Before feminized seed technology became popular regular seeds were the only way to grow cannabis. Regular seeds produce a 50/50 mixture of male and female plants.
This gives the grower a wide variety of phenos to work with. It also allows for easy breeding. However, growing regular seeds is a little more difficult than with feminized seeds.
Breeding
Regular seeds are a popular choice for growers who wish to cultivate multiple harvests. This type of seed is created by the natural breeding process, which means that they are more stable than feminized seeds.
Feminized seeds are the result of a cross between a male plant and a female plant. The offspring of this crossing will contain only female chromosomes (X) and not male ones (Y). Because of this, the seeds produced from them are guaranteed to be 100% female.
However, this process is not without its challenges. During the breeding phase, growers must eliminate any male plants that might emerge from the plant. This can be a challenge, especially for growers who are focusing on a particular strain and want to ensure that they receive the highest possible yield. This is also an important aspect to consider for breeders who are looking to create new cultivars or hybrids. This can be a time-consuming and expensive process.
Cloning
Cloning cannabis plants can save growers time and money by avoiding the need to start new seeds every cultivation cycle. It can also allow growers to hone in on the specific traits they enjoy most, resulting in a more consistent product that offers a similar experience to the consumer. Cloning is a natural form of reproduction that has been used by plants, fungi, and bacteria for millions of years. The process involves cutting a stem or leaf from the parent plant and growing it in soil to produce a new plant.
Cloning can be done from a seed or a clone, depending on the grower’s preference. Clones are generally preferred over seeds because they offer a higher yield of female plants. They are also ideal for growers who want to crossbreed or create seeds through pollination. However, clones can also produce male plants. This can make them less desirable for certain growers, as they may not be as potent as feminized seeds.
Old school genetics
In the world of cannabis seed there are some committed breeders who preserve old strains. One of these breeders is known as Oldman Green, he is a master at this task and has amassed an incredible collection of old school genetics dating from the end of the 80’s and throughout the 90’s.
He has used this library to create some spectacular hybrids which he has now brought to market in regular form. This launch drop of new varieties features collaborations with Karma Genetics on the majority of these strains as well as an exclusive collaboration with GG Strains for their beautifully-bred OS Glue.
This collection of classic cannabis seeds includes an impressive mix of sativa and indica varieties. These strains are available in packs of 12 regular seeds or 6 feminized seeds. As regular seeds produce a mixture of male and female plants extra care must be taken to ensure you get the results you want, this is in contrast with feminized seeds which are guaranteed to produce female plants 99.9% of the time.
Experimentation
When Beal retired in 1910, he left the project to MSU faculty. Since then, a different team has been responsible for unearthing the bottles every five years to see which ones will sprout. But the experiment has lasted far longer than expected, because the researchers decided to stretch out the interval.
In addition to germination tests, quality testing is performed on seed lots. It is important to assess a seed sample’s purity and viability by using the right procedure. For native species, this often requires a special understanding of their seed physiology. One technique is the cut test, which measures seed fill and internal integrity. However, this method is not foolproof, as both viable and non-viable seeds can look the same.
Other methods, such as the tetrazolium (TZ) test, also provide a quick and reliable measure of viability. These techniques have the potential to improve seed quality and reduce seed waste in wild plant production.