Critical Strains: Cannabis with Gorilla Lineage

Where Do Critical Cannabis Seeds Come From?

Critical Mass was created in the mid1990s by Scott Blakely, AKA Shantibaba, along with Nevil Schoenmakers and Howard Marks, AKA the original Mr. Nice. They left Green House Seed Company in Amsterdam together and began their own seed bank, complete with boutique reworkings of some of their favorite strains. Mr. Nice Seedbank is the same seed house that developed White Widow and Great White Shark, and each of these growers has, on their own as well as together, had a huge impact on modern marijuana genetics. Blakely took Big Bud genetics from the old Amsterdam House, reworked them to have the same large inflorescences but with a higher yield per plant and more THC, and thus was born Critical Mass. It’s a mix of Afghani and Skunk 1, and is an eighty-twenty indica dominant split hybrid. Known in the eighties in Europe as Cultivator’s Choice, Skunk 1 was another strain developed by Schoenmakers in collaboration with Sam the Skunkman. It’s one of the three largest and most well-known reservoirs of weed genes, along with the Kushes and Hazes. The Critical lineage takes after Skunk 1 in terms of its scent and some effects, and differs in its growing style and flavor. The Afghani influence on Critical is responsible for much of its complex woody flavor and strong indica effects. Both strains help to make Critical Mass a highly resinous cultivar with a high THC content. If you’re looking for more descendants of Afghani and Skunk 1, WS US has dozens of them for sale right here on this website.

Why Buy Critical Seeds?

Critical plants are versatile and relatively easy to grow. They have a medium height that makes them suitable, especially for grow rooms. They often flower very quickly, and are widely available as both autoflowering and photoperiod seeds. Critical plants can grow large yields in the right circumstances, with some varieties getting more than two pounds per plant! Their high is potent, and ideal for a wide variety of both recreational and medical applications including fighting depression, anxiety, arthritis, pain due to cancer or chronic nerve pain, loss of appetite, and migraines. Critical strains are available as both moderate and high THC versions. If you’re after high CBD versions, we have CBD Critical Mass and CBD Top Critical Mass. We also carry two of Critical Mass’ first generation crosses, Sugar Black Rose and Maxigom. It’s never been easier to find the right strain for whatever growing situation you have going on, read all about how to grow it, and have all your favorite seeds delivered right to your door! Weed Seeds loves to help new growers learn all about the exciting world of cannabis. We want to be the place folks go to learn about and order our over five hundred kinds of seeds. All our products, regardless of where in the world their genetics were first created, are born and raised right here in America. We’re the fastest domestic shipper of seeds in the country, with your seeds often shipped the next business day and showing up at your door within days! Why go anywhere else?

Seed Storage Of Critical Cannabis Seeds

Weed Seeds wants to make sure that the top-notch seeds we sell you stay viable and in tip-top shape from the time they leave our offices to their arrival at your door. After that, it’s up to you to keep them safe. Storing your seeds in a dry cupboard or a drawer for a few weeks is fine, so long as they are kept in a container that will protect them from getting crushed. After that, proper care of Critical seeds comes down to a few variables including light, heat, moisture, and contamination. Never handle your cannabis seeds with your bare hands. Unless you are immediately putting them in the ground from there, the oils on your hands can become rancid, slowly eroding the seed casing and causing your seeds to rot or become nonviable in storage. Our hands also carry all kinds of microbes, and it just takes one to cause your germination station to turn into a mold fest. Using nitrile gloves or tweezers for handling is ideal. For longer than a few weeks, it’s wise to keep your seeds somewhere safer to ensure they won’t accidentally germinate in storage and die. Moisture is the biggest bad, and your seeds can be kept for six months to several years if left in a cool, dark place with a relative humidity between eight and ten percent. The crisper drawer or door of your fridge can be a fine place so long as the seeds are kept in a watertight and lightproof container. You’re in good hands with WS!

