AMS
60% Sativa / 40% Indica
Genetics: Swiss Indica x Swiss Sativa
Flowering: 8-9 weeks
Harvest: mid October
Yield: 700 gr/m2
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of traveling to Amsterdam, then you may already recognize AMS as the airport code for the Amsterdam airport, since it also appears in bold letters on the tag attached to your luggage. True to its name, the AMS variety is, in a manner of speaking, your ticket to Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is an international city, and its Dutch namesake variety has done a little country hopping itself. The AMS mom is a Swiss indica strain named Fragolina, the Italian name for strawberries. The dad, also of Swiss origin with an Italian name, is a sativa strain called Gran Flora, meaning “great plants”. When brought together in Amsterdam is AMS, the cross leans toward indica, with the trademark body high from the indica side of the cannabis family, balanced by a blissful sativa cerebral effect.
AMS is a multi-branch plant originally developed with outdoor growing in mind. It makes a great mountain plant, thriving in cold-night climates. AMS will also thrive indoors, but requires more tending. This variety is not suited for sea of green methods. She grows a bit tall and stretchy, and her size requires attentiveness to produce manageable plants in an indoor space. AMS fares well when allowed to develop in its strong pine-tree shape of strong branches from which to dangle its enticing flowery fruit. This plant likes organics and soil based growing and takes 8-9 weeks from flower forcing. In the great outdoors, it requires a growing season that lasts through the end of October before hitting a cold snap. Mature plants can easily hit 8 feet (2.4 meters) in an outdoor grow, but the average indoor height ranges from 4 to 5 feet (120-150 cm).
These plants hint at what is to come when, as they approach ripeness, they begin to saturate the air with their intensely sweet smell. The aroma of the cured buds is predominantly fruity, maintaining strawberry qualities from the mother and adding hints of peach or plum. These buds also have a hint of sour citrus that resembles the tang of grapefruit or blood orange. The aroma translates very well to the after-burned flavor. Friends who favor the fruity varieties will perk up when they get a whiff of this variety at any stage from baggie to smoke.
The AMS high is gradual. It spreads slowly within the body, heightening until it reaches its apex, then dissipating rather quickly. The body effect is smooth and relaxing with a deep muscle effect, making it a successful choice for multiple sclerosis or insomnia. AMS is a smoke for winding down and kicking back rather than kicking off the party mood. To maximize the enjoyment of this strain, have a nice toke before a massage, or take a puff from the vantage point of a lounge chair on the deck after the week’s worth is done.