by Nebula Haze
Many beginner cannabis growers struggle because they pick the wrong marijuana strain. After 16 years of teaching home growers, I recommend beginner-friendly cannabis strains like Blue Dream, Mandarin Cookies, or Purple Ghost Candy for reliable germination, healthier growth, better bud quality and bigger yields. Learn where to safely buy cannabis seeds online.
Blue Dream naturally grows long and fat buds, even for beginners.
Recommended beginner strain #1: Blue Dream
This is my #1 beginner cannabis strain. This particular version of Blue Dream (the Seed Supreme version) took over 5 years of dedicated breeding, and has developed into a masterpiece that checks all the boxes.
The good:
- Easy to grow – Reliable seed germination, and the resulting seedlings grow fast. Not picky about nutrients. Plants respond well to topping and bending. Can handle stronger light and higher temps than other strains.
- Crazy yields – Even if left alone without any training, plants naturally make lots of branchy bud sites with enormous buds.
- Lovely smell – Classic sweet “Blue Dream” odor (no funk or skunk). Could be a good “stealth” strain because it has an overall lighter smell.
- Special potency – Smooth and lovely smoke that won’t put you to sleep, but you feel it. Get long-lasting and relaxing effects without being weighed down. Blue Dream is a legend for a reason.
Blue Dream – Fast, easy to grow, gets big. Huge yields. Indoors and Outdoors.
Watch out for:
- Plants grow big & FAST – Plants grow faster than most other strains, so it can quickly overtake other plants in the grow space. Outdoor plants can overgrow a greenhouse or get taller than the fence. It can help to keep the plant in a 7-gallon pot (or smaller) to limit height.
- Flowering Stretch – Plants grow 2-3x in size after you initiate 12/12, so make sure to initiate when plant is half the final height, and bend over any tall branches for the first 3-4 weeks after 12/12. You will be rewarded with a sea of colas.
- Big bud problems – Buds get bigger and bigger for a surprisingly long time. After a while they can become susceptible to bud rot. Indoors, add a gentle oscillating fan blowing on buds if they get wider than two fingers.
- May Need to Harvest Earlier – Watch out for bananas after 10 weeks or so. They may pop up via the “rhodelization” mechanism, which for this strain, is a sign the plant is done and buds are ready to harvest. Even if buds have lots of white hairs left, you may be surprised to find buds are solid underneath.
Some of those Blue Dream buds after drying (See the Blue Dream grow journal)
Recommended beginner strain #2: Purple Ghost Candy
I love this strain, which was developed by Seedsman over several years.
I have grown it multiple times, and every plant produced big, sparkly, dense buds. Plants and leaves usually turn purple, but buds only sometimes turn purple.
Very tall, forgiving plants, but they get HUGE quickly, so give them room just like the Blue Dream. In fact, this strain pairs really well with the Blue Dream because they can keep up with each other. Branchy plants with lots of bud sites.
Note: Purple Ghost Candy produces VERY potent buds. Not for the first-time smoker. Lovely sweet smell, though much stronger than the Blue Dream.
Purple Ghost Candy is forgiving to mistakes (See our full home grow review)
Purple Ghost Candy buds are STRONG. Don’t plan to do something else that day.
Recommended beginner strain #3: Mandarin Cookies
Another personal favorite strain. It is one of the most popular Ethos Genetics strains since it first came out. Pungent sweet diesel smell, with strong hints of citrus and cookies. Buds are literally encrusted with sticky trichomes. Even the leaves close to buds are good enough to smoke. Extremely potent yet anti-anxiety, “chill” and happy effect. Perfect for relaxing after a hard day, enhancing creative pursuits, or just making a funny show funnier. Plants are easy to grow and produce great bud quality even if you make some mistakes.
Those Mandarin Cookies buds after being dried and cured. HAPPY RELAXATION EFFECT.
When I first started growing cannabis, I was so excited to finally pick my own strains, but I was also very confused about marijuana strains.
Hopefully, learning about 3 different beginner-friendly strains has started to give you an idea of what makes each marijuana strain different.
These 5 different strains made wildly different buds. See the grow journal.
But you probably still have so many questions… What’s the difference between strains? Which strains are most potent, and what about yields? What other strains are great for beginner growers? Let me break it down.
Does strain actually matter? YES!
Cannabis strain effects:
- Seed germination rates
- How plants grow
- How buds develop
- Smell, potency, taste
- And more!
