Haze strain

The Haze strain is the grandparent of the modern sativa. Its long, airy colas and spicy incense smell run through Jack Herer, Super Silver Haze, Amnesia Haze, Blue Dream and dozens of others, which is why the name appears in so many strain titles. Is Haze indica or sativa? It is a sativa, assembled from tropical landraces; AllBud lists it at 80% sativa, and Leafly classifies it as a sativa.

Leafly reviewers describe Haze first as spicy and herbal, then tobacco, earthy and woody, and AllBud adds citrus and orange aromas with a sweet finish. Its lab-derived terpene profile on Leafly is led by myrcene, with pinene and beta-caryophyllene nearly level behind it and limonene close. Pinene and caryophyllene explain the resinous, peppery "incense" quality people associate with Haze, while limonene supplies the orange-citrus edge. Leafly's Haze genealogy notes that different branches of the family drifted toward fruity-skunky or sharp chemical flavors.

Haze effects are cerebral and energetic. In Leafly's user data energetic, creative and uplifted lead, followed by happy, talkative and euphoric. It is the classic example of a racy sativa, though: paranoia is the single most reported side effect, ahead of dizziness, anxiety and dry mouth, and AllBud notes that too much can bring headaches and paranoia. Small amounts and daytime use are the usual approach; Blue Dream, one of its descendants, draws far fewer anxiety and paranoia reports in Leafly's data. THC figures range from 14% to 23% in AllBud's listing, with Leafly's lab median at 18%.

For growers Haze is the hardest plant in this guide. DNA Genetics says it typically needs 10–14 weeks of flowering and sometimes 16 for old-school phenotypes, and grows tall enough that a grower quoted in Leafly's Haze genealogy recommends at least five to six feet of space. In temperate regions DNA suggests a greenhouse, because outdoor plants may not finish until late October or November.

Haze is linked to two Santa Cruz growers remembered as the "Haze Brothers", who worked with sativa seeds from Colombia, Mexico, Thailand and South India. Dates vary: Leafly's strain page places Haze in the 1960s, and its Haze genealogy says the brothers got hold of it in the early 1970s. Accounts of its move to the Netherlands also differ. One says Sam the Skunkman brought Haze seeds and sold them to Nevil Schoenmakers of The Seed Bank; another, relayed from Ed Rosenthal's Big Book of Buds, says the brothers took it to Schoenmakers themselves. Dutch breeders then crossed it with indicas.