Sputnik
Sativa 70 / Indica 30
Origins: Apollo 13 x Black Russian
Flowering: 56-63 days
Harvest: mid September
Subcool calls this strain Sputnik because it crosses his space-themed Apollo 13 strain with a Russian. The original Sputnik I satellite ushered in the Space Age when the Soviet Union launched this basketball-sized satellite into a quick orbit around the Earth in 1957. The Black Russian strain used in Sputnik is a Blackberry (Somablaze) x AK-47 (Nebu) cross that comes from a gene pool in which every female turned solid purple. Like a combine Russian-American space mission with both astronauts and cosmonauts, Sputnik offers two phenotypes, similar in growing characteristics, but very different on the inside, in taste and stone.
Both Sputnik phenotypes perform well in indoor and outdoor gardens, with impressive yields. Sputnik germinates very easily. She starts slow in the vegetative phase, due to her Blackberry influence, but fast once established; plants budded at 30 inches (almost 1 meter) reach final heights just over 4 feet. Subcool recommends topping these plants in the classic candelabra shape, and bringing them to expose her lower branches to the light. “Bush” and “screen of green” are the best growing profiles for Sputnik. She does well in hydro systems with plant supports. Cabinet growers will love the way this plant maximizes yields by branching out to fill small areas. Sputnik’s leaves are very wide, with deep serrations; they start off dark green and tend to fade to a lime as the plant matures.
Sputnik dislikes direct heat, and does very well in a peripheral bud room location. Outdoors, she may not yield to potential in cold climates. Her slow recovery from stress means that you will need some patience to clone her. This variety finishes in mid September outdoors in Northern California, or after just 8-9 weeks indoors.
The most common Sputnik phenotype favors her Black Russian father, with res-spectrum coloration and an indica stone. This pheno starts changing color around week five, and shifts from light pink to vivd magenta by harvest. The purple pheno’s buds are big, fluffy, and resinous, almost eggplant-colored, with a slightly spicy palate. her stone is a deep, long-lasting body relaxer that comes on fast.
The other phenotype leans toward the white and green spectrum, and the blasting sativa high of Apollo 13. This pheno is much more fragrant – a cream soda smell, with some sour undertones as she ripens. her buds are denser and more nugget-like than the purple pheno’s. Her stone is a fast involuntary smile, a euphoric flight that can leave veteran stoners blissed out and staring at the walls. Trippy visual effects, like seeing real trees in cartoon vision, are common. The high is similar to the marvelous Apollo 13, but with a sweeter taste and slightly more psychedelic quality.
Both phenotypes give the user a strong stone with a kiss of well-being behind it. Subcool recommends writing, thinking, talking, music and art as good activities while in Sputnik orbit. Appearing in public might be less easy, as you may be more inclined to let your goofy side out to play.