By Luke Sumpter


When growing cannabis, some of the key factors cultivators strive towards are massive harvests, that produce buds of high quality. Cannabis consumers also have the potency of buds high up on their priority list, ensuring, that they get the desired cannabinoid quantity and ratio in return for their money. Another large factor that adds character and value to a marijuana harvest is the smell and taste of the product. Many strains have familiar and nostalgic scents and flavors to them, so much so, that the strain is literally named after either the dank smells of cheese, diesel and skunk, or more fruit and vibrant aromas, such as pineapple, blueberry and apple.

One of the first actions somebody commits when they are looking to purchase marijuana, is to shove their nose into the storage bag or jar and take a big lungful of aromatic goodness. Smell and taste are definitely important when it comes to smoking preferences. However, there is so much information out there regarding how to produce colossal harvests and how to ensure your buds are fully frosted with mammoth amounts of cannabinoids. There is no denying the importance of these factors when growing, but taking measures to ensure the optimum outcome in terms of smell and taste for your crop will only add to the overall quality of your harvest.

Terpenes and Terpenoids

The key players in improving the taste and smell of your cannabis are, without a doubt, terpenes and terpenoids. These compounds are formed alongside cannabinoids on small glands of cannabis flowers known as trichomes. Taking direct measures to influence increased production of terpenes and terpenoids will enable you to maximise the scent and taste, that the specific strain you are growing is capable of producing. Each strain will have its own unique smell and taste due to genetic factors. This can be boosted using growing techniques, however it is important to roughly know what smell and taste you are looking to achieve, and then selecting the correct strain in order to attain the desired outcome.

Terpenes and terpenoids are the molecules responsible for the diverse array of scents and flavors spread across many different cannabis strains. They are also found elsewhere in the plant kingdom and are responsible for the familiar smells of lavender, pine, citrus, basil and more. Although they are absolutely key in the domains of scent and taste, it has been found, that they can also influence the type of high a cannabis plant will produce. They have also been found to have vast potential in the field of medicinal cannabis.

Terpenes and Terpenoids

Trichomes: The Key to Better Aromas and Flavors

Growers frequently ask us questions about the best ways to cultivate cannabis. “How to make my weed taste good?” ranks as one of the most common. Luckily, there are a bunch of variables you can tweak to drive terpene production through the roof.

Have you heard of trichomes? These minute glands occupy the surface of cannabis flowers and give them their “frosty” appearance. They spend their days manufacturing cannabinoids and terpenes, churning them out in the form of a viscous resin. Because trichomes make terpenes, it makes sense to do everything possible to maximise trichome production and improve the taste and smell of your buds.

Below, you’ll discover several sure-fire methods to ramp up trichome levels, resulting in mouth-watering flavors and tantalising aromas.

Choose the Right Genetics

Genetics rules the day when it comes to trichome production and terpene profiles. The genotype of a plant pre-determines its key traits, including smell and taste. Some varieties are fruity and sugary, others are floral and earthy, and some are reminiscent of petrol and musk.

Genetics doesn’t just control the type of terpenes produced, but also the amount of these aromatic molecules. Through intentional selection, breeders create varieties that pump out a lot more resin than other cultivars. As this process continues and more hybrids are created, cannabis strains are becoming stickier and stinkier by the year.

If you want to grow the tastiest weed possible, you need to start out with appropriate genetic stock bred for high trichome counts. Of course, you should also select strains based on flavors that you’ll actually enjoy. Check out some examples of terpene-rich varieties from the RQS library:

Terpenes and Terpenoids
Fruit Spirit: The progeny of Blueberry and White Widow, you won’t catch buds much frostier than these.
Fat Banana
Fat Banana: As her name suggests, this indica-dominant hybrid churns out boatloads of tropical terpenes.
Haze Berry
Haze Berry: Her dense layers of trichomes secrete THC levels of 20% alongside fruity and earthy terpenes.
Sherbet Queen
Sherbet Queen: Just take a look at pictures of this strain to see how frosty things can get! Enjoy outrageous THC levels of 24% paired with tastes of candy, citrus, and mint.
Wedding Crasher
Wedding Crasher: Her high trichome concentration adds a shimmering layer to stunning green-purple flowers. Get ready to enjoy unique flavors of fruit and vanilla.

