When growing marijuana, it’s important to choose the right seeds. There are many different types of seeds available, including regular, feminized, and autoflowering. Each has its own pros and cons.
Regular seed works exactly how nature intended – it has an equal chance of producing male or female plants. This makes them a good choice for growers who are looking to breed new cultivars.
Cost-effectiveness
Regular seeds are more expensive than feminized ones, but they offer some distinct advantages. For starters, they produce a mix of male and female plants, which is ideal for commercial growers. They also provide the opportunity to experiment with crossbreeds, which can lead to new strains with unique terpene profiles.
Despite these benefits, most professional growers prefer feminized seeds because they are easier to manage. Using feminized seeds eliminates the risk of male plants ruining an entire crop, as well as the need for sexing individual plants. This can save growers a lot of time and money, as well as reduce the amount of waste produced by discarded plants.
Feminized seeds also make it easier to cultivate a large crop at the same time. This allows for a larger harvest, and provides more options for growing conditions. They are also ideal for beginner growers because they do not require the same level of attention and care as regular seeds.
Stability
Regular seeds produce both male and female plants, so they are a good choice for growers who want to breed their own strains. The process of creating stable genetics takes time, patience, and a lot of seeds. However, it is a great way to create new strains that are more likely to express the desired phenotypes and produce consistent crops.
Regular seed is also more stable than feminized seeds. Feminized seeds can become hermaphrodites, which can cause a variety of issues. For example, hermaphrodite plants may produce more flowers, or they may have more trichomes than the original strain.
To avoid this problem, it is important to store your weed seeds properly. They should be stored in an airtight container with silica gel packets. Moisture can damage the seeds, so it’s best to keep them in a cool, dark place.
Genetics
In terms of genetics, regular seeds operate exactly how nature intended. They have an equal chance of emerging as male or female plants, which is a good thing for breeders. This can lead to the creation of new phenotypes, which are essential for developing new cultivars.
Another benefit of growing with regular seed is its stability. Feminized seeds undergo a process that can cause stability issues, while regular seeds remain unaltered. This can make a big difference when it comes to predicting the yield of your harvest.
Lastly, growing with regular seed is ideal for those who want to grow organically. Many landrace strains such as Afghan, Durban Poison and Hindu Kush are unaltered and therefore have better resistance to pests and environmental stressors. This can also result in a healthier, stronger crop that is better adapted to its growing environment. This makes it easier to get the highest quality buds possible. Despite all of these advantages, some growers may still choose to use feminized seed because it’s more convenient and less expensive.
Breeding
Many old-school cultivars were never feminized, and are preserved today as regular seeds. These seeds make it possible for growers to create their own unique cannabis strains. While it’s not a requirement for any serious home growing enthusiast, breeding your own cultivars can be incredibly rewarding. It also helps you identify which plants are male and which are female, which is important for preserving the purity of your crop.
Unlike feminized seeds, regular seed will produce both female and male specimens in large numbers. This can be frustrating, especially for beginners who are experimenting with their plants. However, there are ways to minimize the number of male plants produced by regular seeds. These include stressing your plants using techniques like topping, fimming, lollypopping and defoliating them. This will help your weed plants develop more female chromosomes, and less male ones. This will make your plants much easier to distinguish sex from when you start collecting phenotypes for your next breeding project.
