New Year News

Hey Folks!

I hope you all had a great Christmas this year and I hope you were able to spend it with your families. There’s nothing I find more uplifting than spending downtime with my loved ones. It brings me back to center and reminds me of who I am and why I’m here. For me, it’s a time of reflection on what I’ve accomplished and where I want to go. It’s the ending of a cycle and the beginning of the next. It signals a gradual slowing down for me that culminates around Christmas and ends on the night of the New Year. And the end of the cycle is upon us.

When I was younger, I never understood the deeper meaning behind our holidays and why we celebrated them. I just knew I wanted the toys and the candy. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that without human connection and human experience, we’re not really living. It’s those experiences that allow us to reflect on ourselves and our lives and determine what is important to us and what is not. And for me, I’ve come to realize the most important things in life are not material. They are in fact metaphysical. I value Love, Truth, Knowledge, Intention, Compassion, and Forgiveness. And though they don’t pay the bills or put food on the table, I believe they are an essential part of this whole experience. And they are an essential part of how I live my life.

I wasn’t intending to get so philosophical, but in today’s day, discussions of this kind are of the most importance. We are now globally connected through the vast spider web of the internet, yet I’ve never felt further away from my fellow humans. Hiding behind the screen, deception and lies have taken the place of truth and facts. And now we get to pick the reality we live in. But no matter what Cosmology we choose to believe, there are basic universal principles that cannot be twisted and manipulated. And those truths are the truths that I value.

I am not perfect and I don’t I believe any human is. But I do try and practice honesty and integrity in my life and in my work. I am not out to get rich and I’m not out to deceive. I’m out to grow this plant and grow my soul and bring the best medicine I can to the world. If I can keep the lights on and feed my family in the process, it’s a win.

But you should never take my word for anything. Always do your due diligence and remember; its the actions of people that really show you who they are. I’ll always be transparent and answer any questions you may have. But if you really want get to know my work, the truth lies in the quality of the products we put out. I would never sell anything I wouldn’t personally consume. And this is coming from someone who has never bought a single gram from a Rec. store. I don’t believe in fancy marketing and I don’t believe in hyping myself up.

So, if you gave us a chance regardless of fancy packaging and glass jars, regardless of COAs, and regardless of all the other big growers out there, you have no idea how incredibly grateful I am. And honestly, I’m grateful to see that quality is becoming a standard in the industry, when the past few years it’s just been about the quick buck.

Times are changing as they always have. But I plan to make to make 2022 the best year of my life. And I hope everyone comes along with me. I’m not out here trying to get rich. If I wanted to do that, I would’ve picked a different career. I’m out here to free the plant and in doing so leave a lasting impression on this earth, my friends, and my family.

Flower COAs

To All my Flower Folks…

In regards to questions about COAs:

I expect to be held to the same standards as all other flower producers in the marketplace. I don’t want special treatment and I don’t expect it. I believe flower should be judged on several things; most notably: appearance, structure, smell, flavor, smoothness, affect, medicinal qualities, cleanliness, as well as price and customer service. In essence, flower is no different than any other product you buy and consume. It’s easy to tell right off the bat whether you got scammed or not. But even then, sometimes you don’t know till you try it. The proof is in the pudding as they say.

For me, I wouldn’t grow anything and I wouldn’t sell anything that I wouldn’t ingest myself. I don’t buy and resell other’s hemp products. Every flower related product I sell comes from a seed I germinated or a cutting I took. In the end, there is no one to blame for the quality of my product but myself. I sample everything before It hits the customer to ensure quality control. I know my lines and I know what they contain even without a COA.

If you require a COA for everything you ingest, then you probably won’t be buying from me. It’s not that I don’t care what my flower tests at. In fact, its quite the opposite. The simple truth is that I grow between 500-600 plants every cycle. At $40 a test, that’s $20,000 in testing, 4 times a year. It’s just not an option at my scale. I must pick and choose where I spend my money when it comes to testing. I choose to test my own lines first, because those are the ones that invariably stick around. Sometimes I’ll test every phenotype in a line, which might cost me $1000 for each line. Out of those plants, I’ll be keeping one or two, rarely three to move forward with. 

I don’t have COA’s for all my flower because 80% of it will never see my farm again. If you buy flower from me, chances are you’re buying R & D flower runs. The whole intention behind these runs is to find better selections to create new and unique cultivars. I will always be a breeder first and my interest lies in unlocking the genetic potential of this plant. If I can sell some flower while I’m at it, then so be it.