Though genetics forms the cornerstone of growing the tastiest weed possible, tapping into a strain's full potential also involves optimising their growing environment. While genotype refers to the genetic constitution of a cannabis plant, phenotype describes the traits expressed by a plant based on how the genotype interacts with the environment.

By inflicting controlled stress and feeding your plants properly, you can unleash their true genetic potential. Explore the tips below to let the resin flow!

Apply the Right Amount of Stress

Stressing your plants in the wrong ways causes all kinds of trouble, from light burn to overwatering. However, the right amount of stress can actually cause favorable adaptations. In plant science, the term hormesis describes an advantageous response to adverse conditions in which plant performance is upregulated.

Our anthropocentric view of the world can make us view terpenes as something made for human enjoyment. Sure, these phytochemicals taste great and modulate the cannabis high, but they’re actually weapons of war in the plant world. Classed as secondary metabolites, these molecules don’t contribute to growth and reproduction, but instead help to fend off pests and predators.

But cannabis plants don’t just create terpenes haphazardly. After undergoing damage from herbivores, parts of the plant begin to produce defensive terpenes with undesirable tastes to ward off grazing predators. Plants even use terpenes as airborne signals to warn their neighbors of an impending attack[1].

But what does this have to do with growing tasty cannabis at home? Much like you mimic the sun with grow lights and the wind with fans, you can also replicate the stress of herbivores grazing by training your plants. Not only will this boost trichome production, but you’ll enhance structure and productivity while you’re at it. Check out a few popular training techniques below.

  • Low-Stress Training (LST)

Low-stress training involves gently bending plants into the desired position. It doesn’t induce much stress; just enough to make a noticeable difference in trichome production. It poses little risk and does wonders to improve canopy shape and bud uniformity.

Performed early in the vegetative phase, LST is used to force the main stem to grow parallel with the growing medium. This allows the side branches to surge upward and form a dense productive canopy under even light distribution. You can accomplish this armed with only a few garden ties and a small hand drill.

Apply the Right Amount of Stress
  • Defoliation

Defoliation works as a great complementary training technique to LST. We recommend performing it once during veg and once during flowering. As the name suggests, it involves lopping off fan leaves in a controlled manner—an action that closely mimics the damage inflicted by a herbivorous predator. Defoliation also comes with the added benefits of increased aeration and improved light penetration.

Apply the Right Amount of Stress
  • Super Cropping

As a form of high-stress training, super cropping takes an experienced and steady hand. The technique involves pinching cannabis branches in a way that makes the inner tissue more malleable, without tearing the outer layers. Done successfully, this makes branches floppy, allowing growers to direct their growth as desired. Super cropping forms beautifully managed canopies that are highly productive, while providing enough stress to send trichome and terpene production into overdrive.

Apply the Right Amount of Stress
  • Splitting Stems

Splitting stems seems utterly bizarre to the uninitiated, but driving a knife through the main stem during the last week of flowering actually helps to enhance results and ramp up trichome production.

Apply the Right Amount of Stress

Use the Best Nutrients for Flavor

Growers often come to us exclaiming, “My buds have no taste!”. Sometimes, all it takes is a change in diet to elevate trichome levels to new heights. Add the supplements below to your feeding regimen for buds that will light up your taste buds.

Molasses Molasses is a sweet byproduct of sugar processing rich in carbohydrates, calcium, iron, selenium, copper, and magnesium. Molasses feeds beneficial microbes in the soil as well as your plants. Simply add 4–5ml per litre of lukewarm water and apply 1–2 times per week during the vegetative phase. Increase the dose to 8–10ml during the flowering stage.
Amino Acids Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. They’re vital for energy generation, nutrient transport, and the synthesis of key vitamins. Apply amino acid formulas as a foliar spray to assist flower development during bloom.
Take an Organic Approach Taking an organic approach means focusing on the health of the soil and choosing natural methods over synthetic. A combination of no-till growing and the introduction of beneficial microbes to the soil will enhance soil health and ultimately increase terpene production. Mycorrhizal fungi, in particular, are proven to help boost terpene levels.

