White Widow

Called "white" due to its heavy resin gland content as well as its tendency to not fully color up when ready to harvest, White Widow is known for being extremely potent.  A solid producer of connoisseur-quality nugs, it has been popular in Amsterdam coffee shops for many years and has been used in many breeding projects to increase the potency and vigor of other strains.  While not an outstanding yielder, it stays relatively short and compact, making it a good choice for home grows.  The males are said to be best for breeding because the females are not known for their smell and taste… the male will often lend the potency and trichomes of the strain while retaining the flavor terpenes of the chosen mother plant.

Brazilian sativa combined with a South Indian hybrid

Developed in 1994 by Green House Seeds/Coffeeshop in Amsterdam, White Widow has gone on to win prizes and become one of the most popular and notorious strains in the world.  After the split of Shantibaba (and later, Neville Schoenmaker and Howard Marks) from Green House Seeds, they formed Mr. Nice Seedbank and re-created the strain from the original parent genetics, re-naming it "Black Widow," as they lost the rights to the original name.  Many people prefer the Black Widow to the current Green House version.

A blend of fruit and musky, putrid qualities — it hints at its potency with the smell, which has more of a bite to it than many fruity-smelling strains.  At times, it's all lemons and hashiness, depends a bit on the phenotype.

Often times neutral or even hashy due to the high trichome count, the strain sometimes has a citrusy, flowery finish, but is not known for being all that flavorful in general.

Cerebral and uplifting, this strain is powerful and consistent.  Though White Widow keeps you mentally active and positive, it often comes with a strong couchlock tendency, especially later in the duration.  If harvested late, this strain can be especially narcotic for a sativa and can make a mid-day nap a necessity.

Indoor is best for this strain and it flowers more quickly than when grown outdoors — Shantibaba recommends to keep the moisture level low to prevent mildew and to keep the fertilization schedule fairly light as well to let the flavors come out.