The Orange Wave

As the late and great James Brown once sang, “This is a man’s world.” But with more and more female breeders making a name for themselves through superb genetics, a shift in the predominantly male landscape of cannabis cultivation can be seen on the horizon.

Story and Photos by MzJill

Many people, male and female, share a love for marijuana. And while male growers dominate the current cannabis cultivation community, the ladies are taking a new interest in growing the herb. 

My name is MzJill. I’m the ‘first lady’ of TGA seeds, and Subcool’s better half. Recently we added a new female member, ToB, to our team. Together we provide the feminine touch that’s become an important part of our cultivation. It is our belief that breeding top-quality strains is not only a matter of great genetics, but also the quality of the breeder. Upbeat, laidback growers seem to produce upbeat, laidback cannabis, whereas sinister growers seem to produce sinister cannabis. Hey, you really do reap what you sow!

Our cannabis is grown legally under state guidelines for medical marijuana. Subcool and I are currently caregivers for two patients. One of the patients has been with me for about six years and only consumes medicine through baked goods. He suffers from spinal damage resulting from a vehicle accident. Prior to the treatment we provide he took medicine such as Oxycontin. Needless to say, it is very rewarding to help others discover the healing power of marijuana – particularly when it replaces “medicine” provided by unethical pharmaceutical companies.  

With the help of my partner, I recently created my first strain, Jilly Bean. A combination of my notorious Orange Velvet and our popular Space Queen male (created by Vic High), Jilly Bean is becoming a favorite among many growers.

The story of my notorious Orange Velvet begins about six years ago when I inquired about volunteering at a local medical club. I began teaching a cultivation class for new medical members that included delivering clones and helping members set up their gardens to run more efficiently.

Despite some unpleasantness involving the people in charge of the med club, I found my time there to be incredibly gratifying. I met and trained many kind people that have come to be self-sufficient growers who, in return, were able to help others.

During this time, I met a wonderful lady – her husband and I remain close to this day. About two and a half years ago, they gave me a clone they’d named Melvin. They had received Melvin from some local hippie friends of theirs that had grown the strain for over twenty years.

At first, Subcool and I were skeptical of this strain but we decided to give her a try. We put the little clones through our normal quarantine routine and after they were determined to be clean, the clones were replanted in larger pots filled with Subcool’s Organic Super Soil and placed in the vegetation room.

As the strain grew out, we were struck by how shiny her foliage appeared. This quality remained, along with a very dark, velvety green appearance, throughout vegetation and into late flowering. About forty-five days into the flowering process, the remarkable orange-skunk smell emanating from the colas amazed us and her leaves took on a very beautiful shade of red.

The temperature in the flowering room was approximately fifty to fifty-five degrees during the dark period – which was a twenty to twenty-five degree drop in temperature. At around sixty days into flowering, this strain (so unjustly named Melvin) dazzled us further with her entrancing aroma and velvety foliage with hues of burgundy and black. She was so beautiful that it was hard to believe she was real.

After harvest we were in for a wonderful surprise. Aside from being one of the loveliest plants I’d ever seen (and very photogenic), Melvin truly tantalized our taste buds with its strong, sugary sweet orange flavor. To top it all off, she’s a very good producer with only light nutrient requirements. The only problem was with her name. Melvin just didn’t seem to suit this lady.

Based on her taste – ToB summed it up best saying it reminded her of a warm summer day, eating creamsicles under the trees in her backyard – and her physical features, the name Orange Velvet came naturally.

Orange Velvet has since proven to be an excellent breeding strain. She seems to pass along her most desirable traits – strong orange flavor, shiny foliage and large dense colas – and seemed a logical choice to work with in development of my own strain. We crossed her with a Space Queen male, resulting in my popular strain, Jilly Bean.

The results were excellent and Jilly Bean’s accolades continue to grow. To date, there have been three different phenotypes. The first most resembles the Orange Velvet at about sixty-five percent and possesses a very strong orange flavor. This phenotype is the most commonly found of the three.

The second phenotype is an equal cross of both parents, making it the only one of the three not dominated by the Orange Velvet. We’ve named this phenotype Candy Store because of its super sweet candy-like flavor. After two years, Candy Store remains a personal favorite of mine, remaining in my head stash since first taste.

The third and final phenotype (sometimes referred to as the skunk phenotype) is closer to the Orange Velvet and possesses a skunky candied-orange flavor. It seems to be very similar to AE’s Cali-O strain. While it’s not the same plant, it is likely related. This third phenotype is found only about fifteen percent of the time. It is the shortest of the three and has a high pistil-to-leaf ratio. While it has the smoothest taste, it also has the smallest yield.

The popularity of this candied-orange beauty has increased with both medical and recreational growers alike. Providing the community with new and better tasting medication is a remarkably rewarding experience. 

Based on the success of Jilly Bean, we decided to create another strain using the Orange Velvet mom and crossing her with Subcool’s Jack the Ripper. This cross resulted in the incredibly potent Agent Orange (named in remembrance of my father who was overcome by cancer caused by the chemical, Agent Orange). In addition, our Canadian partners, BadBoy and HomeGrown, have been working with my Orange Velvet, successfully pollinating her with a Grimm male, creating the latest Orange Velvet offering, Valencia.

We are dedicated to providing the best medicine available to patients in need. Each strain of cannabis provides a specific relief, treatment or therapeutic benefit. Our goal is to unlock these traits and provide them for those that are suffering. 

Supporting the community is important to us. TGA information can be found at TGAgenetics.com.