Kaya
Indica 55 / Sativa 45
Origins: Mexican Sativa x Top 44
Flowering: 56-63 days
Harvest: mid October
Nirvana created this strain as a mellow sativa option for novice indoor growers, and outdoor growers in rough climates. They started with a beautifully, hardy, stable Mexican sativa, reminiscent of old strains in her more mellow potency and agreeable nature. This strain was crossed with Top 44, one of their best-selling commercial varieties. Top 44 has become popular in Holland for her easy cultivation, fast finish (just over six weeks in perfect conditions), and compact profile. Nirvana breeders forced a female Top 44 o develop male flowers using giberellic acid. The resulting strain, Kaya, is feminized, meaning that ll her seeds are females. These parents have produced an easygoing plant that beginners will enjoy growing.
Kaya finishes in 8-9 weeks indoors, or around October outdoors in Spain or similar climates. She is resistant to pests and tolerates heat well. When grown indoors, her compact branching makes her a good candidate for sea of green. Her branches grow outward in moderation and stay thick enough to hold her buds, so when grown as a multibranch plant, pruning and branch supports are seldom necessary. Outdoors, or in a greenhouse with huge pots of soil, Kaya can also be grown to huge sizes. She performs best when allowed to reach around a meter before including flowering. The plants will finish around 6 feet. Because of her hardiness, Kaya is a good plant for outdoor guerilla grows, perfect for leaving somewhere with a global positioning system and finding again in the autumn.
Kaya has a spicy flavor, refreshingly different from skunk, with a sweet kiss that lingers on the tongue. The high is also different from the punchout associated with some popular “skunk” strains – a return to the mellower potencies of days gone by. “Lighter highs,” says Nirvana, “definitely have their place and their fans”. Kaya is unlikely to waylay lightweight smokers on the first bong hit, and she is a great daytime friend to those who prefer a high that is more like a “snack” than a “meal”, a stone that is easier to moderate. For both gardeners and tokers, Kaya is easy to get along with.