SAGE
Hybrid
Origins: Big Sur Holy x Afghani indica
Flowering: 70-85 days
Harvest: mid November
SAGE stands for Sativa Afghani Genetic Equilibrium, but also describes the aroma of this interesting hybrid. SAGE’s mother is a native Californian called Big Sur Holy, a sativa with a long finishing time but strong mold and bug resistance. She is combined here with a chunky Afghani indica selected for its extreme characteristics – hardiness, tight internodal structure, and fast finishing time – and grown from seed for cross breeding.
The vigorous growth, elegant leaves, straight growth pattern, and hefty weight of the Afghani balance with the pleasant, mentally aler and thoughtful sativa high, which continues to be satisfying with repeated use. A fulfilling equilibrium of the paternal lines, this plant deals well with challenging conditions, and will usually be the last plant standing in a stressed garden. SAGE holds her color and resist mite infestation.
The SAGE flavor is “old-school”, reminiscent of the days when Columbian and Thai stick were still primo. The aroma is like the wild sage native to the sativa mama’s California homeland. This fresh smell is also a factor for the stealth grower – the odor doesn’t really give away its source. Even without charcoal filters, trained noses may not recognize the scent as weed.
SAGE responds well to topping and is also amenable to the bend technique because the branches hold the rubbery quality of the Afghani papa. This plant likes to grow large, so it works great in beds as a larger plant but is too wily for a sea of green method. Hash made from this variety won first place ion the 1999 Cannabis Cup and scientific analysis by an unaffiliated testing facility reported that SAGE’s THC content is over 20 percent, ranking in the top 3 varieties tested.