanish competitions: 1st prizes at the La Bella Flor Cup 2003 and the Highlife Cup 2004, where it also took a 2nd place in the Hydro category, as well as two 3rd places in 2016, at the Copa Green Skull for solventless extracts and at the Cata Invernal for Drysift.

Serious Seeds crossed the variety with Remedy to make CBD Chronic, and Doctor's Choice combined it with Chronic Ryder to create Chronic Fast F1 BX. King Kong and Double Dutch are also listed as offspring.

Aroma and Flavor:

Serious Seeds describes a sweet honey aroma and a scent of fresh strawberries during flowering. Other variety descriptions name floral and spicy tones with a peppery edge, plus earthy and woody notes and a skunk-like note. User reports on flavor emphasize tangerine and lemon. Terpene data from product tests, summarized in one variety description, list caryophyllene as the dominant terpene ahead of myrcene and terpinolene.

Effects:

The breeder speaks of a strong physical effect that also reaches the head: mildly relaxing and carefree, with a meditative or creative touch, and long-lasting. User reports describe the variety as calming. Consumers agree less. Some find Chronic cheerful and talkative, feel stimulated, and report euphoria or good concentration, while others find the effect heavy; one variety description mentions sleepiness and couch lock. Dry mouth and dry eyes are named as side effects, along with paranoia and, in one report, heart palpitations.

THC and CBD Content:

Serious Seeds gives no percentage value; the breeder rates the THC content as high and the CBD content as low. One variety description gives 13 % THC and 1 % CBG, and ApeOrigin puts the THC content of its version at 22 %.

Cultivation:

According to Serious Seeds, Chronic grows to medium height and not too dense, with one large central bud on the main stem and few side shoots. According to the breeder, the variety tolerates topping poorly. For indoor growing he gives 350 to 600 g/m², outdoors a harvest from mid to late October, and he describes it as suitable for indoor, outdoor and greenhouse. On flowering time, the breeder's page contains 2 differing statements: 53 to 63 days in the variety description and 9 to 10 weeks in the data sheet.

Documented indoor grows reached 54 to 68 days of flowering. A grow report on 3 plants published on the breeder's page gives final heights of 80 to 102 cm and yields of 47 to 85 g per plant. Stretch varied widely: one plant grew from 60 to 70 cm after the start of flowering, another from 80 to 180 cm. Alongside compact, bushy plants that growers describe as suitable for Sea of Green, stretched, sativa-like specimens appear that need supports during flowering.

In several reports the dried buds are described as hard and compact, in others as somewhat looser. Reports on mold and fertilizer are inconsistent: in some cases the plants proved prone to mold and sensitive to over- or underfeeding, in others insensitive. Cutting the main shoot is described several times as unfavorable; one grower reached the opposite result. Assessments of difficulty range from suitable for beginners to suitable only for advanced growers.

Versions from Different Breeders:

Serious Seeds markets regular and feminized seed. Bulk Seeds, Fatbush Seeds and ApeOrigin list their own versions, all exclusively feminized. Bulk Seeds adopts the lineage of the original and gives 60 to 65 days of flowering. Fatbush Seeds, by its own account, crossed Chronic from Serious Seeds with a reversed plant of the same variety and gives around 60 days. ApeOrigin names AK-47, Northern Lights and Skunk as parents and 8 to 9 weeks of flowering. The statements on smell during flowering contradict each other: Fatbush Seeds points to a strong smell, the Serious Seeds description to a mild, sweet scent.