Since feminized seeds became available, regular seed has become something of a forgotten seed. However, it still has its uses for the gardener who enjoys making their own seed stock.
Regular seeds produce hermaphrodite plants with male and female flowers. This means they require sexing to remove the male plants and can produce a lower yield than feminized seeds.
Variety
Regular seeds offer a wider variety of genetics than feminized seed, which makes them ideal for growers who prefer a more natural experience. They are more unpredictable however, with a greater chance of producing male plants than females. This can be problematic for commercial growers who need a specific ratio of female to male plants in their crop.
Because of this, growers with regular seeds should always plant more than they need, and carefully monitor their crop throughout the growing stages to identify and remove any hermaphrodite plants. They also need to make sure the plants are protected from male pollen during the blooming stage.
Dutch Passion’s selection of regular seeds is comprised of classic cultivars dating back to the 1980s and earlier, offering potency, taste, and rare traits not found in modern feminized strains. Many of these varieties are also available as clones, which can be used to create exact genetic copies of the original specimen.
Genetic Stability
Genetic stability is the ability to preserve desirable strain traits through generations. This is an important consideration for breeders looking to create new strains, as it allows them to produce consistent phenotypes. It can also help prevent unwanted traits from becoming dominant in a strain genotype over time.
Genetic instability is a complex problem, and can be caused by many different factors. These include environmental conditions, and the health of the maintained parents. For this reason, it is critical to test for genetic stability of your seed lots.
Regulatory bodies often request that transgenes be tested for stability at two time points to demonstrate their fidelity and integration pattern. Our experts can work with you to develop a testing strategy that meets your requirements. This may involve protein expression testing or RNA transcripts, depending on your specific needs and regulatory requirements.
Ease of Pollination
A grower can produce a much greater variety of plants when using regular seed. These plants can be cross-bred and specialized growers will develop strains with precise characteristics that they have selected and refined. This will create a variety of phenotypes, which vary in appearance, aroma, taste, and effect.
Another advantage of growing with regular seeds is the ease with which it is possible to pollinate plants. Male plants will naturally flower about two weeks before females, so a good rule of thumb is to make sure that the plants are kept far enough apart so that the pollen cannot be carried between them.
A grower should also be aware that regular seeds have a slight chance of producing hermaphroditic plants, which have both male and female reproductive organs. This can lead to unwanted pollination and a decrease in overall flower quality. It is therefore important to ensure that the plants are sexed and that hermaphrodites are removed promptly. The environmental conditions in which the plants are grown should also be maintained to prevent this, ensuring that the temperature is adequate and the humidity is consistent.
Cost
Whether you’re an experienced breeder looking to create new strains or simply enjoy the taste and effects of traditional cultivars, regular seeds are a good choice. They preserve genetic stability for breeding purposes and offer the potential for phenotype variation, which can produce variations in appearance, flavor, aroma, and effect.
These seeds work the way nature intended, generating male and female plants that can be pollinated for new cultivars or superior clones. Growers and breeders who prefer the process of separating male plants from females find working with regular seed a more rewarding cultivation experience.
Because of their inherent risk of producing a male plant, regular cannabis seeds require sexing to ensure that all plantings are female. This can take time and energy that could be better spent ensuring the proper care of other plantings. It’s important to monitor sexing progress closely during the pre-flowering stage, so you can remove any male plants promptly. This will prevent hermaphroditism and protect the yield of your final product.
