Sour Diesel Strain Review

Sour Diesel is a classic cannabis strain that immediately wins a life-long place in the hearts of anyone who smokes her. Loaded with funky terpenes and plenty of THC, Sour Diesel delivers a smoking experience like no other, characterised by her unique sour aroma and uplifting, yet balanced sativa high. Keep reading to learn all there is to know about Sour Diesel and why this 90s classic deserves a place in your garden today.

Sour Diesel

Sour Diesel

	Original Diesel x (Northern light x Shiva x Hawaiian)
	17 to 18 oz/m²
	3 to 5 feet
	10 - 11 weeks
	THC: 19%

	Sativa 70% Indica 30%
	19 to 21 oz/plant
	5 to 7 feet
	Late October
	Clear, Physically Relaxing

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Sour Diesel Strain Information: The Official History

Sour Diesel is the indisputable queen of the Diesel cannabis lineage. For the longest time, however, its origin story was based on little more than rumours and folklore. That is, until now. In 2024, Joe Murray (better known by his moniker AJ Sour Diesel or "Asshole Joe") spoke openly about how he and some colleagues discovered the original Sour Diesel in the 1990s.

Joe Murray was born and raised in the state of New York. Most of his work in the weed game, however, took place in Manhattan during his late teens. While he enjoyed his first smoke of cannabis at the tender age of nine, Murray didn't start consuming weed regularly until he was around fourteen. At that time, the only cannabis he could score was the few buds he managed to steal from his stepfather's stash. Little did young Joe know, however, that soon he'd get his hands on some of the world's most sought-after chronic.

After graduating high school, Joe began working informally on Grateful Dead tours, slinging cigarettes, beer, water, and more. By the time he was nineteen, Murray lived in Midtown Manhattan, working a day job at a hospital and selling weed by night. In 1992, he travelled to the cannabis mecca of Amsterdam and, upon returning to New York, met fellow dealer JJ (now the founder of Top Dawg Genetics). Through connections at a local club, Joe met JJ's provider, Weasel, who was growing the original 91 Chemdawg at the time. Murray decided to rename the weed he was getting to "The Diesel" because he didn't want to create any misconceptions that the weed was laced or altered in any way. And what a great decision because the name obviously stuck.

After travelling back and forth between New York and Amsterdam, Joe inspired Weasel to travel there, too. After his first trip, Weasel came back with seeds of Early Pearl, NL 5, Super Skunk, Hawaiian Indica, and Oasis—all strains that gradually started coming out of his garden and, through the work of AJ and JJ, made it onto the streets of New York. By popular demand, Weasel started growing The Diesel again, and this time, some of his batches contained seeds, which Joe, JJ, and their partners all popped as soon as they could. One of those seeds was named Diesel #1, which eventually birthed Sour Diesel (AKA The Sour).

After briefly moving upstate, AJ returned to Manhattan in the late 1990s and started growing Sour Diesel again. Because he supplied it so consistently, the strain eventually won the local nickname "The AJ Sour." For years, there was such a high demand for Sour in New York that AJ managed to push it for extremely high prices and even to well-known rappers and celebrities.

Sour Diesel Characteristics

So, Sour Diesel is obviously a legendary variety with a massive backstory. But what was it about this strain that earned it such lasting fame?

Most people lucky enough to try real Sour Diesel in the 1990s will attest that the strain's aromas and flavors were simply unlike anything they'd ever come across. The strain's unique sourness, for example, is one trait that many connoisseurs remember and look for in modern versions of Diesel, which tend to be more gassy.

Besides its unique aromas and flavors, Sour Diesel is also renowned for its characteristic uplifting effects. For many, Sour Diesel makes the perfect daytime smoke, providing a cerebral euphoria that's great for social settings, creative endeavours, workouts, outdoor adventures, or an early morning pick-me-up. Finally, another tell-tale sign of the original Sour Diesel was its vigorous and tall growth—which could prove challenging for growers with little experience or small grow spaces.

• Sour Diesel Taste & Aroma

Smoking Sour Diesel is a treat for all the senses. Crack open a stash of Sour and enjoy as her rich aroma washes over you and fills the room. As mentioned earlier, the original Sour Diesel from the 1990s is often touted for its unique sourness and funky overtones—a trait she likely inherited from a Skunk ancestor. Today's Sour Diesel cuts tend to be much more gassy, with notes of pine, musk, and varying degrees of citrus. Lab tests of modern cuts of Sour Diesel suggest that the strain usually contains high amounts of caryophyllene, myrcene, humulene, limonene, and linalool.

• Sour Diesel Effects

Sour Diesel's sativa heritage shines through in the strain's effects, which are uplifting and energising. If you're a fan of wake N' bake, consider trying this strain in the early morning, as its energising euphoria may elevate your mood and motivation, putting you in the perfect mindset to tackle a busy day. Sour Diesel also makes a great strain for parties or other social situations, where her mental euphoria can help to relieve inhibitions and spark conversations. Some smokers also enjoy Sour Diesel before workouts or outdoor activities. After keeping you up and at 'em for a few hours, Sour Diesel's euphoric effects eventually subside, though without as much come down as other strains. Of course, with up to 19% THC or more, Sour Diesel is very potent and best enjoyed in moderation.

