Sherbanger is a hybrid of Sunset Sherbet and Headbanger OG, first crossed by Boston Roots Seed Co. The cut that made the name travel is Sherbanger #22, a keeper that NorCal's Gardens pulled from that seed population and later released as a clone through Atlas Seed.
The #22 selection runs 24–28% THC by Atlas's numbers and turns purple inside and out when grown right. It also goes by a second name: Emmit Smith.
Boston Roots cross, NorCal's Gardens keeper
Boston Roots Seed Co. made the original Sunset Sherbet × Headbanger cross. Weedmaps credits the breeding to Boston Roots and identifies the #22 as the NorCal cut.
NorCal's Gardens selected plant #22 from the seeds and propagated it as a cutting. Atlas Seed now sells that clone and names NorCal's Gardens as the selector.
The #22 is fast out of the gate. Atlas notes that cuttings grow unusually quickly, and the plant tends to outpace its neighbors in the room. It also shows strong resistance to pests and mold.
Sunset Sherbet and Headbanger on each side
Sunset Sherbet, also spelled Sherbet, is Mr. Sherbinski's cross of Girl Scout Cookies × Pink Panties. Leafly lists it as an indica-dominant hybrid with oblong, fluffy buds, heavy trichome coverage and dark amber hairs. It is also a parent of Gelato and Lemon Cherry Gelato.
Headbanger comes from Karma Genetics and crosses Sour Diesel with Biker Kush. It won the 2013 Amsterdam Cannabis Cup, and Leafly describes dense, conic buds from its Kush side alongside the sour, head-forward character of Sour Diesel.
Headbanger needs a 10–12 week flowering period but pays back with high yields. In Sherbanger #22, that finish time comes down to 66–70 days.
Growing the #22 for purple
Atlas describes vigorous growth that keeps stretching through week 4 of flower. The buds are solid, and internode spacing lands between tight and loose, which keeps airflow and light moving through the canopy.
Purple shows up around weeks 6–7. The upper canopy usually colors deeper than the lower buds, depending on light, and a well-grown plant stays purple even when ground.
Atlas lays out the environment for it. Early flower, through weeks 6–7, calls for 75%+ humidity and temperatures around 80°F. Late flower drops to 64°F or lower to push the purple. Yields land in the average range.
Weedmaps adds a bushy, indica-leaning frame that reaches 3–4 feet indoors and 5–6 feet outdoors, with dense, resin-heavy colas.
Terps that last and a high that stays balanced
The #22 is known for sweet blueberry backed by gassy OG, a profile Atlas says holds for months after harvest.
Weedmaps users describe it as relaxed and euphoric with mental focus, which makes it workable at different times of day. The Headbanger side brings pressure, while the Sherbet side keeps it dessert-leaning.
Sherbanger F2 and the Fig Farms #160
The #22 has also become a breeding parent. Bloom Seed Co. pollinated NorCal's Gardens' #22 with an original Sherbanger male to make Sherbanger F2, a second-generation cross.
Fig Farms hunted that F2 generation and kept the #160 phenotype. That selection leans heavily toward Headbanger, with cheesy, chemmy terps that Fig Farms compares to a classic European coffee shop sativa.