CBG-Force grow report by Mr José

CBG-Force feminised seeds grow report by Mr Jose

CBG-Force is the world’s first CBG (cannabigerol) rich cannabis seed variety. Plants grown from CBG-Force seeds have THC levels below 0.15% and CBG levels up to 15%. CBG, together with all the other new cannabinoids, is creating a great deal of excitement for the medical potential and possible therapeutic applications. Independent cannabis consultant and grow guru Mr José, grew some CBG-Force seeds and made his own CBG grow review which is summarised below. All the measurements used in this report come from Mr José.

Interest in CBG has never been higher

Over recent years Dutch Passion have pioneered the breeding of new cannabis strains rich in new cannabinoids such as THCV (THC-Victory seeds) and CBG. These special cannabinoids are producing a great deal of interest and debate in the medical cannabis world. CBG-Force feminised seeds produce plants with around 12-15% CBG in the dried buds. Auto CBG-Force is an autoflowering seed variety which also produces up to 15% CBG in the dried buds, THC levels are also below 0.15%.

Because THC levels are so low, CBG-Force and Auto CBG-Force are not psychoactive strains, you cannot get high from them. It’s worth adding that prior to the 15% CBG levels in CBG-Force, only trace levels of CBG (0.2% or below) could be seen in most strains. This huge increase in CBG content is the reason that CBG-Force seeds are attracting such high levels of interest from the medical cannabis community, pharmaceutical companies and cannabis growers of all types.

Seeds of CBG-Force, Auto CBG-Force and THC-Victory are all part of Dutch Passion’s Special Cannabinoids Cannabis Seed Collection. Note that a new strain, Auto CBD-Victory is also joining this collection. It contains around 4-6% CBD and about 4-6% CBDV (Cannabidivarin). Dutch Passion will have much more to say about CBDV in a separate article.

CBG-Force feminised seeds grow report by Mr Jose

CBG-Force feminised seeds harvest report

When Mr José grew the CBG-Force seeds he germinated 25 seeds. Germination rate was just 68%. That’s much lower than Dutch Passion would normally like to see, but something that is being worked on. When a novel cannabis strain like this is released, especially when it’s a world first brand new CBG seed generation, it isn’t always unexpected to find some early teething issues. On the other hand, the medical cannabis world now has the opportunity to assess CBG for themselves. Some medical cannabis growers have been excitedly anticipating the first true CBG-rich cannabis strain for many years and Dutch Passion didn’t want to delay the release.

The following chart summarises the results from the 9 CBG-Force plants which Mr José grew to harvest. Note that that all the plants listed below have been transplanted on July, 27 and harvested on October, 21 of 2020.

Plant IDPlant
height
Fresh plant weight Fresh bud weightDry bud
weight
CBG04125cm892g346g56,48g
CBG08125cm742g194g46,95g
CBG01107cm728g212g42,02g
CBG0394cm690g152g 32,15g
CBG09125cm 628g 86g18,40g
CBG06135cm272g52g16,25g
CBG0243cm 40g K.O.
CBG0770cm K.O.
CBG05 K.O.
Total:
Average:

103cm
3992g
570g
1042g
173,66g
212,25g
35,37g

Yields from the CBG-Force plants averaged around 35g per plant. However, yields varied from 0g (3 plants) to 56g. Three plants either didn’t produce any buds or they didn’t look healthy. In one case (CBG05) the plant was removed in the 3rd week of bloom since it looked close to dying.

In the other cases (CBG02 & CBG07) the plants seemed healthy with good roots etc though they didn’t grow well in veg and failed to make any flowers in bloom. For the plants that went on to provide a yield, plant height varied from 94cm to 135cm.

Yield/growth consistency is something Dutch Passion definitely hope to see improved in the future. The results may not yet be as consistent as Dutch Passion would hope for, but at least the medical cannabis community now has a first generation CBG strain to work with and use.

CBG is of particular interest to medical growers since CBG is the ‘mother cannabinoid’ from which all other cannabinoids are synthesised. For this reason, CBG rich strains such as CBG-Force are attracting lots of interest from many in the cannabis breeding community.

