Sour Diesel is in a league of its own when it comes to cannabis strains stoners can’t stop reminiscing about. Everyone remembers that one cut they got from that one plug that set their world on fire. Strains so loud they’re spoken about like extinct cannabis dragons that used to roam the skies before cannabis was legalized recreationally. For Dan Nelson, director of sales at Happy Valley Genetics, it was AJ’s Sour Diesel that has him reminiscing about sour smoke.
“AJ’s cut of sour was just a different animal entirely and it made amateur growers look pro because the product was so amazing,” Nelson exuded.
“It coated your mouth in sulfur.”
This became his yardstick for what cannabis can be and should be and he’s been chasing that dragon ever since.
When Nelson became a care giver for best friend in Rhode Island so had a vested interest early on in quality over everything. Cliché’s like “You can’t start from fucked,” or “good in good out,” are cliché for a reason, they’re undeniable facts of nature like gravity or death.
“My best friend had to have good access to pain relief and symptom relief, it’s not about spraying and cranking out weight. It was all about quality, right? I’m proud to say that’s something that carried through for the last 15 years of my cultivation experience, “Nelson explained.
Asshole Joe was growing the best weed in New York, his cuts were separated from others like it because of their rank smells and immediate effects. Nelson wants to breed dragon’s fire just like Joe did back in the day.
Happy Valley’s Genetics program is powered by Ethos Genetics and he wants every single strain to be just as memorable and everlasting as those days with the great AJ’s Sour Diesel.
Everglades OG (Chem D x i95) x Pineapple RUntz
It Starts with Great Gear
Nelson spent five years as a cultivation manager before transitioning into his current position as director of sales at Happy Valley Genetics. Happy Valley is fully integrated cannabis business – so knowing the ends and outs of growing, processing, and selling cannabis was “baked into the cake,” of why they started their genetics program, Nelson said. They didn’t only want to sell seeds but also sell their access to the knowledge it takes to cultivate an excellent plant from start to finish.
Whether it’s lighting, irrigation, or post-harvest processing there are “no secrets, there’s no gatekeeping,” Nelson said. “We want educated customers to be able to make educated decisions and we want people to have success with our gear.”
“Gear” is slang for seeds in cannabis circles and it’s also slang for steroid use in fitness circles. I find this fitting because whether you want to be Mr. Olympia or grow weed plants the size of Mount Olympus, it starts with good gear.
10 years of professional cultivation experience makes Nelson’s seed support top shelf, so when you purchase Happy Valley’s seeds you get a professional consultant with every purchase. Not to mention all of the knowledge that comes with partnering with Ethos. Colin Gordon founded Ethos out of Colorado and has been breeding award-winning strains for 15 years. Happy Valley Genetics founder Michael Reardon credits Ethos as a key ingredient to their success.
Happy Valley always tries to be the greatest resource possible so the customers can harvest the best flower possible flower, something Nelson believes is most feasible when it starts from a seed.
Clones have many benefits which is why they are used all the time in the cannabis industry, but they have several downsides as well. Clones are more susceptible to pathogens and parasites and can have less vigor than plants that sprout from seeds. This also means that seeded plants can produce higher yields, but a clone’s consistency at scale will always make them incredibly viable.
Clones can only be sold in state, seeds can be shipped internationally because seeds don’t have THC content. “I frequently fly with thousands of seeds on me,” Nelson said.
Happy Valley Genetics
Intense research and development goes into the seeds available on HappyValleyGenetics.com. They run at least 20 potency tests for every cut to give accurate ranges for THC and terpene percentages as well as yield percentages for solventless extractions and indoor crops.
Customer feedback is a big component of selecting genetics to sell as retail and as seeds. The goal is to offer every strain as a seed pack or a pre-packed retail product like an eighth of flower or pre-roll.
“Unless it’s dropping jaws, we don’t want to put it out,” Nelson said, and by the looks of the menu, they’re pushing unique exotic offerings that might do just that. This Washington stoner hasn’t seen or even heard of any of these strains on my side of the country.
Pineapple Daddy is a cross between Banana Daddy and Pineapple Runtz. This auto-flowering hybrid produces 61.8 grams per square foot of canopy space after an 80-day life cycle. The cured flower is expected to test anywhere between 21 and 32 THC percent and will have an average solventless wash yield of 2.37 percent. All this information and more is available on the website directly at the purchase point. Each $50 pack comes with six seeds.
You can find all the detailed information just like that for every strain on the website. Strains like Baller’s Game (Mellon Baller x End Game #3) and many others.
Happy Valley Genetics is shipping everywhere in the United States. If you’re trying to get seeds shipped out of the country, contact Nelson through the website and he help connect you to a seed bank somewhere that can get you the seeds you desire.
RMR Tours Happy Valley Dispensary in Boston + Their Cultivation
