Special Queen #1

How much plants of the same variety can differ is shown by grow reports on Special Queen #1. Alongside compact, bushy specimens there are thinly branched ones that stretch many times their height after the switch to flowering. The feminized hybrid was bred from Power Bud and Skunk by the Dutch seed company Royal Queen Seeds, which classifies it as balanced, with 50 % indica and 50 % sativa.

Genetics and Origin:

With the cross, Royal Queen Seeds, by its own account, wanted to combine the spicy Skunk notes with high THC content, good productivity and colorful, resin-rich flowers. According to the breeder, Skunk itself goes back to Sacred Seed Co. in the 1970s and combines Afghani, Acapulco Gold and Colombian landraces. The strain also circulates as Special Queen 1 or Special Queen One.

Cultivation:

For the photoperiod version, Royal Queen Seeds states 55 to 60 days of flowering. Indoors the plants are said to reach 80 to 140 cm, with the lower figure applying to plants kept low with LST and topping, and to yield 500 to 550 g/m² under a 600 W lamp. Outdoors the breeder gives a height of 200 to 270 cm and 500 to 550 g per plant, with harvest in late September. The strain is said to need plenty of sun but also to cope with northern European climates such as those of the Netherlands or Great Britain.

A differing breeder description, reproduced in other strain profiles, gives up to 150 cm indoors and over 3 m outdoors, roughly 50 g per plant or 500 g/m² under 600 W, and more than 150 g per plant outdoors. It considers the strain unsuitable for northern European climates and gives 7 to 8 weeks of flowering.

Royal Queen Seeds describes tall, lanky growth with long colas and narrow leaf fingers; toward the end of flowering the foliage may turn light green, orange, purple and yellow. The documented indoor grows vary widely. One plant grew from about 15 to about 140 cm after the switch to flowering and formed hardly any side branches, while another reached around 70 cm after 58 days of flowering, bushy and with many thick side buds. Flowering times in these reports range between 50 and 70 days.

The breeder recommends topping and LST for indoor cultivation. On compact plants, topping the main shoot proved worthwhile; on the stretched plant it achieved little, and outdoors plants kept shooting upward despite topping. In a SCROG on 0.8 m² under 250 W, one grower harvested 198 g from 2 plants after 67 days of flowering.

Royal Queen Seeds also lists the autoflower variant Special Queen 1 Auto, a cross of Power Bud and Big Skunk Auto with 5 % ruderalis. According to the breeder it needs 10 to 12 weeks from germination to harvest, of which 45 to 55 days are flowering, reaches 70 to 120 cm indoors and yields 400 to 450 g/m² or, outdoors, 90 to 175 g per plant.

Community Experiences:

Some growers describe the strain as undemanding and forgiving, also with regard to temperature swings and fungal attack; one outdoor grower adds that it tolerates cold better than heat. Other reports contradict this on mold, which in one case formed despite open pruning, and mention hermaphrodite plants, once under heat stress. One indoor grower was disappointed because some of the plants stopped growing early and the harvest was meager. Outdoors, one plant only ripened at the end of October, while another went into flower after about 60 days regardless of day length.

Aroma and Flavor:

Royal Queen Seeds lists earth, fruit and skunk as the basic notes. A more detailed description adds musk, pine and sweetness, as well as gas and garlic, which the breeder attributes to sulfur-containing compounds. A trade magazine additionally mentions bergamot and mint. As terpenes, Royal Queen Seeds lists myrcene, pinene and caryophyllene; another strain description names the same ones with myrcene in first place. Consumers describe a strong pine scent with pepper and slight sweetness, spicy and diesel-like tones over an earthy base, and a soft, sweet smoke reminiscent of sponge cake.

Effects:

The breeder describes a strong, long-lasting effect that relaxes the body and leaves room for creativity. In user reports, consumers describe elevated mood, energy, talkativeness and creative impulses, partly with a clear head and mild body relaxation, partly with noticeable absent-mindedness. Others felt rather sleepy, and one grower observed that the effect shifted from stimulating to heavy lethargy as the amount increased. Dry mouth is reported as a side effect; one strain description also lists dizziness and paranoid thoughts.

THC Content:

Royal Queen Seeds states up to 18 % THC and a low CBD content for both versions. Another strain description gives a clearly lower value of 12 % THC, along with 1 % CBG.