The White Widow marijuana variety was created in 1994 by the Australian geneticist breeder Shantibaba (Mr. Nice Seeds) who was working for the company Greenhouse Seeds.

As soon as it was put on the market it was a success and in fact earned the first prize in the High Times Cannabis Cup the following year (1995).

White widow strain info

White Widow is a hybrid cross between a female Landrace (pure sativa variety from Brazil) and a father Landrace (sativa/indica from Kerala in southern India).
Shantibaba traveled to India to meet the growers of this landrace and this allowed him to observe it in its natural environment and select the best specimens according to the desired criteria. The large amount of resin present on top of White Widow's buds is one of the characteristics that made her so famous.

All this resin provides a much higher than average power, being able to reach a THC percentage higher than 20%. Thanks to her strong sativa influence, White Widow produces an intense cerebral high. The typical flavor of this cannabis variety is sweet and floral, with fruity and spicy touches. The production of White Widow is also above average with her large buds covered in trichomes and dense.
Tasting White Widow flowers is a real pleasure, due to its very marked and rightly balanced flavors and aromas. At the first taste, the fresh and balsamic flavors of the pine immediately stand out, combined with light and delicate citrus nuances. Even though White Widow is a well-balanced hybrid between indica and sativa, her sativa variant is felt immediately, causing intense and immediate cerebral highs.

However, White Widow's Indica genetic heritage causes a high that is felt in a second moment, causing relaxation and making the use even more pleasant. White Widow is a perfect strain for those who need to be motivated and like to reflect. Those who use marijuana for medicinal purposes appreciate White Widow for its excellent efficacy in the treatment of anxiety, stress, pain and depression. After so much success, many breeders started marketing their own versions or selections of White Widow. Nowadays we find White Widow in the following seed banks:

Seeds available on GSI


Other seed banks

  • Female Seeds
  • Pyramid Seeds
  • Medical Seeds
  • Positronics Seeds
  • Genehtik (Zuri Widow)
  • Dr Grow's Productions (White Moma)

Faced with this avalanche of White Widow in the market, Shantibaba decided to change the name to Black Widow, now sold by Mr. Nice Seeds .

White widow weed and various genotypes, the adventure of shantibaba

Below, read what Shantibaba has to say about the genotypes used to create White Widow.

The special qualities of the South Indian hybrid were enough to make me plan a safari with my Enfield motorbike in search of the mountains of Kerala. After a few days of starting my journey, I was sitting in a café having a cup of tea and smoking, when an elderly man with a dejected look approached me and helped me finish my joint.

After I had smoked enough and finished my cup of tea, I went with the old man to his estate and discovered that he was indeed the grower of the variety that had brought me to these mountains. I spent several days trying marijuana samples of all these plants that had been grown, selected and crossbred for years, based on a single selection criterion: resin production.

This selection ended up being one of the progenitors of the legendary Black Widow . The grower of this variety, known as the South Indian hybrid, later told me that these seeds had always been grown in his region but that there were distinct varieties depending on the area. These plants are said to have a remarkably short flowering period and a very apparent sativa aesthetic.

In 1987/88 I spent a year traveling with my partner through Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. It was in Tyrone, a mountainous area of ​​Colombia near Santa Marta, just north of the border with Venezuela. We spent a period having a long series of ethnobotanical experiences with the San Pedro cactus. I met a Brazilian of about fifty who settled in this region, who ended up becoming a good friend and we realized that we had many things in common.

He was originally from the Amazon in Brazil and had an IBL variety (In Bred Line, meaning it hasn't been crossed with any other outside variety for several generations) that had been in his family for three generations and had been grown in this region for many years ... until I started cultivating it too.

This is the common point with the IBL of Kerala.

These two varieties weren't exactly pure since they had been mixed for years by the people who deal with them, but they had always been grown by the same people in the same place and therefore they had become unique varieties. For this reason it is common for some people to find Sativa phenotypes in a pack of 18 seeds.

Actually, the female I selected for the union of these two plants led me to make more than 200 trials. Not as many as the Super Silver haze which required more than 1000 trials starting from various seeds and years of work.

The most important thing to reduce the flowering period of the White Widow to 10 weeks is to find the plant of the Indica phenotype , extract a cutting of this same mother plant and put it to flower; this will lead to a flowering time of 9 to 11 weeks. The plant develops its full potential during the last 3 weeks of flowering so that if you harvest too early, you won't be able to enjoy all its virtues.

Many people have found a Widow that has impressed them, but not all suits are created equal. It is difficult to obtain all the ideal cultivation parameters for a White Widow as depending on the selected plant, it may need more or less care. This is a strain that has helped many growers, although it is not easy to find a truly exceptional plant, as can be the case with strains such as Shit or Shark Shokck.

My Brazilian friend had christened his landrace with a very descriptive name... The One.

I hope this information will satisfy your curiosity, but you must remember that Widow comes from these two IBLs and was created after two years of work to find a strain that had all the qualities I wanted. At the moment, this is the story of the White Widow.

In any case, is there anyone who proclaims himself the father of this variety, who has given as much information and details of these plants selected for his creation as I did? All that I have been able to read up to now is the description that I wrote myself in 1995. On some occasions with reworked texts, however it is noted that the people who wrote them never came out in the open and that they did not oppose or prove the sources to know where this plant really comes from. I'd like someone to prove me wrong.

Various hybrids that make up the White family were introduced starting with White Widow: Shark Shock or Great White Shark: Skunk #1 x Black Widow. la Niña o el Niño: Haze x Black Widow. Medicine Man or White Rhino: Afganí x Black Widow.

These three strains use a very special Black Widow strain selected by Shantibaba. In the late 90's, White Widow brought a lot of freshness to the cannabis world and Dutch breeders, compared to the already existing Skunk/NL/Haze hybrids. Since then, many new marijuana crosses have been born.

The autoflowering white widow version could not be missing

In addition to the photo-dependent feminized variety, the autoflowering white widow version could not be missing from any seed bank catalogue. White Widow auto is a very simple plant to grow, its structure is very robust and well branched, it produces large and multiple buds covered with an unmistakable white resin which makes them unique.

Given its compact size, auto White Widow is a cannabis plant very suitable for growers looking for a discreet variety to keep on the balcony or in the garden. It grows quickly and is ready in just 80 days from germination, it likes warm, sunny, typically Mediterranean climates. White Widow Autoflowering also performs well in indoor cultivation, a constant light cycle of 20 hours of light and 4 of darkness is recommended.

Lately without a doubt the best seller is the white widow auto xxl, very regular and resistant genetics that ensures a very high yield. White Widow dinafem XXL is a high yielding autoflowering variety. Info for those who want to grow White Widow: this genetics performs well both indoors and outdoors, it is important to keep humidity under control, as her buds are quite sensitive to mold and fungi .

This autoflowering strain takes 90 days from germination to be ready for harvest. If grown indoors, White Widow xxl Auto needs 20 hours of light and 4 hours of darkness to express itself at its best. White Widow has a very high thc between 18-22%.

Best white widow strain you can find

In addition to the Greenhouse original, all the seed banks have in their catalog white widow seeds or crosses made with this wonderful variety. Here are some of the best white widow seed creations:

In summary, White Widow or Black Widow and its many hybrids are a very good selection for both the novice and more experienced grower. These are marijuana plants that are easy to grow, have a good yield and a potency that will surprise you. The White Widow cannabis strain is a legend but the reality is that it is its splendid qualities that convert it into a sure value!