Many factors can determine whether a cultivator chooses to grow regular or feminized seeds. This can range from cultivation experience to their primary goal for the harvest.
Regular seeds produce a mixture of male and female plants. This makes them ideal for breeding. They also grow on a photoperiod schedule and are perfect for taking cuttings or making clones.
Stability
A lot of growers who are into breeding find that they get far better results with regular seed, and clones made from it. This is because feminized seeds undergo significant genetic tampering, which means that they only have a 50/50 chance of producing flowering female plants or male plants.
Male cannabis plants are incredibly valuable to breeders, as they produce pollen that is essential for the creation of new seeds. However, cultivating a large number of males can be an enormous hassle for growers, especially if they are working in a small space.
With regular seed, this problem is eliminated. This way, the gardener only needs to eliminate male plants (and any potential hermaphrodites) as they come to fruition. This allows the grower to focus on growing a larger harvest of top-quality buds. This is why many of our customers opt for regular seeds over feminized varieties.
Cheaper
Cultivators who want to grow a variety of strains or create their own cultivars will often choose regular seeds. This is because regular seed operates the way nature intended, with a 50% chance of emerging as male or female cannabis plants. Male plants are essential for creating new cultivars as they provide pollen that can be used in breeding to produce clones of the desired phenotype.
Feminized seeds operate much differently than their regular counterparts and as such, have a few disadvantages for growers. Feminized seed can be expensive and if you’re a grower that is looking to save money, then buying regular seeds may be more appropriate.
Although feminized seed can provide growers with a safer and easier experience, it can also discourage growers from exploring their own creations. This is why many growers still opt for regular seeds and Herbies’ collection of cheap seeds is a testament to this. However, affordable doesn’t always mean low quality as Herbies offers some of the best and cheapest seeds on the market.
Easier to Breed
Breeding regular seeds allows growers and breeders to experiment with different genetic combinations. The offspring of two strains can produce a whole host of unique phenotypes. These phenotypes differ in appearance, aroma, flavour and effects. This genetic variability can add a lot of excitement and creativity to the cultivation process.
If you have a favourite weed strain, growing regular seeds allows you to create your very own cultivar. You can cross the bud-capable female specimens with your own male plants to create offspring that displays the best characteristics of both parent strains.
This type of breeding also makes it possible to create clones from your favourite strain. These clones can be used to duplicate the terpene profile, flavour and colour of a specific specimen. This can be a fantastic option for those who are looking to recreate a classic, pre-90s heritage strain that never made it to the feminized market. The clones can be transplanted to a new plant and continue producing female specimens.
Genetics
In a world where many of us are trying to avoid the use of any unnecessary chemicals, especially those involved in seed production, regular seeds offer peace of mind. Feminized seeds are produced by spraying female plants with some fairly unsettlingly-sounding chemicals (usually colloidal silver) that trick them into producing male pollen sacs.
Regular seeds on the other hand, produce 50% male and 50% female plants. They are the perfect choice for growers who are looking to breed their own strains. This can be for any number of reasons; whether it’s to increase potency, flavour profile, yield or resistance to stress.
SSSC has a great selection of regular genetics including some excellent original 1980’s classics like Creamy Kees and Karel’s Old School Haze. If you’re looking to create your own hybrids and crosses then a good choice would be a SSSC regular photo-dependent cannabis seed. These will give you the best chance of creating some truly special phenotypes.