Big Bud Feminized Seeds

Big Bud is an indica-dominant feminized strain, 85% indica and 15% sativa, with a sweet, fruity aroma, a hint of spice and the massive, dense buds its name promises. Sensi Seeds calls its harvests the strain’s main selling point. It is an easy grow that flowers in about 7 to 9 weeks, though the heavy buds need support late in flower.

History & lineage

Big Bud began in the United States in the 1980s, where Sensi Seeds says it was bred from an Afghanica and a skunk plant and became a much-loved commercial variety thanks to its harvests. The War on Drugs drove breeders to take it to the Netherlands, where it was further stabilised, and Sensi later reworked it with Skunk #1 and Northern Lights. Leafly lists it as a three-way cross of Afghani, Northern Lights and Skunk #1.

Two of those parents have Cup records: Skunk #1 won the first High Times Cannabis Cup in 1988 (Cultivators’ Choice’s entry), and a Northern Lights entered by Bluebird placed 2nd at the 1992 High Times Cannabis Cup. The strain lives on in later crosses, too: Royal Queen Seeds lists Granddaddy Purple as a cross of Purple Urkle and Big Bud.

Aroma & flavour

Sensi Seeds describes a sweet, fruity aroma with a hint of spice while the plants grow, turning almost molasses-like after harvest, and the same sweet spiciness in the taste. For Big Bud as a strain, Leafly users most often report earthy, woody and pungent flavours, followed by skunk. Leafly’s lab data lists pinene as its most abundant terpene, followed by myrcene and ocimene; our guide to cannabis terpenes explains what each one brings.

Effects, as users report them

These are Leafly users’ reports for Big Bud as a strain, most common first, and Leafly rates its effects as mostly calming. Sensi Seeds describes the high as powerful, sedative and soothing, and says some people also report feeling giggly and euphoric. Dry mouth and dry eyes are the downsides users report most; smaller numbers report dizziness, paranoia or a headache. Sensi gives no THC figure for Big Bud, and Leafly’s strain data puts it at about 14%, lower than average. Effects vary with the person and the dose, so if you are new to cannabis, start with a small amount.

Growing Big Bud

Big Bud is a feminized photoperiod plant: it stays in vegetative growth until the light drops to 12 hours a day indoors, or until the days shorten outdoors. Sensi gives about 50 to 65 days of flowering, roughly 7 to 9 weeks, and a mid- to late-October harvest outdoors in the Northern Hemisphere. Our seed-to-harvest timeline puts those weeks in context.

Sensi calls Big Bud easy to grow, though it says the plant may need a little extra attention to reach its full yield. Indoors it stays at about 50–100 cm (1.6–3.3 ft); outdoors, mature plants can reach 200–225 cm (6.6–7.4 ft). Sensi puts indoor yields around 500–600 g/m² (about 1.6–2.0 oz/ft²) and outdoor plants around 800–1,200 g (about 28–42 oz) each. The plants are narrow with fewer leaves than most, and the buds form mainly around the central stem, so Sensi recommends a sea of green; a screen of green, supercropping and lollipopping also work. Branches can break under the weight of the buds, so add stakes or tension wire before late flower, and keep the air moving around those dense buds to avoid bud rot. Sensi says it thrives in warm climates with long summers, such as the Mediterranean, and it can also be grown indoors or in a greenhouse.

Is Big Bud right for you?

Questions buyers ask