Germinating Critical Seeds

The paper towel method is the safest way to germinate Critical family seeds. For this method you’ll need two dinner plates, some clean paper towels, distilled water, seeds, and tweezers or gloves to handle them. You’ll also need a warm dry place to let them germinate for a few days where they won’t be disturbed or get below, or above, room temperature for too long. Many people like to start this method by soaking their seeds overnight in a glass of water. If you don’t want to bother with that step, you can get the paper towels wet and then put the seeds on the paper towel. It’s important to make sure the towels are moist but not sopping wet. Test the wetness by lifting up the paper towel. If there are pools of water underneath, the towel is too wet. Arrange the seeds so they have at least an inch of space between them, cover them with another wet paper towel and then put the other dinner plate upside down on top. Leave them in a warm and safe place, checking on them at least once a day to keep the towels wet and to see if the sprouts have come out yet. Your pot seeds should begin to sprout in one to three days, and will be ready to transfer to your seedling setup or directly into your growing set up within a week. Weeds Seeds US offers high germination rates, so if you care for your seeds, they can sprout for years to come. Our fine genetics are a solid addition to any garden!

Growing Critical Cannabis Plants

Critical family genes are a wise choice for novice growers who know a little bit about weed and are ready for a challenge. They do well both in and outdoors depending on the strain, but really shine in indoor growing spaces where they can create big cash crops. Critical Mass plants can handle temperate climates, but you’ll want to be sure to keep them away from excess moisture near the end of their growing period, when being left out in the rain for too long can lead to bud rot. These plants like a little bit of acidity in their water. A pH around 5.8 is ideal, though be careful that this doesn’t end up making the growing medium too acidic. Anything lower than a pH of 5.5 and your plants will not be able to take in nutrients properly, leading first to nutrient lockout and then nutrient burn. These plants like a lot of nutrients to support their large buds. Make sure to keep them well-stocked in nitrogen to start. During the switch between vegetating and flowering, give them some extra calcium and magnesium. A hit of phosphorus early on will also help them to get the kind of big buds this strain is known for. Plants typically get between thirty-two and eighty inches tall, with a lot of variation depending on conditions and specific genetics. The large flowers of this plant will often need support in their later stages from pantyhose or stakes. KSCO provides extensive growing information for every strain we offer, so check that out.

Growing Flowers From Critical Seeds Indoors

Growing Critical strains indoors can be highly productive, with more control over the humidity levels and other environmental factors. Critical plants don’t tend to like a lot of humidity, but seedlings need around sixty-five percent relative humidity when they’re starting out. If you’re only going to be growing a few plants to their full heights, they can benefit from some training. A Screen of Green technique combined with topping can help plants to grow laterally. Simply pinch or snip off the topmost growth of the plant, train the remaining leaves around a mesh screen, and watch as two to four main colas sprout up. It’s not recommended you top autoflowering plants, however you can still get abundant results with a Screen of Green. For larger batches and quicker yields, using Critical family plants in a Sea of Green technique is highly recommended. This is where a lot of small plants are crammed together, often in a hydroponic setup. These plants are grown interlocking so they support one another. They’re then flipped early, so that most of their growing life is spent producing flowers. Nearing the end of your grow, the temperature can be as low as seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit, with temperatures around sixty-six degrees at night. PH levels can be right around six, while relative humidity can be as low as forty percent to protect the thick buds from excess moisture. Plants near the end of their growing period also love extra CO2. Remember that WS provides in-depth posts about training methods and growing specific strains. We’re here to help!

Growing Cannabis Flower Outdoors From Critical Seed

Critical family plants are very resilient when fighting insects and pests, but can be dealt a critical hit by mold and fungus. They love hot and dry climates, which is part of why they’re so successful in Spain and Arizona. However, they will also tolerate summers in places like the Pacific Northwest and New England provided they’re protected from moisture. If you feel comfortable manifolding your plant when it’s young, the results can be quite stunning. This is a high stress training technique where the central column of a young plant is split evenly into a few pieces and supported so that each section becomes its own branch. This will help create more airflow within the plant, helping to keep humidity as low as possible. It also has the added benefit of helping taller plants stay more balanced, growing bud colas on several spots rather than all in the center. Manifolded plants are less at risk of toppling over, since their growth is much more evenly distributed. Remember that you’ll need to give your plant a few weeks to recover or get used to any stress training you put it through before you switch it to the flowering stage. Set up any methods of training in week three or four of vegetation, and regardless of whether you’re growing autoflowers or photoperiod plants, they should be able to recover before you start to put them through the changes of flowering. If you need some extra guidance, check out KSCO’s huge collection of blog posts all about different training methods.

