Auto Kong 4

Auto Kong 4 Tames the Northern European Summer

Released in the summer of 2019, Auto Kong 4 was the highly anticipated autoflower addition to Paradise Seeds’ popular Tommy Chong’s collection. Unsurprisingly, big things were expected of this ‘beast’ of strain plant, which comes with the seal of approval from the cannabis legend himself.

Auto Kong 4 is the result of breeding an original cutting of GG4 (formerly known as Gorilla Glue) from the USA, which Paradise Seeds backcrossed and combined with its classic Pandora auto plant. Unusually for Paradise, this plant was advertised as having two phenotypes – with distinctive Indica and Sativa elements.

So the question was, how would Auto Kong 4 perform in a greenhouse during a typical northern European summer (51 - 52° latitude), in a region with particularly high humidity?

Germination and Vegetative Stage

Two beans were cracked in early April and placed in a glass of chlorine free water and germinated within two days. As the northern European Spring still had a touch of winter about it, the seedlings spent three weeks under LEDs (18/4) to give them a head start.

Both showed rapid growth and were planted out at a height of 18cm and 22cm, direct in pre-prepared ground. Both plants displayed rapid growth from the start, with healthy deep green colored leaves with a distinctive ‘jagged’ appearance to the edges.

During the veg stage it became apparent that these two seeds were indeed different phenotypes, with the Sativa dominant pheno taking off like a rocket in the May sunshine.

Flowering Stage

At around day 33, both plants started to flower (standing at heights of 63 cm and 43 cm).  They continued to display impressive growth, exhibiting a distinctive upside down umbrella shape, with the plants’ main stem rising upwards from a radius of upwardly pointing side branches.

The main stem of the Sativa phenotype accelerated into a tall central spire with 6 generously equipped side branches radiating from the base. Over the coming weeks, flower development on this ‘spire’ was rapid, the top third filling out with dense colas. Buds concentrated around the stem formed an upward spiral so thick that the cluster resembled one big bud while side branches pumped out numerous smaller, but very weighty, buds.

Meanwhile, the Indica phenotype stretched far less while showing a similar reverse umbrella shape. Its main stem produced a huge bulbous head inside a spiky sugar leaf crown with a superb formation of puffer fish buds, all swollen and spiky, covering the main stem below.

Both plants seemed to go into trichome overdrive as the two month period approached, and this was accompanied by a delicious sweet lemony aroma, underscored with notes of perfume and even a hashy hint from the Sativa pheno, while the Indica pheno’s scent was less sweet but far deeper in its limonene tones.

In the last 10 days both plants really filled out, the minimal leaf cover exposing those bud sites to maximum sunshine.  As the trichome frost intensified so too did the brightness of the orange pistils sprouting from big fat buds, now extending like chubby gorilla fingers.

Harvested after 73 days of flowering, the plants were 94cm (Sativa phenotype) and 63cm (Indica phenotype) in height.

Harvest Yield

The combined yield from both plants was 168 gms.

 Smell and Taste Report

After drying out for 8 days the buds went into jars to be cured and emerged three weeks later (minus a few testers!) for a smell and taste test. Dried and cured they emerged firm and emanating the sumptuous aroma of sweetness and lemon. First impressions, these buds were a match for anything a feminized plant could produce. Hard to the touch, the squeeze test left the fingers tacky with a heavy trace of that infamous simian glue!

Rolled into a classic American style joint (no tobacco) the first puff flooded the mouth with a sweet citrus sensation. After the second and third inhalations, the taste was underscored by a pleasant fuel driven sourness, reminiscent of the best Diesel strains. The accentuated flavor flowing from this organic, sun grown Auto Kong 4 was pure pleasure as the see-saw of terpenes danced along the palate.

With just three puffs a sudden relaxation went straight to the head, focusing above the eyes. Heavy, but pleasantly so, the first charge of the Auto Kong felt like the instant soothing effect of putting a warm cap on a cold head on a winter’s day. Instant satisfaction and comfort! Yes it could take you to couch lock if desired, but just as easily not take you there if you resisted.

As the initial heady wave began to settle, a body fizz of energy took over, leading to the conclusion that beneath the heavy gorilla costume was a gentle giant that could be ridden, with a relaxed and meditative state of mind, throughout the day. A beast of strain to tame the Northern European summer indeed!

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