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Pheno hunting varieties for the Texas market

Navigating the US cannabis industry is quite challenging, but it is even more challenging in those state that have limited programs. Texas, being one of them, for instance, doesn't allow the sale of medical cannabis flower. While some may be discouraged by such a thing, it didn't stop Texas Original to work on a breeding project, and develop a unique strain: the Texas OG.

"Our cultivation setup is entirely indoors," Jason Sanders, director of cultivation at Texas Original, says. "We've got one veg room, two flower rooms, all running LED lights from Fluence. We're using a drain-to-waste system with fertilizers, and we grow in 2-gallon coco blocks. The space we have is 1.8 square feet per plant, which means we're maximizing everything we can to get high THC content. For us, that's the key." He keeps on to explain that plants spend 14 days in propagation, 14 days in veg, 6 in flowering, and 6 in drying.

Pheno hunting
Considering the unique parameters of the Texas medical cannabis market, Texas Original focuses on finding strains that align best with their cultivation program, for their phenohunting efforts. "We look for plants with good vigor, early finishers, heavy yielders, but with a lower terpene profile," he says. "We're more interested in cannabinoids than terpenes. If there's a gap to fill, we'd rather fill it with cannabinoids."

Following that principle, they created their Texas OG strain. "We're looking for plants that hit the 20% THC range before it is processed for our finished products and yield around 200 grams per plant when wet. We've kept one of our original Texas OG mothers going—it's been consistent since we started."

A major part of their breeding strategy involves selecting males based on phenotypic traits during the vegetative stage, rather than flowering them. "Some breeders will self-sex a male and then test its flowers," he says. "We haven't done that. We select our males purely on veg characteristics, like vigor and leaf structure. We're using a Godfather OG male as the main breeder for our current crosses."

The company leans heavily into diversity when phenohunting, especially starting from seeds rather than clones. "When we grow from seeds, we get more genetic variation," Jason notes. "With clones, you already know what you're getting, which is great, but when we're trying to identify new genetics for diversity, seeds are where it's at."

As for maintaining genetic integrity, Texas Original replaces mother plants every 3-4 months. "We start fresh with new mothers to keep things consistent," Jason says. "We've been working with the same genetics since 2018, and we haven't seen much genetic drift. Preserving genetics like this helps build resilience over time."

Cultivating for the Texas market
Unlike many cannabis cultivators, their focus isn't on flower sales but on producing oil. "We're an oil market," Jason explains. "We grow specifically for our processing team rather than producing flower for patients. For us, quality means potency to create products our patients need. We're looking at yield per square foot—ideally hitting 150 grams per square foot with THC content around 25% in the plant before it is processed."

Efficiency is key. "We aim for high biomass per square foot with the lowest possible cost," he says. "We want plants that are resistant to pests and diseases, with a low flower-to-leaf ratio. When I look at the phenohunting data, we're prioritizing overall yield, potency, and plant vigor."

Although bag appeal isn't a major factor for them right now, it's still something they consider. "We do look at flower appearance as a category during phenohunting," Jason adds. "Texas OG, for instance, has nice bag appeal with good color, purple hues, solid trichome formation, and that tight, ball-like structure."

On the product side, they've released oil products containing Texas OG. "Texas OG is indica-dominant, with more of a nighttime, heavy-hitter effect," he says. "It's great for common symptoms our patients experience such as pain relief and insomnia—that's what we're aiming for with this strain."

However, the future of the industry in Texas remains uncertain. "There's so much happening politically, but we just don't know where it's headed," Jason reflects. "Statewide, it's all up in the air. It's a waiting game to see which way it'll go."

For more information:
Texas Original
[email protected]
www.texasoriginal.com