Dr. Grinspoon

Dr. Grinspoon is named after Lester Grinspoon, Harvard professor, cannabis activist and author of the book “Marihuana Reconsidered”. The strain was released by Barney's Farm of Amsterdam, in 2010 according to journalist Bobby Black. The breeder describes it as a pure sativa from an heirloom line that grows tall and slim. The flower structure is unusual: instead of closed buds it forms small, compact calyxes that, according to the breeder, hang loosely from thin branches like green-brown pearls.

Genetics and Origin:

In the description as handed down, Barney's Farm names no parent strains and refers only to heirloom genetics. Another strain description adds that the line was preserved through open pollination rather than hybridization and therefore stays close to its landrace ancestors. Other pedigrees list Senor Garcia from Scott Family Farms as a parent, a cross of Oregon Purple Thai and Panama Red. High Giraffe Seeds, in turn, places the roots of its strain of the same name in Southeast Asia, for example in Laos.

The strain appears as a parent in several crosses, for example in Dr. Frisp by Alchemutant with Freakshow by Humboldt Seed Company, and in Platinum Spoon and Ketchup Haze by MassMedicalStrains, crossed with Platinum Laos and Star Pupil respectively.

Aroma and Flavor:

According to Barney's Farm, the scent combines lemon with the sour spiciness of sumac. The breeder describes the flavor as spicy and lemony and the smoke as light and sharp, accompanied by hints of tropical fruit. Other strain descriptions mention honey, pine and citrus, in part supplemented by wood and earth, and name terpinolene as the dominant terpene ahead of myrcene and pinene. One user report describes the taste as sweet and citrusy and mild. In a tasting for High Times, Bobby Black describes a tingling in the nose that led to sneezing.

Effects:

Barney's Farm describes the effect as long-lasting and stimulating, with a distinctly head-focused character. User reports repeatedly mention drive, creativity, concentration and euphoria; comments speak of cheerfulness and fits of laughter, and one consumer rates the effect as almost hallucinogenic. On duration, 2 individual reports differ widely, at about 1.5 and more than 6 hours. Deviating from this, individual comments describe forgetfulness and lack of drive. Dry mouth and dry eyes are named as accompanying effects, as well as dizziness and nervousness.

THC and CBD Content:

Barney's Farm gives 25 % THC and 0.4 % CBD. Another strain description lists a markedly lower value of 16 % THC, plus 1 % CBG.

Cultivation:

The breeder puts flowering time at 90 to 100 days and the outdoor harvest at mid-November; other descriptions give 13 to 14 weeks and a harvest in early November. Barney's Farm describes only feminized seeds. The breeder states a yield of 350 g/m², another description 300 to 400 g/m².

Strain descriptions emphasize that the calyxes stand almost completely separate from one another, so the plant is more reminiscent of a grapevine. Toward the end of flowering the flowers can turn purple, and a deep purple stem is also mentioned. Two phenotypes are distinguished, one elongated and one compact, both with slow flower development.

Community Experiences:

In the documented indoor grows, flowering took 85, 92 and 115 days, and comments speak of 11 to 12 weeks. Those who harvested after 85 days considered day 80 sufficient in retrospect. Stretch was vigorous, with heights from 30 to 170 cm, from 45 to 180 cm and from 50 to 200 cm. A short vegetative phase, supports and training are therefore recommended; SCROG, supercropping, topping the main shoot and LST are named. Dried, the flowers are airy to very loose. One report compares the hanging branches to a weeping willow, another mentions the high share of stem.

Reports disagree on yield and robustness. Assessments of the harvest range from ordinary to very high, while comments speak of around 40 g per plant and less than expected. In 2 grow profiles neither mold nor problems with temperature fluctuations occurred; another describes the plant as prone to mold and sensitive to temperature, and adds that it reacts sensitively to feeding errors. The profiles agree in placing the strain in the hands of experienced growers.

Versions from Different Breeders:

Other breeders also offer their own versions under the same name, and how these relate to the Barney's Farm line remains open. High Giraffe Seeds describes its feminized strain as a pure sativa with 22 to 26 % THC and 13 to 14 weeks of flowering. Growers Lab gives 19 to 27 % THC, 80 to 90 days of flowering and 350 g/m² indoors and 450 g per plant outdoors for its likewise feminized version.