The best indicas currently making the rounds are a combination of strains that have been making friends for decades and those who are just starting out on their journey. Indicas make up the most important parts of the medical cannabis field, where they are used to treat chronic pain, nausea, inflammation, anxiety, traumatic stress disorders, muscle spasms, and insomnia. The three major groups of indicas that made our list can be divided into the Cookies, Hash Plant, and Fuel categories. Strains like Star Killer, Triple XL, Shishkaberry, Purple Punch, and Melon Zkittlez all come from the illustrious lines of Afghanistan. These plants are tolerant of slightly cooler climates and can handle a little bit of neglect every now and again. Strains with Afghan and Mazar genes evolved in the high and dry regions of the Hindu Kush mountains, and will produce abundant and sticky, hashish-flavored resin if given enough hot and dry weather. The fuel group, included here with Grease Monkey, Critical Gorilla, and Monkey OG, are a versatile and potent group that were developed using a mix of Chemdawg-originating genes. These strains have become very popular in recent years due to their unique sour chemical flavors, potency, and ease of growing. Finally, the Cookie Fam is here with representatives Purple Sunset and Girl Scout Cookies. These sweet and funky strains are beloved of creative recreational users for their unique flavors and well-balanced highs. Without any further ado, here are our top ten indica seed strains of 2022.
What Does Indica Mean?
There are three main types of cannabis plants. They aren’t different species, because they can still reproduce between them. However, ruderalis, sativa, and indica plants all have different phenotypic expressions that are associated with them. In plain English, they usually look quite different. Indicas are somewhere between the fifteen-foot tall, prolific sativas and the short, frugal ruderalises. They typically have thick, short, succulent leaves with only five or seven points to them, as opposed to sativas whose thinner leaves have between seven and eleven of those long cannabis leaf fingers. Indicas have a tendency to appear lighter green than other cannabis plants, though not always. Indica plants will grow short and bushy, sometimes crawling along the ground. They don’t tend to become the kind of hedge-like and leggy plants that most sativas do. Indicas are more likely to survive in cooler climes, as many of them are descended from the mountain cannabis plants of the western Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountains. They are known for staying small as plants, but producing large yields of highly resinous and potent flowers. Though not really yet confirmed by science, popular belief has it that indica strains have more of a painkilling, sedating, calming, and blissful effect where sativas are said to be inspiring and activating in their effects. Famous indicas not listed here include Afghan, Skunk, Northern Lights, Grandaddy Purple, Hindu Kush, almost all Kushes actually, Kush genes are directly related to Afghan, Wedding Cake, Grape Ape, MK Ultra, Death Bubba, and LA Confidential.
Girl Scout Cookies Autoflower Indica Seeds
One of the most celebrated and prolific strains of the last ten years is now even easier to grow! GSC was created by rapper and cannabis mogul Berner, who founded the now ubiquitous Cookie Fam. It’s a combination of OG Kush and F1 Durb, a relative of Durban Poison. GSC has since spawned an entire family of strains including Sherbet and Wedding Cake. Buds of this plant can produce more than twenty-two percent THC, but less than one percent CBD. It grows broad leaves and thick bud colas, both of which have a tendency to turn deep purple and forest green near the end of their flowering stage, as they are being flushed. Pistils are bright yellow, standing out clearly against the dark buds and creating the effect of rainbow sprinkles on a chocolate confectionery. GSC enjoys cool temperatures at night near the end of its life cycle to help it achieve these beautiful colors. Girl Scout Cookies Autoflower Seeds grow short plants, less than three feet in height. They like Mediterranean or temperate climates with lower humidity, but the autoflowering genes of these seeds will be able to handle more than the traditional style. A GSC high is a perfect companion for a night of hanging out with good vibes only. It has a vaguely psychedelic bent that makes music sound even better than usual, and it is frequently used to combat depression, insomnia, lack of appetite, stress, ADD, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and chronic pain due to inflammation including arthritis, muscle spasms, and migraines.