Typical Aroma Of Critical Cannabis Buds

The Critical family has a wide range of aromas and flavors. They are most known for their effortless blending of sweet, skunk, and earthy notes. These are often tinged with a mix of oak and pine scents depending on the specific genes and terpene profile of the plants. Terpenes are a group of aromatic chemicals found in the resin of weed plants. They give cannabis its typical range of scents, but can also provide some surprising notes. They all have different boiling points and different effects on the human body. Critical family genes are typically high in the terpene myrcene, which is responsible for both the tropical and funky, skunky aromas. This terpene is also found in mangos and cloves, to give you an idea of its range. The second most common terpene is alpha pinene, which is said to smell fresh and acrid, like rosemary and pine needles. Other terpenes common to this family include caryophyllene, limonene, and linalool. Caryophyllene is a spicy, musky terpene that’s found in black pepper. Limonene is a fresh citrus smell found in the rinds of oranges. Linalool is a common additive in cosmetics and food, smelling something like bergamot or lavender. Altogether, these terpenes can make cured original Critical Mass buds smell a bit like a honeydew melon sprayed with lemon juice, even when it tastes like a roasted hazelnut that fell in plum sauce. Each Critical strain will have its own unique smell thanks to its personal blend of genetics, and Weed Seeds carries a huge selection of them that you can browse right now!

Harvesting Time When Growing Critical Strains

There are a wide range of flowering times for this family depending on what strain you’re working with, what kind of environment and techniques you’re using, and whether or not you’re growing an autoflowering variety. Generally, between eight and fourteen weeks seems to be the average flowering time, with some strains taking as little as six weeks and some as long as twenty-three week from seed to snipping if they are given a long vegetating phase. You’ll know your crop is ready to harvest, or when it’s at its most potent THC-wise to be more precise, when eighty percent of its trichomes have turned a creamy white color. To monitor trichomes, purchase a jeweller’s loupe magnifier and look for the little sticks with clear droplets on top. When the droplets turn golden, they are lower in THC and higher in CBN. This can be a good thing to wait for if you’d like to have a less potent and even more relaxing and pain killing crop. When you’re getting close to harvesting, it’s essential to flush the plants using pH neutral water for a week or two. Some growers also really like to give their plants nothing but blue LED lights during this phase, as there’s some evidence that it can increase THC production. Weed Seeds makes every effort to ensure that the information we have for each of our over five hundred varieties of seeds is accurate and up to date, and you can read all about the specific Critical strain you’re looking to grow in painstaking detail right here on our website.

What Yield Can You Get From Critical Plants

With literally hundreds of crosses and descendants, it’s hard to put an exact number on just how much you can get from a Critical plant. Super Critical can produce more than two pounds per plant when grown outdoors, while others will grow at most about half a pound per square meter indoors. The one thing you can be sure of is that the buds themselves will be large. And large, thick buds like these are often in danger of bud rot, which can make the drying and trimming process all the more, dare we say, critical. Whether you choose to wet or dry trim your Critical family harvest will likely have something to do with the state of the crop itself. If the drying space is not sufficiently clear of humidity, dry trimming is not an option. If you are at all worried about bud rot, or if you notice an ammonia smell coming from your flowers, it’s wise to choose the faster route to drying your buds. While dry trimming will produce the tastiest and most thoroughly dry yields, there are times when it’s better to wet trim in order to save the whole crop. As always, be sure to cover your hands and have at least two pairs of trimming scissors on hand. Working with buds this sticky can be tough on your skin and your tools, so keep yourself protected and have backups! No matter what stage of growing you’re at, KSCO is here to help you get the best crop possible from our primo seeds!

Are Critical Buds High in THC?

