White Widow

White Widow is a mostly indica variety from Lineage Genetics and can be cultivated indoors (where the plants will need a flowering time of ±56 days) and outdoors. Lineage Genetics' White Widow is a THC dominant variety and is/was only available as feminized seeds.

Lineage Genetics' White Widow Description

In the world of cannabis, few strains share the renown of White Widow. Born in the Netherlands in the 1990s, White Widow forever changed the game for breeders, growers, and smokers alike, boasting an immense yet balanced high, great growth traits, and exceptional aromas that continue to impress smokers almost 30 years after its creation. Keep reading to learn more about this true Dutch classic.

Strain History of White Widow

White Widow is arguably one of the most well-known cannabis strains on the planet. However, the strain is just as controversial as it is famous; its origins are, to this date, highly debated, with some attributing the strain to Shantibaba while others attribute it to Ingemar De Sjamaan.

Scott Blakey (Shantibaba) is a renowned cannabis geneticist and the current head of Mr. Nice Seed Bank. Born in Melbourne, Australia, Blakey started smoking cannabis at the age of 13. During his early years as a university student, he regularly traveled to Mullumbimby in northern New South Wales to bring back cannabis for himself and his friends. During the 1980s, Blakey traveled extensively through Asia on his motorbike, visiting countries like Myanmar (then-Burma), Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and India to collect seeds and pollen. In fact, it was in an ashram in Pondicherry, India, where Blakey was given the name Shantibaba (peace person) by local sadhus.

Blakey also traveled to South America, collecting more seeds and pollen from Colombia, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Ecuador to further fuel his breeding projects. In 1988, Blakey relocated to Amsterdam where he became a central figure in the local coffeeshop and cannabis culture.

In 1994, Blakey co-founded Green House Seeds with Arjan Roskam. He claims he created White Widow during these years from a Brazilian sativa male and an Indian mother, and went on to win his first cannabis cup with the strain in 1995. Over the coming years, together with Nevil Schoenmakers, Arjan Roskam, and other breeders, Shantibaba won close to 30 cannabis cups with different strains stemming from the almighty Haze, Skunk, and Kush families.

In the late 1990s, Blakey eventually separated from Roskam and left Green House Seeds. Soon after, he founded Mr. Nice Seed Bank together with Howard Marks, through which he continues to sell White Widow as well as new and classic strains. In order to distinguish his original genetics from other seed banks, Blakey renamed many of his strains—White Widow, for example, is now sold as Black Widow by Mr. Nice Seed Bank.

The second origin story of White Widow traces the strain back to Ingemar De Sjamaan, a low-profile grower from Holland. De Sjamaan started growing cannabis in 1980 when he was 20 years old. For many years, he grew cannabis for medical patients, and he is rumored to grow predominantly outdoors in large fields, priding himself on creating hardy strains extremely well-adapted to harsh European conditions. After many years fighting the law in Holland, De Sjamaan claims to have finally managed to evade prosecution from the law for his outdoor cultivation, claiming he grows for science. While he won't reveal the exact genetics of his Widow, De Sjamaan continues to sell White Widow and other strains through the De Sjamaan Headshop.

Genetic Lineage of White Widow

White Widow is a balanced hybrid that combines a fairly even mix of sativa and indica genetics. According to Shantibaba, the origins of the strain lie in a Brazilian sativa male given to him in the region of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta by a family who had been cultivating and preserving the strain in a small farm for decades. Years later, Shantibaba used the pollen of this strain to pollinate a female plant originating from Kerala, India. After years of selecting and stabilizing the resulting crosses, Shantibaba finally created the White Widow, aka Black Widow, so many know and love.

Unfortunately, De Sjamaan is much more secretive about the origins of his White Widow. In interviews, he mentioned that he found the seeds for the strain in a batch of handmade hash, or charas. He then gave the original plant to Arjan Roskam at Green House Seeds, as well as the permission to sell the strain under that name. On the De Sjamaan website, the strain is said to have been created from a mix of Brazilian and Indian sativas.

White Widow is considered the mother of the "White” family of cannabis strains, which also comprises:

• White Russian

• White Rhino

• Great White Shark

• White Domina

• White Amnesia

Physical Characteristics of White Widow

White Widow, like many strains of its time, was specially bred to be well-suited to indoor cultivation. These plants are relatively stocky, with moderately spaced nodes and large, broad leaves with long tips. White Widow plants are typically light green in color and can produce strong side branches that develop many bud sites.

Once they begin flowering, White Widow plants rapidly produce tight clusters of flowers. As they approach their harvest date, the buds develop a thick layer of trichomes that gives the plant a glistening gray-white sheen. Well-dried and cured White Widow flowers should look chunky, with a conical shape, a loose-ish structure, and dots of fiery red pistils.

Properties and Effects of White Widow

White Widow's resinous flowers are typically packed with around 15% THC and a variety of terpenes, including myrcene, caryophyllene, and pinene. Her aroma is very strong, woody, and earthy, with fresh pine overtones and hints of spicy, musky incense. While her THC levels might seem modest compared to those of more modern hybrids, White Widow delivers strong effects that are still loved by smokers and medical patients all over the globe to this day.

Her high concentration of THC and mix of terpenes combine to produce a very euphoric high that hits almost immediately after just a few tokes of a joint or spliff. Most users describe the strain's effects as uplifting, energizing, social, and creative. Many seasoned users enjoy White Widow as an all-day smoke, as its effects allow you to stay productive and focused, especially on mundane tasks, while producing a pronounced boost in mood and a subtle, relaxing body buzz.

Uses of White Widow

Since its creation in 1994, White Widow has been popular among both recreational smokers and medical cannabis patients. Recreational users, for example, treasure the strain's well-balanced and uplifting effects, as well as its ability to heighten perception, sociability, creativity, and focus. Some tasks or activities that pair really well with smoking White Widow include:

• Listening to music

• Watching movies or playing video games

• Cleaning

• Creative tasks involving music, painting, writing, etc.

• Outdoor activities, such as hiking or walking

Medical cannabis users also prize White Widow for its effects. While every patient is different, medical marijuana patients tout the strain's uplifting mental effects and subtle physical buzz.

Cultivation and Production of White Widow

White Widow is an extremely popular strain among growers. Thanks to its compact structure, White Widow is well-suited to indoor cultivation, though it can also perform extremely well outdoors or in greenhouses, given the right conditions. White Widow is resilient to stress and pests and can tolerate a wide variety of training techniques, making her an attractive option for both rookie and experienced growers.

White Widow plants grow vigorously during the vegetative phase and need roughly 8 weeks to flower properly indoors. Outdoors, White Widow plants can be harvest-ready by early October in the Northern Hemisphere and early April in the Southern Hemisphere. Yields, of course, vary greatly depending on how a plant is grown, but seed banks like Mr. Nice claim that White Widow can produce 350–450g/m² indoors and up to 400g/plant outdoors.

White Widow — A Real Dutch Classic

White Widow is one of the most legendary cannabis strains of all time. And while there might be some debate about her origins, there's no debating this strain's huge impact on the world of cannabis genetics.

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Map of the White Widow Family Tree

Click to show all parents of White Widow in our dynamic family tree map.