Grease Monkey Indica Seeds
Grease Monkey is one of the most potent hybrid indica strains to come out in the last decade. This strain has the potential to produce up to thirty percent THC, but less than one percent CBD, in its very sticky buds. It’s a favorite of 710 concentrate producers, whose products are elevated by its complex flavors. Depending on how the a-myrcene and b-caryophyllene express themselves ultimately, this strain has a combination of fuel and coffee cake flavors that will delight fans of both Gorilla Glue and Girl Scout Cookies. Its parents are actually GG4 and Cookies and Cream, which is a previous cross of GSC and Starfighter. This strain is known for fighting inflammation, migraines, lack of appetite, nausea, stress, and insomnia. The effects of this strain start early and last a while, so buckle up. To grow Grease Monkey Seeds, keep them between around seventy-two and eighty degrees in the daytime. They’re alright with a little bit of humidity, so growers in places that have hot but muggy summers won’t be left out. These plants can grow around six hundred grams per plant when treated well outdoors. Inside, this strain benefits enormously from low stress lateral training like the Screen of Green method, which uses netting to convince plants to grow sideways while also keeping foliage low and allowing bud sites to become fully exposed to light beyond the mesh. This strain’s high can be somewhat goofy, and a little bit dissociative as a concentrate. It has a long, body buzzing high.
Melon Zkittlez Indica Seeds
Also known as Watermelon Zkittlez, this strain can develop up to twenty-five percent THC and usually less than one percent CBD. MZ is the result of crosses between Watermelon, a mysterious strain with apparently no lineage, and the beloved Zkittlez. Zkittlez is a much-celebrated strain made from a combination of Grapefruit and Grape Ape, which has Grandaddy Purple lineage. The buds of this plant produce a euphoric, focused, relaxing, happy, and uplifting high that can all but vaporize issues like migraines and other physical pain, anxiety, stress, and even PTSD. It has, unsurprisingly perhaps, a melon and berries flavor with citrus and herbal notes. The entire bouquet together can be quite sour, but the aftertaste mellows out to a sweetness that leaves smokers craving more. The strain is high in the terpenes limonene, b-caryophyllene, and b-myrcene that give things a combination of soothing, calming, pleasing, and stomach soothing effects. The high is uplifting and euphoric at first, with a happy and focusing vibe after the initial rush. These plants take between eight and nine weeks to produce their flowers. They grow in tall conical masses dotted with sugar leaves. Plants are between three and five feet tall depending on how they are trained and vegetated. To grow Melon Zkittlez Fast Flower Seeds that will live their best lives, the Screen of Green technique can be used to provide plants a lateral growth space along a mesh screen, through which buds can poke through to soak up the light.
Star Killer Indica Seeds
Star Killer is a combination of Skywalker OG and Rare Darkness 2, a very mysterious strain. Skywalker OG is also called Mazar x Blueberry OG, so don’t be confused if you see it listed as that. SK won Best Hybrid Flower during the Colorado Cannabis Cup in 2016. It’s got a spicy and herbal taste, with notes of sage and blueberry. This strain can produce up to twenty-eight percent THC, with less than two percent CBD. Its high is known for kicking out anxiety, inflammation, stress, depression, fatigue, and insomnia with its combination of caryophyllene, limonene, and a-myrcene. It’s also known for being something of a stomach settler. The scent of it is lemony, with strong notes of pine, soil, and skunk. Buds grown from Star Killer Seeds smell strong, sort of like a spicy fermented lemon hot sauce partially made from spruce tips. This strain is a little bit of a creeper, but once it hits it socks you right in the feelings and keeps you happy with an easily amused disposition and a body melt like no other. These plants take around nine to ten weeks to develop their flowers, and can produce more than a pound of buds per plant outdoors or a pound per meter squared indoors. Having a well-balanced pH is really important to this plant, so make sure that the soil, or your indoor growing medium, is always between 5.5 and 6.5 pH. Buds grow into dark forest green nuggets with brilliant orange hairs.
