What are the very best cannabis strains to grow this season? The answer, among other things, depends on how much of a green thumb you have.
Like almost any hobby, the art of growing cannabis takes hours to learn and a lifetime to master. This means that beginners can count on a nice harvest from the first go, experienced gardeners will have a great time learning new tricks, and expert growers will never run out of challenges.
Just remember that to achieve the best possible results (and have fun getting there), it’s important to choose a cultivar that best suits your style of growing and level of expertise. Here’s a quick look at some decisions a grower faces:
Outdoor vs. indoor
Hydroponics vs. soil
Compact plants vs. stretchy plants
Organic nutrients vs. synthetic nutrients
Training your plants vs. leaving them alone
Each of these decisions narrows down your choice of cultivar. So, without further ado, let’s look at this year’s hottest cannabis genetics and see what cultivation methods ensure the best outcome for each of them.
The Best Cannabis Strains 2022 – Beginner Level
The best marijuana strains for beginners are those that don’t need any special nurturing and forgive rookie mistakes. Incidentally, you can avoid most mistakes by doing close to nothing – most beginner-friendly strains of weed thrive when you leave them alone.
Purple Lemonade Auto (FastBuds)
Autoflowers should be a newbie’s first choice because with them, you don’t have to worry about light schedules. They don’t overwhelm you with their size either, and they also finish fast, allowing you to savor your first harvest and start believing in yourself in no time.
All this is doubly true of Purple Lemonade Auto, which aside from being a very forgiving cultivar is perfectly adapted to cold conditions. Her comfortably open structure with spacy internodes also makes it easy to tie down the fastest-growing branches and thus increase yields.
The high she produces is also ideal for first-timers. It’s powerful but in a non-threatening way, with an initial burst of good mood followed by a buzzy relaxation in the body. The name of the strain sums up her exquisite flavor.
Runtz Punch (Herbies Seeds)
If you’re totally clueless (as a gardener) but want to grow a high-yielding photoperiod variety, Runtz Punch is among the best strains of cannabis we can think of. Ideally adapted to indoor growing, this plant stays very compact even without training. Despite its modest size, the yields are generous at up to 600g/m² (2oz/ft²). To achieve this maximum yield, use 5-8-gallon pots.
The smoke is sweet and fruity and deceptively smooth, so it may lure novices in with a false sense of security and then hit them with its 27-29% THC. However, there’s no paranoia involved, and you’ll go down grinning from ear to ear.
Wedding Cake Auto (Barney’s Farm)
A member of the growing family of delectable and super potent American genetics, Wedding Cake Auto was bred with ease of growth in mind. This autoflower stays short (under 3 feet) and thus will fit any indoor space. The only surprise for newbies may be the need to support her branches in late flowering, as the colas are well-stacked and heavy.
This sugar-frosted treat smells of fruit and berries, while the smoke is sweet but crisp due to its 25% THC. However, this formidable potency is moderated by 2% CBD, making the effects blissfully mellow.
Trippy Gorilla Autoflowering (Big Head Seeds)
Another auto, another smooth-sailing grow, and another massive reward waiting for you at the finish line. Trippy Gorilla Autoflowering uses her Big Head #1 heritage to produce 600g/m2 (2oz/ft2), and she does so in a little as 8 weeks from seeds in some cases.
The buds are like glue – sticky and pungent-smelling – and they pack 25-28% THC. It’s enough to make you jittery with energy and dizzy with excitement. There’s nothing drowsy about this Sativa-dominant hybrid.
The Best Cannabis Strains 2022 – Intermediate Level
It often happens that the best marijuana strains of all time require some basic growing skills to reach their true potential.
Mimosa Shot (Herbies Seeds)
No effort of yours will go unrewarded with Mimosa Shot. If you’re proud of your grow setup and your cultivation skills, rest assured that they’ll all translate into extra weight at harvest. You’ll get up to 800g/m2 of dense, tangerine-smelling buds whose 30% THC will set your brain on fire. Mimosa’s strong uplifting high is ideal for social situations.
Sugar Black Rose Early Version (Delicious Seeds)
Growers who know what they’re doing achieve amazing things with Sugar Black Rose Early Version genetics. After all, many of them have won multiple cups with buds and concentrates grown from these seeds. This version’s shortened flowering time ensures harvests in early September or after just 45 days of 12/12 indoors. The smoke is a harmony of fruity, spicy, herbal, and floral notes, and the high is like a warm blanket – an ultimate night-time choice.
Green Poison CBD (Sweet Seeds)
High-CBD strains are becoming more and more popular even among recreational smokers – especially if THC is also present, like in Green Poison CBD with her 5-9% THC and 5-12% CBD. This is a winning combination if you want to lighten your mood or chase away depression. The original Green Poison is definitely one of the best cannabis strains of all time in terms of growing, and this CBD-rich version boasts incredible speed (49 days of flowering) and hefty yields of up to 650g/m2.
Gorilla Zkittlez (Barney’s Farm)
You’ll probably need your growing skills to time the 12/12 flip and guide growth with training and defoliation here. Otherwise, Gorilla Zkittlez could become too tall and dense for an indoor grow. Apart from that, she’s easy and low-maintenance, and produces tons of buds that smell of fruity candy. The effect is fascinating: bubbling bright ideas and bodily euphoria.
The Best Cannabis Strains 2022 – Advanced Level
All those years of acquiring cultivation expertise will finally pay off with these strains, as they’ll allow you to grow a sensational product.
Monster Bruce Banner (Monster Genetics)
This Bruce Banner version by Monster Genetics is a dominant Sativa, so prepare for quite a stretch. You’ll also be doing a lot of pruning and topping if you want outsized harvests. However, the final product is worth every second of effort. It smells of fruit and tastes like diesel and earth, and the effect fills your whole being with enough happiness and euphoria to carry you through your worst day.
Grandmommy Purple (Herbies Seeds)
It was probably thanks to Grandmommy Purple’s 33% THC that this strain was featured in High Times magazine as one of the best strains of marijuana out there. The ‘purple’ terpene profile complements the action of THC, making it not just hard-hitting but highly nuanced and even nostalgia-inducing. The plant is comfortably compact and fast-flowering, but to achieve above-average yields, you’ll need to apply just the right amount of defoliation.
Desfrán (Dutch Passion)
Desfrán is a pure Sativa, like many of the best weed strains of all time are. Experienced growers know what to expect of such genetics: an out-of-this-world mind-warping high, an exotic flavor (in this case, pear, grapes, and apple), and a formidable flowering stretch. On the other hand, she matures very fast for a Sativa – in only 63 days of 12/12, and it’s surprising how much bud she manages to produce in such a short time.
Girl Scout Cookies (Garden of Green Seeds)
Girl Scout Cookies’ reputation as one of the best weed strains ever is fully deserved, but it’s not every grower who can produce the desired quality in their garden. You’ll probably need several cycles worth of tweaking and tuning before you can say that you’ve finally grown the real deal.
But what is the real deal? First, it’s the one-of-a-kind flavor of baked dough and berries (with an occasional ‘Thin Mint’ phenotype). Second, it’s the unique heady high that makes you overflow with creative juices and radiate inspiration. GSC may well become the crowning achievement in your weed cultivation career.
