Year: 2023

Nowadays most growers prefer feminized seeds as they save them the trouble of sexing their plants. However, regular seed offers a lot to experiment with for the gardener who enjoys home breeding.

They allow you to create unique strains with their own specific phenotypes. They are also more stable than feminized seeds and don’t become hermaphrodites under stress.

Stability

If you want a stable cannabis plant that will produce consistent yields over time, regular seed is the best choice. The path to creating a stabilized plant requires rigorous breeding, and it takes time, patience, and capital to grow more than twelve generations of plants.

Seeds are stored in a dry state that prevents them from deteriorating. Moisture, however, can be a problem and seeds will degrade faster if exposed to it for extended periods of time. To prevent this, store seeds in a cool dark place and try to keep them dry as much as possible.

Because feminized seeds are a result of genetic tampering, they are not as stable as their regular counterparts. Feminized seeds also only produce female plants, so the grower must weed out males manually. This can be time-consuming and tedious, but is essential to getting a good harvest. This extra effort is often worth it for the quality of the buds.

Reliability

The cannabis industry has a lot of jargon that can be confusing to beginner growers. For example, terms like feminized and regular can be misunderstood, especially when it comes to seeds. The best seed banks understand this confusion and offer a satisfaction guarantee.

Regular seeds are the standard type of marijuana seed and have a 50% chance of producing either male or female cannabis plants when cultivated. They are the preferred choice of breeders because they allow them to create new strains by crossing and breeding male and female plants.

However, for growers who want a more reliable harvest, feminized seeds are the way to go. Feminized seeds produce a high percentage of female plants, which makes cultivation much easier. It is no longer necessary to identify and remove male plants from a cannabis crop. This saves time and money for the grower. It also allows them to focus on improving their growing technique to increase their yield.

Inheritance

The main drawback to regular seeds is that they will grow into both male and female plants, so you will need to remove the pollen sacs on the males before they have a chance to fertilize the buds of the females. Failing to do so will reduce your yield and can lead to seedy, undeveloped colas.

Another disadvantage of regular seeds is that they are more likely to become hermaphrodites under certain stress conditions, such as topping, fimming, lollypopping, and defoliation. This can be problematic if you are growing for harvest, because hermaphrodite plants will produce fewer buds than the females and require extra energy to make the weed they do produce.

Choosing between feminized and regular seeds is really a matter of personal preference, as both are suitable for growing cannabis with a wide range of applications. However, if you are growing for production, then feminized seeds offer many advantages. They are more reliable and more predictable, which makes them a better choice for the busy grower.

Breeding

If you are planning to grow your own marijuana, you might want to consider working with regular seeds rather than feminized ones. Feminized seeds are less predictable in that they may produce both male and female plants. This can be an inconvenience for a grower and results in unnecessary time and money spent on removing the hermaphrodite plants.

However, growing your own marijuana with regular seeds can be a rewarding experience. It can allow you to experiment with different genetic combinations and create the strain of your dreams. It will also give you the opportunity to work with a wide selection of specimens, including those that express unique aromas, highs and flowering patterns.

Growing your own marijuana with regular seeds can be an ideal solution for advanced growers who are looking to develop their own hybrids. Just be sure to take the necessary precautions and select your seeds carefully. For example, be sure to choose seeds that have a good ratio of male to female plants.

While many seed catalogues focus on feminized varieties, regular seeds are still an important choice for both beginner and experienced growers alike. Regular seeds produce both male and female cannabis plants, and will usually yield a 50/50 ratio of each.

Feminized seeds, on the other hand, guarantee you a crop of female cannabis plants each time.

Unaltered Genetics

Regular seeds are a good choice for growers who want to cultivate organically. Many landrace strains have remained unaltered, such as Afghan and Durban Poison, and their natural genetics can offer growers resistance to disease and a more resilient crop.

In addition, some of the most legendary strains of the old school never made it to feminized seed and are available as regular plants only. For example, Bruce Banner regular is an incredible sativa that lives up to its namesake and delivers high THC levels in a hardy plant.

Like all plants, regular cannabis seeds carry both male and female DNA. This means that a crop of regular sexed plants will produce roughly equal numbers of male and female colas. Growers who choose to work with regulars must identify and separate out the male colas as they emerge, to prevent them from pollinating the remaining female plants and lowering yields. This can be a challenge, and is especially difficult in a greenhouse or outdoor environment.

More Stable Genetics

If you’re a cultivator who wants the strongest, most vigorous and stress-resistant plant then regular seeds are the way to go. They’re the most natural seed type, free from genetic forcing within their DNA as is the case with feminized seeds. It’s also highly rare, if not impossible, for a strain grown from regular seeds to become hermaphrodite.

This makes them a popular choice for experienced breeders who want to produce their own cultivars. When growing regular cannabis, you can expect a 50/50 mix of male and female plants. Male plants are extremely valuable when it comes to breeding, as they produce pollen which can be used to create new phenotypes.

This is a process that requires patience, skill and experience, but can be extremely rewarding for those who are willing to commit to it. This is why it’s best to stick with reputable seed banks that have a history of good customer service, plenty of cannabis cups and some impressive genetic awards under their belt.

