The Doc switched his to Strawberry AKeil plants into flowering. By that time, they still were stout and bushy
With its famous strain classics Bubble Gum and AK-47, Dutch quality seed bank Serious Seeds has made history. Both have been awarded many times at cannabis cups and for almost a quarter century, both have been enjoying an exquisite reputation as top-notch elitist cannabis varieties, with an accordingly big worldwide following. And this following has been having a new cause for celebration for a while, because Serious Seeds has crossed its two popular strain flagships with one another to create and launch new sativa dominant plant: Strawberry AKeil.
The breeding goal for this project was to create super crystalline buds with an intense strawberry aroma and a strong effect. Simon, the owner and breeder of Serious, meticulously fine-tuned the ideal combination of mother (AK-47) and father (Bubble Gum) until a new star was born that lived up to Serious Seeds’ extremely high standards. From AK-47, Strawberry AKeil has inherited its heavy trichome coat and mightily strong effect, from Bubble Gum its delicious strawberry smell and taste. This special fruity aroma is characterized by enormous, almost overwhelming intensity which gives the strain air superiority in any grow room it’s cultivated in.
Plants grow to medium height and are laden with extraordinarily resinous buds in vast amounts. The powerful turn starts with an activating soaring high that later on gives way to a calm stage of deep relaxation for body and mind. Serious Seeds also ascribes excellent medicinal properties to its new release which is supposed to relieve e.g. chronic pains, anxiety or sleeping disorders. Within 56-63 days of flowering, Strawberry AKeil plants are capable of producing yields of 400-500 g/m2. Serious recommends to leave seedlings in the veggie stage for 4-5 weeks. Good news for outdoor growers is that this variety matures already from early to mid-October under natural light so that it can be successfully cultivated outside in more northern regions, too, sure enough in places sheltered from rain such as a canopied balcony or of course in a greenhouse.
Strawberry AKeil is a strain limited to 4,000 packages. The second part of its name comes from German hip hop artist King Keil. He was involved into the development of this strain by testing and evaluating several phenotypes. This activity inspired him to write a song of the same name about Strawberry AKeil. The associated video can be watched on YouTube, including some stately specimens of Strawberry AKeil plants.
It was no one less than The Doc who decided to check out the new Strawberry AKeil strain. Since he also tested a few other varieties at the same time, he could only sow two feminized seeds which was expected to give him a good first impression though. About the beginning of this grow he reported, “at first, they grew a bit slow. Some people may laugh at this, but I think it had to do with the moon. It was exactly new moon when I sowed the seeds. After there’s been full moon now, they have started to grow at normal speed.” 2.5 weeks into the veggie stage, he wrote into his grow diary: “horizontally, they’re growing rampant! Exhibiting very bushy growth with dense intermodal spacing and lots of side branches.”
After five weeks of vegetative growth, The Doc switched his to Strawberry AKeil plants into flowering. By that time, they still were stout and bushy which in view of the genetic sativa dominance came as quite a surprise. Two weeks of flowering were over, when The Doc noted down “their appearance hasn’t changed much, these are still two spherical compact plants, looking absolutely identical. I had expected them to stretch significantly now, but obviously it’s not gonna happen.
However, the onset of flowering is very apparent already, with a flush of rosebud-shaped tips.” Another two weeks later, his impression was confirmed: “now that four weeks of flowering are over, there’s nothing yet to come in terms of stretching. Of course, there’s been a certain branch elongation, but not much so that the two plants have remained very compact. And they’re blooming like hell! As early as now, flower clusters of amazing size have taken shape throughout their side branches. Something big is on the rise! Also, these young buds are strikingly frosty already. Very, very beautiful, that whole scenario!”
Six weeks of flowering had passed when The Doc reported, “for me, this is the very first variety that fully lives up to the ‘strawberry” attribute in its name! Because the two plants are exuding a flabbergasting strawberry scent which is flatteringly soft, almost creamy. The buds are dense, tight and chunky, having a high calyx-to-leaf ratio and a massive resin buildup, it’s just yet a glistening spectacle.” Ripeness was reached already after eight weeks of flowering, instantly at the beginning of the harvest window stated by Serious.
The Doc raved, “Boaaah, these buds have become sensationally crystalline, brimming with resin glands! And they’ve finished pretty early – even greater! I also like their intensely orange flower hairs. Also, until the very end the two plants have remained very uniform, displaying that typical Serious Seeds uniformity. With a mellifluous strawberry fragrance even my grandma dreams of!”
The plants had grown to final heights of 60 and 70 cm. So, height-wise, they weren’t the biggest, but with their shiploads of big heavy buds they had turned out to be a true flower factory, a production miracle. By absolute numbers, together they weighed in at 204 grams of dry buds! The Doc lauded, “well that’s just sensational, over a hundred grams each from plants of comparatively small size. A huge achievement other strains will struggle to compete with.”
The old grow veteran happily noted after the drying process that this intriguing strawberry aroma had not only survived it unimpaired, but thanks to chlorophyll decomposition even perfected itself into a creamy strawberry cannabis dream that was an enticing treat to his nose.
The Doc was in a festive mood as he was ready to sample Strawberry AKeil. When he crumbled a bud in the grinder, the insane strawberry smell rising up through this seemed to stick inside his nostrils. Loaded with half a gram, his Mighty vaporizer then gave off delicious strawberry-flavored clouds that wafted through his mouth into his lungs, velvety soft. Which The Doc appreciated with relish: “I can really also taste that strawberry note, of course not as full-bodied and explicit as with something strawberry-flavored to eat or drink – after all, we’re talking about volatile vapor here – but my epicurean cannabis palate unmistakably identifies its fruity character as strawberry.
A sublime flavor sensation not experienced before! Which already after a few minutes was followed by a likewise impressive effect experience, when The Doc was mesmerized to sense a both mentally and physically swirling sativa storm that became mightier with every puff. He felt a tremendously tingling sensation in his head and all over his body, it was as if his hair stood on end. Impossible to sit still! So, The Doc got active and started to sieve Strawberry AKeil hash with a pollen shaker, using heavily resinous leaf material accumulated during harvest. After about an hour, that peppy sativa buzz ebbed away, and the Indica side of Strawberry came to the fore with heavy steps, making The Doc unwind by giving him deep comforting relaxation that lasted for more than another hour.
He arrived at this conclusion: “With Strawberry AKeil, I’ve experienced a green strawberry wonder! Breeder Simon has done a great job again, not only in terms of that unique aroma but also the outstanding cultivation performance and riveting high of this new strain. My forecast is that after the limited-edition phase, Strawberry AKeil will get is well-deserved place in the standard Serious Seeds assortment!”
Green Born Identity – G.B.I.
Cultivation data:
| Genetics | Strawberry AKeil (AK-47 x Bubble Gum) |
| Vegetative stage | 5 weeks (after germination) |
| Flowering stage | 56 days / 56-63 days in general |
| Medium | Plagron Grow Mix-Erde, 11 liter pots |
| pH | 6.2-6.6 |
| EC | 1.2–1.8 mS |
| Light | up to 12 x SANlight S4W = 1680 watts |
| Temperature | 18-27°C |
| Air humidity | 40-60% |
| Watering | by hand |
| Fertilisation | Organic Bloom Liquid from Green Buzz Liquids |
| Additives/stimulants | Living Organics, More Roots, Humin Säure Plus, Big Fruits, Fast Buds and Clean Fruits from Green Buzz Liquids |
| Tools | CleanLight Pro for mold prevention |
| Height | 60 and 70 cm |
| Yield | together 204 g |
Originally published in Weed World Magazine issue 140
