Does anybody remember the rom from the 3rd floor club in oakland? That was the absolute dank shit!!! The rom these places are providing now isn't even close, and i'm not sure why they even call it that???
I found this surfin around.. is this the same kind of rom you are talking about?
Romulan was created by a guy named Romulan Joe once known as Mendocino Joe who was one of the founders of the Trinity grow scene. Romulan is a mostly afghani hybrid not related to Sk#1. It is very popular with the marijuana medical scene because of it's potency for treating chronic pain. There are a few banks that carry the strain and it's hybrids. Federation had the original clone, and 97% pure seed form. Next Generation has many of Federation's strains including Romulan. Reeferman has Romulan and it's hybrids. Marc Emery used to have a Romulan x White Widow cross that was very popular. I have seen pics of this Rom/WW hybrid, and they are truly amazing with almost purple look, super thick buds, and with crystals all over the entire plant! Another hybrids that was popular was Romberry (Romulan x BlueBerry)with it's exotic taste and awesome purple colors! Subcool seeds has a C99 x Romulan cross called Space Queen.
In the old days whenever someone mentioned Romulan, the talk of California Blue Indicas comes up. I am not sure what Blue Indica means, but they get mentioned. I know Romulan is mostly of Afghan origin, but I would like to know what the other genetics of the plant are. Maybe there is a little Paki/Hindu Kush or Lebanese hashplant mixed in. General concensus says that it is not entirely Afghan, and that it has more sativa in it than a landrace Afghan or Hindu Kush. I am thinking that it is slightly under 15%-10% sativa. Since it has a lot of purple coloring, it may have a little Colombian Green, Red, or Black in it. There is talk of it maybe having a very little amount of mexican genetics in it as well, maybe Oaxacan. People tried to grow these late flowering equatorial sativas outdoors up north with little sucess until Afghan seeds arrived. That's my specualtion. It may have a little haze crossed in, but I think that Northern Lights has the claim on the multiple Afghan x (Afghan x Haze) cross.
Federation acquired a strain from Romulan Joe (A Vietnam Vet/East Bay Biker) from California and grew it on Vancouver island. It was given to them in clone form. I guess that Federation crossed it with White Rhino to get seeds. They backcrossed it 11 times backwards to the original clone. They favored backcrossed plants that were the largest & most robust while still finishing within 8 weeks flowering time. Federation's seeds are 97% like the orig clone. Now it has been inbred ever since, and it is good breeding material to cross other plants with.
The overall structure of the plant is short and stocky. They said it can get a very branchy compared to other afghan/indicas, and it isn't the best choice for SOG. The color of the buds and leaves are very dark green with a thick structure. Leaves are wide. The stems on the plant turn purple. I'd imagine that maybe other parts of plant will start to turn purp near the end of harvest time. The plant is pretty frosted in that some stems have crystals on them. The yields mentioned are 30g-60g per plant indoors, up to 250g outside. Since it is almost all indica and an IBL, it doesn't have hybrid vigor and the sativa stretch in flowering that other strains tend to have. I have seen growers get a little more yields out of the plant. Federation says Rom can foster mold near harvest time if you are in a humid environment.
Federation claims Romulan as it's strongest strain potency wise. It was nicknamed Romulan because "the high can put a dent in your head". Most people claim that the high is a little more clearer thinking than most indicas, but still strong enough to Kick Your Ass. The smells are pretty strong ranging from a pungent piney to an acrid fruity/pepper smell.
One thing is for certain, the original pure Romulan has much more sativa than a simple Kush/Afghani. Much more aroma as well, it's pungent pine bud aroma is what makes it stand out as something unique. The original mother clones have been around for about 20 years. Another term that keeps popping up when describing Romulan is the old California blue indicas. I met with Romulan Joe a little while back and discussed Romulan's heritage, I think I recall him mentioning some Mexican sativas but don't quote me on it, I wasn't taking notes, haha. ?
It has been one of Vancouver Island's best kept secrets for a few years. Up till about 18 months ago, Romulan Joe from the island was all Vancouver knew of Romulan. Then I showed about 18 months ago at HBC with some bud and photos looking for advice about good genetics to cross it with. Boy did I create a commotion. I was offered some serious dollars for a clone. I said no but that I would be happy to work something out with some seeds. For you breeders, take note that 18 months ago, Vancouver breeders did not have access to Romulan genetics.
At that time both the Romulan that Joe was bringing to Vancouver and my Romulan was the same bud. About six months ago I returned and Vancouver's Romulan was now more potent than mine but had lost some of its flavor. I also noticed that emery was now selling Romulan/white widow F2 hybrids. Emery's employees told me that they got hold of some Romulan/white widow hybrids from Romulan Joe and that was their Romulan base. I was also told that they were the source of Steve's Romulan. Steve is saying otherwise.
When I grow out the Romulan/strawberry blonde I'll know the truth. Pure Romulan is a very stable plant that produces very uniform F1 hybrids. If Steve's hybrids are uniform, then we'll know that he used pure Romulan and not the Romulan/white widow that Emery used. I'll also know if Steve ever decides to publish a photo of a Romulan plant and bud close-up. Buds pictured in Cannabis Culture and High Times are small for Romulan and are more than likely Romulan/white widow crosses. My Romulan gets bigger buds with less light intensity.
I'm only posting this to clear up some of the confusion. Emery's Romulan white widow produces some killer bud. Steve's Strawberry blonde is very good and whether crossed with Romulan or Romulan/white widow, it should produce very pleasing results. A third source for Romulan genetics will be Heaven?s Stairway who will be offering Romulan/blueberry (Romberry) F1 hybrid seeds.
BTW: The only reason I feel confident that I am lucky enough to have pure Romulan is because of it's stable genetics and how long it's been in the area. Emery, Shaun, and the others down at HempBC only confirmed it.
