In our last in-house genetics blog, we learned that not every plant makes the cut. Only the best cannabis plants make it to stores, and our breeders make some tough choices to trim those that fall short.

But we don’t just throw seeds in the ground and hope for the best. Our geneticists have learned so much over the years, and our program has evolved to breed cannabis with intention.

Today, we have the knowledge and aptitude to breed with specific goals in mind. And our north star is a high-quality cannabis experience for you.

Cannabis Breeding: The Early Days of Discovery

Early cannabis strain breeding was experimental. We’d pop 10 or 20 seeds at a time and see what traits they expressed. Through trial and error, we grew to a room with over 100 female plants, but few males to cross with, so our outputs were limited.

Every run taught us something new. Some crosses led nowhere, while others revealed traits we found ourselves coming back to again and again.

“You might see something in the first run, but you can’t really jump the gun there. Once you see like 10 runs of something, you see how a trait kind of injected itself in there and stood the test of time and consistency.”
- Justin Wertanen, Cultivation R&D Manager

Over time, those recurring traits became the foundation of a more intentional breeding program. Instead of asking what would happen if we crossed two plants, we started asking what we were trying to create.

Cannabis Genetics: Goals in Mind

Think of the ideal cannabis strain, and what comes to mind? Potency, like a high THC content? Ok, but what potential medicinal benefits does it provide? What about the strain’s flavor from terpenes? Now you have to consider the strength of the plant or how many buds it can yield. Does it thrive in the same lighting conditions as your other plants?

Things get complicated!

Our early breeding runs were exploratory, and we cast a wide net. Our focus was discovery. Over time, our cannabis genetics program became more about targeting these traits ahead of time.

“My ask with each run is to have an intended purpose. Whether it’s potency, flavor, smell, whatever we’re looking for. We’re now able to breed for that, too.”
- Justin Wertanen, Cultivation R&D Manager

We started building projects around specific cannabis traits we wanted to preserve, strengthen, or combine. We built the skills to develop strains with loud terpene profiles and unique flavors, or high THC testing and balanced cannabinoids.

That shift allowed us to be more deliberate in the way we breed cannabis plants, and to bring you a vast and varied menu with strains you can’t find anywhere else.

Strains that Stand Out: Looking to the Future

Today, every breeding project begins with a goal. We never want to lose sight of why we started breeding in the first place: to bring high-quality strains to medical marijuana patients and provide strong, satisfying relief to those who need it.

The years of knowledge we’ve built through experimentation, testing, and refinement help us create cannabis strains with purpose and vision. The result is a growing menu of medical cannabis with exciting, exclusive high-quality strains.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.        What is cannabis breeding?

Cannabis breeding is the process of crossing male and female cannabis plants to create new strains with unique genetics. Our breeders select plants with desirable traits such as potency, cannabinoid and terpene profiles, yield, flavor, or structure, and combine them to develop original cannabis strains.

2.        Why is cannabis genetics important?

Cannabis genetics influence nearly every aspect of a plant. Strong genetics provide the foundation for high-quality cannabis with specific strength, terpene profile, cannabinoid testing, growth habits, and overall effects.

3.        What does “breeding with a purpose” mean?

Breeding with a purpose means starting a cannabis breeding project with a specific goal in mind. That goal could be improving THC levels, enhancing flavor and aroma, increasing the number of buds per plant, or developing unique cannabis strains with specific effects.

4.        Do all cannabis breeding projects target high THC content?

Not necessarily. THC is only one factor in the overall cannabis eperience. We may also focus on other cannabinoid testing, like CBD, CBN, or CBC. Terpene profiles can also affect the potential wellness benefits of a strain by impacting the “entourage effect.”

5.        What are terpenes, and why do breeders care about them?

Terpenes are the compounds that give every plant on Earth its flavor and aroma. From pine trees to flowers to fruits to cannabis itself, terpenes are the sensory center of the plant world. Research suggests terpenes may also impact the wellness properties of cannabis strains.

6.        How long does it take to develop a new cannabis strain?

Developing a new cannabis strain can take months or even years. Our breeders create crosses, grow multiple generations, evaluate traits, and confirm consistency before a strain is ready for cloning. You can read more about this in our first blog in this series.

7.        What is cloning in cannabis genetics?

Once a specific plant (a cultivar) meets our standards for quality, testing, and growth, we take trimmings from that plant and use those to grow many copies, or clones. That way every bud from a strain is genetically identical, and you know that you’re getting the same high-quality cannabis every time you come back for more.

8.        What are in-house cannabis genetics?

Our in-house strains are developed specifically by our team of cannabis geneticists. We’re able to grow these strains with intention, planning for a high-yield, high-quality strain that you won’t find them anywhere else.

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