During my last Grow Journal entry for News Joint Grow Journal, I delved into my recent run of the original cut of Bruce Banner (a cross of OG Kush and Strawberry Diesel) by Dark Horse Genetics. The cultivar’s unique quirks have only deepened my affection for plant, making every extra trimming and bend a labor of love.

The twisty, bushy nature of the plant meant that I spent almost twice as much maintenance time with Bruce than the other plants I ran this cycle, making for a kind of love/hate dynamic. I always checked over Bruce last, because I knew she would require the most time and attention. This cycle was also my first grow with the substantially larger Grower’s Republic M780 Grow Light, and the difference was clear from the start. The boost in power resulted in noticeably faster growing, stronger plants, with Bruce Banner flourishing under the improved light spectrum.

Bruce Banner, a sativa leaning hybrid cross of OG Kush and Strawberry Diesel, gave off a tangy scent of burnt-orange terpinolene that hit me heaviest when I opened the door. I went for a longer 72-day cut to really give the trichomes time to ripen, hung to dry, trimmed, then cured for 14 days in Mason jars. Drying and curing have always been my weakest skills and definitely a place in the process where this cut could be improved even further.

While the tangy terpinolene flavor carried over into the final product, there was an underlying depth to the flower, so much so that I couldn’t resist making a super small batch of ice-water hash from the trichome-rich Bruce Banner flowers and bushy trim. The process was painstaking, yielding a small Frenchy-Cannoli inspired temple ball that is now aging. Even in its early stages, the hash carries strong, complex notes of hot papaya, mint, cream soda, and vinegar.

The journey with Bruce Banner by Dark Horse Genetics has been both challenging and rewarding. I already had a bias towards the strain before I was lucky enough to receive a clone and after running it personally, I have even more respect for the cultivators who have kept the strain going all these years.

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