Sativa Dominant · Sensi Seeds
Sour Diesel
Sour Diesel is the East Coast sativa that came out of mid-1990s Chemdawg crosses circulated through the Original Diesel and Massachusetts Super Skunk lines. The flavor — fuel, citrus rind, and skunk — is distinctive enough that experienced growers can identify it blind. Plants stretch hard during the first three weeks of flower, finish in ten to eleven weeks, and reward growers who run a SCROG or topping schedule.
Reviewed 2026-05-23· Sources: seedfinder.eu, Sensi Seeds catalogue
Potency
- THC range
- 18–24%
- Typical THC
- 22%
- CBD
- up to 0.2%
Flowering
- Indoor weeks
- 10–11 wk
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Climate
- Mediterranean, warm dry
Yield & size
- Indoor
- 450-550 g/m²
- Outdoor
- 450-650 g/plant
- Height
- 150-180 cm
Indica / sativa ratio
Terpene profile
The aromatic compounds below shape how Sour Diesel smells, tastes, and ultimately feels in the body.
- dominant
Caryophyllene
Peppery and spicy — the only terpene that binds CB2 receptors, studied for anti-inflammatory action.
- secondary
Limonene
Uplifting citrus — typically associated with mood elevation and stress relief.
- secondary
Myrcene
Sedating, musky, herbal — commonly linked to couch-lock effects.
- minor
Pinene
Alert and pine-forward — associated with mental clarity and bronchodilation.
Reported side effects
Lineage
Sour Diesel traces to Chemdawg 91 × Super Skunk. The cross sits in the Diesel family, which influences both the terpene profile and the flowering structure described above.
Genetic family tree
Documented parents for Sour Diesel based on breeder catalogues. Library entries are clickable; ancestors not yet documented on this site appear in a lighter, non-linked box.
Strains crossed with Sour Diesel
Sour Diesel is a parent of 5 strains in the broader catalogue. These are crosses that carry Sour Diesel genetics on at least one side of the cross.
Grow profile
Grow profile
- Indica / sativa
- 30% / 70%
- Flowering days
- 70–77 days
- Stretch
- High
- Pest resistance
- Moderate
- Mold resistance
- Moderate
- Training methods
- topping, scrog, supercropping
Feed schedule for Sour Diesel
These EC and NPK targets are starting points calibrated for the strain's Sativa lean and moderate difficulty rating — not gospel. Drop 15-20% off any EC ceiling on your first run and let the plant tell you where it actually wants to feed.
Suggested feed schedule
- Late veg
- 1.2-1.4 EC
- Early flower
- 1.3-1.5 EC, NPK 2-2-3
- Mid flower
- 1.6-1.8 EC, NPK 1-3-4
- Late flower
- 1.4-1.6 EC
- Final week
- Plain pH-balanced water for the last 7-10 days; light flush if you ran nutrients on the higher end.
Full breakdown of feed math, runoff testing, and salt buildup in our nutrient guide.
What to expect through the grow cycle
Sour Diesel is documented with a 11-week flower and a longer stretch phase typical of sativa-leaning hybrids. The visual below maps a documented 15-week cycle built from 4weeks of vegetative growth and the strain's published flowering window.
Published grow reports for Sour Diesel concentrate the most observational notes on the stretch window. This timeline is descriptive — it reflects what reports document, not a how-to. Actual week-to-week behaviour varies with phenotype, light intensity, pot size, and environment.
Phase details
- Veg (weeks 1-4)
- The documented vegetative period for Sour Diesel. Plants establish root structure, leaf canopy, and node count before flower triggering, with a moderate difficulty rating shaping how forgiving the early canopy work tends to be.
- Stretch (weeks 5-8)
- Sour Diesel is documented as having high stretch. Reports describe the plant roughly doubling in height during this phase as the sativa-leaning structure establishes its final flowering frame.
- Bud sites (weeks 9-10)
- Pre-flowers form at the nodes and calyxes begin to develop. Grow reports for Sour Dieselnote this as the window where the canopy's eventual bud distribution becomes visible.
- Bud development (weeks 11-13)
- Flowers thicken and calyxes fatten through this phase. Documented Sour Diesel runs show the bulk of visible flower mass accumulating here, with resin production accelerating toward the end.
- Ripening (week 14)
- Trichomes transition from clear toward cloudy and amber. Reports for Sour Diesel describe the Caryophyllene-led terpene profile maturing through this window, with aroma sharpening week over week.
- Final (week 15)
- Calyx swelling is documented as complete and the harvest window opens. Published Sour Diesel runs end here, within the 10-11 week flowering range reported by the breeder.
Flavor & aroma
Reported effects
Common questions about Sour Diesel
Why does Sour Diesel stretch so much?
The Chemdawg side of the cross carries strong sativa expression. Most growers flip to 12/12 when plants are 25-30 cm tall to compensate.
Is Sour Diesel a true sativa?
It is sativa-dominant rather than pure sativa. The flowering window is shorter than most landrace sativas.
Breeder of record
Sensi Seeds
View breeder profile and other strains →
More from Sensi Seeds
Strains similar to Sour Diesel
These picks lean on the same terpene profile and parent genetics as Sour Diesel — shared dominant terps, overlapping lineage, and matching indica/sativa lean. No star ratings or popularity contests, just overlap on the traits that actually drive a similar grow and smoke.