You may be shocked to know that many of the expensive, premium cannabis strains on the market—past and present—have affordable alternatives. There's no need for spending hundreds of dollars on growing or purchasing a cannabis strain with high-quality genetics when you can settle for its cheap counterparts.
Dispensaries in most parts of the world group their strains by price. Some of these products are priced on the high side, based on their fanciful names and the expensive cultivation techniques used to produce them. Yes, all cannabis strains do not have a standard breeding process. Some strains are produced by the citizen science approach—a system where growers irregularly play around with cannabis genetics to put out something unique. This approach produces nothing laudable, but a few times, it results in cannabis strains with the best of the best genes.
Multiple strains were produced from extensive cannabis breeding practices. Here, high-tech-grade equipment and world-class genetic materials are handled by highly-skilled, experienced breeders. The products created here are often priced based on the input into the program, irrespective of the origin of the plant. Most of these strains emerge at far higher prices than regular strains.
The point is that some of these premium seeds are not worth the price tags they come with. Only a few are. While I won't excuse the fact that these premium strains offer unique impacts, I'd like to point out that some are actually over-hyped for easy marketing and quick sales. There are far better strains with better generic qualities and "psychoactive" highs than these premium, high-priced strains.
To further drive my point home, I've highlighted some of the most expensive cannabis strains across the globe and relatively cheaper alternatives that you can grow or use instead. That is, at a fraction of the intended price, you get to experience a similar experience.
Fruity Pebbles
Fruity pebbles have been out of style for a while now. Most growers, breeders, and consumers can testify to how this strain came and went like it was nothing.
Fruity pebbles emerged as a limited-time offer from Alien Genetics. The seed bank geneticists created this hybrid by mixing the Granddaddy Purple, Tahoe Alien, and Green Ribbon strains. With such powerful parent strains, fruity pebbles had no choice but to live up to their tantalizingly sweet reputation.
The strain exhibited some uniquely tempting effects that leaned more towards the indica morphology. The plant grew in a dense canopy fashion and was characterized by large, broad leaves with lateral growth. The buds were laden with very high levels of THC, making the product capable of a stoning body high. Even experienced veteran cannabis users could not escape the couchlock effect of using fruity pebbles.
During the limited period fruity pebbles were sold, the scientists at Alien Genetics did not feminize them. Even if they did, the feminized strain never hit the market. Enthusiastic growers had to buy the seeds and hope for the universe to present them with a feminized plant. This would have been acceptable if each seed wasn't priced at $1,500. In the long run, the unreal terpene and cannabinoid profile weren't worth the exorbitant rate.
Cheap Alternative: Runtz
Developed by Zamnesia's genetics team, the Runtz strain is a better-tasting and more potent strain with similar effects to fruity pebbles. The breeding team discovered that Runtz was produced by crossing Zkittlez with Gelato.
Runtz has a reasonably rich terpene and cannabinoid profile. It is one of the tastiest and highly potent strains right now, with 27% THC and guaranteed large yields. It is priced at €8.66 per seed. Another advantage is that the seeds are feminized.
Oracle
In 2009, a new mysterious strain gripped the cannabis sphere. Then, reports flying around claimed that the oracle strain could be the most significant breakthrough for cannabis potency. Everyone wanted to have a hit with this cultivar.
In the end, it turned out that it was all an over-hyped product. The oracle team put out a rumor that their strain has an enormous THC profile of up to 45%. The rumours also claimed the cultivar could complete its growth cycle in a shorter time than every other strain in existence. Because of these unproven anecdotal claims, the strain's price skyrocketed to $1,000.
It wasn't until 2013 that these claims were proven to be false. Not only did Oracle not grow in record time, but it also didn't contain any reasonable amount of THC. It was a CBD-dominant strain as well.
Alternative: CBD Fix Automatic
It makes no sense to pay up to $1000 for a CBD-based strain. Instead, you can purchase the CBD Fix Automatic strain, especially if you desire a similar experience as the oracle strain.
This Zamnesia-produced strain contains about 14% CBD and 0.8% THC. The hybrid emerged from a mix between Northern Light Auto and another CBD-rich descendant. It costs less than €9 per seed.
Isla OG
This cultivar has undefined origins. It first came to light when the famous rapper 2 Chainz smoked it on a 24-karat gold rolling paper. Right now, I believe that it was a perfect marketing stunt to peg its price at an excessive rate.
Expert cannabis geneticists said that they suspect sativa-dominant parents produced the cultivar. The two suspects were Hawaiian and OG Kush. The current price is unknown.
A Cheap Alternative: OG Kush
OG Kush offers a remarkably similar experience to Isla OG. All the more reason why OG Kush is often considered the strain's potential parent.
OG Kush is popular among veteran and novice smokers alike. It is known for its high THC levels and unique flavors and aromas. With OG Kush, you get to get similar tastes and effects to Isla OG at a significantly lower rate. With €5, you can buy a seed of this feminized strain.
Bottom Line
Many breeders, including Zamnesia, offer highly potent strains for more reasonable prices. These strains were developed with the average smoker in mind. Not everyone can afford the most expensive strains on the market, so these affordable alternatives with great cannabinoid profiles aren't out of place. Without breaking the bank, you can have a similar or better cannabis experience.
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