White Widow: a popular hybrid with balanced characteristics

07. 10. 2024

• The White Widow: an iconic hybrid with a strong tradition
• History of the White Widow
• Appearance and aroma
• Cultivation
• White widow: Available assortment
• White Widow seeds
• Conclusion

The White Widow: an iconic hybrid with a strong tradition

The White Widow was first bred in the 1990s in the Netherlands. This hybrid was created by crossing a Brazilian sativa with an indica native to India. The name of the variety refers to the characteristic white resin coating that covers the flowers of the plant and contains cannabinoids, especially THC. The THC content tends to be high, ranging from 18 to 25 %. In contrast, the CBD content is generally low, up to 1 %.

 

But there are a number of versions of White Widow that have different ratios of cannabinoids, some even containing no THC at all. The variety has become popular for its characteristics, ease of use, hardiness, and high yield, and has been rapidly distributed worldwide. White Widow is probably the most popular cannabis variety today.

History of the White Widow

Who first bred the White Widow is unclear. According to one version, it was a grower named Shantibaba. It is said that while in Kerala, India, he met a farmer from whom he obtained resin-rich Indian male seeds, which he crossed with a Brazilian sativa mother on his return to the Netherlands under the auspices of Green House Seed, a company he co-owned. According to another version, White Widow was created by Ingemar, a breeder working with Green House Seed, who claims to have found the seeds by chance in a batch of hash and to have worked on the variety for six years before its release.

The White Widow was launched in 1994 by Green House Seed and its seeds were sold to other companies, which subsequently launched their own versions. Due to the separation of the owners of Green House Seed, the controversy over who actually created White Widow and how, and the renaming of many varieties, it is now a matter of speculation as to which plants are actually authentic. What is certain, however, is that it is a revolutionary hybrid that has conquered the cannabis world.

Appearance and aroma

The plant is robust, growing up to 2 metres tall. The flowers are dense, light to dark green with orange pistils. They are encased in trichomes that secrete a glossy white resin with a high cannabinoid content.

The aroma of the plant is intense and penetrating. It is characterised by a mixture of sweet, earthy and pine notes, often accompanied by a subtle hint of spice.

 

Cultivation

White widow is easy to grow, hardy and profitable. It is resistant to fungi and diseases. It can be grown both indoors and outdoors. When grown indoors it reaches a height of around 1 metre, when grown outdoors the plant can reach a height of up to 2 metres. It prefers a mild climate.

The plant flowers between the 8th and 10th week.

White widow: Available assortment

There are a number of products available on the market made from White Widow varieties that have been bred without THC, or with THC content up to the legal limit, and with higher CBD content. We call this cannabis technical cannabis.

In our assortment, these include teas, chewing gum, lollipops. Flowers containing H4CBD are also popular. You can also buy CBD vape pens, oils and tinctures, capsules, tablets and cosmetics from this variety.

 

White Widow seeds

It is also possible to buy White Widow seeds at the market. However, they are often sold as a collector's item and in most cases it is illegal to sow and grow them. When buying White Widow seeds you may come across the following types of seeds:

• Regular seeds: seeds without genetic modifications. Plants grown from regular seeds contain male and female seeds and allow flexibility in breeding and crossing new plants. They are more affordable.
• Feminised seeds: only female plants grow from feminised seeds, i.e. plants that produce flowers with a high cannabinoid content, thus maximising harvest efficiency.
• Autoflowering seeds: they are genetically modified so that the plant starts flowering automatically after a certain growing period (2-4 weeks), regardless of the light cycle. These varieties have been developed to grow plants efficiently indoors or outdoors in areas where days and growing seasons are shorter.
• CBD seeds: these seeds are bred for high CBD content and minimal THC content. The plants typically contain 8 to 12% CBD and between 0.2% and 10% THCi. 
• Xtreme Seeds: seeds bred to increase the intensity of effects, yield or aroma.
• Crosses: White Widow seeds can be crossed with other varieties, such as Northern Lights or Skunk, to cover or promote specific characteristics.

The species listed above are based on different seed characteristics. There are different combinations, for example, feminised autoflowering CBD seeds, i.e. female seeds which, independently of the light cycle, will quickly grow into plants that will produce CBD-rich flowers.

Tip: Want to know more? Read our next article, where we discuss in more detail the types of cannabis seeds and the differences between outdoor and indoor cultivation.

Conclusion

White Widow is an iconic cannabis strain that has gained popularity around the world due to its characteristics, ease of use, hardiness and yield. Commonly, this strain has a high THC content, but there are also versions with no or minimal THC that are used to make cannabis products such as edibles, tablets and capsules, oils and tinctures, cosmetics and vape pens.

Flowers and seeds can also be purchased in e-shops and sold for collecting purposes.

 

Author: Canatura

 

 

Photo: AI, Shutterstock

"This article is for informational purposes only. The information provided should not be considered legal or medical advice. Readers are advised that the cultivation, possession and use of cannabis may be subject to legal restrictions and regulations in various jurisdictions. Depending on the country and specific laws, cultivation of cannabis plants containing 0.2% or more of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or other psychoactive substances may be considered illegal and subject to criminal penalties.

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