Triple XL Autoflower Indica Seeds
Triple XL Autoflower indica seeds grow massive flowers, hence the name. This strain is a complicated mix of Big Bud, Green Crack, and Northern Lights 5 that can grow tall branches of huge buds that smell like a skunk drunk on tropical citrus drinks. The high has an energizing focus at first, perfect for folks looking to settle down and get sucked into a project or task. Its longer lasting effects, a happy and relaxed sense of euphoric well-being, has been known to soothe the symptoms of depression, insomnia, migraines, arthritis, anxiety, and chronic stress. The buds hold up to twenty percent THC in their resin, but less than one percent CBD. The buds made by Triple Xl Autoflower Seeds are high in the terpenes myrcene, caryophyllene, beta and alpha pinene, limonene, and ocimene. Ocimene is one of the rarer terpenes in modern cannabis. It has the flavor of a sweet and woody spearmint, and is found in nature in orchids, parsley, and, unsurprisingly, mint. Triple XL plants can produce between twenty and two hundred grams when grown outdoors, depending on how it’s treated. As a child of both Green Crack and Big Bud, this strain’s yields can be maximized by allowing plants to vegetate as long as they want. Give this plant as much light, warmth, water, nutrients, and carbon dioxide as it will take in during its vegetative phase and it will reward you. Indoors, it’s possible to train Triple XL to produce up to one thousand grams of buds per square meter.
Monkey OG Indica Seeds
Monkey OG can pack up to twenty-six percent THC in its beautifully frosted buds. It has less than one percent CBD, but with the way it busts though migraines you wouldn’t know it. It’s also great for soothing inflammation, arthritis, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and stress. The high is calming, but not in a couch lock kind of way. Instead, it’s a pretty social and talkative strain, with an ability to completely vanquish social anxiety and the stress of long days. Banana OG can be a bit of a creeper, so tread lightly, unless you’ve smoked this batch before, lest you accidentally get a little too high on your own supply and get a serious case of the munchies. The high has been described as calming and relaxing, uplifting and euphoric, with notes of deep creativity and the ability to focus minds for a while before drifting off into happy sleepiness during the comedown. Monkey OG is the result of crossing Banana OG with Banana Kush, which results in a tropical banana flavor, earthy yet smooth and vaguely sweet with hints of vanilla and coconut. Plants grown from Monkey OG Seeds have a flowering time of between eight and ten weeks. They get to be somewhere between three and five feet tall, and can grow somewhere between four hundred grams per square meter indoors or a pound per plant outdoors. They love drier, more Mediterranean conditions that can help them develop a lot of sticky resin. It’s a tropical dream!
Shiskaberry Indica Seeds
The result of crossing DJ Short Blueberry with a lesser-known Afghani variant, Shishkaberry, carries up to twenty-five percent THC, and produces less than one percent CBD. These plants are known for their berry tasting and earthy scented buds. Their smoke leaves a spicy aftertaste. Shiskaberry Seeds take between eight and ten weeks to develop their fragrant flowers during its flowering period, which spread out along with the plant itself as it gets bushy instead of tall. Yields for this plant are somewhere between three hundred and fifty grams to a pound per square meter when grown indoors. Their outdoor yields are slightly more variable, with between three hundred and five hundred grams per plant. Shishkaberry plants develop beautiful, long sugar leaves around their pyramid buds that turn dark green as they mature, sometimes even turning a rich black. Individual inflorescences of this plant are globular, with a light green color and yellow pistils. They are frequently used by folks suffering from chronic pain and insomnia, and can make a great recovery weed thanks to its relaxing but not mind-numbing high. The buds are high in a-myrcene, probably the most common terpene found in North American weed right now. It degrades in sunshine to another, weirder terpene called hashishene that’s very commonly found in, surprise surprise, hash. This makes sense considering that Afghan plants are some of the most common and classic ones used in the production of traditional hash. Shiskaberry is super popular with 710 concentrate producers thanks to its sophisticated berry flavors.
