We got an update from Lawrence Ringo of SoHum seeds, whose booth at the High Times event in L.A. last weekend featured seeds from three CBD-rich strains: his original Sour Tsunami, a Sour Tsunami-Harlequin cross (“Harle-Tsu”) and a Sour Tsunami-Cannatonic cross (“Canna-Tsu”).

Back at the ranch, Ringo told us, he’s growing out two new strains — “Swiss Gold,” a clone of which he purchased at Organicann in Santa Rosa, and ACDC, which William Courtney, MD, gave him saying, “Grow billions of seeds. The world’s going to need them.” Courtney told Ringo that a lab had found ACDC to have a 22:1 CBD-to-THC ratio; and that it was a Sativa-dominant plant grown for hemp in France; and that it was being grown on 13 hectares in Luxembourg for use in a clinical trial of its juiced leaves and flowers.

Ringo describes the Swiss Gold as “a pure Indica, short and fat.” He grew it out in a 20-gallon bucket to observe its traits. “Everything that I grow the first year goes into a bucket,” he explains, “because I don’t want to waste this primo ground that I’ve spent years building up.” It was tested by Pure Analytics and found to contain 8% CBD, 2% THC.

His ACDC was only a foot tall as of Feb. 12. When it’s two feet he’ll take cuttings and speed up their budding so they can be tested while the mother plants continue to grow.

At the High Times event in LA interest in CBD-rich herb was strong and foot traffic heavy, Ringo reported, but SoHum was directly across from a DJ box that was loud from 50 yards away. “A lot of people wanted to talk but couldn’t because we were getting pounded by the music,” Ringo lamented. “Five or six people were in wheelchairs and they never came back.” The booth cost $3,000 —$800 more than he’d ever paid for space at a trade show.

Report from Pure Analytics

Samantha Miller of Pure Analytics tested the two sets of samples from Ringo’s recent crosses. Her comments follow:

Group 1

All samples received were freshly harvested cannabis seedling samples from three different populations of seed stock, Swiss Gold x Sour Tsunami, Cannatonic (2:1) x Sour Tsunami and Harlequin x Sour Tsunami. All samples were dried in the laboratory over the course of eight days. All dried samples were analyzed for cannabinoid potency and profile to determine THC vs.C BD dominance, approximate ratios and distribution of those ratios.

The Swiss Gold x Sour Tsunami group of seedlings consisted of thirteen individual samples. Of those thirteen, six seedlings were found to be CBD-dominant, supporting the prediction that progeny from the cross would have a CBD-dominance frequency of 50%. Of the 6 CBD-dominant samples isolated, two were found to have a cannabinoid profile consisting of very high relative CBD levels with only a very small relative amount of THC. Both a female and male were isolated, #3 and C from this high relative CBD group. The remaining four CBD-dominant seedlings were all found to possess a 2:1 ratio of CBD:THC.

The Cannatonic x Sour Tsunami seedlings consisted of a group of 8 individual samples. Five of these eight were found to be CBD-dominant, supporting the hypothesis that the progeny from the cross would have a CBD-dominance frequency of 50%, or one out of every two seeds. Of the five CBD-dominant seedlings, one was found to have a cannabinoid profile almost entirely CBD, with only a small relative amount of THC. The remaining four CBD-dominant samples were found to be 2:1 CBD:THC ratio seedlings.

The Harlequin x Sour Tsunami seedlings consisted of a group of nine seedlings, where seven were found to be CBD-dominant. Of the seven CBD-dominant seedlings, three were found to have very high relative CBD-levels, and the remaining four seedlings were found to possess a 2:1 ratio of CBD:THC. This seed stock would represent a unique offering with 3 of every 4 seeds providing a CBD-dominant plant. Additional analysis of a larger sample population should be performed to validate this finding to support the potential claim of 75% CBD-dominance frequency.

Group 2

Seedling samples from two populations of seed stock, Harlequin x Sour Tsunami and Swiss Gold x Sour Tsunami, were analyzed for cannabinoid potency and profile to determine THC vs. CBD dominance, approximate ratios and distribution of those ratios.

Three samples of Harlequin x Sour Tsunami were analyzed. Two of the three were found to be CBD-dominant and both of these were found to have a 2:1 CBD:THC ratio.

Two samples of Swiss Gold x Sour Tsunami were analyzed and were found to be THC-dominant in both cases.