What folks need to realize is that a COA is nothing more than a false sense of security. Do you trust your flower supplier to be 100% transparent with you? Do you know there is no way to validate that your COA is accurate unless you test the flower yourself. Do you know that when you grow from seed every plant will have a different level of potency regardless if it’s the same chemotype? And did you know that a single cultivar can contain multiple chemotypes?  

For example, when someone grows my OC CBG, they’ll get three main chemotypes. There is CBG dominant, CBD dominant, and mixed ratio plants. That means if I took a COA for a CBG dominant chemotype and slapped it on that flower, I would be misleading folks by leaving out half of the population. Now, I can sample the CBD chemotypes, the CBG chemotypes and the mixed ratios to see what levels of potency they each contain. Out of a large enough sample size, I could tell you approximately what is within that population. And I can do that because I’ve done the testing and sampling with that line. But to think that a COA is 100% representative of the flower you buy, is to be naive. 

Which brings me back to my first point. Judging flower based on flower. I understand the need to know chemotype as consumer. One needs to know that when you smoke your flower, it is, what you expect it is. Is it a pure Type III CBD strain, a pure type IV CBG strain, or a mixed chemotype II, rich in THCA? To me, these are the more important questions. 

With all that said, I will be dedicating 3/4 of my grow space to clone only runs from here on out. These will be selections that we have made that will be true to their COA’s. That is the only case I see where a COA is accurate. And even then, potency from a clone can vary by grower. Just know that by the end of the year, we will have COAs for our clone runs that I can stand by 100%. I will not however, mislead folks with COAs that don’t accurately represent the flower I sell. I would much rather be honest and tell you the truth. And the truth is, I’m not wasting my money and integrity pushing inaccurate COA’s. I get every batch of flower tested by my department of agriculture for compliance and that is all I need to receive a fit for commerce certificate to sell across state lines. 

I appreciate all those that have supported us and given us a chance despite being new to the scene.  I know we won’t be for everyone. But for those that want to come along for the ride, the more the merrier. We are a small family farm with only four souls at the heart of it. We get up everyday and work hard to give you the best experience we can. I make my self available through Email, personal cell, and Instagram. I try my best to answer questions and provide help when I can. But I also do most of the day to day farm work and my schedule is incredibly full. Like they say, I quite a 9-5 to work 24/7. I wouldn’t change it for the world. 

2021 Catalog

— HOKU SEED CO. STRAIN LIST —

ILLUMINATUS SERIES

This is a regular (R) line of hemp seed for all those still interested in males and doing your own personal breeding.

CYCLOPS - (T1 x Ceiba) - CBD - (R)
DEEP SPACE - (Abacus x Abacus) - CBD - (R)
ERASER - (Ceiba x Abacus) - CBD - (R)
LOVEBONE - (Bora Bora x La Crema) - CBD - (R)
PEACE WARRIOR - (La Berna x La Crema) - CBD - (R)
QALYPSO - (Suzy Q Bx x Ceiba) - CBD - (R)
RAIN DANCER - (Therapy x Ceiba) - CBD - (R)
WILD COUNTRY - (Run CBD x Ceiba) - CBD - (R)
WITCHES BREW - ((AC/DC x Harli-tsu) x Ceiba) - CBD - (R)
ZOO BLOOD - (Cherry Wine x La Crema) - CBD - (R)
CIRCLES - (La Crema x La Crema) - CBG - (R)

YEAR OF MADNESS SERIES

This series features funky terps, CBG, Kush crosses, and Diesel. These are feminized (F) seeds. 

MAD VILLIAN - (THCV 1:1 x Maddog) - THCV:CBG (F)

DOOMSDAY DIESEL - (G.P.S. CBD Diesel x Maddog CBG) - CBD:CBG - (F)
MADDOG 2020 - (Swiss CBG R1) - CBG - (F)
ORIGINAL ZOMBIE - (Kush Hemp x Maddog) - CBD:CBG -(F)

THE ORIGINAL CBG (O.C.) SERIES

The OC CBG is not your average CBG cultivar. We created her from the "Original CBG", Bernabeo, which has been used as a breeding variety in Italy going back to the 90's. Completely open source and unique in her own right, Bernabeo brings CBG, Early flowering, and vigor into each of these modern hemp hybrids. 

