Green Ribbon Marijuana Strain Review

Green Ribbon Strain Overview
The Green Ribbon strain has green in its name for good reason. It tastes like a pine forest mixed with zesty lime and is an exhilarating zing for your taste buds. In addition to its tangy flavor profile, Green Ribbon works wonders on the mood, helping to uplift and rejuvenate. It can also help you to focus, so it's great for afternoon use when you need a little extra kick.
Common usage
Lack of appetite
Growing info
Through predominantly an outdoors strain, this strain can do well indoors if given a lot of light. Indoor flowering time is approximately 8-11 weeks, and if growing outdoors you can expect a harvest around mid-September.

Marijuana has been sweeping across the USA for the last few decades, creating new pockets of intense popularity wherever marijuana lovers reside. These enclaves of marijuana lovers first began as a small group of weed aficionados, but as their numbers grew, they developed into a proper community and began doing something that we all know and love today – cross breeding.

Much like microbreweries and their beer, the USA is filled with unique strains of marijuana that are tied to their geographical location. Each state tends to create strains that adapted to their individual tastes and ethos.

For the state of California, there is no strain more emblematic of its peoples’ ethos than Green Ribbon. This powerful hybrid has an absolutely astronomical quantity of THC and has effects that are perfect for enjoying the calm lifestyle of California.

Let’s take a look at this totally Californian strain, both its effects and its flavor.

What is the Green Ribbon Strain?

Most hybrids that you find these days are usually leaning in one particular way or another; either sativa or indica. Green Ribbon is a strain that defies this norm, with completely balanced 50/50 genetics.

Initially bred in San Jose in California, this strain has a pretty muddied ancestry. We know for a fact that it is mostly descended from Green Crack, but the exact crossbreed is not for certain – it could be Trainwreck, White Rhino, or a different Afghani strain.

Regardless of its precise origins, however, this strain is well known for its distinctive flavor that is extremely reminiscent of the mighty and grandiose redwood and pine forests of northern California.

However, what is really significant about this strain is its effects.

Due to Green Ribbon being a perfectly balanced hybrid strain, you might expect it to have effects precisely half sativa, half indica. Unfortunately, the effects tend to lean towards sativa, as many strains do when it has at least 40% sativa content.

At the very start of the high, you can expect a very sudden rush to your head that leaves you feeling rather shocked. This is accompanied by a powerful feeling of happiness and overall euphoria, with a natural tendency to want to share and be friendly.

This is one of those strains that hits everyone differently depending on who they are; for some people, they will find themselves hit with a powerful drive to complete tasks and overall demonstrate focus. For others, however, they will prefer to talk to as many new friends as possible, never ceasing to speak or laugh as much as possible.

You can expect the Indica effects to begin to take hold towards the end of the high, with a small quality of couch locking; for those that don’t enjoy this sensation, fear not, because this also comes with an accompanying body high that leaves you feeling mellowed and overall soothed.

This means that this strain is perfect for afternoon use, especially if you are feeling like exploring some kind of creative project.

You probably shouldn’t try and do anything physically exerting after this strain, as the couch lock can hit you quite suddenly towards the end.

How about the actual flavor though? Is Green Ribbon only famous for its effects?

Green Ribbon Aroma

Due to the mixed genetics of its parentage, Green Ribbon has a very peculiar scent. There is an initial smell of pine trees and some limited spiciness in the background, but once you properly crack the buds open, you will notice a profoundly citrus quality that is almost but not quite, similar to lemons.

While the complete smell experience of Green Ribbon is challenging to describe correctly, it can be compared to the smell of fresh fruits only just picked from the forest. Frankly, it smells a great deal like Northern California, with its rich, verdant forests and plenty of open lands.

The actual smoke produced from this unique strain is surprisingly bright and smooth, with very little chance of causing unpleasant coughing fits.

What about the actual taste? Is it just the same as the smell?

Green Ribbon Flavor

Upon taking your very first toke of Green Ribbon, you might think that it has the same flavor profile as its aroma, but it will quickly morph into something very different.

While it will begin with a pine tree and lemon flavor, it will blossom into more specific versions of those flavors; instead of the general smell of pine trees, you will taste resinous pine tar, with its acrid, bitter aftertaste that is somehow still appealing. Instead of the base taste of lemons, it will morph into tasting more like a lime peel, though without any of the citrusy, ‘juicy’ feeling that usually accompanies citrus-based strains.

The entire flavor experience of this strain is wholly unique, offering an experience unlike any other strain; it is especially impressive when compared to the somewhat duller flavors of its parentage, like Green Crack.

Now that we have covered the smell and flavor; how does it look? After all, your first toke is with your eyes.

Green Ribbon Appearance

Green Ribbon is a pretty typical looking strain, offering a medium size in its bud and a pretty standard shape. However, the truly unique aspect of its appearance is its dense quantity of trichomes that completely cover the surface. This gives it an oddly ghost-like appearance.

