Sativa-dominant Blue Dream, aka Azure Haze, hails from the seaside town of Santa Cruz, California, where expert medical growers bred the strain in the early 2000s.
Seasoned cannasseurs instantly recognize Blue Dream by its unique taste and aroma, which combines sweet berry flavors and hints of herbal sandalwood with a subtle floral fragrance.
Blue Dream’s effects create a perfect balance between energizing cerebral vibes and deep physical relaxation, making the strain a favorite for easing body aches throughout the day.
Blue Dream remains a popular choice among artists who swear by the strain’s ability to spark the imagination for creative work.
Blue Dream Genetics
Northern California breeders produced Blue Dream by crossing indica-dominant Blueberry with potent sativa Haze genetics.
The first Blue Dream hybrid used a Haze variety from Santa Cruz, while a second phenotype was developed shortly after using a Blueberry and Super Silver Haze cross.
Either way, the resulting Blue Dream cultivar is an upbeat yet relaxing hybrid with a 60:40 sativa-to-indica ratio.
Blue Dream tends to vary considerably according to phenotype, but the strain normally contains relatively high THC levels ranging around 17-24%. Some Blue Dream varieties even contain up to 2% CBD.
Blue Dream Flavor and Effects
Typically, Blue Dream imparts pleasant, uplifting effects accompanied by profound physical relaxation. Blue Dream remains incredibly popular in the medical cannabis community for its ability to relieve aches and pains without causing drowsiness.
The strain’s popularity among MMJ professionals has garnered Blue Dream the nickname “medical cabinet essential.” Doctors in the medical marijuana community often recommend Blue Dream to alleviate stress, depression, and chronic pain.
Typical Blue Dream side-effects include dry mouth, red eyes, and increased appetite. Some Blue Dream phenotypes with higher THC contents can produce powerful cerebral effects that may not be suitable for novice cannabis consumers. Similar strains include Strawberry Cough, Blueberry, and Maui Wowie.
As far as flavor goes, Blue Dream stands out as a unique strain with intense blueberry and citrus notes coming from an earthy, sandalwood incense-like base.
Seasoned cannabis connoisseurs can usually identify Blue Dream by merely smelling and tasting the buds. If you can, try enjoying Blue Dream with a dry-herb vaporizer to get the full experience of the strain’s complex terpene profile, which includes ample amounts of myrcene, limonene, pinene, beta-caryophyllene, and linalool.
Growing Blue Dream Seeds
Blue Dream plants are rather hardy and disease-resistant when growers keep environmental conditions steady. The strain responds particularly well to adapted SCROG techniques.
Experienced Blue Dream growers advise placing the screen early in the plant’s vegetative stage. Instead of using the weaving techniques characteristic of the ScROG method, growers should simply use the screen to spread the branches open so that the lower buds can receive more light.
Blue Dream awards growers with super-resinous buds and high yields that can reach more than 20 ounces per plant. With proper treatment, Blue Dream will produce deep blue and purple hues on the flowers and leaves. However, growers should keep in mind that various Blue Dream cultivars can yield radically different physical characteristics.
Growing Blue Dream Indoors
Indoor Blue Dream plants usually grow squat and bushy with short spacing between nodes. Many experienced growers comment that the strain produces some of the most massive buds possible for indoor growing.
Blue Dream plants adapt well to a hydroponic environment, but many growers choose to use organic soil for growing weed to get the most out of the strain’s mouth-watering terpene profile.
Blue Dream plants can reach full maturity in as little as eight weeks indoors. Because of the strain’s enormous, dense buds, it’s extremely important to control humidity levels as Blue Dream can be susceptible to botrytis.
Botrytis typically presents itself as a grayish mold with a dark chocolate spot in the middle. Growers should immediately remove any plants showing symptoms of mold growth and discard them before they contaminate the entire crop.
Growing Blue Dream Outdoors
Blue Dream plants can grow close to five feet tall outdoors, depending upon the phenotype. Outdoor Blue Dream plants can be especially susceptible to spider mites, so make sure you spray your plants frequently with an organic pest repellent like neem oil.
Outdoor harvest runs from late September to early October. Since Blue Dream is accustomed to moderate West Coast winters, outdoor cultivation of Blue Dream is not recommended for climates prone to an early frost.