Medical Marijuana Zone

Back in the Haze

Founded in Amsterdam by Karel Schelfhout in 1985, the Super Sativa Seed Club (SSSC) was one of the first companies to sell seeds directly to the public through its catalog as well as ads in the back of High Times. In fact, the SSSC was only the second cannabis-seed company, after the Seed Bank, to operate openly in the Netherlands. At that time, Karel was a squatter, taking over abandoned properties and fixing them up to be habitable as well as turning them into some of the very first indoor growing facilities in Europe. In these growrooms, Karel and his compatriots pioneered and developed the techniques to grow indoors using horticultural lighting, rockwool mediums and mineral nutrients in liquid solutions delivered directly to oxygenated plant roots.

Back then, “Sam the Skunkman,” a legendary breeder from America, had recently moved to Amsterdam from California and gifted Karel with his Original Haze and Skunk #1 seeds. Those varieties, as well as some seeds received from Nevil Schoenmakers of the Seed Bank, became the building blocks of the SSSC catalog of strains.

Business quickly took off, and between 1985 and 1987 the SSSC sold millions of seeds all over the world. Karel’s mission was to “spread cannabis seeds around the world and empower cannabis consumers to grow their own cannabis from the very best genetics.” However, due to the rapid rise of the company, and the paranoia that came with it, his relationship with his business partner disintegrated and the SSSC folded.

Luckily, Karel held on to the most important genetics for more than 80 years, patiently waiting to return to the cannabis-breeding community once the political and legal climate became more tolerable. During that time, SSSC varieties were used to create many Cannabis Cup winners and legendary varieties by the many seed banks that stepped up to fill the void left by the departure of the SSSC from the scene.

Old to the New

In 2007, I inducted the Super Sativa Seed Club into our High Times Seed Bank Hall of Fame as “Esteemed Pioneers Emeritus” along with Sacred Seeds/Cultivator’s Choice, the Seed Bank, Lowlands Weed/Seed Company and Positronics. By this time, Karel’s son Kees had joined the team after a stint growing his own plants near Barcelona. He made the Karel’s Haze strain famous in the cannabis-friendly social clubs of Spain and realized that the time had come to reintroduce the SSSC to the general public. Using new-school techniques and premium old-school sativa-dominant genetics, the master-breeder father-and-son team of Kees and Karel fulfilled their destiny to restore the legacy of the dormant seed bank and relaunch the SSSC in 2018.

In keeping with the old traditions, the SSSC sells only regular seeds, meaning that both female and male seedlings emerge from their beans. The benefits of this are many, but the most important is hybrid vigor. Because the seeds are produced from distinctly different parentage, the F1 progeny (or first filial generation) is stronger than its parents and results in bigger yields of potent pot. The key is to grow the seeds out, discarding the males and keeping the females to flower or holding on to them as mother plants in their vegetative stage. This way, you can take clones from the mother plants that you know will be female and behave identically to their parent.

The SSSC also operates as a true club, with different tiers that members can join in order to receive a variety of benefits. These include exclusive merchandise, personalized growing advice, access to personalized newsletters and even the ability to create and name a new strain of a member’s own together with Kees and Karel.

Connoisseurs and home growers are the focus of the SSSC. The company specializes in hard-to-find, boutique and special genetics for the true aficionado. It’s an old-school scientific approach to breeding that doesn’t include feminized or auto-flowering strains. Karel and Kees believe that the only way to produce the best and most unusual varieties is to stick to the original techniques of pollination and selection from large populations.

So if you’re interested in flavors and terpene profiles that aren’t more of the same old stuff, look no further than the SSSC. Its relaunch includes four distinct varieties that will tickle the tongue and tantalize the senses. These unique and electric strains are both a throwback to the past and a glimpse into the future. Hashish produced from SSSC strains will have you soaring into the atmosphere with unrivaled potency and taste. More strains are coming, but these first four represent the best of the old and the new.

