Plushberry

The testing phase of a cross between Black Cherry Soda and Space Queen ran under the working name Pink Lady; Subcool of TGA Subcool Seeds later released it as Plushberry. The breeder description lists it as the first TGA strain from the Kush family. According to it, selection focused mainly on taste and smell, not on the pink to magenta calyces that develop on many plants.

Genetics and Origin:

According to the breeder, Black Cherry Soda contributes the blackberry aroma, while Space Queen was meant to strengthen the effects and resin production. TGA Subcool Seeds states 80 % indica and 20 % sativa, whereas other strain descriptions list Plushberry as a balanced hybrid with 50 % each. The spellings Plush Berry and Plushberry Kush are also common.

Grow reports with TGA seeds go back to the summer of 2011. A Spanish test report counts Plushberry among the lines lost in the 2017 fires in California; Subcool later re-released most of them under SubCool The Dank. Today the strain appears under MzJill Genetics, only as regular seeds. As a parent, it is documented in American Beauty by Dr. Underground, Black Cherry Chem by Irie Genetics, Cotton Candy Machine by Brain Freeze Seeds and Ganesh Berry by Mandala Seeds, among others.

Aroma and Flavor:

The breeder compares the flavor to blackberry jam, raspberries and assorted fruit candies. Growers describe crushed flowers as fruity and sweet-sour and the dried material as candy-like; after careful curing it reminds one grow report of the parent strain Black Cherry Soda. Cherry, violet, floral and earthy notes are also named, in one user report a pine undertone beneath the berry, in one strain description citrus with a slightly spicy aftertaste. One strain description names myrcene as the leading terpene, followed by pinene and caryophyllene, without giving measured values.

Effects:

Users describe physical relaxation together with an uplifted mood, partly as a mix of head and body effects that sets in slowly. Euphoria, giddiness and creativity appear in the reports just as sleepiness up to couch lock does. A Spanish test rates the effects as predominantly mental, and individual consumers found them weak. Reported side effects are dry mouth and dry eyes, and occasionally anxiety, dizziness, sweating and headaches after heavy use.

THC and CBD Content:

THC figures in strain descriptions range from 15 to 25 %. One of them puts CBD at 0.1 to 0.5 %, another reports 1 % CBG. The origin and laboratory of the values remain unclear in both cases.

Cultivation:

TGA Subcool Seeds states 55 to 65 days of flowering; according to strain details, Plushberry is suited to growing indoors, outdoors and in a greenhouse. According to the breeder, the plant grows very tall from seed when untopped, while topped cuttings stay shorter, which is why the breeder recommends topping. Two main phenotypes are described: a smaller, strongly pink-colored one that Subcool preferred according to a retailer description, and a larger, indica-leaning one with more yield. The breeder rates the yield as medium and says the resin-covered leaves between the flowers were suitable for hash making. The same retailer description gives 350 to 500 g/m² indoors and 100 to 400 g per plant outdoors.

The documented grows turn out inconsistent. An indoor run from 2012 produced 3 females from 5 seeds; after 63 days of flowering they delivered 150 to 173 g per plant, and the strong growth required heavy tying down. In reports from 2011, a tall phenotype produced 5 oz and a short one 2.5 oz, with harvest after 55 to 70 days. In the Spanish test, one phenotype stretched to double its height during flowering, the other to triple.

Another report describes a stable, fir-tree-shaped growth habit, hard and compact flowers, no susceptibility to mold and good suitability for a SCROG, but sensitivity to too much as well as too little fertilizer. In cool temperatures the plants there turned purple, carmine red and pink; another grower saw no pink coloration at 82 °F.

Versions from Different Breeders:

Besides the regular line from TGA Subcool Seeds and MzJill Genetics, Plushberry Auto exists as a feminized autoflower variant from Blimburn Seeds, into which Ruderalis was crossed. Blimburn Seeds states 7 to 8 weeks from seed to harvest, 150 cm height, 350 to 450 g/m² indoors, 80 to 100 g per plant outdoors and 31 to 34 % THC; the supplier gives the indica share as 50 %.