The Top 10 Strains from the Best Seed Breeders

From the late 1960s to the following decades, the cannabis world experienced what we could only describe as a revolution. A turn that transformed it into the industry it is today. This change introduced a lot of things that are nowadays commonplace for us. Things like higher quality flower that’s more potent and better cultivars and varietals (strains) with stronger genetics.

But this change in the cannabis industry wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of some of the best seed breeders the world has known. In this article, we’ll be talking about the legacy breeders that changed the game and the strains they developed that paved the groundwork for many hybrids we love and grow today.

The Best Cultivars by the Best Breeders Featured in the ILGM Store:

1. Nevil Schoenmakers
2. Scott Blakey (Shantibaba)
3. Howard Marks (Mr. Nice)
4. Daniel John (DJ short)
5. Ben Dronkers
6. Gregory “Chemdog” Krzanowski
7. Don Morris
8. Aaron Yarkoni
9. Robert Bergman

Super Skunk

Super Skunk is an indica hybrid descended from Skunk #1 and likely bred with Afghani Indica. It’s known for its thick, dense buds that deliver a potent body and heady buzz. Outside of its well-loved effects, Super Skunk’s creation may have also set the standards for later hybrids, as not only is this particular cannabis strain easy to grow, but it’s also fast-flowering and high-yielding. You can expect a yield of 21 ounces per plant that will be ready for harvest between September and October. (as long as you have the right cultivation skills)

Super Skunk Feminized Seeds

Super Skunk is a popular strain known for its intensely skunky fragrance and balanced hybrid effects. Clear and precise thoughts are met with overall good vibes with this stinky strain out of Super Skunk seeds.

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The man who developed this standard-defining hybrid strain is Nevil Schoenmakers, a cannabis breeder and “King of Cannabis” by the High Times magazine. He got his title by being the first breeder to export cannabis seeds from the Netherlands to the rest of the world, as well as being the person behind several other high-quality, award-winning strains like Nevil’s Skunk, Silver Pearl, and Nevil’s Haze.

Read our full strain review on Super Skunk to learn more about this strain, or buy Super Skunk feminized and autoflower seeds at our store.

Super Skunk cultivar profile

Super Silver Haze

Super Silver Haze is a sativa-dominant hybrid that combines three industry-defining marijuana strains: Northern Lights, Haze, and Skunk #1. Like its esteemed heritage, Super Silver Haze quickly earned its stripes by winning the 1997, 1998, and 1999 High Times Cannabis Cup. It was (and still even today) widely loved for its long-lasting, energizing body high.

Super Silver Haze Feminized Seeds

Super Silver Haze feminized is a sativa-dominant hybrid good for a maximum all-day high. Super Silver Haze seeds grow a herb that offers a mellow yet potent high that lifts the mood.

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We have the collaborative effort of Scott Blakey (Shantibaba), Neville Schoenmakers, and Howard Marks (Mr. Nice) to thank for creating this High Times magazine favorite. They had access to high-quality seeds and were close to other breeders that could provide them with the best seeds, like the ones used to make Super Silver Haze, which were Skunk #1 and Haze.

Adding to that, Scott Blakey’s collection was something he spent most of the 1980s collecting. He traveled around Asia on his bike, collecting local landrace strains he could find in Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and India. The most time he’s spent was in India, in the city of Puducherry, where he was in an Ashram’s plant nursery. There, the local sadhus gave him the name Shantibaba, which meant ‘peace person.’

Read our full strain review of Super Silver Haze, or buy Super Silver Haze feminized seeds at our store.

Super Silver Haze cultivar profile

White Rhino

White Rhino is an indica-dominant strain that’s well-enjoyed by cannabis connoisseurs because of its high THC content of up to 20%, which delivers a relaxing full-body high. Cannabis growers love cultivating this weed strain because it’s easy to grow and has a generous yield of 14 to 17 ounces per plant.

White Rhino Feminized Seeds

White Rhino is a well-respected strain boasting of parentage from the regions of India, Afghanistan, and Brazil. Weed grown from White Rhino seeds delivers a relaxing high, perfect for those feeling stressed out.

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Scott Blakey, co-founder of Greenhouse Seeds, created White Rhino while he was still working with the company. While the precise genetics are unknown, White Rhino is believed to have been created by crossing the popular White Widow with a North American Indica strain.

