How to Grow NYC Diesel
NYC Diesel is a Spannabis 2016 winner, a sativa-dominant feminized classic famous for its pungent, diesel-fuel aroma and bright, focused effect. It pairs a medium 20% THC with a diesel, pungent, sweet flavour and a happy, relaxed, focused high, on a resinous plant that rewards a little patience.
Built from Jack Herer crossed with NY Diesel, this is a 60% sativa, 40% indica strain that marries the energy and clarity of its Jack Herer side with the fuel-forward punch of New York Diesel. It is one of the most sought-after diesel strains in the US, and its award pedigree backs that reputation up.
Recommended Strains
NYC Diesel
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THC | 20% (Medium) |
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Type | Feminized |
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Yield | High |
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Phenotype | 40% Indica / 60% Sativa |
Acid Diesel
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THC | 18% - 20% (Medium) |
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Type | Feminized |
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Yield | Medium |
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Phenotype | 60% Indica / 40% Sativa |
Because it is flavourful, rewarding and still approachable, NYC Diesel appeals to new and experienced growers alike. You can see the full genetics and buy NYC Diesel feminized seeds on the strain page, and explore more of our award-winning genetics alongside it.
Strain Profile at a Glance
| THC | 20% (medium) |
|---|---|
| CBD | 1% |
| Lineage | Jack Herer x NY Diesel |
| Type | Feminized |
| Award | Winner, Spannabis 2016 |
| Genetics | 60% Sativa / 40% Indica |
| Climate | Tropical |
| Flowering time | 10–12 weeks |
| Harvest | November |
| Height | 4.92 ft / 1.5 m |
| Yield | High |
| Yield indoor | 1.64 oz/ft² (500 g/m²) |
| Yield outdoor | 1.06–1.76 oz/plant (30–50 g/plant) |
| Grow difficulty | Beginner-friendly |
| Flavors | Diesel, Pungent, Sweet |
| Effects | Focused, Happy, Relaxed |
Promos & Deals
An Award-Winning Classic
NYC Diesel took a win at Spannabis in 2016, one of Europe’s most respected cannabis events, which speaks to the quality and consistency of its genetics. For a grower, that pedigree is reassuring: an award-winning strain has been judged on aroma, structure and finish, so you know the genetics behind your plants have already proved themselves.
That reputation is well earned. NYC Diesel is one of the most recognisable diesel strains around, prized for its loud, fuel-forward nose and clear, focused high, and it grows true to type into frosty, pungent, resin-coated flowers.
Climate and Where to Grow It
NYC Diesel prefers a warm, tropical-style climate with plenty of light and consistent heat. Its sativa lean and long flowering period mean it really wants a warm, extended season, so it does best indoors or in genuinely warm outdoor regions.
Indoors is where it shines, bringing in a strong 500 g/m² of pungent, resinous bud. Outdoors it is a lighter producer per plant at around 30–50 g and finishes late, in November, so outdoor growers need a long, warm autumn to ripen it fully. It reaches around 1.5 m, with the airy, elongated structure of a sativa.
Keep daytime temperatures around 68–82°F (20–28°C) and watch humidity, since tropical warmth often brings moisture; steady airflow protects the dense, diesel-scented colas through a long bloom.
Growing Feminized Photoperiod Seeds
As a feminized strain, every seed grows into a flowering female, so there is no need to sex the plants or remove males. That keeps the grow simple and means no wasted time or space on plants you would only cull.
Being a photoperiod plant, NYC Diesel flowers on a light change rather than on age. Grow it under a long day (around 18 hours of light) through the vegetative stage, then switch to a 12/12 cycle to trigger flowering. Because its bloom is long, plan your veg so the plant does not outgrow your space over the full cycle.
Feeding Schedule (EC Guide)
NYC Diesel is a steady feeder across a long flowering period, so give it what it needs week by week rather than pushing hard. Start low, build up gradually, and taper off for the final flush so the diesel flavour stays clean.
| Stage | EC (mS/cm) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Seedling | 0.4–0.6 | Very light feed, focus on healthy root growth |
| Vegetative growth | 0.8–1.2 | Build the frame, raise nitrogen gradually |
| Early flower | 1.2–1.4 | Shift toward bloom nutrients (P and K) |
| Full flower | 1.4–1.6 | Peak bloom feed through the long flowering stretch |
| Flush | 0.0–0.4 | Plain water for the final 1–2 weeks |
Flowering and Harvest
Once you flip to 12/12, bloom runs a long 10–12 weeks, which is typical of diesel-heavy sativa lines and the main thing to plan for. The sativa structure means some flowering stretch and airy, elongated colas rather than squat indica nuggets, so a little early training keeps the canopy even.