Years of non-stop experimentation and breeding for positive traits has resulted in a superabundance of available strains. The sheer number of choices can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, it’s pretty fun to shop for cannabis strains when you start with a little bit of information. Choosing the best strain for you is rewarding.
Based on personal experience, I’ve put together a list of popular cannabis strains with exceptional genetics which makes them…well, just plain better to grow.
I’ll explain why I picked each strain so you can use the knowledge to further your own research and help you pick the ultimate strain for your next cannabis harvest!
Click for a strain that is…
- Quick – Fastest Time to Harvest
- Easy – Most Forgiving and Easy to Grow
- Big Yields – Produce As Much Bud as Possible
- Special Potency – Specific Effects, Legendary Strains, Cup Winners, etc.
Plus some bonus info about…
Want to grow more than one strain at the same time?
Learn about growing multiple strains together!
This is Amnesia by Greenhouse Seeds (manifold technique used to maximize bud size)
Super Skunk can be a great strain for medical marijuana patients, but is it the best cannabis strain for all growers? Unfortunately, there is no “best” of anything, including cannabis strains. The good news is there’s tons of amazing strain choices no matter what you’re looking for. This article will help you find the best strain for you. Here are a few quick favorites, then on to the main article!
Dos Si Dos 33 by Barney’s Farm (grown by Max)
Platinum Cookies by Seed Supreme
Quick – Fastest Time to Harvest
For when the most important thing is getting to your next cannabis harvest as fast as possible!
When it comes to trying to get to harvest as quickly as possible, your best choice is often to grow an auto-flowering strain of cannabis. With an auto-flowering strain, you’ll have the option to harvest your plant 2-3 months from seed germination, and it’s typical to harvest 1-3 ounces off each plant. Under powerful grow lights with a big pot and with some room to grow, auto-flowering plants can produce 5-6 ounces per plant or even more.
Auto-flowering strains tend to stay small and grow fast, while still producing excellent yields and bud quality
Although there are quick-flowering or “fast” photoperiod strains, they are rarely ready to harvest in less than 3 months from seed. That means you can usually get an even quicker harvest with auto-flowering seeds.
Auto-flowering seeds grow plants with some unique qualities:
- Ready to harvest 2-3 months from seed – quickest time to harvest of any strain of cannabis (though there are some auto-flowering strains that have been bred to take longer and get bigger, most are ready to harvest in 3 months or less)
- Autos don’t need special light periods – “Regular” (photoperiod) plants need 12 hours of darkness each day in order to make buds, while autos will make buds and be ready to harvest no matter what light schedule they receive. This can be helpful if you can’t avoid light leaks, or if you want to keep your lights on all the time (for example if you need your lights on to keep plants warm)
- Relaxing effects from higher CBD – Many auto-flowering strains (though not all) have 1% CBD levels or higher from their Ruderalis ancestry. This can make buds more relaxing with more of an anti-anxiety effect, also reducing some of the inner “racing” mental effects some people get from cannabis. This means that auto-flowering strains can be a good choice for medical marijuana patients, or those who’d like to get extra relaxed from their buds. However, these days there are also some very high THC, low CBD auto-flowering strains which provide more of a psychedelic “in your head” experience, especially those that have been hybridized with Sativa and Haze strains.
- Need your full attention first few weeks – Auto-flowering strains are generally pretty easy to grow, but you’re on a strict time schedule. During the first several weeks, it’s incredibly important you pay close attention to your plants and react quickly to any problems. If an auto-flowering plant runs into major problems during the first part of its life, you may end up with tiny plants and tiny yields because an auto-flowering plant stops growing bigger after about 6 weeks. However, when nurtured through the first few weeks, these strains can produce surprisingly high yields in a crazy short amount of time.
- Crucial to pick a good auto-flowering breeder – the ancestor of all auto-flowering strains was a type of wild hemp with low levels of THC. As a result, the original auto-flowering strains were generally poor yielding and far less potent than photoperiod plants. Luckily, we now have dedicated breeders who put a lot of focus on breeding auto-flowering strains (Mephisto Genetics, Sweet Seeds, Nirvana, Seed Supreme & Dutch Passion are some famous auto-flowering breeders that cater to home growers, though many new breeders are appearing on the scene). As a result, modern auto strains have been carefully bred for many generations to be just as potent as their photoperiod counterparts. When you choose a good autoflowering strain, you’ll be very happy with your bud quality. Yet because there are poor genes out there, it’s important to avoid unscrupulous breeders and choose a trustworthy breeder to ensure you grow excellent genetics.
