La Niña is a sativa-dominant strain that optimizes its powerful genetics. This hybrid is born from sativa staple Haze and the super-resinous White Widow. The resulting bud boasts a woodsy, earthy aroma and mentally animated effects. La Niña (which is Spanish for “the girl”) has a THC content that has been measured at between 17% and 23%.

La Niña’s flowers are marked by a medium to large size and adhere in clustered conical formations. The tapered buds appear to have a sativa-typical structure, with a solid central core but with leaves that spiral outward and away from each other at their outer edges. The leaves themselves are a vibrant lime green and are threaded through with bright yellow pistils. Finally, translucent, cloudy trichomes coat La Niña’s buds, courtesy of parent strain White Widow, making them very sticky and accounting for their high psychoactivity.

If properly cured, flowers of La Niña have a sweet and mellow scent, somewhat like dried wood or leaves. A closer inspection may pick up on some slightly sour, fermented notes as well. When these piecey flowers are picked apart or ground up, they may give off more of a skunky odor that can be objectionable to some. When burnt, the strain gives off an acrid smoke that can sting the sinuses and palate and cause eyes to water. Nevertheless, this thick some tastes a bit fruity on the exhale.

The high from La Niña sets in relatively quickly, elevating users’ mood and thoughts in equal measure. After a brief period of twitchiness that may include flushed cheeks, a cerebral state of mind takes over. Ideas can take on an elevated quality and move more quickly than usual, flowing in surprising free associations. Additionally, certain concepts or even ordinary objects can take on a fascination that they might not otherwise have. This state of mind can enable work detail, task-based work, as well as on more creative artistic projects. For smokers who aren’t feeling quite as productive, though, the strain can simply provide some background entertainment for typically boring tasks like laundry or errands.

After an hour or so, La Niña’s mood is taken over by distinctly physical effects. Consumers may be able to breathe more deeply and easily or may find themselves released from long standing muscular tension. While these feeling of relaxation may not be enough to totally immobilize users with couchlock, they may take off some of the strain’s initial surge of energy and can detract from work on complicated responsibilities. That said, La Niña’s progressive combination of mental and physical stimulation makes it a fun way to enjoy activities that require holistic brain-body coordination -- including, but not limited to, exercise, gaming, and sex. Thanks to its mostly upbeat vibes, La Niña is recommended for daytime (and for experience cannabis consumers, even morning) use.

La Niña’s buzzy properties can also have some use for medical cannabis patients. Its mental lucidity can allow those with attention deficit disorders to remain focused on a single task. Its subtle mood-enhancing properties can also temporarily lift the fog associated with stress and depression. In some cases, La Niña can soothe physical pain, whether it’s temporary or chronic and disease-related. The bud’s anti-inflammatory properties may also take some of the sting out of irritations like nausea and headaches. Because its cerebral mood may lead to entrenched paranoia in the wrong set and setting, La Niña is not recommended for patients who are prone to panic or who are inexperienced with THC.

Breeder THC Seeds has made seed stock of La Niña available for sale online. Once obtained, the strain can be grown indoors or out, although successful outdoor cultivation requires a humid climate with consistent daytime temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Those growing indoors should take care to trim back this branchy plant in order to prevent it from reaching unmanageable heights. La Niña typically flowers within 9 to 11 weeks when grown indoors and is ready for outdoor harvest in late September or early October. At maturity, plants offer a moderate yield of about 37 grams (or 1.3 ounces) of flower per square foot of plant.

Not nearly as menacing as the weather phenomenon El Niño, La Niña is a valuable and upbeat sativa. It’s of particular interest to fans of its ancestor strains Haze and White Widow.