Regular seed is a popular choice for cannabis breeders looking to cultivate their own strains. However, it does come with its own set of challenges.
One such challenge is sexing, or determining which plants are male and which are female. Failing to do this can result in reduced yields and fewer buds overall.
Stable Genetics
The ability to grow the same plant each time a cultivator uses seed is essential in any agricultural industry. Unfortunately, this is not always the case for cannabis cultivators.
Breeders spend a significant amount of time, money, and patience to develop strains that are uniquely suited for their growing operations. These strains must contain all the desired properties (known as traits) that a grower wants in their new hybrid, including colour, leaf size, and different biochemical profiles.
Stabilising strain genetics is a long and painstaking process that involves breeding or back-crossing plants over several generations to make the sought-after traits dominant in a given strain. This allows for greater consistency in the presence of desired phenotypes across a given generation, while reducing undesirable characteristics.
However, despite their many advantages, genetic stabilisation remains a costly and time-consuming process for growers. This is where specialized seed development companies can come in handy. These companies are capable of developing and patenting patented genetics that can help growers get consistent results with less work.
Strong Yields
Regular seeds are a great choice for beginners and seasoned growers alike. The plants are generally very easy to manage and produce excellent yields with minimal stress, regardless of experience level.
The majority of regular cannabis seed varieties grow on a photoperiod schedule, meaning they transition from the vegetative phase to flowering depending on how many light hours they receive. They can also be autoflowering, which means they press on without having to change their light schedule.
However, they still need significant amounts of light throughout their life. This can cause some strains to require a considerable stretch after switching their light schedule from 12/12 to 24/24.
Nonetheless, they can be an excellent way to boost your harvests and create new genetic crosses. They’re also a valuable resource for experimentation purposes. They’re also much cheaper than feminized seeds, so they’re a good investment for anyone who wants to maintain their own genetics or breed new plants.
Organic
Organic seed is produced without synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. It may also contain heirloom or open-pollinated seeds, which have a light impact on the environment in which they are grown.
Regardless of the definition of organic, it’s important to understand that any seed or plant material product labeled as certified organic cannot be genetically modified (GMO). The USDA National Organic Program regulates organic seed use and production to ensure purity from seed to final food.
When it comes to vegetable and field crops, organic producers prioritize crop variety research in the areas of disease resistance and yield traits. The resulting crop varieties are adapted to the organic production systems that they will be used in.
Easy to Breed
Breeding is a process of creating new strains or hybrids using regular cannabis seeds. This allows growers to experiment and create phenotypes that are never seen before.
This also allows them to go back in time and relive the magic of the past by breeding old-school varieties that didn’t make it into feminized seed lines. It’s a great way to recreate some of the rarest, oldest and most cherished strains of all time.
Another benefit of regular seed is that it gives growers a chance to practise their growing skills without having to worry about the complexities of sexing plants. This can be a good choice for growers who want to learn about the marijuana plant and its growth process before attempting to breed their own strains.