When it comes to growing cannabis, the choice of seed type is critical. The decision should be based on your resources, goals, and growing conditions.
There are two main types of seeds: regular and feminized. Both have their pros and cons.
Stable Genetics
Many breeders prefer regular seed because it offers stable genetics. Unlike feminized seed, which often has a high level of instability due to genetic modifications, regular seed has not undergone any modification that would make future generations less stable.
Stable seeds are developed by breeding or back-crossing plants with desired traits over several generations to establish parental lines. Eventually, desirable dominant traits are established in both parents while undesirable traits are eliminated.
Using these stable parental lines, the breeder can then cross-breed with new strains to produce hybrids of diverse phenotypes containing all the characteristics of their original parent. Ideally, the offspring will express three or more different phenotypes (depending on the parent stability), which can include colour, leaf size, root length, disease resistance, and other features.
This process takes time, but is essential if growers want to develop consistent and reliable genetics that will result in predictable results. This is especially true in cannabis cultivation where cultivators often have a limited number of plants available.
Less Expensive
The price of a cannabis seed is largely determined by various factors, including the strain’s popularity, potency, breeder and amount of seeds. Generally, the more popular a strain is and the higher its THC and CBD concentrations, the more expensive it will be.
If you’re not planning on breeding your own strains, then regular seeds are a great choice. They’re less expensive than other types of seeds because they only have a 50% chance of producing either male or female plants.
They’re also easier to grow than feminized seeds, which make them ideal for beginner and intermediate growers. In addition to being less expensive, regular seeds are also easier to clone, meaning you can easily create identical genetic copies of your favorite strains. Lastly, clones are a much faster way to harvest a crop than flowers. Moreover, clones can be planted directly into the soil, which reduces the need for fertilizer and other nutrients. You can save even more money by taking advantage of seed bank promotions.
Easier to Breed
When it comes to cannabis breeding, regular seed is usually considered easier to breed than feminized or autoflowering seeds. However, it’s also worth noting that both types of seeds have their pros and cons.
For breeders, the main advantage of regular seeds is that they offer a more natural proportion of females and males than feminized plants. This makes it much easier to breed a new strain with quality genetics.
Another reason growers choose to use regular seeds is that they can often be purchased cheaper than feminized seeds. The downside is that some regular seeds will end up being males, which can be frustrating and wasteful if you’re trying to breed new varieties.
If you’re an experienced grower, regular seeds can make a great source material for cannabis breeding. By cross-breeding your favorite strains, you can create new varieties that combine the best traits of each. You can even mix and match terpene profiles to create the perfect combination.
Less Stressful
Regular seed is the gold standard in terms of delivering a well-balanced yield with an impressive aroma and THC/CBD ratio. In addition to its renowned terpenes, it also produces the best looking flowers and most pronounced buds on your crop.
Unlike feminized seeds, which are often bred using males as the parents, regular seeds produce female phenotypes by default – with some notable exceptions (see our guide to choosing the right strain for you). This is great news for growers who want to get their hands on top-notch genetics suited for their needs and tastes without the hassle of cloning or grafting.
Although the aforementioned feminized seed is no slouch, regular seeds are still the way to go for many growers. They might not have a mind-blowing tush-to-the-bones yield, but they will certainly provide you with a well-balanced, high quality cannabis harvest that is well worth the extra effort and money spent. Of course, you may need to spend some time experimenting with different strains until you find the perfect match for your space and preferences.
