Granddaddy Purple strain

The Granddaddy Purple strain, better known as GDP, is the purple strain that made purple weed fashionable in California in the 2000s. Is Granddaddy Purple indica or sativa? It is an indica-leaning hybrid — AllBud lists it as 70% indica and Royal Queen Seeds' version as 75% — and Leafly files it simply as an indica, which matches how most people experience it.

The aroma is where it earns its fans. Leafly reviewers rank grape highest, followed by berry, violet and plum, and Royal Queen Seeds mentions jasmine-like floral notes when it is smoked. Leafly's lab data puts myrcene well in front, with pinene and beta-caryophyllene behind and a little linalool. Myrcene gives the ripe, musky base, while pinene freshens it. Royal Queen Seeds attributes the deep purple color to high levels of anthocyanin pigments.

Granddaddy Purple effects are among the sleepiest in this guide. In Leafly's user data "sleepy" is the dominant report by a wide margin, followed by relaxed and hungry, and the uses consumers mention most are winding down for sleep, everyday aches, low appetite and muscle tension. Royal Queen Seeds calls it a creeper whose effects take time to arrive, so the usual advice is to wait before taking more. Reported downsides are mostly dry mouth and dry eyes; RQS also lists dizziness and couch-lock. Leafly's lab median is 17% THC and Royal Queen Seeds cites 17–23%; AllBud's quoted 20–27% is higher than most sources.

Compared with Bubba Kush, GDP trades coffee-and-hash notes for fruit, but lands in a similar evening slot. Compared with Northern Lights, it is sweeter and more colorful but no lighter. It is also a popular parent: Leafly lists Cherry Pie and Purple Punch among its offspring. For growers it is forgiving, short and productive, and Leafly recommends good airflow, clearing lower branches and keeping temperatures in the 21–27°C range.

Granddaddy Purple was popularized in 2003 by Ken Estes, a Bay Area medical cannabis advocate who told Leafly he first became involved with cannabis in 1976 and later focused his garden entirely on a purple cultivar he traced to Native American growers in Northern California. Estes launched GDP in Oakland. Its lineage is contested: Estes has described it as Mendo Purps, Skunk and Afghani genetics, while many seed companies and databases list Purple Urkle × Big Bud. Royal Queen Seeds notes it is widely believed that Estes commercialized rather than bred the strain.