If you are looking to grow marijuana as naturally as possible then regular seed is the way to go. Feminized seeds are more predictable as they only produce female plants, but they come with a premium price tag.
With the relatively recent developments of feminized seeds, it is easy to overlook the advantages of regular seed. Read on to learn more about the benefits of growing with regular cannabis seeds.
Unaltered Genetics
Regular seeds are the natural offspring of a male cannabis plant pollinating a female. Depending on environmental conditions, this can result in either 50% male plants or 100% female plants when they mature.
Because they haven’t undergone any genetic tinkering like feminized or autoflowering seeds, they grow as naturally as the plants that originally came from them. This can make them easier for growers to cultivate.
As a result, many seasoned cannabis growers prefer to use regular seeds when developing new strains or creating crossbreeds. They are also often recommended for beginners because they allow for mistakes during the learning process. As a consequence, they help novices develop a thorough understanding of the full growing cycle and plant care. This can lead to better, more consistent results.
Better Genetic Stability
As they have not been subject to any genetic manipulation, regular seeds operate as nature intended. Using them, growers have an even chance of growing male and female plants, and can make crossings to develop new cultivars or improve existing ones.
During the breeding process, breeders must work over multiple generations to produce stable offspring with desirable traits, and ensure that any offspring that are females will be fertile. This process takes a lot of time and effort, especially in the first few generations when there is a high chance that hermaphrodite specimens will emerge, which can degrade the quality of the entire crop.
With a predominately female crop, growers don’t have to worry about dealing with male plants, making the cultivation process much easier. This is especially helpful when trying to achieve a specific harvest time frame.
Cheaper to Buy
Aside from the fact that they do not require any special agronomic techniques to produce, regular seeds are far cheaper than their feminized counterparts. As a result, they’re the ideal choice for beginning growers to explore different strains and build up their experience without breaking the bank.
Feminized seeds are a bit more expensive to produce, so they’re often viewed as the more premium option when it comes to buying cannabis seeds. However, experienced growers with a decent amount of growing knowledge can still breed plants from regular seed and create their own unique cultivars.
If you’re looking for a reliable source of quality regular seed, look no further than the Herbies catalog. Here you’ll find strains from renowned seed banks that are backed by years of research and expertise.
Higher Yields
One of the biggest reasons many growers choose regular seed is because it usually yields significantly higher than feminized seeds. When using feminized seeds you’ll typically get roughly half male plants, which are not only undesirable because they do not produce buds but can also cause other problems with your growing process, like blocking light or competing for nutrients.
In contrast, when using regular seed you’ll almost always get a greater percentage of female plants which allows you to spend all your time, energy and resources on your desired strain and will lead to high harvests.
It is also easier to breed a plant with regular seeds, something that many home growers love to do as it gives them the freedom to create unique strains of their own.
Easier to Breed
While it may seem like a big hassle to deal with the male plants that grow from regular seeds, they are actually great for breeders. They can use the male plants to produce new seeds, and they’ll have a natural proportion of female plants too.
This allows them to produce a crop that is perfect for their needs. They can then select their favourite specimens and cross them to create a brand new strain. This is a great way to find specimens with the optimum levels of potency, flavour profiles and colours.
This can also help growers to manage their crop more easily. It means that they don’t have to spend time eliminating male plants or worrying about their flowers being pollinated by neighbouring plants.