Strains from the SSSC Catalog

Kees’ Old School Haze

If you’re in the mood for a “blast from the past,” this is what you’re looking for! Kees’ Old School Haze is an exciting 100 percent pure sativa that grows in the blink of an eye. KOSH is a clone more than 30 years in the making and is a plant for the more experienced grower. Under stable, optimized conditions, Kees’ Old School Haze offers huge harvests after 12 to 13 weeks of flowering. Our original Old School Haze produces dark, musky, ammonia-like aromas combined with a fresh citrus touch. When smoked, it is a real hazy experience with a great trippy effect. Expect a seriously strong smoke! The Old School Haze is the cornerstone of the SSSC. She has been with us for almost 35 years and still growing strong! Offering the world the original Old School Haze taste experience.

Specifics
Old School Haze x Old School Haze
12-13 weeks
Pure sativa Old School
Big plants

Tips From the Master Breeder
This is a bit of a sensitive lady. She will produce arm-long buds with the right treatment. Make sure your room/tent is ventilated properly day and night. Try to grow at 25-26° C (77° F) constantly. An air-conditioning unit will be the ticket to success in hot climates. Excessive temperature swings will make her shoot out thin, useless branches that produce tiny buds and can be slow to ripen. The Old School Haze won’t be much fun for the average grower.

Karel’s Haze

One of our easier strains to grow, you can expect mature flowers in eight to nine weeks. This is a really special hybrid, made from our Old School Haze and Chem Dog OG Fire, a variety that produces medium-to-large plants. Natural vigor produces fat, frosty OG buds, so keep your eye out for those. And look for the fruity or gassy phenotypes. You can expect good-yielding, frosty plants with a beautiful terpene profile, which are great for making extractions.

We are ready to say that Karel’s Haze is our new pride and joy. It’s one of the most delicious smokes you will ever have, with a layered taste of tropical sativa lime and a citrus touch with a dark gassy aftertaste. Karel’s Haze offers you the best of both worlds. A very smooth smoke, but after a few tokes a head rush can be expected.

Specifics
OSH x Chem Dog OG Fire
8-9 weeks
Hybrid sativa 70%/indica 30%
Medium/large plants

Tips From the Master Breeder
If you want this baby to produce for you, try to top your plant during veg (remove the growing tip). This will allow you to avoid single-branched plants. We want big trees, of course…

Prima Holandica

Our tribute to a very special Secret Super Sativa: Prima Holandica. We crossed it with Old School Haze, our best sativa. Expect big plants with sativa buds as long as your arm. This is quite a producer; you can find a complete spectrum of sweet, fruity aromas. But we also found some phenotypes with a peculiar metallic/diesel taste. Some beautiful and interesting specimens can be found in these seeds. This smoke will bring you to an elevated state, with a strong trippy effect that will last for quite some time.

Specifics
Old School Haze x Secret Super Sativa
10-11 Weeks
Pure sativa
Medium/big plants

Tips From the Master Breeder
Make sure you have enough height in your room/tent because these will get tall. Or flip the light cycle (into a 12/12-hour regimen) earlier than normal, while the plants are still small.

Frosty Friday

This original “Creeper Sativa” variety is a fast grower. The Creeper genetics produce huge amounts of branches and buds. It will need support for sure; it’s a big plant! The buds are not the biggest in size, but they have a nice dense structure and appearance. The smell leans toward the gassy/chemical side of the spectrum. This variety needs around 10 weeks of flowering. When the blooms are mature, they will be covered in resin. This is a high-yielding strain perfect for making extracts. The hash that is made from this plant is top quality as the buds are simply excellent.

Specifics
M4 Creeper x Karel’s Haze
10 weeks
Sativa 70%/indica 30%
Medium/big plants

Tips From the Master Breeder
This is our trichome machine. With large and plentiful trichomes, this will produce top-quality hash. Turn off the lights for the last two days before harvest in order to maximize the terpene profile.

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Originally published in the September, 2019 issue of High Times magazine. Subscribe right here.

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