BLAYLOC - (Blue Alien x The O.C.) - THC:CBD:CBG - (F)
ORIGINAL SUZY - ((Suzy Q x Bernabeo) x The O.C.) - CBG:CBD - (F)
THE OC CBG V2 - (The O.C. x The O.C.) - CBD:CBG - (F)
THERAPY BLOC - ((Therapy x Bernabeo) x The O.C.) - CBG:CBD - (F)

THE BERNSIDE SERIES

This series features some of our original work with Bernabeo. These plants are geared towards outdoor production, finish early, and grow into massive plants.

SNOWBERN - (Jack Frost CBG x Bernabeo CBG) - CBG - (R)
BERNIE CBG - (Bernabeo F2) - CBG - (R)
BBX2 - (Ottobox x Bernabeo ) - CBG:CBD - (F)
BERNABOR - (Bernabeo x Box Of Riches) - CBD:CBG - (F)
BOX OF RICHES - ((Bernie CBG x OttoBox) x Richness) - CBD - (F)
CHERRYBERN - (Cherry Box x Bernabeo) - CBD - (F)
FOXYBERN - (OttoBox x Bernabeo) x Bernabeo) - CBG:CBD - (F)

THE TUNGUSKA SERIES

This series is focused on creating regular auto-flowers using a Russian Landrace male.

RUSSIAN LANDRACE - (Russian Ruderalis) - CBG - (R)
RUSSIAN WIDOW AUTO - (White Widow CBD Auto x Russian Landrace) - CBD:THC - (R) 

RUSSTUCKY AUTO - (Kentucky landrace x Russian Auto) - CBD - (R)
RUSSIAN CBD AUTO - (Cbd Auto x Russian Auto) - CBD - (R)
PINK RUSSIAN - (Pink Kush Auto x Russian Landrace) - CBD - (R)

THE KARMA SERIES

COMING SOON 2021

- (Ceiba x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- (Suzy Q x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- (Abacus x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- (Therapy x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- (AC/DC Harle-Tsu x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)

 - (Baox x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- (Richness x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- (Cherry Wine x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- (Cherry Blossom x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F) 

- (La Berna x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- (La Crema x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- (Dream Tonic 2 x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- (Dream Tonic 5 x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- (BBX x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- (Wyld Stallion 2 x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)

 - (Wyld Stallion 11 x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)

THE KZ RACER SERIES

COMING SOON 2021

- (Tnt Box X RL x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- ((Ol’ Dirty Bastard x RL) x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F) 

- ((Cannabox x RL) x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)
- ((Amperage Box x RL) x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F) 

- ((Charolottes Web x RL x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F) 

- ((Mystery x RL x Karmatonic Z) - CBD - (F)

THE COIN TOSS SERIES

This series is focused on Type II regular seeds. The main goal was to increase CBD in these mixed ratio strains. While these have elevated levels of THC, half of the offspring will be CBD dominant. 

CONTINUA - (Continuum x 1:1 open pollination) - CBD:THC - (R)
HARLOTTA - (Harlox x Holy CBD) - CBD:THC - (R)
HOLY ROSA - (Rosaberry x Holy CBD ) - CBD:THC - (R)
KIMBO LIMBO - (Kimbo Kush x Holy CBD) - CBD:THC - (R)
MEDICAL MAMBA - (Medical Glue x Holy CBD) - CBD:THC - (R)
MESSY NESSIE - (Nessie x 1:1 open pollination ) - CBD:THC - (R)
SUPA RICHIE RICH - (Super Rich x 1:1 open pollination) - CBD:THC - (R)
TESLA RAY - (Tesla x Holy CBD) - CBD:THC - (R)
WILD CONTRY - (Run CBD x Ceiba) - CBD:THC - (R)

The Guy Downtown

“The Guy Downtown” is a name that evolved when I was growing in my basement in college. Often when I dropped off flower with my buddy, I would stick around to burn one with him and people would already be stopping by to grab it. Being prohibition era, I couldn’t let them know that I had grown it, so a story evolved that this guy who lived downtown from the campus area was responsible for it and they always “just missed him”. 