Here are 5 recommended auto-flowering strains for beginners (and connoisseurs!)
- Quickest Time to Harvest – Green Crack Auto by Fast Buds – The breeder Fast Buds is known for producing stabilized autoflowering strains with extremely fast harvests. One thing I like about Fast Buds is you always get exactly what they tell you to expect in the strain details. Their Green Crack Auto strain is the result of generations of careful breeding. The resulting buds have a creative, energetic effect that also comes with a body “buzz” and is ready to harvest as soon as 2 months from seed germination. However, giving the plant an extra week or two before harvesting can dramatically increase your yields and bud potency. This strain produces dense chunky buds that look beautiful and have a lovely fruity skunky scent.
Green Crack Auto buds are covered in trichomes (grown by Crazyhorse)
- Most Forgiving Auto-Flowering Strains – Happy Valley Genetics produces extremely forgiving auto-flowering strains, especially Shortcut Auto and Easy Button Auto. These are the definition of easy-to-grow autoflowering strains. Shortcut stays short and small, while Easy Button grows to a medium size. But if you’re looking for a really fruity yet forgiving autoflowering strain, the crowd favorite is Pineapple Daddy Auto. All three strains are ready to harvest in under 70 days from germination, yet produce surprisingly big yields with bud potency above 20% THC.
Pineapple Daddy Auto makes green buds with a sweet fruity smell (by Dan)
- Ultra-Potent Auto-Flowering Strain – MSNL produces some extremely high-THC auto-flowering strains, including their famous Kushberry Moonrocks Auto, which tests around 25% THC. However, MSNL’s most potent autoflowering strain is Permanent Marker Auto, with buds that shockingly test above 30% THC. I haven’t grown Permanent Marker Auto yet myself, but our readers have RAVED about it so I feel confident recommending it here. Ready to harvest at 70 days from germination, though an extra week or two maximizes yields and potency.
This Permanent Marker plant by MSNL was grown by Marky Mark in Australia!
- Medical Strain (Very Relaxing) – Black Jack Auto. This strain had some of the most chill effects of all the auto-flowering strains I’ve grown so far. I grew two Black Jack Autos at the same time. One was 7.5/10 in relaxation, but the other left me feeling on Cloud 9. Both had an immediate nose-tingling head effect, and then longer lasting pleasant mental and body effects. Great for relaxation, but didn’t weigh me down. The smell was pungent and skunky yet had sweet notes. This strain seemed to do better with somewhat lower levels of light, so it would be perfect to tuck one of these plants in the back or to the side of your main grow.
An example of a Black Jack Auto I grew, just before harvest at 75 days old.
The buds grew fat with relaxing and interesting effects
Easy – Forgiving and Easy to Grow
In order to get the best results with growing cannabis, you need to pay regular attention to your plants. However, that’s a lot easier said than done. Maybe you don’t have a lot of time, and you just want to do the “bare minimum” and still get to harvest. Although I highly encourage you to take great care of your plants, if this sounds like you, you may get the best results by choosing a hardy cannabis strain that’s been specifically bred to be easy to grow and can roll with the punches.
Although they’re generally hardy, in some ways, auto-flowering strains can be tough for a beginner because they don’t leave a lot of time for mistakes. If you mess up in the first 3-6 weeks, you can sometimes end up with a tiny plant and small yields at harvest and unfortunately there’s really nothing you can do about it at that point.
On the flip side, a photoperiod plant gives you as much time as you need to dial in your grow and make mistakes because it won’t start making buds until you “tell” it to. That gives you time to conduct experiments and/or really see what a plant can do.
They don’t say it grows like a weed for nothing! With a photoperiod cannabis plant, you can bring it to the brink of death and back, then continue on with your grow without much consequence.
For that reason, I highly recommend sticking with photoperiod (“standard”) strains if you’re specifically looking for a strain that’s particularly easy to grow and can bounce back from problems.
- Low Odor – Northern Light is a hardy, potent strain that tends to have less of a smell than other strains, which can be helpful for stealth reasons. This strain is a classic that has won many awards for its effects. Northern Light plants tend to stay short, bounce back easily from problems, and are relatively quick to harvest. It’s one of the first strains I ever grew, and lived through a lot (heat, overwatering, dropping a light on it….). Despite all that mistreatment, the plant produced amazing results and yields.