Critical Gorilla Glue Autoflower Indica Seeds
Critical Gorilla Glue plants have a mix of sweet citrus and dank, dark roast coffee and chicory flavor that is all the rage these days with those who don’t like their weed too sickly sweet. The buds are high in the terpenes limonene, a-myrcene, caryophyllene, which give buds both the earthy depth and spice of Critical Mass and the acrid and acid tang of lemon diesel that Gorilla Glue is famous for. Plants grown from our Critical Primate Glue Autoflower Seeds can produce resinous buds with up to twenty-two percent THC and less than one percent CBD. When treated well, plants can produce more than a pound of them per meter squared. Outdoors they might yield closer to one or two hundred grams per plant. The flowering time for Critical Gorilla Glue autoflower indica seeds is somewhere between eight and ten weeks. Buds are mold resistant, and with parents like Critical and GG4, this strain is bound to be a fighter. The high of these buds is a beautiful mix of energizing and uplifting happiness with a distinct touch of euphoria that fades slowly into a relaxed and uplifted state. It might be especially helpful for people who suffer from pains like migraines, arthritis and cramps to smoke this strain. It’s also been used to positive effect by people with anxiety, insomnia, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, and a lot of stress. The only growing advice we have for this one is to give it plenty of full spectrum light and prepare for huge, sticky buds.
Purple Punch Autoflower Indica Seeds
This heavy-hitter has the added benefit of being an autoflowering plant, which means that it won’t require the kind of photoperiod switching that other plants need to get a good yield. It takes around eight to ten weeks to develop its flower. Depending on how long the plants have been vegetated for and what training and pruning techniques have been used, they can produce somewhere around five hundred grams of sticky flowers per meter squared, or around a pound per plant. Notes of artificial fruit are heavy here. These buds have a combination of berry and vanilla flavors, with an herbal scent and a grape dry toke, when a joint is inhaled through without lighting it. The artificial blueberry aftertaste of the smoke is a delight, especially to folks who are big fans of various Blue and Purple strains. Purple Punch is the child of Larry OG, a lesser-known OG Kush and SFV OG mix, and Grandaddy Purple. Grandaddy Purple genes make this strain an incredible relaxant and painkiller that can evaporate nausea, stress, insomnia, and chronic and acute pains alike. PP has famous kids of its own, including Mimosa, its kid with Clementine, and Wedding Crasher, the offspring of Wedding Cake. Far from a couch lock strain, this is a euphoric high that can sweep depression and anxiety away before slowly putting you to bed. Purple Punch Autoflower Seeds have the potential to grow buds high in humulene, limonene, and caryophyllene. These seeds will do best in organic soil.
Purple Sunset Autoflower Indica Seeds
Purple Sunset is a gorgeous mix of our last contender, Purple Punch, and the fabulous Sunset Sherbet, a celebrated combination of Purple Gelato and Pink Panties. Both those strains are complex inbreeds of Girl Scout Cookies genetics. Purple Sunset is a powerful mental health tonic that puts depression and anxiety to bed with its euphoric, yet calming, high. It starts out with a buzzing feeling between the temples and an irrepressible smile, before melting down the body. Deep relaxation, with an uplifting and creative vibe, quickly follows. The buds of this plant can turn purple in their late flowering stages when exposed to cooler temperatures, causing their bright yellow and orange pistils to stand out like stars in a countryside night sky. They have a delightfully complex mix of floral and fruity flavors, and a smoke that smells a bit spicy, a bit skunky, and a lot fruity! Oranges, berries, lemons, and sour mangoes are all here. Purple Sunset Autoflower Seeds are high in limonene, which is a popular fresh lemon terpene that is found naturally in citrus fruits. Purple Sunset is frequently used to battle concentration and mood issues resulting from attention deficit disorder, anxiety, bipolar, depression, stress and PMS. Thanks to its limonene content, it’s also fabulous for treating nausea and lack of appetite. Prepare for munchies ahead of time! Our Purple Sunset seeds grow plants with up to twenty-two percent THC in their flowers. Yields of three or four hundred grams are common after nine to ten weeks of flowering.
