Sour Diesel

Cultivar Details:

Plant physiology: Sour Diesel is known to grow fairly tall but doesn’t exhibit the classic “sativa” Christmas-tree shape. The large primary flower reveals its hybrid heritage with strong Afghani characteristics yet is not overly compact with densely nested bracts like many other Afghani-based hybrids.

Average yield: Yields may easily reach more than 1 gram per watt indoors, and Sour Diesel may produce massive plants outdoors with yields at more than 10 pounds per plant when planted in 300-gallon containers.

Flowering time: Indoors, Sour Diesel likes at least 70 days in bloom, with many cultivators pushing past 80 days.

Ideal light-intensity setting: Sour Diesel can grow on the tall side, so providing enough light to penetrate into the canopy is necessary while being careful not to let the flowering tops grow too close to the light source if growing indoors.

Ideal cultivation environment temperature: It’s important to keep temperatures lower than 78°F for the last couple of weeks of flowering in order to preserve the highly volatile monoterpenes that make up Sour Diesel’s aromatic profile.

Water needs: Sour Diesel may produce a considerable amount of foliage, so frequent watering is recommended.

Ideal cultivation environment relative humidity: A relative humidity of less than 60% is recommended to avoid problems with mold and mildew.

Nutrient needs: Be careful not to overfeed Sour Diesel, as the primary inflorescence can grow quite large and therefore produce “larfy” (i.e., underdeveloped, airy) buds. Watch out for nutrient deficiencies and lockout, especially with calcium and nitrogen.

Cannabinoid profile: Sour Diesel is a type 1 cannabis variety with THCA amounts that may exceed 20%.

Terpene profile: Sour Diesel, along with OG Kush, brought the gassy terpene profile to modern cannabis hybrids. Rich in the monoterpenes limonene and myrcene, Sour Diesel has a complex aroma mixed with fruit, flower and skunky gas. It’s as if you dropped a skunk in a tank of petroleum and then tried to clean it with lemon Pledge.

Susceptibility to diseases/conditions: Sour Diesel is suspected of being an early vector of hop latent viroid (HpLVD), so use clean stock and test plants regularly.

Mojave Richmond is a founding member of the BioAgronomics Group.