INSIDE MAGNUS GENETICS

Story & photos by Green Born Identity

In the world of commercial seed breeding, less is more. When a company limits its attention to a smaller number of strains, the result is often higher-quality marijuana. While many commercial seed breeders turn out dozens of strains that lack homogeneity, the small Dutch seed company Magus Genetics adheres to the less-is-more philosophy. Magus carries only five strains: Warlock, Double Dutch, Exile, Biddy Early and Motavation.

Magus's owner, Gerrit, a self-described "patchwork guy," found his way to the world of cannabis after myriad pit stops along the occupational highway. When asked, he'll rattle off a laundry list of previous jobs he's held - from electrician to industrial paint sprayer, steel caster to bartender - culminating in his current, and favorite, position: expert breeder. Cannabis has enriched his life both materially and spiritually. It helped him stop drinking. It provided him with stability and job security.

Gerrit established his seed company on the strength of his famous Warlock strain - also known as the "aroma bomb" by many smokers because, well, it stinks like hell. However, the success of Warlock is even more remarkable considering the strain came about accidentally. As the story goes, Gerrit began as an outdoor grower in the early '90s. He started off using Afghani and Skunk seeds he'd selected from coffeeshop weed in 1989. The male Afghani plants happened to pollinate a female Skunk plant. The result was a whole lot of F1 seeds.

The following winter, Gerrit turned to indoor cultivation, primarily working with clones he'd received from a friend, as well as the ostensibly pure commercial Skunk seeds and his own Skunk/Afghani-hybrid F1 seeds. During that time, Gerrit noticed that his F1 hybrids were considerably more vigorous than the pure Skunk plants but couldn't match them in terms of smell and taste. As his pure-Skunk-seed supply was exhausted, he decided to hybridize his last female Skunk specimens with the pollen of the male Skunk/Afghani-hybrid F1 plants. The resulting generation proved to be as vigorous as the original hybrid and even superior to the Skunk mother in terms of aroma and potency.

Eventually, Gerrit filled out the entire cultivation space with his own Skunk x Skunk/Afghani hybrids, devoting his full attention to strain development and improving his accidental creation. Soon after, Bluebird, one of Amsterdam's more popular coffeeshops, began selling Gerrit's hybrid under the name Warlock. The strain quickly became a favorite among a widening circle of customers. At the 1997 HIGH TIMES Cannabis Cup, Bluebird took third place in the bio category with Warlock.

Far from feeling satisfied, Gerrit was encouraged by the success of the strain to take breeding to the next level. He moved into a larger grow space where he could further explore his hybrid's genetic potential, and in January 1998, he officially registered his seed operation with the chamber of commerce.