Silver Pearl

Sweet honey, citrus and dark chocolate over a skunky base note: these are the terms strain profiles use to describe the scent of Silver Pearl. The three-way cross of Early Pearl, Skunk #1 and Northern Lights #5 is attributed to Sensi Seeds of Amsterdam. In the family tree of Silver Haze, it appears as a parent of Silver Pearl x Haze.

Aroma and Flavor:

The descriptions set different emphases. Besides citrus and skunk, a sharp note reminiscent of ammonia is mentioned, and the flavor is given as sweet honey, in part with vanilla and lemon. The breeders stress the sweetness: Sensi Seeds highlights the sweet flavor, The Seed Bank calls the strain sweeter than Northern Lights #5, and Nirvana Seeds describes the aroma as fresh and only moderately skunky.

Consumers report a broader range. Citrus and berries, earthy tones, pine and grass, a fruity taste and a cheesy undertone are mentioned. A review from Oklahoma described the scent as earthy and sweet. In a documented indoor grow with seeds from Nirvana Seeds, the plant smelled of sage, and the taste recalled sage and cookie dough.

Genetics and Origin:

The sources largely agree on the parent lines. Only Nirvana Seeds lists Early Girl instead of Early Pearl for its own version. A Sensi Seed Bank catalog presented Silver Pearl, now also available separately, as the mother of the company's own Silver Haze. According to The Seed Bank, the resin comes from Northern Lights #5, while the sweetness and the calyx-to-leaf ratio come from Early Pearl and Skunk #1. Strain descriptions classify the hybrid as sativa-dominant, and one gives 80 % sativa.

The dates given for its origin diverge. Nirvana Seeds dates the cross to the early 1990s. The Seed Bank, by contrast, lists Silver Pearl x Haze, by its own account the winner of the High Times Harvest Festival in 1989, with Silver Pearl as a parent; Silver Haze and Silver Haze #9 from Sensi Seeds are derived from this line. The current Sensi Seeds strain page, however, describes Silver Haze as a cross of Haze and Northern Lights without mentioning Silver Pearl. Green House Seeds bred an inbred line of Silver Pearl from seeds of the 1990s and sells it as Lost Pearl.

At the 1993 High Times Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam, Sensi Seeds placed 2nd in the Seed Cup with Silver Pearl, behind NL5 x Haze. In the Coffeeshop Cup of the same year, an Amsterdam coffeeshop also took 2nd place with Silver Pearl. The frequently repeated claim that the strain won a hybrid category in 1994 does not appear in the 1994 results lists; no such category existed there. For the Highlife Cup, a 3rd place in 2004 and a 2nd place in 2006 are recorded in organic categories.

Effects:

Euphoria, creativity and a lifted mood form the core of the user reports, several of them with a fast onset, along with giddiness, talkativeness, energy or focus. Strain descriptions call the effect in the head strong, bordering on the psychedelic. Other consumers found the strain relaxing and heavy, up to couch lock; one review describes a calm high that rises slowly. Dry eyes and dry mouth are named, and isolated reports mention nervousness and headaches.

THC and CBD Content:

A single measurement is documented: Scissortail Laboratories determined 13.81 % THC and 0 % CBD in an analysis published in 2019. Strain descriptions give 13 to 21 % THC, and Nirvana Seeds gives 8 to 15 % for its own version. Strain profiles name myrcene, pinene and limonene as the leading terpenes.

Cultivation:

Sensi Seeds gives a flowering time of 45 to 50 days and intends the strain for indoor cultivation and greenhouse; the plants reach 100 to 125 cm. Two dates are on record for the greenhouse harvest: late September in the older catalog and mid-October in a later description. Strain profiles describe low plants with dark green foliage and flowers with few leaves, orange hairs and dense trichome coverage. Another description, by contrast, calls the buds notably leafy.

In the indoor grow mentioned above, with seeds from Nirvana Seeds, the plant grew fir-tree shaped with few side shoots, gained height during flowering from 35 to about 120 cm and was finished after 54 days. The grower got by with little fertilizer and rated the strain as suitable for beginners. User reports also give 6.5 weeks of flowering as well as 6 to 7 weeks outdoors. One report describes the plants as resistant to diseases and pests, while another criticizes loose buds.

Versions from Different Breeders:

Besides Sensi Seeds, The Seed Bank and Nirvana Seeds list the strain, both as regular seeds. The sources do not show whether Sensi Seeds or The Seed Bank offered it first. The Seed Bank gives 45 to 50 days of flowering at 12 hours of darkness, suitability for indoor, outdoor and greenhouse, and a harvest around September 15 at 40° north latitude. Nirvana Seeds gives about 52 days, 400 to 500 g/m² in Sea of Green, and a harvest in September or October.