Nederwiet
Nederwiet
We in the Netherlands have helped producing the best types of weed. A hemp strain means that the plant has an annual cycle and is dioecious, which means that there is a male and female plant strain. To avoid seed formation, they only use the female plant. Hemp plants are cultivated a lot for their fiber, it is about selection for a higher THC content. In the flower tops (the rest of the plant is not used) THC levels of up to more than 25% have been measured, if the plant is professionally grown under special grow lights. The THC content also depends on the number of sunshine hours the plants receive. Weed grown at home in sunlight produces a lower THC content than plants grown under lamps, which get the optimum number of hours of light every day.
In the making
The first mention of Dutch ganja, however, comes from 1955. In the neighborhood of Utrecht sativa was grown, to get high off. A few years later, in the 60’s, Dutch breeders got their hands-on American cannabis. That’s when everything became different. Species like Northern Lights, an indica/sativa hybrid, improved the weed with their superior quality. 7 July 1971 first mentioned in the “vrije krant” in which it was described that, due to climate influences, the Dutch weed is considerably less concentrated than the tropical products. From the 80’s more hybrid weed varieties were grown in the Netherlands from American seed. Hybrid means that they cross the different plants, resulting in new species. Species like Skunk #1, Original Haze and Northern Lights became very popular. These initially had a low THC content, which made them referred to as skunk.
In the mid-1980s, the Sensi Seeds company adopted a large-scale cloning technique which increased the quality and strength of the Dutch weed. As a result of this change, the popularity of the Nederwiet rose sharply compared to the imported plant. Nederwiet seed became an export product, but in 2000 in-house cultivation for the production of seed was banned.
Stronger and stronger
Today’s weed isn’t the same stuff your parents smoked when they were hippies in the ’70s. Its strength has increased considerably. At that time, knowledge about growing cannabis was limited. Genetics did not undergo a lengthy selection process. THC levels fluctuated between 4-10%. In the 1980s, when Dutch growers began to obtain certificates in weed breeding, THC levels increased considerably. In 2004, the average THC content was about 18%. At that time, the main focus was on increasing the THC content. Today, however, Dutch weed varieties show an increase in the CBD and CBN contents. Dutch growers focus more on flavors, terpenes, aromas and flowering periods. And on a more complex, therapeutic blend of cannabinoids.
Proud
Nederwiet conquered the world by storm; an impressive green storm. This is not just a genetic composition of a large number of extraordinary plants. After all, Nederwiet has also firmly established itself in Dutch culture. We, the Dutch, are proud of contributing to the creation of several great strains and songs have even been written about it, such as ‘Nederwiet’ by Doe Maar.
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