Grape Ape

Mendocino Purps, Skunk and Afghani: these 3 lines make up Grape Ape, a predominantly indica-leaning strain traced back to Apothecary Genetics. Bret Bogue is named as the founder of that breeder. Several seed banks have since released their own lines under the name, and not all of them demonstrably descend from the same lineage.

Genetics and Origin:

Strain descriptions consistently name the triple cross; Royal Queen Seeds, Blim Burn Seeds and Plantation Premium Seeds explicitly list the Skunk component as Skunk #1. The role of Barney's Farm remains unclear. One strain description names the breeder alongside Apothecary Genetics as a distributor of the strain, while another assigns the Barney's version its own lineage of Granddaddy Grape and Skunk #1. 420 Seeds, in turn, derives its Grape Ape from Purple Urkel.

Apothecary Genetics cites several 1st places: at the Green Cup in 2005 and 2006, at the Medical Cup in Lake County in 2006, and in 2011 in the concentrates category at the High Times Medical Cup in Colorado. The two Green Cup wins are also noted in another strain description.

Grape Ape is a parent of 3 Way Purple, Ape Berry, Alien Grapevine, Colorado Grapes, The Original Z and Nerds, among others. 420 Seeds crossed its own line with OG Kush to make Cherry OG Kush.

Aroma and Flavor:

A sweet grape note sets the tone, said to recall grape candy and grape soda; berries and earth are mentioned alongside it. Royal Queen Seeds describes blueberry, candy, earth and skunk for its own version, Barney's Farm mango, blueberry and grapefruit over a grape base. User reports speak of a musty grape taste on the inhale and a hash-like aftertaste, while others taste skunk beneath the sweetness.

Lab Results:

A strain profile from the lab Steep Hill, cited in 2020, gives average THC values of 15 to 23 % and puts myrcene at 0.6 to 1.5 %. An analysis of 202 public lab results from 8 US states from 2014 to 2024 arrives at a median of 18.42 % total THC, with the middle half of the samples between 15.37 and 21.25 %. Values vary with batch, cultivation and phenotype. In the large majority of samples tested for CBD, no CBD was detectable.

Reports on the terpene profile diverge. Strain descriptions put myrcene first, followed by pinene and caryophyllene. In the terpene analyses of the same evaluation, almost all of which come from Nevada, β-caryophyllene usually led instead; the median values were 0.42 % β-caryophyllene, 0.25 % α-pinene and 0.24 % α-humulene.

Effects:

The general tone of the reports is body-focused and calming: relaxation, sleepiness and hunger, along with euphoria and good mood, occasionally a tingling in the body. Several consumers describe how hard it is for them to get up from the sofa afterwards. One strain description states the opposite, saying the strain does not make people very tired and leaves room for concentration, and individual reports describe creative, talkative or even energetic phases. Dry mouth, dry eyes and dizziness are named as side effects, and one report also mentions slight anxiety.

Cultivation:

For the original line, which is listed only as regular seed, Apothecary Genetics gives 7 to 8 weeks of flowering, and a cultivation guide names the same range. Outdoors it ripens between late September and mid-October according to the breeder, and Apothecary Genetics puts the indoor yield at 350 to 500 g/m².

The plants stay low and compact and set large, dense flowers. Breeders describe a bushy growth habit, and Blim Burn Seeds a fir-tree shape for its own version; foliage and flowers can turn purple to dark blue. Because of the density of the flower clusters, a cultivation guide recommends thinning out the lower part of the plant and lowering humidity to 30 to 40 % toward the end of flowering, and outdoors it advises a greenhouse. It rates cultivation as moderately difficult, whereas Blim Burn Seeds calls its own version undemanding. A grower from Ohio reports an outdoor plant 8 feet tall.

Versions from Different Breeders:

The breeder figures apply only to each breeder's own line:

• Royal Queen Seeds (feminized): 7 to 9 weeks of flowering, 450 to 500 g/m² indoors, 500 to 600 g per plant outdoors, 60 to 100 cm indoors and 160 to 190 cm outdoors, 20 % THC.
• Blim Burn Seeds (feminized): 8 to 10 weeks, 500 g/m² indoors, 120 g per plant outdoors, 15 to 25 % THC.
• Plantation Premium Seeds (feminized): 7 to 8 weeks, around 450 g/m² indoors on average, 15 to 23 % THC.
• Barney's Farm (feminized, Granddaddy Grape × Skunk #1): 52 to 56 days, 500 g/m², 70 to 80 cm, 20 % THC.
• United Cannabis Seeds (feminized from reversed Grape Ape): about 53 days, 17 to 25 % THC.
• 420 Seeds (regular): about 60 days.
• Zamnesia Seeds (Grape Ape F1 Automatic): 8 to 9 weeks from germination to harvest, 400 to 500 g/m² indoors, 80 to 150 g per plant outdoors, 21 % THC.

ApeOrigin also lists a feminized version but gives no figures for it.