Bruce Banner

Also known as: Banner, OG Banner, Bruce, BB#3

Breeder: Dark Horse Genetics (Jason Holck)

Lineage & Genetics

Cross: OG Kush x Strawberry Diesel

OG Kush (mother): The specific cut is believed to be Ghost's OG — a legendary Los Angeles phenotype known for dense structure, fuel-forward terpenes, and high potency. Strawberry Diesel (father): A Reservoir Seeds hybrid of Strawberry Cough x Sour Diesel. Holck won the seeds in an auction. It contributes the sweet strawberry-berry aromatics and sativa-leaning growth vigor to the cross.

Terpene Profile

Aroma: Room-filling diesel and sour fuel on the break, layered with sweet wild strawberry and berry jam. Underlying earthy-kushy funk with citrus peel and a spicy pepper bite from the caryophyllene. The nose is notoriously loud — multiple sources warn it can overwhelm a grow room or make transport conspicuous. High Times described the #3 as having a 'nose-crackling, rocket-fuel aroma.'

Flavor: Inhale leads with sweet strawberry and berry, transitioning mid-palate to a diesel-fuel and earthy OG backbone. Exhale carries spicy, peppery notes with a lemon-citrus finish. Less sweet than the aroma suggests — the diesel and kush funk dominate the actual smoke. Concentrates tend to amplify the diesel component via hydrocarbon extraction or boost the berry sweetness via solventless rosin.

Effects & Experience

Onset: Fast and hard-hitting. The cerebral rush arrives within minutes — a surge of euphoria and energy that users consistently describe as immediate and intense. The 'Hulk smash' reputation is earned at the onset.

Opens with a powerful euphoric head high that promotes creativity, focus, and social energy. As the high develops, the OG Kush indica side emerges with full-body relaxation that complements the mental stimulation without replacing it. At moderate doses, the balance is uplifting and functional. At higher doses, the OG lineage takes over and can shift into heavy sedation and couch-lock — described by budtenders as 'starts like a coffee kick, ends like a nightcap whiskey.'

Duration: 3–4+ hours. The cerebral phase dominates the first 1–2 hours, with the body relaxation building steadily and extending the tail end.

Growing Characteristics

Grow Tips: Top at the 5th node and begin LST from week 2–3 of veg to manage stretch. SCROG is the top-recommended training method; the open branching structure fills a screen well. Heavy feeder: boost nitrogen in veg, switch to P/K emphasis from week 5 of flower for resin density. Defoliate proactively in veg and early flower (weeks 1–3) for light penetration. Drop nighttime temps to 17–20°C in the last 2 weeks to enhance terpene expression. Keep humidity at 40–50% during flower — dense buds are susceptible to bud rot. Harvest at 70–80% cloudy with 15–25% amber for best cerebral/body balance. Excellent hash and extract cultivar — large-headed trichomes produce full melt bubble hash. Hydrocarbon extraction yields 15–25% from fresh-frozen; solventless flower rosin yields 18–23% from well-cured material.

History & Origin

In the mid-2000s, Jason Holck was a college student and novice grower in Colorado who won Strawberry Diesel seeds (Strawberry Cough x Sour Diesel) from a Reservoir Seeds auction. He crossed Strawberry Diesel pollen onto an OG Kush mother (believed to be Ghost's cut) and selected five phenotypes. A fellow enthusiast at a String Cheese Incident concert nicknamed Holck 'Bruce Banner' (The Incredible Hulk — 'Holck' → 'Hulk'), and the name stuck to his signature strain. In 2008, Holck opened Delta 9 Alternative Medicine in Denver — one of Colorado's first 20 dispensaries — where Bruce Banner was one of 12 debut strains. Drop days drew lines around the block with customers camping out Thursday night for Friday releases. By 2013, Bruce Banner #3 tested at 28.35% THC at the Denver Cannabis Cup, earning 'Most Potent Strain' — the highest THC ever recorded in High Times Cup history at that time. In 2014, High Times ranked it #9 on their '25 Greatest Strains of All Time.' In 2016, Oregon's OLCC banned the name for allegedly appealing to children. Holck later founded Dark Horse Genetics to continue breeding with the Banner line.

Notable Crosses

Strains bred using Bruce Banner as a parent: