Garlic

After 100 days of growth, a plant was expected to reach 40 to 60 inches (102 to 152 cm) in height and yield up to 125 g: with these figures, The Seed Bank, the seed company of Nevil Schoenmakers in the Netherlands, presented Garlic Bud in its catalog, a strain that today is often simply called Garlic. The line is considered a pure indica of Afghan descent. The catalog highlighted its suitability for indoor growing and its high yield; for flowering, The Seed Bank estimated 50 to 55 days.

Cultivation:

Descriptions from the Seed Bank era depict long, massive main stems, strong lateral branching and abundant resin. The plants were not uniform: alongside phenotypes with loose, elongated buds there were others with round, tightly closed ones. A grow report on an older outdoor grow mentions a very tall, sativa-leaning plant, while another recalls the Afghan expression with firm buds and a lot of resin.

The Seed Bank described the smell during flowering as penetrating and almost as strong as garlic, without resembling it. Strain descriptions rate cultivation as easy. One of them names a dry, warm climate of Mediterranean character as favorable and places the outdoor harvest in mid-October. On susceptibility to mold the accounts contradict each other: one description considers the strain resistant to mold and powdery mildew, another warns that the dense buds tend toward mold in high humidity.

Genetics and Origin:

The plant came from Jim Ortega, an American collector who, besides Garlic Bud, also passed G13 and Kush 4 to Schoenmakers. One account of the strain's history dates the handover to around 1986. Earth Witch Seeds classifies Garlic Bud as a Californian indica that enjoyed high regard on the US West Coast. With the Seed Bank's stock, the line later reached Ben Dronkers and Sensi Seeds, which today lists the Seed Bank as its predecessor.

Sensi Seeds used Garlic Bud for several crosses. Shiva Shanti combines it with a Kush and Skunk #1. The successor Shiva Shanti II brings together, according to Sensi Seeds, Garlic and Kush genetics with an Afghani, and individual phenotypes smell distinctly of garlic. Garlic Gas came from (Garlic Bud × Papaya) × Original Sour Diesel BX. Outside Sensi Seeds, Earth Witch Seeds crossed Garlic Bud with a Haze from Lake County to make Garlic Haze, and Royal Queen Seeds crossed it with a Haze to make Garlic Mist.

According to grow reports, seed of the unchanged original line is no longer on the market. Phenotypes from Shiva Shanti are regarded there as the closest source of the garlic character.

Versions from Different Breeders:

The Seed Bank offered Garlic Bud only as regular seed. Under the name, Old School Breeders Association today distributes regular seeds and states up to 8 weeks of flowering and over 20 % THC. A grow report, however, doubts that these seeds trace back to the original line.

A feminized version appears under the name DNA Crew. It is traced back to Afghani and an unnamed sativa-leaning hybrid and thus departs from the pedigree of the original. Stated are 55 to 65 days of flowering, up to 400 g/m² indoors, up to 500 g per plant outdoors and up to 20 % THC.

Aroma and Flavor:

According to strain descriptions, the aroma has little in common with culinary garlic, but is closer to a tangy, spicy musk. Pepper, earth, wood and a pungent, skunk-like note are named, and in individual consumption reports also sulfur and incense. One supplier compares the scent to a mix of garlic and Afghan hash. The pepper note is disputed: an experienced grower denies it for the original line and describes the smell as idiosyncratic with a slight sweetness.

One strain description lists limonene, caryophyllene and humulene as the dominant terpenes. For the DNA Crew version, limonene, caryophyllene and myrcene are named.

Effects:

Consumption reports describe a physically relaxing effect accompanied by euphoria and well-being, at times with a tingling in the body and heightened desire. Some report a rapid onset, one a gradual one. Dry mouth, dry eyes, an urge to cough and couchlock are named as accompanying effects, and occasionally mild anxiety.

THC Content:

According to 2 strain descriptions, THC content is 18 to 20 %, while others put the value higher.

Community Experiences:

The reports disagree on strength. Some praise the potency, while others found the effect weak relative to the THC values stated for the buds. Of the old Seed Bank line too, one grow report says it brought a good yield and plenty of resin but was not counted among the strongest strains.