These buds are practically white; however, once you have adequately cracked them open so as to prepare them for smoking, you will notice a vibrant hue of green that lies dormant, like a bright green treasure chest.

Sounds pretty good, right? Green Ribbon is so popular that many people like to try and grow their own Green Ribbon strains at home; after all, if it’s good enough to buy, it’s good enough to grow, right?

What kind of specialized knowledge do you need to have to be able to make your own?

Green Ribbon Strain Grow Info

As a Californian strain, it makes sense that Green Ribbon is predominantly an outdoors strain; this is because it was designed to be grown outdoors in the hot Californian sun, flourishing from the consistently warm climate and far away from any prying eyes.

However, it also performs quite well indoors, as long as you keep the amount of light at an extremely high level.

Concerning pruning, try and remove the useless lower leaves from the canopy, as this will allow the plant to dedicate more resources to the colas that are developing along the top of the plant, rather than wasting its energy on useless branches.

This technique is known as ‘lollipopping,’ as by removing the lower branches, you give the entire plan an appearance of being a lollipop handle.

Other than that, just keep it fed sufficiently, as well as ensuring it is kept away from any strong humidity; though this, of course, isn’t a problem if you are growing it outdoors.

What about the actual yield itself? Though Green Ribbon does typically offer a large quantity of cola if treated right, just how strong can you expect your yield to be?

THC Content – Highest Test

Green Ribbon is well known for being exceptionally strong in THC, with a general average of 20% THC content. This is unusually high when compared to the 13% average hybrid THC total.

However, some dominant varieties of Green Ribbon have been registered as being as strong as 28%, which is some of the strongest in the world; this makes Green Ribbon a perfect strain to try if you are looking to try larger quantities of THC at once.

CBD Content – Highest Test

Though you are likely tired of hearing it by now, if you have a strain that is bred to be as strong in THC as possible, you are probably going to have very, very little CBD.

You will have difficulty finding any kind of Green Ribbon with more than 1% CBD within it, so don’t try Green Ribbon if you are hoping for a right amount of CBD in your marijuana.

However, just because Green Ribbon’s level of CBD content is negligible doesn’t mean it is entirely useless as a medicine – it has a number of useful medical effects.

Medical Benefits of Green Ribbon Strain

Despite Green Ribbon’s 50/50 split between indica and sativa, its effects do seem to focus towards sativa. This makes it perfect for helping tackle issues with mental disorders, especially problems with depression or anxiety.

This is thanks to Green Ribbon’s extreme concentration of THC, allowing it to affect the neurochemistry in the brain and help improve your mood.

Additionally, due to its burst of highly focused energy at the start of the high, it is perfect as a treatment for chronic fatigue – especially so if used after a long day at work and you just need a brief pep to help you stay awake until bedtime.

Though those effects are highly linked to sativa, its indica portion is also significant at helping deal with headaches, as well as a loss of appetite. This is because the inevitable effect that follows the couch lock at the end of the high is an intense hunger, so this strain will get you eating no matter what is wrong with you.

Many Californians also grow this strain for the purpose of helping treat issues with ADHD and PTSD, once again due to its high THC content. Green Ribbon is just one of those strains that are frequently grown for personal use in back gardens all across the state of California, so it makes sense that it helps treat so many medical conditions.

However, with all good things must come at least some problems – what are the adverse side effects associated with Green Ribbon?

Possible Side Effects of Green Ribbon Strain

Despite the uniquely interesting qualities of Green Ribbon, both its flavor and its medical applications, the side effects are surprisingly banal.

You can expect the ever-present dry eyes and dry mouth, which are practically guaranteed with any kind of high strength THC strain, but also some small amount of dizziness.

This dizziness typically hits around the mid-to-end point of the high, which usually swiftly changes into the feeling of couch lock, so once you start to feel this sensation of dizziness, it is a good idea to try and find somewhere comfortable, as you are going to be locked in place for a couple of hours.

There are a few reports of an increased amount of paranoia and anxiety, but this is quite typical with high THC strains – for some people, it helps combat those conditions, whereas, for a few unfortunate others, it causes them.

Final Thoughts on Green Ribbon Strain

Green Ribbon is a strain that is uniquely Californian: It is perfect for growing outdoors due to its love of the warm sun, it is excellent at making the late afternoon more enjoyable, and it’s both incredibly energetic and highly chilled at the same time.

Its effects are a beautiful blend of both sativa and indica effects combining, yet still occurring one after another in a magnificent panoply of exquisite enjoyment. You can expect to go through the full range of different emotions and feelings associated with taking some strong marijuana, from creative, focused energy, all the way to couch locked bliss.

If there were to be a marijuana strain most associated with the state of California, it would absolutely be Green Ribbon. Perhaps one day we will see the state flag adorned with bright, vibrant Green Ribbon?