Which are the best cannabis strains to grow in Hawaii? Maui Wowie, Molokai’i Purpz, Kaua’i Electric, or Kona Gold may seem like obvious choices. Truth is, the options are practically endless.
Authentic Hawaiian-bred strains are an option, but most strains will do more than thrive on the islands. It’s called ‘paradise’ for a reason, after all.
The one thing we don’t have to worry about is the harsh cold. No drastic seasonal shifts here. However, there are times and areas with a lot of rain and humidity or lengthy droughts to take into consideration.
Generally speaking, in a place with a year-round growing cycle, where most vegetation bustles and booms, lots of strains will do fine. With that said, the weather conditions in different areas of the Hawaiian islands vary. So for the best chances at success, you may need to narrow things down a bit. Which is what we’ll be looking at here!
The Big Island of Hawaii, for example, has many of the world’s climate zones. Some say eight, some say ten – we’re not here to debate this number in particular. Either way: that’s a lot of variables in the weather on one small island.
Even though most plants tend to do well just about anywhere in Hawaii, in order for it to do great it’s not a bad idea to take a closer look at a strain’s strengths and weaknesses.
Best Strains to Grow in Hawaii: High Humidity
If you’re in a very humid area, a strain’s resistance to mold is crucial.
Whether it is because of hefty amounts of rain all throughout the year, or just stagnant clouds and generally high humidity in the air, it can be a real challenge to keep mold from infesting your plants.
Even when you protect them from the rain, which should help as far as mold and bud rot go, the damp air all around is still a prime environment for powdery mildew.
As you most definitely already know if you are located in one of the wet regions, it’s a constant battle. It’s not merely a beginners’ issue and it’s not necessarily something done wrong. Even experienced growers may see their crops devastated by mold.
Starting with mold-resistant strains will be your best bet to get ahead of the problem.
Famous cannabis strains with extraordinary mold resistance are those native to areas with a warm and humid climate. This won’t come as a surprise. Perhaps you’ve heard of Vietnamese Black, Black Maui, or Orient Express? They are (fully or in part) native to the wettest, warmest places on earth and exceptionally mold-resistant.
Best Strains to Grow in Hawaii: Hot & Dry Areas
Few places on earth will give you a taste of how scorching hot and dry things can get as out in the middle of a lava field on a bright and sunny day.
However – as long as you can keep the water coming – these conditions will probably serve your plants better than the high humidity elsewhere.
As long as they can drink to their liking, with a continuous supply of more sunlight than they could possibly wish for, cannabis plants can easily grow huge!
As you probably know from experience if you live in Hawaii, this is definitely the better deal compared to the more musty, damp, or rainy-all-year areas.
That intense sun also allegedly helps to create more crystallization, because the plant produces more of the frosty goodness to “protect” itself.
In the searing heat, surrounded by lava fields, almost any strain could do well. All you need to do is stay on top of an adequate water supply and perhaps provide a little shade. That’s fixed as easily as placement close to larger shrubs or trees, or protection with a simple tent cover.
Are These Classic Hawaiian Marijuana Strains, or Not?
So what’s up with the classic Hawaiian strains mentioned in the very beginning?
Some of them are indeed ‘born & bred’ Hawaiian, while others are merely borrowing the name. Here’s a quote from an interesting article highlighting the struggle of the once world-famous strains from the Hawaiian islands:
Along with the war on drugs came ‘green harvest’ and Hawaii’s monster Sativa’s were easy to spot by the eradication helicopters. Ten-foot plants soon became as rare as the Hawaiian NeNe (endemic goose).
Source: bigislandgenetics.org
That pretty much explains the challenges of the past decades, as well as why and how most growers in Hawaii are bringing in and growing strains from other places.
Nevertheless, the following strains are also definitely a fun option when growing on the islands. If you can find seeds, that is.
Kona Gold
Kona Gold is a pure Sativa, great for stress relief (there must be something about those islands, right?) and not even all that high in THC. Between 7 and 15 percent is on the medium-lower end these days but that doesn’t mean you can’t get an effect on par with some more heavy hitters from Kona Gold. Repeated hits will do precisely that.
As such, even experienced users can definitely have a blast with this cheerful, tropical strain. And beginners should still be cautious not to overdo things as she can creep up on you despite those THC levels you might not think too much of.
Kona Gold seeds are hard to come by.
Blue Hawaiian
Jordan of the Islands created Blue Hawaiian, a mix of Blueberry and Hawaiian. While the name may suggest otherwise, this breeder is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. So yeah… different islands.
Hawaii 78
Hawaiian has a light smell and a sweet tropical taste. This strain allegedly does originate in Hawaii. It has since been used all across the globe to create countless Sativa-dominant hybrids. They’re easy to spot: Many of these derived strains use the name ‘Hawaiian’ as part of theirs.
Seeds of Hawaii 78 are – again – not widely available so if you have any tips as to where to score this sought-after strain, do drop us a line in the comments.
Puna Budder
Puna Budder is another great Hawaiian strain to know about, even if most of us won’t have much luck finding seeds to grow. It was created by T.H. Seeds by cross-breeding Hawaiian and Afghani genetics but has since been discontinued.
From its Hawaiian side, Puna Budder has inherited the tropical scent and flavor. The Afghani landrace genes are responsible for a shorter flowering period.
The only place online where I’ve seen seeds for sale is at the Canadian Hemp Company. However, this place catches a lot of flack on both seedfinder and rollitup for being a scam. Be sure to do your own research and check some reviews before spending your hard-earned moolah.
Maui Wowie
Maui Wowie is all pineapple-ish fragrance and happy energy. It’s a great strain for stress relief – guess it carries some of that relaxed island vibe to its users! This is a tall, strong plant with 80% Sativa genetics versus 20% Indica. While it is fairly easy to grow, it does prefer the tropics, a lot of sun, and the rich, volcanic soil as we have in Hawaii.
This is also the only Hawaiian cannabis strain on this list with easier to find seeds:
Maui Wowie at I love growing marijuana – this online seed bank offers free shipping and guaranteed delivery all included.
Maui Wowie at Seedsman – shipping costs are reasonable and delivery insurance is available at a surcharge.
