If you’re looking to create your own strains, regular seeds are essential. Without them, you cannot make clones (taking a cut from a mother plant to grow an identical specimen) which are necessary for breeding and crossing.
Feminized and autoflowering seeds are also available, but many growers prefer working with regular seed for breeding, experimentation and rigorous growth. The choice of what kind to buy comes down to your growing experience and expectations.
Stable Genetics
Regular seed comes from cannabis strains that have been stabilised through a number of generations. Stabilising a strain is a long and complex process. Breeders begin by selecting stable mothers and fathers. They are then crossed in order to produce hybrid offspring that possess certain desired characteristics. These hybrid offspring, known as the filial-1 or F1, generation will exhibit a range of phenotypes that will display different traits closer to the mother or father, according to Mendelian inheritance.
These hybrid offspring will then be crossed again in order to create the F2 or S1 generation. After many generations, the genetics of the strain will have stabilised and there should be a high degree of predictability in terms of offspring phenotype expression, with a ratio corresponding to Mendelian inheritance of 50% closer to the mother and 25% to the father.
A stable strain will be able to produce consistently favourable growth, organoleptic and psychoactive results. This can be advantageous for growers who are looking to create clones of a specific variety.
Breeding Potential
Having the ability to create and cultivate new strains of cannabis is important for many growers. While some growers only want to keep the same strains for their personal harvests, others enjoy creating their own masterpieces using regular seed.
Compared to feminized seeds, which will produce only female plants 99% of the time, the chances of male plants in regular seed are much higher. This means that growers will need to weed out the male plants early on in the growing process or breed them with other females to create the desired outcome.
As a result, some of the most desirable old-school strains never made it to the feminized market and are only available as regular seed. These types of strains are prized for their genetic diversity and can produce a wide range of phenotypes, including variations in appearance, aroma, yield, resistance to pests, and effects. This variation is known as ‘breeding potential’ and allows breeders to develop unique cannabis varieties.
High-Quality Flower Buds
Regular cannabis seeds offer stable genetics, breeding potential and the possibility of phenotype variation. Like all plants, they require a certain amount of care to flourish and produce high-quality flower buds. Because regular seed produces both male and female plants, growers need to carefully monitor their gardens for hermaphroditic plant growth to avoid unwanted pollination and a decrease in overall harvest quality. With careful observation and consistent monitoring, identifying and removing hermaphroditic plants becomes easier over time.
Regular marijuana seeds are considerably cheaper than feminized cannabis seeds and will generally produce an ideal yield if grown correctly. However, they can be prone to hermaphroditism which can reduce overall yields, especially in crowded indoor grows. This can be overcome by regularly weeding out the male plants. This can be a pain, but the results are well worth it in the end. Regular seeds are the preferred choice for experienced growers and breeders looking to create their own strains with specific traits in mind.
Easy to Grow
Regular seeds give growers access to a wide range of genetics, resulting in phenotypes with diverse vegetative traits, yield, flavour and aroma. They are especially favored by specialized cultivators who enjoy the opportunity to create their own strains using specific, precise characteristics.
Unlike feminized seeds, regular seeds produce both male and female plants. This means that growers must identify and remove the males to prevent them from pollinating the females. This can be a time-consuming process, but it’s worth the effort in terms of the superior phenotypes that are produced.
For commercial growers who require a high number of females and are unable to use cloning techniques, feminized seeds are the best option. However, for experienced breeders who are able to use cloning and are interested in breeding, regular seeds offer more genetic potential than any other cannabis seed type. They also produce robust, stress-resistant plants that can withstand many environmental conditions. This makes them a better choice for outdoor cultivation, in regions with warmer climates or for growers who are legally limited to a small number of plants.