Critical family buds tend to be moderately high in THC, with the average content being around eighteen percent. The original Critical Mass has a THC content up to twenty percent, as do the Super Critical and Critical Purple strains. Even the autoflowering variety of Critical has eighteen percent THC. Critical Amnesia and Critical Gorilla get up to twenty-two percent. While they may not have the same kind of potency as newer hybrids, who sometimes get up to thirty percent, twenty is nothing to sneeze at. While Critical Fast and Critical No Name Autoflower may only get as high as fifteen percent, Critical Blue and Critical Purple Kush photoperiod seeds can grow plants with up to twenty-three percent THC. Some of the CBD-heavy Critical family, like CBD Diesel, are closer to a one to one, with ten percent each THC and CBD. If you’re looking for something really on the high end of potency, Critical Widow can get as high as twenty-seven percent! It’s enough to have Critical Mass and its progeny considered high grade chronic by many. How can you tell a chronic strain from one that has less THC in it? Most of the THC in cannabis is found in the resin of cannabis flowers. Scientists are still not totally sure what function cannabis resin serves in nature, though there’s evidence that it’s a deterrent to herbivory. Like, bugs and animals won’t want to eat weed because the THC makes them feel funny. Kind Seed Co loves sharing the latest and greatest in scientific cannabis discoveries, especially when they’re related to high-quality dank.

Typical Effects of Smoking Critical

Critical family buds have a mix of borderline psychedelic and clear-headed effects, as contradictory as that sounds. Critical Amnesia is euphoric, focused, and relaxing while Critical Mass’ effects are also described as relaxing, but much more sedative after the first two hours. The onset of effects is slow and steady. It’s not a creeper that sneaks up and socks you to the moon, but a gentle rising tide of stoniness. They hit hard after a time, inspiring tactile sensation seeking and getting deep into music, before settling into a deep body buzz. They have quite focused and creative highs without being too fidgety or energetic. Near the end of their high they can be downright tiring, and some of the more indica-influenced members of the family can be perfect for getting a good night’s sleep. The average high lasts around two to three hours, and is often used in the afternoon and evening due to its soporific effects. Some of these strains can bring powerful body highs that make aches and pains disappear. Folks grappling with all kinds of things, from brain tumors to arthritis, use Critical family genes to help manage pain. These strains are also commonly used against mental health woes like depression and stress. Many people also swear by these strains to help quell anxiety. They’re known to stimulate the appetite as well, especially in people who have stopped eating for psychosomatic reasons. Many users are in bed by the second hour. Check out Weed Seeds’ selection of over two dozen Critical strains on our website!

Typical Flavors of Critical Family Strains

While much of the Critical family has aromas that are described as being tropical, citrus, pine, dank, and skunk, the way those aromas mature in their earthiness when smoked is fascinating. The flavors of this strain family tend towards the earth and pine portions of the flavor wheel, with a moderate amount of pungency. The sweetness of more traditional Skunk family strains are almost absent in many Critical strains, while others have their own sweetness in a kind of mango and citrus way. There is a distinct herbal tone to the buds of the Critical family, with notes of sage bouncing off of more earthy notes of soil, chocolate, coffee, and sometimes tar. Depending on what the plants are crossed with, they can stay thoroughly in the savory and vaguely sweet category or can branch out into fruitier and nuttier flavors. Critical Purple, for example, has a blend of chestnut, citrus, and plum notes that give it a sweet yet earthy flavor, while Critical Amnesia is described as straight-up nutty tasting. Original Critical Mass has a more complex mix of citrus, soil, honey, skunk, sweet, and wood flavor, which is perhaps how the taste of all its crosses ends up being so different. Critical Fast Bud has a fruity and sweet flavor, while Critical Plus is downright lemon lime in taste. Many of the strains in this family are full of caryophyllene, alpha pinene, linalool, and myrcene. When you want seeds for plants that grow fast and taste fabulous like the Critical family, come to WS!

Baking and Making Edibles With Critical Buds

KSCO is the number one place to get high quality seeds, but we also know a thing or two about what to do with your ganja once it’s grown. Edibles are one of the most hassle free and healthy ways to use your crop. The two most important things to remember when making cannabis edibles is that your weed has to be decarboxylated before it can be infused. Heat it up to two hundred and thirty degrees Fahrenheit for around twenty-five minutes to turn all the THCA into THC. The second thing to remember is that cannabis is fat soluble, meaning it typically needs to be paired with a fat, especially a saturated one. That’s why it’s so popular to make butter or infuse chocolate or oils with it. Critical family plants can make delicious edibles, as they’re powerful enough to make potent treats, and have a lovely range of terpenes that end up tasting pretty good. Due to their Skunk ancestry and woody flavor profile, it’s recommended that you use Critical weed infusions in savory things in order to mask their dankness somewhat. However, the amount of limonene and myrcene in these strains can lend themselves well to things with fruit in them, like gummies or chocolate. An oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips and walnuts is a tasty middle ground. When creating edibles, try to infuse your products as evenly as possible to prevent THC from building up in some parts and not others. A butter recipe that uses water as a mediator between your weed and your butter will help enormously.

