Ringo left Humboldt County for Santa Cruz to raise his boys , but ended up back in Blocksburg , purchasing seeds from Emery ’ s Seed Company . With eight initial cultivars , Ringo developed 20 new ones , starting Kush Seeds , then the Southern Humboldt Seed Collective ( or SoHum Seeds ). Everyone cheered on the day Samantha Miller of Pure Analytics , a California lab , called to let the team know his Sour Tsunami measured in upwards of 11.3 per cent CBD , while retaining six-to-seven percent THC . This was the first time Miller had encountered high-CBD cultivars and the findings were not lost on her . The bigger news was Miller advised Ringo had eight other cultivars that also had the potential of testing high in CBD . “ At that point we knew very little about CBD , but Samantha conveyed its importance ,” Hart shared . “ It was really the defining moment for SoHum Seeds as we know it now .”
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HE WAS EXTREMELY GENEROUS , WHICH IS WHY THE CULTIVARS HE CREATED ARE SO WIDESPREAD . HE BELIEVED IN HELPING OTHERS FOR THE GREATER GOOD .”
As Hart explains , Sour Tsunami was the first cultivar to test dominant for CBD , then came Harle-Tsu , Canna-Tsu , and Swiss-Tsu . Current cultivars available in its catalog include AC / DC ( bread by Dr . William Courtney ), Canna Tsu , Cheesel O , Harle Tsu , Hula Budda , Kona , Pineapple Tsunami , Purple Diesel , Sour Tsunami , Swiss Tsu , and OG Cheese Dog . Ringo ’ s Harle Tsu is an excellent example as it stands alone in the Phylos Galaxy with a 20:1 ratio of CBD testing upwards of 22 percent CBD .
BREAKING DOWN THE PLANT
Ironically , legalization in Colorado allowed the Figi story to be told , which has helped change public perception of the plant altogether . Hart says it stung when a version of Ringo ’ s CBD cultivar took center stage in the CNN documentary , laughingly referred to as a “ hippie ’ s disappointment ,” for lack of THC . Its Humboldt lineage went unmentioned due to the legalities of crossing state lines with the seeds and starts .
Records provided by Hart reveal that Charlotte ’ s Web ’ s ancestry may stem from a combination of Harlequin and Sour Tsunami , but Hart says the profiling shows a grab bag of varieties , albeit , with Ringo ’ s strains predominantly in the mix . “ Phylos Bioscience genetically tested Charlotte ’ s Web and it does show a connection , but it also shows that we were not the first to work with high-CBD strains ,” Hart shared . What Phylos discovered is that while Ringo was honing his CBD in Southern Humboldt , breeders in Spain were working on the same exact process . If the universe really is aligned , then cannabis was a conduit in this instance . Where Charlotte ’ s Web is concerned , Hart notes Ringo remembered selling Harle Tsu seeds to the proprietors of Charlotte ’ s Web during a High Times Cannabis Cup . If Charlotte ’ s Web came from those seeds , then its lineage would be unique . But the plot thickens , as Ringo ’ s assistant at the time shared that the party visited the farm later , purchasing Harlequin and Sour Tsunami starts , complicating the issue .
CONTINUING TRADITION
Ringo passed away in 2014 from lung cancer . With little warning , he was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and given just two months to live . Though Hart said they consulted with some of the top experts in cannabis medicine , they were encouraged to do a round of radiation due to the severity and the location of the tumor . “ He immediately began eating the oil ,” Hart shared . “ He was ingesting his own CO 2 high- THC oil , with a 3:1 CBD / THC ratio . He never regained any strength after the radiation to even be able to try the chemo .” The severe diagnosis and subsequent radiation treatment were too much to handle in the end . The genetics he left behind are his legacy , carried on by his children , who were raised farming in Humboldt . His eldest son , Levi , and his wife , Danielle , now run the Southern Humboldt Seed Collective , and are the keepers of the cultivars . “ The cooperative was formed to help support local farmers and be able to provide enough CBD medicine to meet supply and demand ,” Hart added . “ We provide clones of our genetics , the farmers grow it , and the cooperative purchases it . We have a couple CO 2 extractors and have applications pending for a dispensary and a manufacturing facility .” Hart said she ’ s not the farmer Ringo was but she ’ ll never be far away from the magic he made .
“ CBD is everywhere now and we as a cooperative are very proud of Ringo ’ s legacy ,” she concluded . “ He was extremely generous , which is why the cultivars he created are so widespread . He believed in helping others for the greater good .”
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