Patience pays off here: as the weeks pass, the plant stacks frosty, pungent, diesel-scented flowers. Harvest when most trichomes have turned cloudy with a few amber for the fullest expression, and run a short plain-water flush in the final week or two before you cut.
Drying and Curing
Dry whole plants or branches in a dark room at around 60°F (15–18°C) and 55–60% humidity for 7–14 days, until the thin stems snap rather than bend. A slow, even dry preserves that loud diesel aroma and stops the airy sativa buds drying too fast on the outside.
Then cure the trimmed buds in sealed jars, burping them daily for the first week and letting them settle for three to four weeks. A proper cure sharpens the fuel-forward, pungent character and rounds off the sweetness underneath, which is exactly what an award-winning diesel like this deserves.
What to Do With Your Trim
Don’t bin the sugar leaves you remove while manicuring. NYC Diesel is a frosty, resinous plant, so the trim is excellent for dry sift, bubble hash or rosin, giving you a bonus run of pungent concentrate from material most growers throw away.
Flavor and Terpenes
NYC Diesel is all about its loud, pungent diesel aroma, with a sweet note underneath that keeps it moreish rather than harsh. It is a fuel-forward, savoury profile that is instantly recognisable and a long way from a fruity or citrus-led strain.
Two terpenes lead it. Caryophyllene drives the peppery, pungent, fuel-like punch that defines the diesel character, while myrcene anchors an earthy, subtly sweet base that softens the edges. Together this simple pairing gives NYC Diesel its unmistakable loud-but-sweet signature.
Effects and Best Use
With its 60% sativa base, NYC Diesel is reported as focused, happy and relaxed. It is a clear-headed, upbeat profile with just enough body ease to stay balanced, which makes it well suited to daytime and creative or social use.
The medium 20% THC, paired with a touch of 1% CBD, keeps it potent but approachable, so it is easy to enjoy without being overwhelming. That focused high, the legendary diesel flavour and the award pedigree make it a genuinely rewarding strain to grow and use.
Common Problems and Pro Tips
NYC Diesel is an award-winning grow, but it is a long-flowering, loud diesel sativa that yields little outdoors, so plan around all three.
- Plan for a long, loud bloom: it flowers for 10 to 12 weeks and finishes in November, with a pungent diesel aroma, so feed it through the window and run a carbon filter.
- Grow it indoors for the yield: it is a strong producer indoors but very light per plant outdoors, so a tent or greenhouse gets far more out of this one.
- Manage the stretch: as a 60% sativa it reaches up after the flip, so train the tops and give it headroom to keep the canopy even and well lit.
Expert tip: it leans to a tropical climate and rewards patience through the long bloom. The loud, pungent diesel flavour holds up best with a slow dry and a careful cure in jars.
Frequently Asked Questions
What award did NYC Diesel win?
It took a win at Spannabis in 2016, one of Europe’s most respected cannabis events, reflecting the quality and consistency of its genetics. That pedigree is part of why it has stayed a sought-after diesel sativa, and it reflects how true to type the plant grows out for most people.
Is NYC Diesel indica or sativa?
It is sativa-dominant, at 60% sativa and 40% indica, which gives it a bright, focused, clear-headed effect with a light body side. That sativa lean also means a real stretch after the flip, so train the tops and give it headroom to keep the canopy even and well lit.
How long does it take to flower?
A long 10 to 12 weeks once you switch to a 12/12 light cycle, typical of diesel sativa lines, with outdoor plants finishing around November. Feed it through that whole window, keep air moving, and start checking trichomes toward the end to catch the plant at your preferred ripeness.
Is NYC Diesel good for beginners?
Yes. It is forgiving and grows true to type, which makes it beginner-friendly, though its long bloom and tropical preference reward a little patience. The main thing to plan for is the extended flowering window and the loud diesel aroma, which wants a carbon filter if discretion matters.
What does NYC Diesel taste like?
Expect a loud, pungent diesel-fuel flavour with a sweet undertone, driven by its caryophyllene and myrcene terpenes. The aroma is strong in flower, so run a carbon filter for discretion, and cure slowly in jars so that fuel-and-sweet character settles rather than fading after harvest.
How much does it yield?
Indoors it is a strong producer at 1.64 oz/ft² (500 g/m²), while outdoors it is very light per plant at 1.06 to 1.76 oz (30 to 50 g). That big gap means it performs best in a tent or greenhouse where you can control the light, the climate and the long bloom it needs.
