Ortega

A pure indica from the area around Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan, brought out of the country shortly before the Soviet invasion and handed to Nevil Schoenmakers of The Seed Bank: this is how strain profiles describe the origin of Ortega, also listed as Maple Leaf. Several lines exist under the name today, and their pedigrees contradict one another. One group goes back to the Afghan selection, another to Northern Lights.

Genetics and Origin:

Cannabella Genetics lists the line as Bella Ortega and describes it as a pure Afghani selection of the Maple Leaf type with no relation to Northern Lights. Fleur du Mal traces its own Ortega to material from Nevil's freezer stock around 1988 and crossed 2 plants of that origin with each other.

Mr Nice Seedbank expressly places its own version next to Nevil's: Shantibaba is said to have selected it from older seed from the mid-1980s that descends from Northern Lights #1 and #5 and is Afghan at its core. For Ortega Indica, Dutch Passion gives 2 different parentages: Northern Lights #1 x Northern Lights #5 in the data sheet, and in the accompanying text a Northern Lights #1 from Nevil crossed with an Ortega landrace from the late 1970s. A magazine report from 2017 adds that Ortega Indica #3 was selected from this in Switzerland in the 1990s and later developed further in the Netherlands.

As a parent, Ortega is documented in Washington Apple, a cross with Pez, and in Astroboy, among others. Fleur du Mal used its own line for Banana Sherbet, and Burning Spear from SnowHigh Seeds goes back to Ortega Indica.

Versions from Different Breeders:

• Mr Nice Seedbank: regular seeds only, 6 to 8 weeks of flowering, 500 to 750 g/m² indoors, Christmas tree growth; outdoors in the Northern Hemisphere ripe between 10 and 20 October.
• Fleur du Mal: pure indica, regular only, 45 to 60 days of flowering, compact growth; outdoors in temperate northern latitudes ripe within 10 days around 10 October.
• Dutch Passion (Ortega Indica): feminized only, 8 to 10 weeks of flowering, medium yield, dwarf-like and compact, intended for indoor spaces and greenhouses in a temperate climate.
• Cannabella Genetics (Bella Ortega): regular only, around 56 days of flowering, Christmas tree shape with one dominant main flower, few side shoots and broad, dark green leaves.

Aroma and Flavor:

Mr Nice names fruity notes of dark berries, Fleur du Mal an earthy-sweet scent of overripe banana. Dutch Passion describes a very penetrating smell of earth, spices and tobacco, Cannabella Genetics hints of grape and grapefruit with hash and hops. Other strain descriptions mention berries, pepper, herbs and diesel and list myrcene as the dominant terpene ahead of caryophyllene and limonene. Growers tasted earth and sandalwood, one also a note of curry and cooking herbs that was perceived as strange.

THC and CBD Content:

Other strain descriptions give 15 and 17 % THC respectively, one of them 0 % CBD. Dutch Passion estimates the THC content of Ortega Indica in retrospect at 15 to 20 % and notes that lab tests were not always possible in the early days.

Effects:

Users describe a fast-onset, clearly relaxing effect that later turns into tiredness. Euphoria, giddiness and a heavy body feel are also mentioned, and some reports describe an initially clear, uplifted head effect. A grow report on Ortega Indica stresses that no nervousness occurred; another report considers the strain unsuitable for mentally demanding activities. Dutch Passion states that testers felt no aftereffect the following morning. Dry mouth and dry eyes appear as side effects.

Cultivation:

In the 2017 magazine test, Ortega Indica reached 95 to 120 cm after 9.5 weeks of flowering. The calyx-to-leaf ratio was high for an indica, and resin was clearly visible from the 4th week of flowering. An indoor grow under 2 sodium vapor lamps of 150 W each reached a satisfactory yield after 9 weeks; the robust plants with long side shoots were kept flat under a net (SCROG).

Community Experiences:

Reports on the Mr Nice version diverge. Several growers observed hermaphroditism, in one case all female plants developed male flowers, and one report rates the yield as medium to low. Others praise reliable germination, compact growth of the Mazar-i-Sharif type, a mold-resistant plant and straightforward cultivation. For Bella Ortega, slow growth, thick stems, medium yields and susceptibility to bud rot at high humidity are described.