Northern Light buds aren’t as smelly as many other strains of cannabis, and plants tend to be very forgiving and easy to grow.
- Quick-to-Harvest – Sour Lime Haze plants are a breeze to grow. Buds are ready to harvest 8 weeks after you initiate the flowering stage. That means with a 4 week vegetative stage you could have buds in hand under than 3 months from germination. Although a short-flowering photoperiod strain like Sour Lime Haze is not quite as fast as the fastest auto-flowering strain, it’s close and more forgiving if you mess up at the beginning!
Sour Lime Haze responds very well to stressful conditions.
- Good for LEDs and Can Handle Tight Spaces – Pineapple Chunk plants respond well to LEDs by producing extra potent, extra sticky buds. This strain is also very hardy & resistant to many common plant problems (over watering, underwatering, stress…). It’s important to get a strain that can resist mold and diseases if you’re growing in the high humidity of a small grow space, which may not have enough air circulation for proper growth. This strain is overall just easy to grow and high yielding, and because of its effects, I always choose it if I see it available at a dispensary!
Pineapple Chunk is easy to train and produces well in tight spaces, like in this tiny 3′ (1 meter) tall grow tent.
Closeup of a Pineapple Chunk bud not long before harvest. Sparkly!
Sometimes the most important thing is producing as much bud as possible!
- Legendary Effects – Blue Dream by Seed Supreme – Incredible strain that makes huge, dense buds with a legendary dreamy effect and yields that can’t be beat.
Each Blue Dream plant can yield multiple ounces of weed. Some plants may turn purple.
- Insane Potency – Purple Ghost Candy – This strain produces buds with 27%+ THC and higher with low levels of CBD, for a truly vivid, “in-your-head” Sativa-style trip. Plants can grow tall and lanky, producing very well both indoors and outdoors. Plants respond well to training and are easy to grow. You just need to be careful because these plants can get really big overnight and crowd out your grow space!
A Purple Ghost Candy bud from Sirius’ last harvest, grown indoors.
This Purple Ghost Candy plant took over the tent and made incredible yields of epic quality buds.
- Perfect for Social – Green Crack – Massive yields and the buds produce a “friendly” and relaxing effect that is ideal for social settings. A popular strain for a gathering with friends.
Green Crack (aka Cush) is a huge yielder, with buds that make people feel happy and at ease.
Special Potency, Famous Strains, & Cup Winners
Some of the most potent strains available today have won quite a few awards! Cup winners have an air of credibility around them that makes them really attractive and some strains are just straight-up legendary now.
I wanted to share two types of strains with you – Cannabis Cup Winners & Top Dispensary Strains!
3 Cannabis Cup Winners
Sometimes you want to grow something that has won dozens of awards around the world! These strains have become famous for a reason!
- Easy-to-Grow Legend – Dos Si Dos 33 by Barney’s Farm – A strain with legendary bud quality. Plants stay short and can handle a few mistakes, yet still produce big, beautiful buds.
Dos Si Dos 33 by Barney’s Farm (grown by Max)
- Pungent – Sour Diesel – This plant is very stretchy which means it needs to be topped and trained to reward you with the highest yields. It has a Sativa background and you should expect it to double in size or more after the switch to the flowering stage unless you make sure to take time to continue bending and securing stems down so all the branches stay short. It comes from a warm climate and can handle very high temperatures and tends to grow slower in cooler temps. When well taken care of, it produces huge, long and thick colas. Its trichomes do not turn amber when the plant is mature, so this strain should be harvested when all the trichomes are milky white, as this is when the buds will have the highest levels of THC.
Sour Diesel makes long, spear-like buds.
- Weirdly good – Jack Herer by Seedsman – Sometimes called the “champagne of strains”, Jack Herer is a world famous strain with buds that blend some of the best tropical Sativa genes for an “up” effect, combined with strong Indica genes to give it a heavy body effect. The best of both worlds. It has amazing resin production that extends from the buds to the leaves, producing valuable trim. It has only average yields and can be a little tough to grow, so it’s meant more for the connoisseur who just wants the best as opposed to growers who care about getting the highest yields possible.
Jack Herer offers unique and smooth mind/body effects.
Bonus: Coffee Shop Weed – White Widow is the gift that keeps on giving. A true “legendary” strain, it continues to win Cannabis Cups and show up in coffee shops and dispensaries around the world, in part because of its ability to make you feel uplifted and happy. It’s known as White Widow because its buds become so covered in trichomes/glitter that buds can actually look white.