Read our full review of White Rhino, or buy White Rhino feminized seeds at our store, where you can also download our Harvest Guide to know the best time to harvest your cannabis.

White Rhino cultivar profile

White Widow

White Widow is an indica-hybrid cannabis strain that started its legendary history in Holland during the 1990s. It quickly established itself in the cannabis scene in Holland, becoming a popular strain alongside Northern Lights, Skunk strains, and Haze, which were big names at the time and would be still for the following years.

White Widow Feminized Seeds

Are you looking for a relaxing smoke to unlock your conversational and creative side? You are going to love our White Widow seeds!

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There are two main reasons why White Widow gained the popularity that it did. First, its cultivation. At the time, there weren’t a lot of strains that lend themselves well to indoor growing. But White Widow was among the few strains that produced great indoor plants, along with Skunk strains and Northern Lights.

While that may not seem like a lot to us nowadays, back then, it was a game changer that allowed growers to cultivate several crops a year. It also helped that White Widow plants were easy to grow and produced high-quality, potent buds that deliver a well-balanced high, which leads us to the second reason: quality. White Widow plants consistently deliver quality yields and effects, making them a staple in Dutch coffeeshops.

Scott Blakey, the man behind this legendary strain, was also an integral contributor to the coffeeshop scene by providing high-quality charas extracted from cannabis he grew using seeds from his collection. We could even say that Scott Blakey created White Widow as a way to produce higher-quality products for the thriving cannabis community in Amsterdam.

Read our full review of White Widow, or buy White Widow feminized, autoflower seeds, and Black Widow feminized seeds at our store.

White Widow cultivar profile

Blueberry

Blueberry is an indica-dominant hybrid strain that delivers a euphoric high that elevates the mood of anyone that smokes it. It also has a strong stimulating effect on a person’s appetite and a relaxing body buzz. But what makes this indica hybrid so special is that its buds give off a strong flavor and aroma of blueberries. It grew in popularity because of it and also became the genetic backbone for many of the blueberry-flavored strains in the cannabis industry.

Blueberry Feminized Seeds

Blueberry marijuana seeds may be known for its tantalizing aroma and flavor, but trust us, this strain is more than its terpenes. Although technically a hybrid, Blueberry is a powerful indica that delivers a euphoric high.

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The man behind this legendary hybrid is Daniel John, a.k.a DJ short. He started growing weed around 1978, inspired by his great-grandmother, who was a gypsy and served as a medicine worker and herbalist to provide medicine for her community by using plants like cannabis. Much like his great-grandmother, Daniel John believed in the medicinal properties of cannabis, which is what led him to develop Blueberry in the first place.

He wanted a strain that he could grow indoors like an indica but have the more euphoric and stimulating effects of a sativa. So he crossbred Afghani indica with Thai sativa and Purple Thai sativa, resulting in the legendary indica hybrid many enjoy today. One thing to note is that Daniel John never initially intended for his strain to have the flavor and aroma that it does. It was simply a happy coincidence.

Grow Blueberry by buying Blueberry feminized and autoflower seeds at our store.

Blueberry cultivar profile

Jack Herer

Jack Herer is a sativa-dominant hybrid that consumers love for its strong body buzz and immediate euphoric head highs. Cannabis growers call it the “grower’s dream” since the plants that this sativa hybrid produces flowers fast and can produce high yields of around 16 to 18 ounces per plant with buds that have THC content of up to 20%.

Jack Herer Feminized Seeds

Jack Herer is one of the most popular strains in the world. It was first bred for marijuana patients due to genetics that delivered happy and soothing feelings combined with potent properties for therapeutic use.

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Ben Dronkers, founder of Sensi Seeds, is the one who made the Jack Herer strain. But before creating a well-loved sativa hybrid, and even before founding Sensi Seeds, Ben Dronkers originally aimed to start his own clothing company. In the late 1960s, he sailed on merchant ships intending to seek high-quality fabrics in exotic places where the ships would make their intermediate stops (Ports of Call).

He eventually began collecting local cannabis seeds instead. His collection became unparalleled in time, boasting genetics from the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia. He then used those landrace strains to create hybrid heirloom cultivars, and by 1985, he formed Sensi Seeds and offered for sale both the many strains he’s collected and the hybrids he’s made using them.

In the 1990s, one particular hybrid was made by Ben Dronkers and his team at Sensi Seed to create a strain that would honor his dear friend, Jack Herer.

Grow Jack Herer cannabis by buying Jack Herer feminized and autoflower seeds at our store, where you can also download our Plant Care Guide to know how to best treat your cannabis.

Jack Herer cultivar profile

Chemdawg

Chemdawg (a.k.a Chemdog) is an indica-dominant weed strain surrounded with mystery, as nobody can pinpoint the parent strains that made this potent hybrid. But many speculate that it came from equally potent cultivars, which may include Thai and Nepalese sativas. Whichever the case is, many breeders have started creating their own versions using the strains they think created Chemdawg.

Chemdawg Feminized Seeds

Chemdawg (AKA Chemdog) is a Cannabis strain that's surrounded by mystery and myths. Its parents may be unknown, but its effects are quite the opposite.

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The person behind the original Chemdawg is Gregory “Chemdog” Krzanowski. He was gifted 13 cannabis seeds from new friends he met on the 1991 Grateful Dead tour and went to work cultivating what we now call Chemdawg or Chemdog.

This particular indica-dominant strain is legendary because of its potency and the strains it spawned. Without Chemdawg, we wouldn’t have Sour Diesel, Chem’s Sister, and OG Kush.

Grow Chemdawg by buying Chemdawg feminized seeds at our store, where you can also buy plant protectors to ensure your plants are safe from harmful pests and diseases.

Chemdawg cultivar profile

Chocolope

Chocolope is an easy-to-grow and high-yielding sativa hybrid. However, it’s prone to mildew and mold, which could easily be remedied by growing the plants indoors. Expect the strain to produce tall plants, but you can also look forward to a considerable yield of around 16 to 23 ounces.

Chocolope Feminized Seeds

Chocolope seeds grow a 10% indica and 90% sativa plant. It's a special strain that motivates and energizes the user, making it a quick way to start a busy day.

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The people at DNA Genetics are the ones behind the creation of Chocolope, and they’ve also created several good strains that are popular today. We have Don Morris and Aaron Yarkoni (D and A) to thank for Chocolope, as they are the founders of DNA Genetics. In 2004, they officially established their company in Amsterdam. Still, even before they were an official company, they were already making waves in the cannabis scene by introducing their California hybrid genetics to create better strains.

One of those is Chocolope, a strain they developed in the 1980s when high-quality strains were just beginning to become popular with consumers in Holland. It was created by crossbreeding Chocolate Thai with Cannalope Haze.

Read our full review of Chocolope, or buy Chocolope feminized seeds at our store.

Chocolope cultivar profile

LA Confidential

LA Confidential is an indica-hybrid made in the early 2000s by DNA Genetics. They created the hybrid by crossbreeding Afghani and OG LA Affie, both potent indica strains. Like its parent strains, LA Confidential packs quite the punch as it hits consumers with a strong sedative-like high and a heady buzz that leaves them euphoric and relaxed.

LA Confidential Feminized Seeds

You'll find this popular West Coast hybrid to be in high demand, especially around the Los Angeles area. This is a super-strain that delivers a powerful euphoria and psychedelic high.

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LA Confidential is noteworthy because it won the first prize at the 2008 High Times Cannabis Cup.

You can grow this award-winning strain by buying LA Confidential feminized seeds at our store.

LA Confidential cultivar profile

Gold Leaf

Gold Leaf is an indica hybrid strain that ILGM’s Robert Bergman created. He bred and refined a strain that’s easy to grow and high-yielding. That’s why, despite being an indica-dominant, you can expect Gold Leaf to grow tall, bud-covered plants that can yield around 16 to 23 ounces per plant.

Gold Leaf Feminized Seeds

When Robert Bergman created the Gold Leaf Strain, he combined multiple plants to produce a refined, sativa-style height plant with indica traits users love.

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Robert Bergman spent years learning everything there was to know about growing cannabis and shared that knowledge of growing with the world. And it’s through his founding ILGM that he was able to share that extensive knowledge about growing cannabis, as well as offering for sale strains that would otherwise be hard to come by, including the ones on this list.

Gold Leaf cultivar profile

He made cannabis cultivation a fun and easy experience by providing first-time growers a way to learn how to grow like a pro, and you can as well by downloading Robert’s Grow Bible, a free 70-page grow guide all about cannabis.