Growing Sour Diesel: A Tried and Tested Cultivar

Growing Sour Diesel at home? Luckily, growers have had plenty of chances to experiment with this high-energy strain. Based on their reports, this high-power sativa can flourish in any garden, producing top-shelf harvests with only moderate effort. Here's what to expect when growing Sour Diesel at home.

• Germinating Sour Diesel

Sour Diesel seeds have a great germination rate and rapidly grow into strong seedlings. For the best possible results, we recommend germinating your seeds in a wet paper towel and planting them in Easy Start seedling pots once they've developed a 2cm-long taproot. Ideally, keep your seedlings in a propagator during the early stages of their life, where you can provide them with cool CFL light and plenty of humidity to support their growth. While every plant is unique, your Sour Diesel seedlings should be ready to veg 2–3 weeks after germination.

• Vegetative Phase

Since it hit the streets in the late 1990s, Diesel has been known to be a vigorous, fast-growing strain. This still rings true today, and most growers working with this strain opt to use intense training to manipulate Sour Diesel's rapid apical growth. LST, Topping, FIM, and ScrOG are all very effective techniques for managing the vigorous growth of Diesel plants. Within weeks, you're vegging Sour Diesel specimens should have developed several stems and plenty of thin, lime-green leaves.

• Flowering Phase

Sour Diesel stretches considerably once she enters flowering, reaching average heights of up to 160cm indoors and 200cm outside. Again, training your plants early on can help mitigate some of her stretch. True to her sativa heritage, Sour Diesel can take up to 11 weeks to finish flowering, but her dank, potent flower is definitely worth the wait. By week 3 or 4 of bloom, your Diesel plants should start to release their delicious perfume into the air. While her buds preserve more of an old-school structure, Sour Diesel still has excellent bag appeal, producing long, dense spear-shaped green flowers with plenty of resin.

• Harvest

Indoors, Sour Diesel plants can be harvest-ready after roughly 11 weeks in flower. Outdoors, on the other hand, the strain is usually ripe for the picking by late October. For the best aroma, potency, and energising effects, we recommend harvesting Sour Diesel when 70% of the plant's trichomes have turned milky. Then, proceed to trim, dry, and cure your harvested buds to maximise their flavors, aromas, and strength.

Sour Diesel Descendants

If you're as much of a fan of Diesel as we are, check out these descendants of the almighty Sour Diesel.

• Dynamite Diesel: Born out of the unique collaboration of RQS and Tyson 2.0, Dynamite Diesel is a high-power strain bred from Sour Diesel x Skywalker OG. Packing exotic terpenes, Dynamite Diesel's aromas and flavors are earthy, spicy, and citric all at once. Meanwhile, her mild potency (22% THC) delivers a relaxing body buzz quickly followed by bouts of creative and social euphoria.

Dynamite Diesel

Dynamite Diesel

	Sour Diesel x Skywalker OG
	18 to 19 oz/m²
	3 to 5 feet
	9 - 10 weeks
	THC: 22%

	Sativa 35% Indica 65%
	22 to 24 oz/plant
	5 to 7 feet
	October
	Calming, Physically Relaxing, Sleepy, Uplifting

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• Royal Gorilla: Our take on Original Glue, Royal Gorilla, descends from a blend of Sour Dubb, Chem's Sis, and Chocolate Diesel. The result? A THC monster boasting sweet and earthy aromas with lovely lemon and pine highlights. Light her up, and Royal Gorilla will delight with her soothing physical effects and uplifting mental buzz.

Royal Gorilla

Royal Gorilla

	Sour Dubb x Chem Sis x Chocolate Diesel
	18 to 19 oz/m²
	3 to 5 feet
	8 - 10 weeks
	THC: 27%

	Sativa 50% Indica 50%
	19 to 21 oz/plant
	4 to 6 feet
	Middle of October
	Calming, Clear

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• NYC Sour Diesel Auto: Enjoy the energising effect and pungent flavors of real Diesel weed in weeks. NYC Sour Diesel Auto descends from a cross of NY Diesel x Sour Diesel Auto, making for a vigorous, fast-flowering auto strain that's harvest-ready 13 weeks after germination. But don't let her speed fool you—our NYC Sour Diesel Auto still packs a potent fuel stank and euphoric effects.

NYC Sour D Auto

NYC Sour D Auto

	NY Diesel x Sour Diesel Auto
	16 to 19 oz/m²
	3 feet
	8 - 10 weeks
	THC: 21%

	Sativa 70% Indica 25% Ruderalis 5%
	5 to 6 oz/plant
	4 to 5 feet
	11 - 13 Weeks after sprouting
	Euphoric, Motivating , Physically Relaxing

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Sour Diesel: A Classic Sativa That Deserves a Place in Every Cannabis Garden

If you love bold cannabis flavors and an uplifting high, Sour Diesel is the strain for you. While Diesel plants traditionally proved challenging in the grow room due to their vigorous growth, our refined Sour Diesel feminized seeds make growing this 90s classic a real treat. Moreover, our breeders have developed a whole line of Diesel descendants that all bring something new to the table and make for endless fun out in the garden. Get yours today to start growing top-shelf Diesel cannabis at home.