DJ Short is an American cannabis breeder. Since the late 1970s DJ has been developing his lines from select landrace imports from Oaxaca, Thailand, and Afghanistan. Over the last 40 years DJ Short has conducted extensive line breeding within the hybrid gene pool he created from these landrace imports. DJ’s breeding methods have largely focused on careful selection of parental breeding stock, as well as taking advantage of the phenomenon known as transgressive segregation to select extreme outliers within this hybrid gene pool to create his many seed varieties.
DJ Short ~ 1970s – 1990s
DJ Short began his lifelong cannabis breeding project in the 1970s. During this time Dj collected and grew out numerous landrace varieties.
For his breeding work, DJ initially selected a number of imported equatorial varieties. Specifically, he chose Highland Thai, which he called the JuicyFruit Thai, as well as a Chocolate Thai. DJ also selected a Mexican variety known as Highland Oaxaca Gold (HOG). DJ’s early breeding experiments resulted in the creation of the Oregon Purple Thai (Chocolate Thai x HOG). By 1979, DJ sourced pure Afghan genetics from friends of his in Northern California.
DJ selected his parental breeding stock, or the P1’s, from the Oregon Purple Thai, the Highland JuicyFruit Thai, and the Afghani. These early landrace imports form the foundation of all of DJ Short’s lines.
By the early 1980s, DJ got a copy of Robert Clarke’s Marijuana Botany. Reading this text confirmed and solidified his understanding of plant breeding. Over the next decade, DJ Short undertook clandestine breeding projects exploring and developing his lines.
DJ Short ~ 1990s-Present
Since the 1990s, DJ has worked with numerous seed companies and breeders to create dozens of commercial cannabis varieties. He is best known for his ‘Blueberry’ and ‘Flo’ lines.
In 1993, DJ traveled to Europe to explore opportunities in the burgeoning Dutch seed industry. Over the next decade, DJ Short worked with multiple European and Canadian seed companies and breeders bringing his genetics to the world.
Sagarmatha Seeds was the first seed company to commercially release varieties using DJ Short’s genetics. DJ provided the germplasm, however, he had little input in the selection and production process of ‘Blueberry’, ‘Blue Velvet’, ‘Flow’ as well as ‘Bubbleberry’ (Bubblegum x Blueberry). In the end, DJ says he was never paid for over 3000 seeds. He was lucky to retrieve the remainder of his seed stock.
Next, DJ Short took his genetics and partnered with Henk and Dutch Passion. Dutch Passion released the ‘Blue Moonshine’, ‘Blueberry’, ‘Blue Heaven’, ‘Flo’. Once again, DJ had minimal input in the selection and production of the seeds sold by Dutch Passion.
After working with Dutch seed companies, DJ Short began collaborating with Breeder Steve of Spice of Life Seeds in Switzerland. For a short time between 2000-2004, Switzerland became an epicenter of seed production. Breeder Steve was able to grow out large populations to conduct his selections and breeding work. Unlike his previous partnerships, DJ was much more involved in the selection process. This collaboration resulted in the creation of ‘Blue Satellite’, ‘Moonshine-Rocket Fuel’, and ‘Rosebud’.
Unfortunately, by 2004 Swiss authorities began cracking down on the cannabis industry forcing Breeder Steve to shutter his Swiss operations.
Around the same time, DJ short began working with other Canadian-based breeders such as Red (Legends Seeds) and Chimera. DJ’s work with Legend Seeds produced varieties such as ‘True Blueberry’, ‘Cocoa Kush’, ‘Vanilla Luna’, ‘F13’, ‘Grape Krush’, ‘Flodica’, ‘Old Time Moonshine’. DJ Short’s collaborations with Chimera produce varieties such as ‘morning jam’ ‘honey bee’ as well as Chimera’s well-known ‘Mental Floss’ varieties.
Legal reforms over the last two decades have created room for the development of the domestic American seed market. As a result, DJ has been able to get his seeds directly to his customers through his own seed company Old World Genetics. DJ Short continues to maintain and refine his lines, developing new varieties such as ‘Azure Haze’, ‘Whitaker Blues’ ‘New Berry’ and ‘First Lights’.
In recent years DJ’s son JD has started his own seed company Second Generation Genetics combining his dad’s classic lines with popular clone-only varieties.
DJ Short ~ Author, Educator, Speaker, Community Member
In addition to his work as a breeder, DJ Short has also played a significant role in the cannabis community as an author, educator, public speaker, and online forum member.
DJ has written for numerous publications including High Times, Cannabis Culture, and O’Shaughnessy’s. He has also published a book Cultivating Exceptional Cannabis: An Expert Breeder Shares His Secrets
For a time DJ was an active member on the ICmag forum. The DJ Short subforum was a place where DJ interacted with many knowledgeable members of the community such as JLP, Mr. Alkaline, and Foe20. This forum is a wonderful repository of information about DJ Short’s seed lines, as well as his breeding practices and methods.
In recent years DJ Short has been a guest on The Pot Cast (Episode 28) and the Adam Dunn Show.
Over the years, DJ has been one of the more accessible and open breeders in the cannabis community. DJ Short’s work as breeder stands out both in terms of his methods and results. DJ is one of the few breeders who has dedicated his life to working with and exploring a specific gene pool to produce dozens of commercial varieties that have an established track record of success. DJ Short has proven how dedication, persistence, and careful selection can create incredible diversity and lasting value.
Additional reading:
https://blog.seedsman.com/the-origins-of-blueberry-cannabis-strain/
https://grantland.com/features/a-trip-hempfest-pioneering-cannabis-breeder-dj-short/
