If you’re a grower who likes to breed cannabis, you’ll appreciate regular seeds. They’ll give you the chance to produce genetically intact specimens that will stand up against any feminized seed on the market.
However, you need to be careful with a crop that grows from regular seeds. Because they develop both male and female plants, you have to be extra vigilant not to stress your plant by exposing it to too much heat or cold.
Breeding
Regular seeds, also called F1 seeds, are the first generation of crossbreeding between two strains. They can be a fun way to explore the genetics of different strains and combine their best traits.
The breeding process for regular seeds is simple and straightforward. Breeders use pollen from male plants to fertilize female flowers, creating seeds that contain both male and female genetics.
Feminized seeds, on the other hand, are created by removing the male chromosome from a seed. This creates seeds that only contain female genetics and will therefore grow into female plants.
While feminized seeds are a great option for beginners, experienced cannabis breeders prefer to use regular seeds for more complex breeding projects. This allows them to take their time and really explore the qualities of a strain without risking ruining their crop.
Cloning
Cloning is a process of taking a branch from a mother plant and growing it into its own root and leaf. It’s a more efficient and reliable way to propagate plants than by using seeds, but there are still a few considerations to keep in mind.
The main advantage of cloning is that it’s faster than growing from seed. Plus, clones are genetically identical to the plant they were taken from so you can be sure that your plants will have the same traits.
Another big benefit is that clones are always female. This is an important issue for commercial growers and breeders because feminized seeds can be costly to purchase, so clones are a great way to sidestep the problem.
To get the most out of your clones, you’ll need to care for them properly. This involves cleaning your tools and workspace so they don’t spread any germs to your new babies. It also helps to sterilize your hands before handling your clones.
Mother Plants
A mother plant is the original strain that produces regular seeds. These seed strains have been bred to produce genetically identical plants, but they may possess variations in phenotype (traits).
For growers that are interested in cloning, the selection of a mother plant is an important part of the process. By selecting a strain with traits that meet your needs or growing environment, you can ensure that the resulting clones will provide an adequate supply of regular seeds for your garden.
One of the first things that you should do when growing a mother plant is trim her roots to avoid root rot. It is best to keep the roots trimmed back to half their original size, otherwise the plant can become root bound, which will lead to nutrient deficiencies and stunted growth.
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen grains are transferred from the male part of a flower, called an anther, to the female part of a flower, called the stigma. This is essential for the development of fruit, seeds and young plants.
There are two types of pollination, namely, self-pollination and cross-pollination. In self-pollination, the pollen is carried by wind or animals.
However, in this method of pollination, there is a very low success rate. This is why most plants use cross-pollination.
During the process of cross-pollination, the pollen grains are carried from one plant to another plant using biotic and abiotic agents such as wind, animals and water. In this type of pollination, genetic diversity is enhanced as different flowers will share and combine their genes to produce unique offspring.