Is It Worth It To Make Critical Cannabis Oil?

Critical strains can do wonders as cannabis oil! However, it's inadvisable to make the kind of hash oil you can both smoke and eat at home. It’s done by heating alcohol and can be very dangerous. In fact, it’s illegal in a lot of states where growing and consuming cannabis is otherwise legal. However, if you’d like to take some of your Critical family harvest and turn it into a subcutaneous, or under the tongue, style edible oil, it can be quite easy. That is, if you don’t mind making your kitchen smell like weed for a while! You’ll want to decarboxylate your cannabis first by putting it in your oven at two hundred and thirty degrees for about twenty-five minutes. This will turn most of the THCA in the plant to THC. It’s ideal to use coconut oil as your carrier, since it can get quite hot without burning unlike olive oil. Olive oil can be used of course, it just takes a little longer to make. Use about a gram of cannabis to a half cup of oil. Put the two together in a sauce pan and use a candy thermometer to make sure that the mixture doesn’t get hotter than two hundred and forty-five degrees. Strain out the pieces of cannabis and that’s it! Keep the oil in the fridge, as coconut oil that’s been heated once will go bad pretty quickly. When your friends ask you how you learned to make such delicious oil, send them to Weed Seeds! We love making new friends.

What To Expect When Smoking And Vaping Critical Concentrates

Critical Mass and its family are popular concentrate strains thanks to their potency, high yields, inoffensive inhale, and tasty terpene profiles. Wax and resin are popular Critical products. Expect a lot of straight up psychedelic effects at first, followed by a strong couch lock and possibly a knockout. The first feeling you get is a creative euphoria that, depending on how long your hit was, can lead to immobility, staring off into space for long periods of time, or can get you humming along on that project that you haven’t quite had the attention span to tackle until now. These energizing feelings typically only last about one to two hours before a much deeper relaxation takes over. It can lead to laziness and lack of energy pretty quickly. This is a knockout strain that people use to help with their insomnia, so it should come as no surprise that taking monster tokes of a Critical concentrate can lead you to naptime. A couple of dabs of resin or wax can have you sleeping peacefully all through the night. If you’re vaping, Critical strains can be lovely little terpene adventures for people with adjustable vaporizers. Concentrates often have a mix of citrus, sage and oregano, and fuel flavors that can be isolated and experienced on their own with the help of a sophisticated vape. Some expected terpenes for concentrate vaping include terpinolene, limonene, and myrcene. Consult the information for your specific strain to make a temperature map. Find out about all the hottest new trends in cannabis right here at KSCO!

Kind Seed Co Critical Suggestions

Weed Seeds currently carries nearly three dozen styles of Critical seeds. Here’s a few of the most popular. Popular for arthritis and stress, Critical Amnesia strain is a hybrid sativa with up to twenty-two percent THC that can produce up to five hundred grams of bud per square meter in eleven to twelve weeks. Super Critical strain can produce more than a thousand grams of weed per plant, or seven hundred per square meter. Its high is creative and uplifting, and good for depression, insomnia, migraines, and chronic pain. Critical Mass autoflower is an indica-dominant hybrid with up to twenty percent THC. It does well inside, where it can grow between three hundred and fifty grams and a pound of weed per square meter. It takes ten to twelve weeks to grow, it’s mold resistant, and it’s useful for anxiety, inflammation, pain, and stress. Critical Fast Bud is a hybrid indica with up to fifteen percent THC that can grow three to four hundred grams per square meter indoors and one to two hundred grams per plant outdoors. It takes eight to ten weeks to flower and is good for anxiety, depression, inflammation, insomnia, migraines, pain, and stress. Critical Purple autoflower is a hybrid indica with up to twenty percent THC that produces between three hundred and four hundred grams per square meter or per plant. It takes ten to sixteen weeks to mature. It’s good at treating anxiety, insomnia, pain, and stress with its arousing, euphoric, and happy effects. You can find all these and more right here on Kind Seed Co’s vast website!