Regular seeds produce both male and female plants (hermaphrodites). It’s important to identify and remove any hermaphrodites from your grow before they pollinate the next plants.
Breeding your own varieties is a rewarding experience that can yield some amazing results. Experimenting with different genotypes and phenotypes can give you the thrill of finding a never-before-seen strain!
Breeding
The best way to cultivate a strain of cannabis that you really like is to breed it yourself. This is much easier with regular seeds, and you can mix and match different phenos to create something that’s perfect for you.
Growing feminized seeds can be hard, especially for beginner growers. This is because you have to watch out for male plants and eliminate them before they pollinate the females, or else your whole crop will be ruined.
This is a process that can take up a lot of time and space, which can result in waste. It can also be very expensive, since a large percentage of the plants will not grow into usable buds and will have to be discarded. This can include the cost of hydro system space, nutrients, and dedicated growing medium. This can add up quickly, especially if you’re breeding large amounts of clones for later harvests. Feminized seeds can save you money in this respect, as well as time.
Cloning
Some cultivars that were around before feminized seeds became popular are only available in regular seed form. They can be used to create new hybrids that express the original breeder’s desired traits or to preserve the genetic lineage of a cultivar.
Clones take a bit longer to be ready for flowering, but they save growers the hassle of dealing with hermaphrodite plants that produce pollen sacs and dilute buds. Clones also give growers a head start because they are already biologically mature and have a good head of roots, whereas seeds must first germinate and then develop their root systems.
When taking a clone, make sure it’s from a healthy plant with strong, white roots. Brown roots indicate a weak clone that may not be able to thrive in your garden. It’s best to quarantine clones for a few days or even a week after they are taken. This will protect your entire garden in case any diseases or pests are transmitted.
Genetic Stability
The genetics of a cannabis plant determine what cannabinoids it will contain, how big it will grow and other vital aspects of the plant. Stable genetics are a key requirement for breeders because they can reliably produce new phenotypes and ensure that the strain has consistent quality in multiple environments and growing conditions.
When stable parents are crossed together, the offspring can be expected to express predictable Mendelian ratios. However, when unstable parent plants are crossed, the result is unpredictable heterozygous offspring that may not correspond to a predicted Mendelian ratio.
Demonstration of genetic stability forms a significant portion of the safety assessment that all GM products undergo prior to receiving the requisite regulatory approvals enabling commercial authorization. Such analysis is typically performed at the DNA, mRNA and protein level with comparable guidance being provided by different regulatory authorities in various regions of the world.
Yield
Regular cannabis seeds contain both male and female chromosomes (XX) which means they can produce either male or female plants. This enables growers to work with them to create their own sexy hybrids, but they can also be mixed with other strains to generate new breeds too. As a result, many growers choose to use regular seed when they want to experiment with photoperiod or autoflowering genetics.
In terms of yield, regular seeds tend to produce a higher percentage of smokable buds than feminized varieties. However, it is important to note that the yield will vary depending on a variety of factors.
For example, good growing conditions can lead to a high level of yield, and the right nutrient regimen will help your plants produce a larger quantity of resinous flowers. These are full of the potent cannabinoid compounds that make cannabis so popular and sought after.