The Strains of the Month for October features a plethora of heaters we’re sure our readers will enjoy. This lineup showcases some of the latest and greatest strains to hit the recreational market this fall. There are also a few award winners who have taken top honors at contests all over the country.

This lineup is indoor-heavy (before we dive into all the amazing new flavors the harvest will have to offer once everything gets all dried and cured up this month). Anything on this October lineup is sure to be a hit with cannabis lovers around the world.

Also read: Croptober 2025: California Farmers Prep for the Biggest Harvest of the Year

Maven Genetics x Compound Genetics — Chrome Dome

Lemonheadz x Eye Candy

Chrome Dome is a fantastic collaboration from Maven and Compound that’s sure to blow up in the not-too-distant future. It’s the second strain to drop from their recent pheno hunts together and is an absolute hitter. The winning pheno was originally harvested for the first time just before Christmas last year.

Maven started with three leading phenos from the hunt. After another test round, the #6 pheno of Chrome Dome was the big winner.

“We landed on the phenos that hit consistently across multiple categories — structure, smell, potency, and flavor — with no major weaknesses,” Maven’s COO Mike Corvington told High Times. “Terp uniqueness and intensity were big deciding factors, as well as how well the flower cured and held character in packaging.”

The final product is some of the best new cannabis I’ve seen hit the California marketplace this fall. The notes of grapefruit, citrus, and candy in the aroma are top-notch, and much of it carries through in the flavor. While very uplifting, it wasn’t racy — so it’s not a panic-attack strain, but still very cerebral in its effect. Beyond looking gorgeous, the quality of the resin was spectacular. If you’re one of those people frustrated that so much cannabis on the rec market lacks that sticky-fingers quality we all love, Chrome Dome is definitely something that should be on your radar.

HyTek — Lantz

Green Lantern x Ridgeline Runtz

HyTek’s rendition of Lantz is what you get when you cross two award winners and bring the results to Michigan. Lantz was originally bred in the hills of Humboldt County by Ridgeline Farms. It went on to take Best in Show and the Breeders’ Cup at The Emerald Cup — no small feat.

Read the prior edition of “Strains of the Month” here.

HyTek was gifted the strain in California and brought it home to Michigan to test it out. They knew a little bit about the cut but didn’t realize just what a heater they had on their hands. The test plant went well enough to dedicate a full table to it.

“We did that first table, and then that shit came out silly,” Choc from HyTek told High Times, noting they knew they had something special.

The release of that first batch proved it a hit in Michigan. After the reception they saw for Lantz there, they were surprised it wasn’t making more waves out west despite the accolades it had already earned in California.

“I think part of the reason why it took off here was because it was just a different angle of candy,” Choc said, noting Detroit still loves its candy strains. “It’s like a creamy, kind of key-limey, butterscotchy type candy, but still has the look the street wants. So I think it was kind of an easy layup out here in Michigan, but I’m still shocked that it doesn’t go harder in California.”

The HyTek team went on to note how vigorous the cut is, with the mother plants especially doing very well. They called it one of the best plants they’ve ever worked with in terms of full production.

Their rendition of Lantz took home first prize against a star-studded pack at the Michigan edition of Zalympix last month. The HyTek team thought they might have a winner on their hands since that first table.

“What’s so cool about it is that it is such a complex terp. It’s not just sweet, it’s not just gas — it’s layers and layers of flavor, and it translates so well,” HyTek’s head cultivator, Tyler, said.

The HyTek team gave a big shoutout to Ridgeline Farms for doing the work that made it all possible for their Lantz to be the hottest thing in the Michigan marketplace.

“I think he was happy that we represented it well, but I do want him to get credit for the breeding and the hard work and everything it took for us to get it,” Choc said.

Growing Pains — Honey Banana

Strawberry Banana x Honey Boo

While Honey Banana originally took off in California as a major player in a world of hash enthusiasts enthralled with Z terps years ago, 2025 marks the flower version of the strain coming into its own shine. Most of the time, we talk about cannabis flavor in terms of terpenes. In the case of Honey Banana, it’s the esters that give it that heavy banana flavor with honey on top. Esters are even more volatile than terpenes, so when you see a good batch of Honey Banana, you know the growers had to check every box along the way.

And that’s exactly what Kalamazoo-based Growing Pains has been doing with their rendition of the strain. Like most, they originally ran it for hash, but their recent flower drops have been taking the Michigan market by storm. They got the cut in California via LA Family Farms; the original selection was made by @HeadsThatRoll.

Seth from Growing Pains noted that of all the banana strains he’s seen over the years, nothing has ever come close to the terpene profile of their Honey Banana cut. But that kind of quality takes time — Honey Banana can take up to 11 weeks to finish indoors.

“Worth the wait, for sure,” Seth told High Times. “Definitely more sativa-like tendencies, as far as bud structure and growth patterns and everything like that. But from a smell and taste aspect, it’s just hard to beat as far as if you’re looking for a banana profile.”

We asked Seth what it’s like to contribute to Honey Banana’s new prominence on the flower side after years of being a hash strain.

“It’s really cool,” Seth replied. “We would always take a little bit of flower for our head stash. My partner Tom and I, we’re big flower smokers, so we’d be smoking the flower and just kind of talking about how it was almost a shame how good it smoked and how bad it looked. Because so many people shop with their eyes.”

Ever since winning Proper Doinks’ Pro Smokers League last month, it’s become their most requested strain. The second-place finish in the Michigan Zalympix to the Lantz listed above only added to the hype, but Seth called the PSL win the original catalyst that really put wind in its sails.

“PSL is a great platform. Those guys are super critical smokers — unbiased. But I think the biggest thing was just the competitive pool we were in,” Seth said. “We beat a lot of big names in that competition.”

A big factor in how the Honey Banana made it to flower form was the fact that Growing Pains had come up short in previous competitions. They thought they were entering what they believed was heat, but the wins didn’t come. They decided to take things in a completely new direction with Honey Banana — and it’s now paying big dividends.

Seth closed by noting that it can’t be emphasized enough how the wins resulted from a full team effort.

Preferred Gardens — Glacier

Permanent Marker x Lazer Gun

Florida is in store for a banger with one of Preferred Gardens’ newest releases — Glacier.

Glacier pairs the wildly popular Permanent Marker with Lazer Gun. The breeding project took place over several years, according to Preferred Gardens founder David Polley. While he knew the pairing had plenty of potential, a 100-seed pheno hunt sealed the deal.

We asked David if the winning pheno was the best combination of the parents or an outlier. He was quick to call it an outlier from most of the hunt, noting it was the most unique of any from the pack.

“I find when I breed with Permanent Marker, you get a bunch of versions of Permanent Marker. I was looking for something different and found it with the Glacier,” David told High Times.

That winning profile has a candy and sherbet aroma. While the candy era is likely coming to an end in California after a few years of being all the rage, Florida’s marketplace is ripe for conquest with this kind of flavor pairing.

Photos courtesy of the respective growers/companies.