The Lolab Valley Lemon Kashmiri project is an effort to inject some undomesticated, feral genes into modern genetics to impart some ruggedness, pest and disease resistance, and investigate the unique aspects that this primordial landrace brings to the table. Lolab Valley is situated in the northern most part of Indian occupied Kashmir. Due to geography and elevation, the growing season is short and rainfall and humidity are plentiful causing heavy foliar disease pressure, especially at the end of the season, which these plants have grown to strongly resist. This is a true landrace population, influenced solely by natural selection and from a genetic and biodiversity aspect, is an invaluable gene pool. Seed stock used was originally sourced from @archaic_serpent_reprealms in 2018 and made available through @irrazin at @indianlandraceexchange and @fullpowerselections, grown in central Maine 2019 and 2020 in an open pollination reproduction and hybridization project under nuclear fusion lighting, with normal photo period, and fed natural and organic inputs to positively influence epigenetics for growing in the great outdoors in a northern climate. These crosses are intended primarily for outdoor cultivation and to be used as breeding tools. Due mostly to the size of the plants and general growth pattern but can be cultivated indoors if you’re determined and dedicated. If kept inside it is advisable to keep them lit 24/7 and do not allow them to become pot bound. These are not like true auto flower plants but I would describe them as very eager to flower due to the short season in Lolab Valley and once they graduate from the juvenile plant stage to mature stage they will look for any excuse to reproduce. It is also advisable to refrigerate or freeze seeds for a few weeks prior to germination as there is potential for some of the cold dormancy genes from the feral genetics. Seed is packaged sealed in rice so that you don’t need to worry about condensation. Females in the Lolab population are not known to have intersex traits although reportedly this can occur late season in males of the population, however I have not observed this personally. 22-26ish per pack. Thank you 

Little Bit ‘O Soul = Lemon G x Lolab Valley

Lemon G is a legendary cultivar from Ohio that some consider the zenith of lemon expression. Lore says that this was sprouted from original Colombian import and thankfully she was held tightly in several circles to ensure that she is still around today. I have found expressions in the Lolab population that are a dead ringer for this exquisite cut, there’s lemon magic hiding in these seeds with the combining of these genes.  

Sundae Morning Comin’ Down = Sundae Driver x Lolab Valley 

Sundae Driver combines Fruity Pebbles OG and Grape Pie, two heavy hitters in the fruity flavor department. The selection used is from Black Sheep Farms and produces amazing tasting flowers, I expect most of the offspring of this cross to have berry/grape flavors. 

She Don’t Use Jelly = Grape Ape x Lolab Valley

The legendary West Coast classic, Grape Ape is powerhouse of grape candy flavor and throws some impressive colas. This is the selection that was tissue cultured by Phinest and performs wonderfully outdoors, this should be a very vigorous combination for under the sun. 

No Particular Place To Go = Gas Pedal x Lolab Valley 

Sometimes the destination isn’t as important as the ride itself. Gas Pedal is an offering from Dying Breed and is aptly named, she’s a gassy one with Chem 4 and Fireball OG as parents. Historically, lemons and fuel is a match made in heaven, this cross should exemplify this type of pairing. 

Girl, You Know It’s True = Putang x Lolab Valley 

Putang is Tangie x Star Pupil and this is the MMS breeder selection used in the cross. I found her to be slightly susceptible to powdery mildew but the genes from Lolab should fix that. She makes beautiful purple flowers due to the likely Pakistani Chitral Kush in the genes and has loud Chinese orange chicken flavor contributed from the Tangie.  Expect great colors from this cross at harvest time. 

A Sears Poncho = Mendobreath x Lolab Valley 

Mendobreath is quite a heavy hitter of a strain, with whole seed companies founded on its genetics. OGKB meets Mendo Purps in frost city. Seriously, the frost level on this plant is super impressive with great caramel/Creme type of flavor and performed amazingly outside. 

A Real Poncho = Oaxaca ‘hiking trip’ x Lolab Valley

The Oaxaca came to me from a friend of a friend whom, as the story goes, collected the seed stock on an ecotourism trip in Southern Mexico. She is not the thin leaved type plant you would think of when you think of Oaxaca, she has broad leaves and can deal with a short season like a champ with great pest and disease resistance. Likely the seed collected was from the highland area of the region. She colors up slightly by harvest with cold weather and has a creamy/berry profile. Offspring of this cross should be outdoor champions. 

