When choosing seeds, many cultivators have to decide between feminized and regular seed. This decision often comes down to the grower’s cultivation experience and their main aims with their crop.
Regular seed produces male and female plants, with on average a ratio of around 50/50. This means that the grower has to spend time identifying and removing male plants during the growing process.
Advantages
Regular seeds are not feminized, so they grow into plants that can produce both male and female flowers. This may sound counterintuitive, but a few things happen as a result of this:
First and foremost, the plants grown from regular seed are typically more potent. Moreover, the plants are more tolerant of stressors like heat and drought than their feminized counterparts.
The second advantage of growing with regular seeds is that they’re less expensive. This is due to the fact that feminized seeds undergo a genetic process that results in a higher price tag than regular seeds.
In addition, growing with regular seeds is more streamlined, as there’s no need to weed out male plants. This allows growers to utilize their grow space more efficiently and ultimately yield a larger crop. Additionally, growing with regular seeds gives growers the option to clone their plants and cultivate them as cuttings, which can be very useful for those who wish to preserve the potency of a strain.
Cost
The cost of regular cannabis seeds varies depending on the strain and seed breeder. However, it is generally less expensive than feminized seeds, making them an excellent choice for new growers or those on a budget.
In addition, the cultivation of regular seeds is more natural and sustainable than feminized seeds. This makes them a popular choice amongst experienced growers and breeders who enjoy the challenge of creating their own hybrid strains.
Whether you’re looking for cheap marijuana seeds or are simply searching for the best cannabis varieties, Herbies Seeds has an extensive selection of strains to choose from. We’re always adding new varieties to our collection, and we offer a wide range of discounts and promotions on our products. Check out our selection today! We look forward to helping you find the perfect strain for your garden. Happy growing! This is one of our hottest collections. It has a great mix of indica and sativa strains.
Genetic Stability
Genetically stable varieties are highly desirable to breeders who aim to develop new strains. Stabilising a strain takes many generations of selective breeding to produce hybrid offspring that display consistent traits and performance in the field. The stability of a variety is also an important factor in the molecular characterization that is carried out prior to regulatory approvals allowing commercial cultivation.
As with regular seeds, feminized seed produces male and female plants. The process of growing feminized seed requires careful observation and identification to ensure that male plants are removed before pollination occurs. As a result, cultivating feminized seeds is more labour intensive than growing regular seed.
The genetic stability of a variety is also an important consideration for breeders who wish to use their seeds in cloning operations. Using feminized seeds for cloning can result in unpredictable phenotype variation that is unfavorable for commercial crop production. Genetically stable seed is a key factor in ensuring that the desired phenotypes are consistently expressed throughout a harvest.
Male Plants
In a garden with regular seeds the ratio of male to female plants can fluctuate. While this can be frustrating for some growers, it can also provide a more challenging and rewarding experience. Male plants produce pollen which can be used to fertilize female plants and create new strains of cannabis. For this reason, growers who work with regular seeds often prefer to harvest the male plants and use them for breeding.
This can be more time-consuming than simply removing the female plants before they flower. However, it can save growers the hassle and expense of unplanned hermaphroditis. Hermaphroditis can be caused by a variety of factors, from genetic predisposition to physical stress and environmental conditions. Managing hermaphroditis is an important part of growing quality marijuana and requires vigilance, knowledge and swift action. Male plants can be harvested and used for breeding purposes, enabling growers to maintain their desired sex ratio. They can also be useful for growing cuttings and preserving seeds.
