The Story of OG Kush

HISTORY OF OG Kush

Reading this article will take you about 5 minutes, and it includes:

1. Where did OG Kush come from?

2. The origins of this strain

3. What does the abbreviation "OG" mean?

4. Heritage and evolution

5. Conclusions from the autopsy of one of the Gnomes

There is no other cannabis strain that has absorbed so many legends and enigmatic undertones. The story you are about to read will transport you for a moment to the Hindu Kush region. The mountains located in northeastern Afghanistan. A place where phenomenal hash is produced, and the hills hide mysterious cannabis varieties.

1. Where did OG Kush come from?

The origins of this legendary strain are still a subject of debate among cannabis enthusiasts. In this article, I will present some of the most popular versions circulating on this topic. Cannabis seed producer DNA Genetics suggests that the creation of OG Kush is linked to a mysterious, unknown bag of seeds from the early 1990s. Another seed producer, Dinafem, attributes the creation to a Californian farmer named John.

He allegedly gave a Chemdawg seedling to another Los Angeles grower named Putz.

The latter, in turn, created the strain featured in today's episode by crossing Chemdawg with Lemon Thai Kush.

According to Dinafem, the "OG" acronym comes from a man who told Putz that the buds he offered him tasted like they were "mountain-grown." Putz reportedly replied that Kush was "ocean-grown," meaning the buds were grown under grow lights on the American West Coast.

A third version suggests that the story began at the foot of the Hindu Kush Mountains. After the birth of the Hippie culture in the 1960s, many of its nomadic members journeyed to India. There, they discovered a wealth of indigenous marijuana genetics, cultivated exclusively using traditional methods.

Throughout the 1960s and into the late 1980s, cannabis enthusiasts brought back strains and seeds, which gradually began to gain in importance.

In the late 1970s, many growers realized the benefits that Afghan genetics could bring, given the prevailing laws prohibiting marijuana cultivation. They began to crossbreed cannabis imported from India with locally grown cannabis, introducing the world to a new quality. Short, discreet, and easily concealed plants produced buds with previously unseen resin deposits. This marked the birth of a new era: an era of baskets brimming with flowers, characterized by a powerful bud density and a powerful high.

2. The Origins of OG Kush

Increasing pressure against cannabis from the government forced growers to go underground indoors. They searched for a suitable strain, as tall, thorny Sativas posed significant challenges in these conditions. It turned out that the short, compact OG Kush, producing excellent yields and forming dense buds, was the perfect choice.

A Florida grower named Matt "Bubba" Berger created a strain called "Bubba" in the 1990s using the Northern Lights strain.

He had previously gained fame for creating another legendary strain, Kryptonite. According to some, the diminutive "Krippy" became "Kush" when one of Berger's friends started calling it "Kush Berries" because its flowers were densely covered with colorful, round nuggets. The name turned out to be a mere coincidence, as no one realized the profound influence that strains taken from the Hindu Kush Mountains had on this strain.

For years, the Florida cannabis community kept this "Kush" a closely guarded secret. However, when the strain arrived in Los Angeles and fell into the hands of a man named Josh D., who would later become the creator of the modern OG Kush strain, everything changed for the better. Although OG Kush is a cannabis plant highly sensitive to light, excess nutrients, disease, and prone to seed production under stress, Josh D. figured out how to best utilize it. By sharing his knowledge and cuttings with friends, he managed to spread the OG Kush genes around the globe. Cannabis hybrids such as Bubba Kush Pre'98, San Fernando Valley OG Kush, Purple Kush, Larry OG, Sapphire OG, Raspberry Kush, Raskal's OG, and Tahoe OG have been created.

Today, many marijuana varieties worldwide are derived from this strain.

3. What does the abbreviation "OG" mean?

The term "Kush" itself was too broad and generic, according to Josh D.'s crew, so they quickly began referring to the West Coast version as "OG Kush."

This moment became the starting point for debates that continue to this day in the cannabis community about what the abbreviation "OG" actually means. Since the strain gained its greatest popularity in Los Angeles, many believe the acronym stands for "Original Gangster," a tribute to the California hip-hop groups of the early '90s.

Others hold that "OG" stands for "Ocean Grown," as the strain was grown near the breaking waves of the Pacific Ocean.

One day, Josh D. himself decided to settle the debate, saying that he and his buddies called him "OG" because he was simply authentic and original. In Cali, "OG" refers to someone or something that commands respect.

It's a term that, to be called such, must be earned. It turned out that the strain's sonorous name was very fitting for artists in the music industry. It inspired the creation of numerous hip-hop tracks in the United States.

4. Heritage and Evolution

OG Kush's earthy, strong aroma and flavor quickly became a marketing tool. Many farmers couldn't resist hybridizing their own strains with OG Kush cannabis, which helped improve many of their characteristics. The Kush family now produces some of the most expensive and sought-after marijuana seeds in the world. OG Kush's influence on the cannabis ecosystem was enormous. It shaped the parameters of what many cannabis connoisseurs seek in cannabis today.

5. Conclusions from the autopsy of one of the Gnomes.

My first experience with OG Kush under Czech skies, albeit in a basement, stayed with me for a long time. I then decided to try a large mix of seeds from several producers.

Unable to just stare at the binder full of seeds any longer, I decided to put it in a bucket of soil and cover it with water. After 48 hours, hemp heads emerged from the soil surface, bearing traces of the struggle with the binder and its torn pieces. I knew there was no turning back, and I was in the Czech Republic, after all, so I started pricking out the young seedlings. Only later did I learn that one of the ones that had bitten my finger was from Dinafem. The flower and leaf structure, which was strikingly similar to that of the manufacturer, indicated this.

We were at war with another, belligerent, Arab population of underground gnomes, so I went into the conflict with my pockets full of nails and left the hemp in the care of a friend. The fighting lasted a long time and resulted in gnome casualties, but ultimately we managed to drive the invaders from the corridors of our cave.

When I returned with a shield, not on it, the friend I'd spoken of, Srulek, led me to a secret place where he'd hidden the plants. It was the fiftieth day of flowering, and the effect the hemp forest had on me was astonishing. Massive stems bent under the pressure of the dense buds, and the aroma filling the room was fresh and exquisite. Sniffing each bush, I quickly began to pick out subtle differences. The Dinafem specimen was characterized by rock-like, pungent-smelling buds that were beginning to take on a purple hue. The Dutch Passion representative was a bit looser and more puffy. The flowers were impressive in size, with very hairy buds and a thunderous aroma.

However, a particular phenotype from Humboldt Seeds Organization caught my nose the most. Its scent was remarkably close to the one I smell when passing a bakery selling sweet rolls at six in the morning. I sniffed it like a wild boar sniffing an earthworm, unable to piece together all the whispers and fluttering nostrils in my head. This plant made a stunning impression on me, but nothing compared to the two hybrids growing in the back of the entire crew: Sapphire OG and White OG. The flowers of the former were incredibly structured. The almost silver, hard balls, strongly smelling of Skunk, and the beautiful Indica leaf made this strain look incredibly presentable. The high after drying the bud was incredibly intense, specific, and powerful.

White OG, on the other hand, impressed me most with its unbridled resin production. The buds were packed with trichomes so heavily that they turned white. The syrupy resin became incredibly sticky and viscous the moment it touched your fingers. The scent simply overwhelmed your system, and it's hard to describe it in words. You have to experience it :-)