Related:
Open Access article about the medical potential of CBG
CBG-Force feminised seeds grow report by Mr Jose

CBG-Force feminised seeds indoor grow setup

The 9 CBG-Force plants were grown in 15 litre Auto Pot (gravity fed nutrient) containers. They were grown in Plagron Light Mix with organic slow release BioTabs nutrients. Average temperature was 25.8ºC and average humidity was 62.2%. Light levels were 800PPFD. The 2.4m2 grow room contained 9 x CBG-Force plants and 9 x THC-Victory (THCV rich) plants. There is a separate grow report about the THC-Victory results. Plants were given 2 weeks of vegetative growth and around 8 weeks of bloom.

Room size2,4 m2
Number of plants9 CBG-Force + 9 THC-Victory
Pots type / sizeAutoPot 15 liters
MediumPlagron LightMix
NutrientsBioTabs
Avg. temperature25,8
Avg. humidity62,2
Lighting800 PPFD
CBG-Force feminised seeds grow report by Mr Jose

CBG-Force feminised seeds germination

Professional growers often grow a few more seeds than necessary in order to assess germination rates. With CBG-Force, 17 out of the 25 seeds (68%) germinated. The best 9 were selected for bloom. However, Dutch Passion would feel much happier if CBG-Force germination rates were around the more normal 90-100% range.

Total seedsThe grower attempted to germinate 25 CBG-Force feminised seeds.
Germination rate68% of the seeds germinated. The best 9 were selected for bloom.
Germination details24 hours in water, then moved to 250 ml pots with substrate.

Further work will explore if/how germination rates can be improved. Germination rates of around 70% may not be in the desired target range, but they do allow growers to produce their own CBG rich plants, mother plants and buds. This allows medical work and research into CBG to step up a level.

Just for info, growers struggling to optimise cannabis seed germination rates may find the following YouTube video to be very useful, comparing the germination rates of cannabis seeds in moist vs soaked conditions.

Watch our moist vs soaked germination test video

CBG-Force feminised indoor veg growth

The CBG-Force seeds were given 2 weeks of vegetative growth with 18 hours of daily light. Mr José commented that 3 of the CBG-Force plants seemed to be slower in veg growth than the rest.

Lightcycle18:6
Duration14 days
FeedbackAverage number of side branches. 3 plants seemed to grow slowly.

The 3 slow growing CBG-Force plants also gave concern during bloom. One of the 3 plants was removed after looking very weak. The other two were left in the grow room but simply failed to produce any flowers.

CBG-Force feminised seeds grow report by Mr Jose

CBG-Force feminised indoor flowering stage

The healthy CBG-Force plants were given 8 weeks in bloom. As mentioned above, 3 of the 9 CBG-Force plants didn’t produce any flowers.

Lightcycle12:12
Duration 8 weeks
Feedback Some plants started to bloom very quickly, but stopped to grow.

With a maximum yield of 56g from plant number CBG04, the yields from this CBG grow cannot be described as heavy. However, these are first generation CBG rich feminised cannabis seeds. The real target with CBG-Force was to create CBG levels up to 15%, this has been successfully achieved. Creating stability and consistency for heavier yields can, and should, come later.

CBG-Force feminised seeds grow report by Mr Jose

Breeding cannabis for CBG and special cannabinoids

CBG breeding is only just beginning. In the future there will be different versions of CBG rich strains as breeding work diversifies. Currently, CBG-Force and Auto CBG-Force deliver low-THC, high CBG results. But in the future there may well be CBG rich strains which also boast high levels of other cannabinoids such as CBD, THC, THCV, CBDV etc.

Since CBG is the parent cannabinoid which is used for the creation of all other cannabinoids, CBG-rich strains are of particular genetic importance to those in the cannabis breeding community. Indeed, some cannabis breeders have been excitedly anticipating a true CBG rich strain for over a decade.

The arrival of CBG-Force and Auto CBG-Force may not represent the end-game of CBG genetics, but it does represent a crucially important beginning. Some cannabis breeders feel the CBG rich varieties will be important foundation varieties for future breeding work. Dutch Passion remain committed to funding much more work enriching cannabis strains with these special new cannabinoids.

In the meantime, CBG-Force feminised seeds are available for all those that want to evaluate CBG for themselves or for those that want to start their own breeding projects.

For Dutch Passion, the emergence of CBG-Force and Auto CBG-Force is regarded as an important first step. However, there is a recognition that more can be done both to improve the current consistency. In terms of future breeding/hybridisation potential, CBG rich cannabis strains are also attracting huge interest. Keep checking the Dutch Passion blog to hear the latest news regarding special cannabinoids.

CBG-Force feminised seeds grow report by Mr Jose

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