This Banana Kush seed from ilovegrowingmarijuana.com by Robert Bergman had it’s share of difficulties in the beginning, yet turned into a beautiful grow. After some initial trouble with the seeds (see below), we ended up with some gorgeous plants covered in medium sized trichomes that ended in a good amount of mysteriously fragrant, dense buds.
Grow Log
| Strain | Banana Kush |
|---|---|
| Source | ilovegrowingmarijuana.com |
| Origin/Genetics | California – Skunk Haze and Ghost OG |
| Indica/Sativa | 60% Indica, 40% Sativa |
| Cannabinoids | THC level up to 27%, CBD level between 0.1%-0.7% |
| Seed/Clone | Seed |
| Seed Type | Feminized |
| Seeds Planted | 3 |
| Female/Male | 3/0 |
| Veg Time | 4-5 months |
| Training | Topping and LST(low stress training) with string |
| Flowering Time | Approx. 10 weeks |
| Indoor/Outhoor | Outdoor – Greenhouse |
| Direct Sun Hrs. (outdoor) | 4-5 hours through opaque white (75%) greenhouse film |
| Substrate/Soil | Homemade composted coco-coir mix |
| Nutrients | General Hydroponics: Armor Si, CALiMAGic, MaxiBloom, Liquid KoolBloom, FloraKleen Advanced Nutrients: Overdrive |
| Water | Santa Fe city tap water |
| Temperature | 42-89F |
| Humidity | 24-82% |
| Pest Control | Regular application of Neem and Karanja Oil, Mosquito dunks (bti). One early application of Monterey Garden Insect Spray (spinosad) |
Review
Source: iLoveGrowingMarijuana.com
(2.5 / 5)Shipping
(3.5 / 5)
We had high hopes for this supplier. Sadly, it took 6 weeks to receive our order… the first time. The initial set of 5 feminized seeds all sprouted and immediately died (in the same tray as other perfectly healthy seedlings planted at the same time). The guarantee was honored and replacement seeds were sent. Unfortunately, about 4 weeks later we were informed that this package had been stolen, ahem… seized, by US Customs, even though it’s perfectly legal to possess the seeds, yes even federally. Finally, they honored their guarantee yet again and sent 5 more replacement seeds which arrived approximately 5 weeks later. While shipping times were far too lengthy for our needs, especially given the lack of stealth and extra time required, their resolve in sticking to their guarantee was impressive.
Stealth:
(1 / 5)
They never bothered with stealth at all and shipped the seeds in a bag each time. Disappointing. That won’t work with government thieves working our borders who are willing to steal medicine from patients who need it to live. They should get no stars for this. But, I guess I can give them one star for not shipping it in a completely transparent bag marked, “Cannabis seeds”.
Viability
(2.5 / 5)
The seeds we received for this strain were all very small and pale looking, even the replacements. When contacted, their representative claimed that the size and color varies according to strain. And, that may be true, to a degree. But, these seeds looked immature as well. Out of the first 5 seeds planted, only 3 sprouted and immediately died, right next to other healthy seedlings in the same tray. 3 of the replacement seeds were planted and all 3 sprouted, were female, and survived. However, one of them was a mutant and had some growth problems. Even so, this strain seems extremely promising and we’ll keep our eyes out for another source, or maybe even a better batch of seeds from this source if they ever let them fully ripen.
Stability
(3 / 5)
In only the 3 plants grown this year there was a significant variety in the traits displayed. One plant had a rich fuel aroma while the others were sweet. Two yellowed significantly towards the end and the other stayed green. This strain from this breeder seems finicky and unstable to me. The less than optimal results could be due to other factors (immature seeds), and our sample size was small at only 3 plants. If someone wanted to grow out a handful or two of these plants, you could probably find an amazing mother.
Stretch
(5 / 5)
100-150% – It grows like it’s 60% sativa!
Internode space
(4.5 / 5)
Internode spacing allowed for good airflow, yet was not so long the buds couldn’t mostly fill in.
Nutrient uptake
(5 / 5)
These beauties are hungry. Feed lots of Cal/Mag because they grow fast.
Flowers
(4.5 / 5)
Most flowers were medium to large sized buds/kolas with a pleasing shape and density.
“Top”ability
(5 / 5)
The plant with 4 tops had buds only slightly larger that the plants with 6-8 tops. More topping may be possible.
Disease resistance
(3 / 5)
The first seeds died. The second batch had a mutant plant. One of the flowering females developed some root issues that led to minor cal/mag deficiencies.
Yield
(4 / 5)
Yield was satisfactory. Maybe slightly above average for our lack of light in this grow area.
Medicinal Quality
(5 / 5)
The aroma is completely intriguing with it’s unusual sweet “banana” smell and taste. The high from vaping has a nice rush with a colorful creative vibe that lasts.
Summary
| Source: | (2.5 / 5) |
| Stability: | (3.0 / 5) |
| Stretch: | (5.0 / 5) |
| Internode: | (4.5 / 5) |
| Uptake: | (5.0 / 5) |
| Flowers: | (4.5 / 5) |
| Topping: | (5.0 / 5) |
| Resistance: | (3.0 / 5) |
| Yield: | (4.0 / 5) |
| Quality: | (5.0 / 5) |
| Average: |  (4.2 / 5) |
This Banana Kush seems to be a bit of a hassle to sprout and grow. Although, it grew a decent amount in the less than ideal lighting conditions in our greenhouse. And.. just, Wow, the aroma is spectacular and difficult to describe in it’s sweet mysteriousness. I guess you could call it “banana”. It is an amazing plant and we may revisit this lineage next year, though most likely from an alternate source.
Notes:
- The cold-frame/greenhouse wears an opaque greenhouse film that allows approximately 75% of the sunlight through while also only receiving around 2-3 hours of direct sunlight each day in the summer.
- This year we were testing a homemade composted coco-coir that under performed so it was necessary to feed with hydroponic nutrients once every two weeks and then every week for the last few weeks.
- Gnats and thrips were detected early in the grow and the organic pesticides worked famously even though we forgot to spray a few weeks and we stopped spraying when early buds began to form.
