Cultivation Director Mark “Budd” Buddemeyer recently hit up the marketing team at Flora Farms to come see our newest exclusive strain as it’s growing. That is not an invitation you put off. We grabbed our cameras, donned our lab coats, and met up with Budd in the gardens to meet SAP, a Flora Farms exclusive strain coming this fall.
Emily Cross (left) and Karla Deel (right) ready for a tour.
On the tour, Budd led us from room to room to see the new strain in various stages of growth. We started in a flower room, where plants are grown through their entire lifecycle and eventually harvested.
Standing next to hundreds of these plants, a pleasant sweet citrus smell was apparent, but we were in for a surprise. Budd instructed everyone to gently touch a flower. Fingers came away sticky. That’s when it became clear this strain is a powerhouse of flavor. “It smells like Fanta!” a member of the tour exclaimed. These plants were about a third of the way through their growth cycle, according to Budd.
Next stop was a vegetation room. In veg rooms, mother plants are kept from flowering so that clones can be created from them. It’s also a nursery of sorts, with baby plants being grown until they are ready to move to their own flower rooms. A table full of SAP babies awaited us.
Budd picked out a baby he especially liked the looks of and we snapped its picture. Before moving on, the marketing team might have told the baby plants they were doing a good job and to grow up big and strong. Can’t hurt, right?
Our last stop was a different flower room. Budd met up with the room captain who directed us to a single adult plant ready for harvest. Flower rooms can take on a bit of a jungle feeling close to harvest, with huge plants heavy with flower creating canopy aisles you have to duck to walk through. We made our way to the middle of the room to see the adult SAP plant.
As we wrapped up, Budd called over to a nearby harvest worker that the plant was good to go.
Mark “Budd” Buddemeyer in a flower room.
SAP is a Flora Farms exclusive strain. It’s sativa-dominant, heavy in limonene and myrcene terpenes. It smells like orange cream soda with a hint of spice. The nugs are tight and covered in trichomes, making for a very sticky flower. Flora Farms is learning more about the effects and medical uses of this strain. And we are so excited for everyone to get to experience this strain later this year.
But SAP wasn’t the only strain we saw on the tour. Here are a few highlights of currently growing strains.
Banana Punch
Banana Punch is a hybrid cross of Banana OG x Purple Punch. It smells and tastes of pineapple, berry and banana. The high is known to “creep up” so take it slow. It’s a very relaxing strain that can make you nod off. Banana Punch can help treat anxiety, appetite loss, insomnia, and stress.
Blood Orange Sorbet
Blood Orange Sorbet is a hybrid strain cross of Tangie x Sorbet. The strain delivers tart citrus flavors, with a creamy exhale. More than living up to its name. The mind will lift and your mood with it. Then your body will relax. Watch out for couch lock with this one at higher doses. Blood Orange Sorbet can help treat depression, insomnia, stress and anxiety.
Purple Papaya
Purple Papaya is a hybrid strain which leans indica. It’s a cross of Texeda Timewarp x Pinewarp x A3 x Ancestral. Expect fruit and pepper odors. Smoke tastes of sweet tropical fruit like papaya. The mind gets some energy even as it calms. The body relaxes. Perfect for evening use when there are still a few chores to get done. Purple Papaya can help treat depression, insomnia, pain, and stress.
Lilac Diesel
Lilac Diesel smells of sweet fruit and diesel. Smoke tastes similar, with pine and citrus notes. This strain starts with a lift of creative energy. Then it relaxes the body without heavy sedation. Lilac Diesel can help treat appetite loss, depression, insomnia, migraines, nausea, and stress.
It’s always fun to take a walk through the gardens, see (and smell) what’s coming soon, and learn from our amazing cultivators. Be sure to sign up for texts from Flora Farms so you never miss what’s new in dispensaries. Scan the QR code below and sign up for updates!
