Ziplock Seeds’ Shanoah Stanley has a compulsion: He can’t stop breeding.
“You get carried away with breeding, and you say to yourself, ‘Don’t forget to test it and release it.’ I have a problem like that,” he said.
So the 7-year-old southern Oregon-based brand is shifting gears this summer. Stanley is pausing research and development to focus on releasing his masterwork: the Black Panther line of feminized seed crosses. He’s dropping 37 of them, about a dozen at a time, at ziplockseeds.com.
The goal: put Ziplock on the map like no other Oregon breeder besides Archive Seed Bank. It’s an attainable goal.
Black Panther is a cross of Cookies’ Cheetah Piss mixed with a selection of LIT Farms’ Watermelon Mimosa crossed with Jealousy. LIT called it KY Jealousy. Stanley named his selection Sinful.
Ziplock hunted his Black Panther and found his keeper in 2021. Since then, the tropical, Burgundy wine and citrus-fuel strain has become his most award-winning, he said. Growers have racked up wins with it in the 2024 Caribbean Cup, as well as in Bogotá, Colombia, and Argentina contests. In total, Stanley said Ziplock Seeds has powered more than 75 contest wins for growers worldwide.
Casting a Shadow
Out in his spot in Oregon, Stanley reversed the Black Panther to produce feminized pollen and pollinated his stable to make the current lineup. Stanley is so far ahead of most breeders, his strain names are unrecognizable: Cyber Wolf? Bombay Fuzz? Fog Lights?
It’s basically the best stuff from Seed Junky Genetics and Compound Genetics selected and crossed to make new lines.
“I breed with the best shit that we find,” he said. “Most people can’t relate to anything I’m doing because it’s so new and modern. Well, do you know what Gas Face is? The Menthol? Apples and Bananas? Zoap? Zangria? Z?”
When talking about making selections in his greenhouse, Stanley said, “It has to stop me in my tracks.” He does a speed walk through the rows, first focusing on vigor. All Ziplock plants are girthy and prison-swole. The smell on the branch doesn’t count. What’s crucial is jar smell, smoke, flavor translation and terp durability — the stuff consumers will notice.
Meet the Claw
He casts his genetic nets far and wide, and the haul has arrived. First up is Znow Leopard (Znow Flakes x Black Panther), described as having deep, rich notes of fuel, tropical candy, dessert wine and sherbert. The mom is a mix of Zoap and Frosted Flakes. Frosted Flakes is Cereal Milk and White Truffle. Rawr!
The first likely cup winner? White Chocolate Chip crossed with Black Panther. The fruitiest? Tropic Thunder. The best for hash? Black Panther crosses to Papaya Mon, Hash Burger, Divine Nectar or Zerari. Tiger’s Kiss bleeds red sap when you cut it. It’s a whole menagerie.
Where does this passion and zeal come from? Stanley was born and raised in Maui, Hawaii, growing on roadsides and in mountain pastures with his dad. Frustration from an early bust led him to just give away seeds in blank Ziploc baggies. Everyone started calling him “Ziplock,” and it stuck.
Aside from a Breeding Grounds deal with Sensi Seeds, Stanley handles all his own photos, website and materials. Expect more from the Black Panther oeuvre to trickle out into 2027. Don’t try to keep him out of the garden, either.
“I don’t need to make any more seeds, but I’m going to because I’m crazy,” he said. “The fire is hot. We keep stoking it, and we’re not stopping.”
Pot Farmer’s Almanac
Early finishers wrap up this month. Regular finishers flower hard. Supplement nutrients phosphorus and potassium as needed. Take your bud photos. Tidy up the dry room, order Grove Bags and other gear, clean and sharpen scissors and set a harvest schedule. The first day of fall is Sept. 22. Harvest Moon, also known as Corn Moon, is Sept. 26.
