Big Bud Seed Review
Seed Review: Big Bud
Genetics: Afghani x Skunk #1 (Northern Lights often cited in stabilization) Breeder: Sensi Seeds (Original) / Various Type: 85% Indica / 15% Sativa Flowering Time: 7–9 Weeks Difficulty: Low to Moderate (Requires support) Yield Potential: Extreme (600g+/m²)
🏗️ The Executive Summary
Big Bud is the sumo wrestler of the cannabis world. Developed in the US before the War on Drugs pushed genetics to the Netherlands in the 80s, it was refined by Sensi Seeds to do one thing: Yield.
Before Big Bud, growers had to choose between quality and quantity. Big Bud changed the commercial landscape by offering "Skunk" potency with structure that looked like it was on steroids. It is an almost pure Indica that produces fewer leaves and more bud sites than nearly any other strain from its era.
Why Grow It? You grow Big Bud when you want jars that are overflowing. It is the perfect strain for the cash-cropper or the home grower who wants to last the whole year on a single harvest. The trade-off is often flavor complexity; it lacks the exotic terpenes of modern "Runtz" crosses, offering instead a vintage, earthy, spicy hash profile.
🚜 The Grow Journal
Setup:
Environment: 5x5 Gorilla Grow Tent (Mylar lined).
Lighting: 650W High-Efficiency LED (Equivalent to 1000W DE HPS / "2000W" Marketing Term).
Medium: 10 Gallon Smart Pots (Living Soil Blend).
Count: 4 Plants.
Training: Topping & SCROG (Screen of Green).
🌱 The Vegetative Phase (Weeks 1–5)
Week 1 (Seedling): Germination is rapid. By day 4, true leaves appear. Humidity is kept high (65–70%).
Week 2: The "Indica" traits are immediate. Short, fat leaves with tight internodal spacing. Unlike a Haze that stretches, Big Bud stays squat.
Week 3 (Topping): We top the plants at the 5th node to break the "Christmas Tree" dominance. Big Bud naturally wants to form one massive central cola, but in a 5x5, we need a canopy.
Week 4: Lateral branching is explosive. We introduce a trellis net (SCROG) at 18 inches height. The branches are thick and sturdy, feeling like bamboo.
Week 5 (The Flip): The screen is 75% full. We flip the lights to 12/12.
🌸 The Flowering Phase (Weeks 1–9)
Week 1 (Transition): Stretch is moderate. The plants grow about 50% in height, much less than a standard hybrid. We tuck the new growth under the net daily.
Week 2 (Pistils): White hairs (pistils) appear everywhere. The smell is faint—a distinct advantage of Big Bud is its low odor during early flower (stealth).
Week 3 (Bud Set): The "Big" begins. The colas start forming distinct crowns. We increase Potassium (K) and Phosphorus (P) significantly.
Week 4 (The Swell): This is where the magic happens. The buds begin to connect, forming "spears" rather than golf balls.
Week 5 (Support Critical): CRITICAL ALERT. The branches are starting to sag under the weight of the flowers. Even with the trellis, we add "Yo-Yo" supports to hold up the main colas. Without this, branches will snap.
Week 6 (The Stink): The low odor is gone. It now smells like damp earth, musk, and spicy pepper. Humidity must be dropped to 45%. The buds are so dense that mold is the #1 enemy here.
Week 7 (Ripening): The buds are massive, the size of 1-liter soda bottles. Trichome production is decent, though not "white out" like a modern exotic.
Week 8 (Flush): We stop nutrients. The fan leaves turn yellow/purple as the plant cannibalizes itself. The buds are rock hard.
Week 9 (Harvest): Amber trichomes are visible. We chop.
⚖️ The Harvest Report
Wet Weight: Absurd. The branches are so heavy they are difficult to maneuver.
Dry Weight: After drying and curing, the 4 plants in the 5x5 yielded 2.2 lbs (approx 1,000g). This is nearly double what a standard "Cookie" strain would yield in the same space.
Bag Appeal: The buds are huge, chunky, and pale green with orange hairs. They look "classic."
🏁 The Architect's Verdict
Big Bud is the Industrialist.
It is not the most flavorful strain you will ever smoke, nor the strongest. But it is the most productive. If you treat your grow like a factory, Big Bud is your machinery. It is reliable, sturdy, and delivers maximum biomass for every watt of light used.
Score: 8.5/10 (Yield Category) Best For: Commercial production, growers with limited plant counts (who need max yield per plant), and vintage Indica lovers.