To talk about the origins of Blueberry is to talk about its creator: DJ Short, an expert grower who, despite having always lived away from the spotlight, is behind the creation of various cannabis varieties and even some of the most popular hybrids of all time.
DJ Short, who is neither a disc jockey (DJ is the initials of his name) nor a short (he's a rather tall guy and not a fool at all; in addition to being a breeder, he's also a psychologist and biologist), is a Canadian grower who, like almost everyone else, began cultivating sativas in the early 1970s. At the time, he was working in Oregon, mostly with South American landrace varieties from Colombia, Panama, and Mexico; he planted them both indoors and outdoors, meticulously selecting those individuals that met certain "desirable characteristics."
As luck would have it (ours) in the mid-1970s, he came across seeds from the East (we don't know if they were supplied by a West Coast grower or a hippie returning from the Hippie Trail). Among these were Thai sativas and the first Afghan indicas to reach the Americas. With these plants in his possession, Short used his skill and instinct to try to stabilize them to create new genetics. Those initial investigations concluded with the discovery of two very peculiar sativas: a Thai female he named Juicy Fruit, with a sweet flavor and intense high; and a Purple Thai female (a cross of Highland Oaxaca Gold (a Mexican sativa) and Chocolate Thai), which had the peculiarity of taking on purple hues as a reaction to the cold.
On the other hand, Afghan indicas, which had arrived alongside the development of indoor cultivation, would become the third step in the Blueberry genetics pipeline. Short adapted the lighting to these varieties, which required more power, and achieved a homogeneous, very uniform crop that produced very dense buds. Furthermore, the flowering time was fast, practically half that of sativas. The only problem Short had with Afghani varieties was the sedative high they provided, a far cry from the energetic and euphoric effects he was accustomed to from sativas. The solution was quite obvious and not difficult to find.
This is how the Blue family was born in the early 1980s, from a cross between Purple Thai and an Afghan male. The combination of sativa and indica significantly reduced flowering time compared to pure sativas, resulting in full, resinous, and abundant buds with smooth, sweet, and fruity flavors, with notes of berries, blueberries, berries, grapes, and more. It balanced the relaxing indica-type effects with a more active high. The truth is that DJ Short, along with his contemporaries (those legendary Californian growers), were responsible for opening up a new world for consumers and growers around the world. Since then, we have been able to benefit from climate-adaptive, easy-to-grow marijuana strains, as well as a wide range of flavors and effects that only continues to expand.
From those initial crosses came Flor: Purple Thai x Afghani, 60% sativa, 40% indica; a very short-yielding hybrid (it only took seven weeks to mature) that would become a classic. This first cross produced pear-shaped purple buds that produced smooth, energetic effects while maintaining a clear head.
Continuing along that line of work, Short crossed some Flor specimens with selected females from a Juicy Fruit x Afghani cross. Blueberry, which unlike its predecessor was indica-dominant (80% indica, 20% sativa), was the result of several selections from this cross. This new strain also inherited the bluish-purple color, as well as the fresh and sweet flavor, but what made it so popular was undoubtedly its potency and high THC content. The indica genetics gave it a strong feeling of relaxation, physical heaviness, and even that tendency toward cerebral reflection, but all of this was balanced by the sativa component, which provided a powerful sense of euphoria. As soon as it was discovered, it made a name for itself on the streets of the West Coast.
Blue Velvet, also known as Blueberry Thai, was another of those early crosses that spawned the Blue family, and which went down in history as the cousin of Flor and Blueberry. This was a hybrid strain, 50% indica 50% sativa, which, like Flor, came from a Purple Thai x Afghani cross.
Blueberry, a genetic spread throughout Europe
Like many of his compatriots before him, DJ Short left the United States and its prohibitionist policies and made the leap to Europe in the 1990s, a decade during which he would spread his seeds and new varieties through the seed banks of the time.
The first place he landed was Holland, where it was legal to work with cannabis and he had more opportunities to continue developing strains. There he worked for the seed bank Sagarmatha, a company with which he marketed Blueberry, Flor, and Blue Velvet; and with which he developed new strains, such as Blueberry Bud, which can still be found distributed by Sagarmatha today (despite the endless accusations that arose after the end of their employment relationship). Shortly after, he moved to Dutch Passion, which also bought and marketed Blueberry genetics, and where DJ Short suffered the same fate as at the previous company. This collaboration produced several blue strains, such as Blue Heaven, Blue Moonshine, and Purple Passion. He eventually moved to Switzerland before returning to his native Canada. There he worked for Spice of Life Seeds, and they created hybrids such as Moonshine Rocket Fuel, Rosebud, and Blue Satellite. Upon returning to Canada, well into the 2000s, he founded his own bank and continued developing hybrids descended from blue genetics. He's still active, albeit in the background, advising his son at Old World Genetics. Blueberry has been a multi-award-winning strain. In 2000, it took first place at the High Times Cannabis Cup for Best Indica, and in 2001, it took home a respectable third place at the High Times Cannabis Cup, having forever left its mark on the cannabis community. This American strain has managed to impress the European market.
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