Lolab Valley Lemon Kashmiri ‘f2 ex-situ outdoor open pollination’ 

This is pure Lolab Valley stock that has been reproduced in Central Maine full term for two seasons with natural inputs in an open pollination to retain the natural variability that makes this landrace so rugged. This is a feral population so there are some things to keep in mind: no selection for yield considerations have ever been made in the natural history of this population, these plants can grow quite large in the right environment with vigorous secondary branching so give them space, and while they are not an auto-flower type of plant like C. ruderalis- they are VERY eager to flower meaning that once they graduate from the juvenile stage to maturity, they may be difficult to keep in a purely vegetative state indoors, especially if they are allowed to become pot bound or given any dark period. All of the seeds I pack have rice included in the vial to act as a desiccant, you can put the pack right into the crisper drawer of your fridge or into your freezer which is recommended for atleast a couple weeks prior to germination. As a survival mechanism, these seeds do not germinate all at once or even right away. Germination may take several weeks for some seeds so please be patient with them and ensure they have proper moisture and favorable conditions. Direct sowing outside is recommended, these seeds are built to survive, as long as the potting medium doesn’t dry out, they will eventually sprout and catch up to their earlier siblings quickly if given enough sunlight. Also take care not to bury the seed deeply, they are surface sprouters. It should also be noted that if left to their devices, they will create a self sustaining population in most environments due to early flowering, quickly ripening seed, and a natural seed auto-ejection mechanism where the bract splits upon ripeness being reached, if this is unwanted vigilantly cull any rogue plants and exclude all males from the area. 

Cannabis Chemotypes I, II, III, IV, & V

Cannabis sativa, which includes Hemp, as well as all drug varieties, consists of different chemical variants. These variants differ in their chemical makeup as well as their morphology. Initially, three main chemotypes were identified. The first one, Type I, was defined as the “drug type” because of its high THC content and low CBD:THC ratio. The second chemotype, Type II, was defined as the “intermediate,” which consists of near equal parts of the two main cannabinoids, THC and CBD. Among Type II’s, CBD tends to be slightly more prevalent, while THC dominant Type II’s can be somewhat rare. The third one, Type III, is called the “fiber” or “non-drug type” and is mainly CBD. We often use the definition of hemp, with a THC amount lower than 0.3%, to classify type III chemotypes. There are also two additional chemotypes. Type IV, which is predominantly CBG, with some CBD present, and Type V, which was proposed to classify any material with undetectable amounts of any cannabinoids.

Source: https://www.slideshare.net/Adrienna/the-future-of-cannabis-genetics

We now understood that the inheritance of the three main chemotypes (I, II, and III) is due to the occurrence at B locus of two co-dominant alleles BD, responsible for CBD and BT, which is the allele responsible for the presence of THC. You can achieve all three main chemotypes by breeding two different chemotype parents, resulting in a segregation of the single locus (B) in the offspring. For example, a Type I drug variety crossed with a Type III hemp variety, will produce Type II chemotypes in the offspring. In this case, two homozygous parents of separate chemotypes (I and III) are crossed and the resulting progeny are a 50/50 of both parents. Since, these are all heterozygous at those alleles, when you inbreed them, the F2 progeny will exhibit all three chemotypes in a 1:2:1 genotypic ratio of chemotypes I, II, and III respectively.

While types I, II, and III are fairly straightforward to breed, things get more complicated as you dive into type IV’s and beyond. According to OregonCBD, there is evidence of three specific routes to create type IVs. The first is a double deletion of the THCAS and CBDAS synthases, such as in the case of Santhica 27. The second, is an abnormal “nonfunctional” CBDAS synthase in the presence of a normal nonfunctional THCAS synthase and third, an abnormal “nonfunctional” THCAS synthase in the presence of a normal nonfunctional CBDAS synthase. Other theoretical methods might include introducing exogenous forces to shutdown protein expression, such as gene silencing through a virus.

Source: https://www.slideshare.net/Adrienna/the-future-of-cannabis-genetics

Apart from these common chemotypes, we are now seeing new varietals on the market such as THCV-rich Black Beauty and Doug’s Varin. There are also, sure to come, new minor-rich varieties of which additional chemotypes may need to be created. With the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, we are now moving into a world where type I drug varieties no longer dominate the cannabis market. In this new market, the cannabis type classification system is needed more than ever. Without a consistent language to differentiate the chemical makeup of cannabis chemotypes, consumers and industry insiders will struggle to communicate on the same level.