It’s that time of year when all things shine and sparkle as Christmas lights up homes around the world. Particularly in northern latitudes, where winters are dominated by many hours of darkness at this time of year, Christmas decorations provide a real feel good factor. Of course lights, colour and decorative action are also an essential part of the growing experience, so we have prepared a Christmas list of the prettiest Paradise Seeds cannabis strains, guaranteed to cheer up a winter grow room in the winter months ahead!
Why are Weed Buds Different Colors?
One of the amazing aspects of the weed plant is the range of colors it produces in the formation of flowers which can differ so dramatically between weed strains. While environmental factors, such as grow environment temperature, nutrient and acidity/alkalinity levels, can influence the coloring of cannabis buds, many strains have specific vibrant colors hard coded into their genetics with a significant influence from anthocyanins and carotenoids.
Cannabis Buds: Anthocyanins and Carotenoids
The distinctive coloring and pigment of cannabis buds produced by certain weed strains is influenced by inherent genetic traits which reflect the genetic profile of a plant. These can include the presence of flavonoids, of which anthocyanins are linked with reds and blues (also found in common fruits such as berries, grapes and also red onions). Another cannabis bud color source is tetraterpenoids, and the pigment which produces yellow and orange characteristics in marijuana flowers are carotenoids (although flavonoids can also play an influence here too).
For many growers, the marijuana bud color show in the grow room is a nice bit of eye candy on the way to weed harvest hopes for a big yield, but for some connoisseur cultivators this grand show is a spectacle to be admired as a true wonder of nature.
The Christian tradition of a Christmas festival emulates the winter solstice celebrations of Romans, Celts and other pagan societies where nature played an integral role. For these peoples, the winter solstice was the last big feast before ‘dark winter’. So as we approach those dark winter months, fire up here are five colorful weed strains, flush with anthocyanins and carotenoids, to brighten up your winter grow room:
5 Eye Candy Weed Strains from Paradise Seeds
Ice Cream (Indica Hybrid)
Shades of luminescent green and are juxtaposed against a background of velvet pinks and darker shades of red. This variety got its nickname as a Ferrari among plants, and some have suggested it is the racing reds in its color spectrum which earned it this name, although this is not the case – the nickname refers to its sudden acceleration after a slow grow start. Nevertheless, the color of this plant’s thick buds, which line the branches of this short and bushy plant, certainly influenced the name of this strain – as it looks good enough to eat.
Tangerine Sorbet (Sativa)
This new addition to the Paradise California Seed Collection has many attributes, but for the purpose of this list it is its presence in the grow room which makes it something special. As the flowering stage progresses the upper buds turn a beautiful melange of purples and reds with rich orange pistils which make these buds look like flowers of flame rising up through the surging central cola. The color parade on this plant is influenced by the rich terpene profile responsible for its fruity fore scent underlined by a Skunky spiciness.
Sensi Star (Indica)
So we’ve had a nice flush of color but as every Christmas decoration expert knows, a heavy dose of shiny whiteness makes that palette ‘ping’! And if we’re looking for sheer frosty white light then Sensi Star is a hands down winner in terms of illuminating a grow room. The sheer weight of the trichome frost is impressive to behold and inevitably such a generous coat of crystal will shine up the grow room like a galaxy of winter stars in a clear night sky.
Auto Wappa (Hybrid)
There is something particularly jewel-like about the buds which come from Paradise classic, Wappa. There’s a touch of emerald, a flash of ruby and an opal sheen to the beautiful big buds of the feminized photoperiod plant and this is true too for the autoflower version which makes it on to this list because it is such an excellent auto version of the original. An added bonus in the grow room is the superb easy management qualities which this plant shares with its photoperiod counterpart.
Chocolate Wafflez (Sativa)
Another 2021 entry into the Paradise California seed strain collection, this strain carries many of the qualities that make L.A. Amnesia (one part of the genetic mix) a stand out star in the grow room. The terpene profile of this plant is one to savour – complex layers of berries, dark chocolate and mint -and contributes to the elaborate color show of its buds, which come with a royal resin coating of glistening trichomes.