Strain
This write-up reviews a Laughing Buddha clone that was primarily grown outdoors. The original genetics comes from Barney’s Farms. This clone is a regular clone. It was rooted and grown indoors under LED lights, and then transplanted outdoors directly into the ground as a full grown plant. The projected window is mid to late October, and I cut slightly early (around October 10th) as I spotted mold on a bud.
Overall, the big detractor is my outdoor location and there was a big risk of light pollution in flower. Two nearby plants were seeded badly by a large industrial floodlight. Laughing Buddha has also experienced some seeds, although not as many. So, does a light stressed induced hermaphrodite produce pollen? Was Laughing Buddha cross pollinated by Hash Plant (and wouldn’t this produce feminized seeds)? Was Laughing Buddha also stressed from light? If this was the case it proves that light stress does not have to be direct light. Whereas I docked those other grows big time for a loss of quality through seeding, I will only subtract a small amount in this case. I suspect seeds are common in outdoor grows.
I had already performed LST before moving outdoors so this plant had many crowns that got huge. I was very happy with bud density and size, on a direct comparison the buds were less dense than Laughing Buddha indoors. The strength of Buddha’s yield comes from the bunches of bud that spot the branches. If you allow this strain to get big, it will reward you all the way up the branch. Whereas bud density was less, overall yield was much more than indoors. 134 grams would be more then I usually get indoors, and I composted lots of subpar or veggie bud - I only spend time with the nice crowns and main stems.
Taste, minus the odd seed, is nearly identical to indoors. Slightly less strong, the smells are almost the same. Fuel like, sour, not like sour diesel at all. I find the outdoor buds less harsh and pungent, and maybe more of a sweet deep undertone? Not like berries. I find Laughing Buddha hard to describe. A sour fuel is the best description, but I think that misplaces people when they think of strains they have experienced.
So overall we have determined that Laughing Buddha is a huge yielding strain indoors and outdoors. It is resistant to mold and pests where other plants are vulnerable. This is good because it allows you to keep it outdoors longer, and it has a looooong flowering time. In the Canadian Maritimes that trait is important. Its unclear on how it did in terms of stress in my particular environment. Taste is pretty much the same, just less pronounced with the outdoor version. Bud density is comparable both indoors and outdoors. Other than seeds and just not quite the same quality bud as indoor, I am quite happy with this strain as always.