The White Widow cannabis strain is without a doubt one of the most mythical strains. Originally from the Netherlands, it was released in the early nineties by the Dutch company “Green House Seeds”. It is a cross between Brazilian Sativa’s and South Indian Indica’s (approx. 35-40% Sativa and 60-65% Indica, though you may also find a 50-50 balance).
Flowers are covered in an abundance of white looking crystals, hence the name in reference to the white widow spider or Latrodectus pallidus. This spider is found in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. Can you imagine a bunch of white widow spiders in a group hug clinging to the top of a marijuana plant? That’s what a flowering plant looks like at its peak, when it is covered in white crystals. Another potential reason for choosing the name White Widow could have something to do with the strains White Russian, White Rhino, and Blue Widow being part of its ancestry.
Origin of the White Widow Strain
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a clear answer to the question who was the original creator of this world famous strain. The two guys who founded Green House Seeds, Shantibaba and Arjan, split up some years later. Leaving Arjan in charge of the company, Shantibaba moved to Switzerland to start a new venture. Apparently, both claim White Widow as “their” cannabis strain. To make matters even more complicated, someone named Ingemar was working for Green House Seeds at the time of its development. He has also claimed White Widow as his invention. As if this weren’t enough, over time other seed banks have either claimed the strain as their creation or released similar versions of it.
Seedsman has written an extensive article on this topic, explaining their slight bias toward Shantibaba. If you’re interested in the background story, check it out here.
Perhaps if the strain had not become so famous and lucrative, the tug of war around its original inventors wouldn’t have been such a hot item. Since we’ll never know exactly how it all went down, let’s move away from it’s supposed origins and focus on the plant itself. The only thing to retain as a non-contented fact is that the White Widow strain was “born” in the Netherlands.
Medicinal & Recreational Properties of the White Widow Strain
Most people refer to a White Widow high with the terms happy, euphoric, relaxed, uplifted and creative. Some issues this strain may help medical users with include stress, depression, pain, insomnia and headache or migraines, anxiety and PTSD.
With recreational users in mind, its effects can be described as a stellar cerebral high, which then trickles down into the body.
White Widow’s THC content is usually close to 20%. It varies between breeders though, and sometimes the THC content is well over twenty. The CBD content is hardly more than 1%, if it is mentioned at all.
Growing White Widow from Seed
White Widow is said to be moderately difficult to grow by some sellers, while others say it is easy to grow and does not require much maintenance. Plants should flower around 8 or 9 weeks. Plants may vary between 24 inches (approx. 60 cm) and 67 inches (approx. 170 cm) depending on whether they are grown inside or outside.