Cheaper Seeds

Many reputable seed companies offer cheap seeds that will still give you top-notch genetics. The best cheap cannabis seeds come from renowned breeders. They can be found in large chains or at garden-specific specialty retailers. They usually have return policies of up to 90 days with receipts.

For example, if you want to try Indiana Bubble Gum from Seed Pharm, their cheap seeds are easy for newbies to grow and produce a moderate harvest of high-quality buds in 6 to 8 weeks. Crop King offers a similar option with their Cream auto-flowering seeds. They combine Jack Herer and Russian ruderalis with a 7 to 9 week harvest time and 17% THC content.

You can also find cheap seeds from heirloom and organic vegetable and fruit seeds from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. They sell a wide range of seeds including vegetables, flowers, herbs and more. They are a worker-owned co-op and their prices are very competitive. They also have a wide selection of BOGO and free seed deals that can dramatically reduce the cost per seed.

Better for Breeding

While feminized seeds are gaining in popularity, regular seed offers several benefits for breeders looking to develop new strains. Growers that choose to work with regular seed can easily separate male and female plants to collect pollen for future crops. This process allows them to keep their favourite version of a particular cultivar, or even create a brand-new strain entirely.

In addition, working with regular sex plants provides the opportunity to study their genetics more closely. Knowing which plants are male and which are female will also reduce the amount of space, nutrients and lighting that is wasted on sexing.

Finally, many old school strains have been preserved in regular seed form because they never made it through the feminization process. These landrace cultivars can still be found as a great option for growers seeking a truly organic experience. These are often some of the strongest and most reliable varieties available. They offer superior yields and potency.

ILGM is one of the most trusted online cannabis seed vendors for beginners. It offers a wide selection of high THC strains that are easy to grow.

It also provides customer support via email and live chat. Besides, it offers free shipping on all orders. The company replaces any seeds that fail to germinate.

Water Germination

Using water to germinate cannabis seeds is one of the most common and simplest ways for cultivators to grow. The process mimics the way a seed would sprout in the spring, when temperatures are naturally rising and moisture is high.

To use this germination method, simply place your seeds in a glass of room-temperature water and leave them to soak for around 24 hours. Check the seeds regularly and re-moisten the paper towel if necessary. After a few days, you should see a white tail poking out of the seed and indicating that it is ready to be planted.

This is a great germination technique to try if you’re new to growing or just need a quick and easy way to germinate your seeds. If you’re a more experienced cultivator, we recommend trying out other methods that provide more control over environmental factors like temperature, humidity and light. These include starter cubes and seedling plugs, which are specifically designed for germination and come filled with the right kind of planting mix and have a hole drilled adequately in them for your seeds.

Paper Towel Germination

One of the most popular ways to germinate cannabis seeds is by placing them in a wet paper towel. This method is also known as the ‘baggie method’ and is favored by growers who don’t have access to soil or want to monitor their seed germination.

Start by soaking a paper towel in distilled water until it is saturated, but not dripping wet. Then, place your seeds on the wet paper towel maintaining adequate spacing between each seed to prevent overlapping. After placing the seeds, gently roll up the paper towel loosely from opposite the label end.

Once your seeds have sprouted and grown into seedlings, remove them from the paper towel and transplant into a soil or moisture-holding medium such as vermiculite. This process could take a few days, so be patient! When done correctly, you should see a small root system emerge from the seed. If not, check the seed’s shelf life to ensure it is still viable and use a different germinating method.

Stone Wool Blocks

Stone wool is a highly uniform, porous growing medium that distributes water evenly and is ideal for hydroponic gardening. The nutrient solution easily penetrates the material so it is accessible to your plant. It does not lock up or release substances like organic substrates such as coco coir do, so the nutrients are always available to the roots.

To use rockwool to germinate your seeds, first soak the blocks in warm water until they are hydrated, then insert a single seed into each hole (or use two for stronger results). You can also place cuttings into the cubes and root them. The process works well whether you are growing in soil or hydro.

Gro-blocks and Hugo Block products come in a range of sizes and shapes to accommodate the needs of your grow operation. Standardized sizes facilitate automation compatibility and allow cultivators to monitor the dry weight of their substrate throughout the growing cycle to determine a precise irrigation cadence.

Growing Medium

There are a variety of mediums that can be used to germinate cannabis seed, from soil or compost to vermiculite, Rockwool cubes, oasis cubes, grow stones, rice hulls and more. The best choice depends on your needs and the type of growing experience you are looking for.

If you are going for the most organic experience, choose a rich, well-composted soil mix that is nutrient dense. However, it can be difficult to get a good balance of substrate aeration and water retention with this type of medium. It also requires a lot of watering, which means you need to use mineral fertilizers or highly-filtered organic nutrients to avoid blocking the irrigation system.

If you are using Rockwool cubes, soak them in pH-balanced water until you see the surface absorbing it. Check the cubes 2-3 times a day and re-moisten if needed. Cannabis seeds do not require light until their sprouts penetrate the top of the cube.