While feminized seeds make cultivation much easier, growing with regular seed is an exciting voyage that can yield some really interesting genotypes and phenotypes. Plus, breeding your own strains is a very satisfying experience.
With regular seeds, you must weed out the male plants before flowering, but that extra work is worth it to some growers.
Breeding
Breeding your own strains of cannabis is an incredibly rewarding voyage. It gives you the chance to create your very own sativa or indica plant that offers the perfect combination of desired traits such as terpenes, high, yield and flowering period.
Regular seeds, also known as male weed seeds, are the preferred choice of breeders because they have a 50/50 chance of producing either a male or female cannabis plant when cultivated. This ratio means that you will need to cull a few male plants to ensure that your final crop is 100% female, with all of the sought-after cannabinoid rich buds that you want from your cannabis plant.
Buying regular seeds is cheaper than purchasing feminized seed because the process of creating a pack of feminized cannabis seeds requires more time and resources than producing regular seeds. However, growing a predominately female crop is easier for growers as they don’t have to worry about having to cull any male plants.
Cloning
Clones are an exact copy of their mother plant, providing growers with a consistent crop of cannabinoids and terpenes. They also eliminate the roll of the dice when it comes to genetics, which makes clones more appealing to growers who are looking for specific results or a particular strain.
To make a clone, researchers remove the DNA-containing nucleus from a mature body cell (e.g., skin) and add it to an empty egg cell, called an oocyte, in one of two ways. The process is similar to how sexual reproduction remixes the genomes of an egg and sperm.
The cloning process is labor intensive, and it can be difficult to get seeds to sprout, Hughes says. Seeds require a lot of attention, and it can take months to produce consumable plants. They also can be susceptible to environmental pests and sickness, which can contaminate other plants in the garden. Seeds can be sown in a wide variety of climates and conditions, but growers will need to carefully control temperature, humidity, watering, and the nutrient feed schedule.
Harvesting
Regular seeds grow into both male and female plants, which makes them less predictable than feminized seeds. Feminized seeds, which produce a higher percentage of female plants, are ideal for commercial growers who want to create a consistent crop of high-quality buds that have been carefully bred for specific cannabinoid and flowering characteristics.
Female plants, which produce the buds that you smoke and inhale, also yield a greater quantity of cannabinoid-rich resin than their male counterparts. But a ratio of 50/50 is normal, and you may end up with more male plants than females, which you can use for breeding in the future.
Seed harvesting is typically done in summer and fall when most plants are ready to ripen. You’ll need jars and other containers for collecting and processing wet seed, as well as paper bags and string to hold driest seed (for example, members of the mustard family). Also needed are trays or plates, water-proof sacks to keep rainwater off ripening seed, and markers and pens for labeling seed varieties.
Buying
Many growers choose regular seeds because they are cheaper to purchase. However, they require more work to cultivate because some won’t germinate and others will turn out to be males. Ultimately, the result is a lower percentage of bud-producing plants, which means more discarded seedlings.
If you’re a beginner, it’s best to start with feminized seeds or hybrids. These are easier to manage and will give you a higher chance of getting a keeper female plant.
If you’re an experienced grower, there are plenty of reasons to choose regular seeds. In addition to being easier to manage, they also offer a larger genetic diversity and have a longer flowering time. If you’re ready to buy regular seeds, check out Herbies Seeds. This seed bank offers free shipping on orders over $100 and has a great reputation for customer service. Plus, they have one of the cheapest prices on seeds and provide helpful extras like free branded seeds with every order!