3 Top Dispensary Strains
I live in Southern California (San Diego) and when I go to dispensaries there are certain strains that show up over and over again. On the top shelf, consistently selling out. Because of that, I know from personal experience that these strains are proven to produce incredible buds no matter who grows them.I wanted to share my own personal “insider” list with you. Most of these strains are on the pricey side, though I believe they’re worth the cost.
- Platinum Cookies – Years ago, a strain called “Girl Scout Cookies” appeared on the California market and exploded with popularity. The clone-only strain went on to receive several cannabis cup awards, and one of those cuts was developed into Platinum Cookies. Now it regularly appears on the top shelf of dispensaries, only to quickly sell out. Platinum Cookies seeds grow into huge yielding plants that take a few extra weeks for buds to mature. Your reward is outstandingly high potency (our last harvest of Platinum Cookies buds tested at 26% THC).
These two Platinum Cookies produced huge amounts of weed under a SF-2000 LED grow light
- Gorilla Zkittlez – Gorilla Zkittlez is remarkable for several reasons. It gives the best of Gorilla Glue #4 and Zkittlez. It’s popular is this strain produces buds with particularly powerful effects that are often described as “couchlock,” “stoney” and ultra-relaxing. When I see this strain on the menu, I get it every time!
Gorilla Zkittlez buds produce outstanding effects
- Jelly Donutz – A unique taste/smell is part of what make this particular strain so memorable alongside its spectacular effects, which have been described as “enormous”, “mind-blowing” and “energetic”. As a result, this strain and has won many awards including cannabis cups. It’s one of those strains where if I see it on a menu I know it will always be good, no matter who grew it.
More Popular Dispensary Strains in 2025 in San Diego, Ca (where I live)
- Cereal strains like Fruity Pebbles
- Candy strains like Candy Games #38
- Cherry strains like Cherry Gar-See-Ya R1
- Permanent Marker (weirdly popular right now)
- Wedding strains like Wedding Cake and White Wedding
When it comes to growing cannabis with LED grow lights, photoperiod or auto-flowering strains are both suitable for growing with LEDs. You can make LEDs work with any strain. Just make sure to take good care of your plants and watch upper leaves for signs of light stress.
Train plants to grow flat with many buds sites to get the best yields from LED grow lights
Good for Short Spaces, Mini Tents, and Grow Boxes
In a grow box it’s important to grow a cannabis strain that…
- Naturally stays small/short – helpful when you don’t have a lot of extra space. Indica-hybrid strains are recommended because they tend to stay on the smaller side.
- Resistant to heat – some strains are more resistant to high heat and lack of good air circulation. Ideal for a small space.
- Resistant to mold – mold can happen from high humidity in a small grow space. Especially if it doesn’t provide enough fresh air and circulation for proper growth. “Cheese” strains and strains with Hawaiian ancestry tend to be more mold-resistant in general, but it’s also a strain-by-strain thing.
- Can stand high levels of light – this helps because plants are normally kept very close to grow lights in a short space. Many Sativa and Haze strains tend to be more light loving, while Indica strains are more likely to suffer from light burn. However, Indica strains tend to grow short, which is helpful, so if possible you want to find a hybrid that has both traits.
Example of good strains for grow boxes
- Peyote Critical – This strain can be a great candidate for a small space. It stays a manageable size, is ready to harvest quickly, and produces mold-resistant buds. It also has a relatively light smell that’s a little sweet and spicy, with less of a “cannabis” smell than many other strains. It produces a “couchlock” stone that’s heavy on body effects.
Peyote Critical is an easy-to-grow plant that stays relatively small.
- Aurora Indica – Another strain that’s well-suited to micro grows in small spaces. Buds produce an initial mind effect that develops into a deeper “body stone.”
This is an Aurora Indica plant I grew. It stayed very short but buds were thick and dense.
When it comes to growing medical marijuana, the goal is usually to grow strains that are either very high in THC (psychoactive effects), high in CBD (relaxing effect), or high in both.
Learn more:
If you’re still looking for the exact right strain, check out our tutorial with tips on how to research strains so you find the right one! Learn about some resources you might not know about to get more information about each potential strain!
How to Research and Find Strains to Grow
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Growing Cannabis with different grow lights
Top-Fed DWC (Bubbleponics) Tutorial
How do I produce top-shelf buds every time?