Start With a Super Soil Mix

Creating a super soil mix will give your plants the best start possible and provide them with most of the nutrients they need to form terpene-packed flowers. There are many different super soil recipes, including this simple but effective formula:

Drop Temperatures at Night

If you’re growing indoors, reducing the temperature of your growing space by 12°C during the final two weeks of flowering will help to lightly stress your plants and prompt them to produce more terpenes. Lower temperatures also help to preserve these precious volatile compounds from degrading. You can use a combination of fans and air conditioning to achieve this.

Use UV Light To Enhance Terpene Production

Being mindful of the type of light, that you provide to your cannabis plants can also alter the outcome of your crop in terms of how nicely it will smell and how soothing or striking it will be on the taste buds. UV lights are believed to possibly enhance trichome production, and because terpenes are made in these small glands, they will likely contribute to the overall smell and taste of the harvest. Specifically, it is UV-B light, that causes this production, possibly because the plant produces excess trichomes in order to shield itself from the rays. Be sure to take safety measures when working with this light source, especially protective lenses.

Flush Your Plants To Improve Flower Flavor

If you’re growing organically, you don’t need to worry about flushing your plants. However, if using chemical fertilisers, you’ll need to deprive your plants of food for two weeks prior to harvest. Known as flushing, this will force your plants to use up their stored nutrients, vastly improving the taste of your flowers.

Light Deprivation

Cannabis plants need light to create energy. However, depriving your plants of light close to harvest serves as a last-minute method to boost terpene levels. Shut off your lights 24–48 hours before harvest to add a flavorful kick to your buds.

Use UV Light To Enhance Terpene Production

Harvest Your Plants at the Right Time

Harvesting too early will prevent your buds from reaching their prime. However, wait too long, and those terpenes will start to degrade. Look out for these signs to know when to harvest your bounty:

  • Trichomes turn milky white (most reliable method)
  • 60–70% of pistils turn dark red
  • Fan leaves begin turning yellow

Drying and Curing

You selected the best genetics for the job, and you provided everything your plants needed to unleash their genetic potential. But the work doesn’t stop at harvest time. Now you need to dry and cure your buds to enhance their shelf life and take their flavor to the next level.

  • The Importance of Drying

Drying cannabis removes excess water from the flowers, prevents mold formation, and allows growers to store their crops for longer periods. To dry your buds, cut off entire branches and hang them in a dedicated drying room. Maintain a relative humidity of 45–55% and good airflow. Your buds will be ready for curing in 7–12 days.

  • Curing Transforms Flavors for the Better

Once dry, you need to cure your buds. This final step achieves the perfect moisture content within buds and vastly improves their taste. Place your flowers within curing jars filled to ¾ capacity and add a humidity control pack. Keep them in a dry and dark place at 21°C for 2–8 weeks, opening the jars every day or so to let out stale air and let in fresh air.

Flavoring Techniques

You can also employ special flavoring techniques before, during, and after harvest. You have many different options at your disposal—from applying flavored water solutions to soaking cotton balls in essential oils. So do some experimenting to find the ones that most suit your fancy.

Flavorful Cannabis: You’re in Control

Although genetics plays the largest role in growing tasty weed, you, the grower, also maintain a lot of control. As you’ve seen, there are plenty of things you can do to enhance trichome production and bring the flavor of your buds to the next level. Train your plants, cultivate them in super soil, harness the power of molasses, utilise symbiotic fungi, and don’t forget to take the time to properly dry and cure your harvest. Do these things, and your taste buds will thank you!

External Resources:
  1. Terpenoids in plant and arbuscular mycorrhiza-reinforced defence against herbivorous insects - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: