This story however is not about Jack the man, but the plant itself and my observations on growing it. After Jack passed last year, he was on everyone’s minds. I made a trip to his famous shop in Portland called The Third Eye. I love their glass selection and a few of the people working there hold cards and grow TGA gear. I went upstairs after signing a few books, and a dude I had never met before followed me up. He introduced himself as Mark Herer, Jacks son. He then ask if I could get him a pack of his dads seeds. I told him that anyone could order a pack online, but I also suggested he instead look for a nice cutting. I took this pretty much like Jack himself asking me, so I went directly to work looking for the best possible cutting to fill this request.
A good friend of Dioxides, who is an amazing grower that I respect very much, stepped up and offered up a cutting of his prized Jack Herer. It was selected from Sensi Seeds but from years ago when it was easier to find these prize phenotypes in higher numbers. The Jack Herer cutting was passed from legal grower to legal grower until it made its way to me and then to Mark. This is the report on that cutting from my growing perspective. I’d like to thank this talented grower for selfishly sharing one of his prize cuttings.
The cutting came to me very healthy and looking great but I still dipped the clone in mitecide, as well as treated it for mildew using a fungastat. Once the plant recovered we took a few cuttings and rooted them.
I sent one to Mark Herer and I kept the other growing it out as I would any cutting from this point on. I did not document the growth each week as I normally do, waiting instead until I saw and smelled something promising. The plant shot up fast once flowering started and at first it looked kind of tall and thin. As time passed, the buds started swelling and the resin started flowing and one day while watering the garden I brushed up against the plant and got a huge whiff of lemons and wintergreen. It was very pungent and immediately got my attention.
At 5-foot tall with six heads, the plant wasn’t easy to move around, so I had to wait until it was almost done before dragging out of the CO2 enriched bud room into the finishing area. It was only then I started seeing how special this cutting was. Stacked resin head and a strong lemon and mint smell make for a notable aroma similar to my Jacks Cleaner, but sweeter and without the sandlewood.
Around this time, I was invited out to the medical farm where the cutting came from. I got to tour an amazing garden that provides meds for several people (they’re very lucky patients as this cat is a very skilled grower). In between the 10 main plants that are planted into the ground, he is using the empty space for many Jack Herer plants that will be moved to a second tunnel very soon. I thought it was a smart use of the garden but soon air flow for the in ground plants will be very important so they were busy working on the second area. It was really cool to see the cutting under full sun both in pots and even one in ground.
I harvested my Jack Herer plant at around day 58, just before peak ripeness. I find that I prefer about 10-15% amber trichome heads for maximum taste and flavor as well as an upbeat high. I use Cannabis mainly for pain management due to a severe injury I had falling off a ladder at work. I am also am very busy and can’t afford to be taking pot naps in the middle of the day, which is why I prefer up beat but potent medical marijuana.
This cutting of jack certainly meets that criteria! After trimming and drying the flowers, I let them cure in glass jars for about three weeks before sampling the finished buds. I was rewarded with some exceptional quality medicine. With a tart lemon taste combined with a mint after taste, both the inhale and exhale is very pleasing and leave a great taste on your pallet. The citrus lemon taste combines with the sweet resin to create a wonderful flavor.
As time kept ticking and the jars of Jack continued to cure, I really begin to enjoy the strain more and more. If I needed a daytime pick me up, I would take just two tokes out of my bong and suddenly the world seemed delightful. Music sounded better and even simple task like playing with my new lab puppy took on an extra level of enjoyment. I read once that the strain Jack Herer made everything seem delightful and I could not agree more.
The grower decided to have the strain tested for potency at Steep Hill labs and we were impressed at how potent it actually was, testing at 13.87% THC and .22% CBD and .89% CBN. But what the report doesn’t tell us is the complex make-up of all the other chemicals that make each strain unique and this particular cutting really is a special specimen.
Learn more about Jack Herer at his website.
