Whether you are growing marijuana for the first time or an experienced grower, regular seed is an important part of your cultivation toolkit. Besides their great price, ease of use, and endless possibilities, regular seeds are also more genetically diverse than their feminized counterparts.
They are also a great source of genetic diversity for breeders to experiment with and create new strains. They are also easier to grow and produce a higher yield than their feminized counterparts.
They are cheaper
Regular seed is a cheaper option than feminized or autoflowering seeds. While feminized seed plants will produce female plants 99% of the time, it is often necessary to cull the males out, which can be quite expensive.
This is why many growers choose to use regular seeds. They can be used for a variety of purposes, from making cuttings to selecting mother plants to breeding new strains.
They are also popular among traditional gardeners who haven’t fully adapted to the concept of feminised seeds, and want to try their hand at breeding their own strains.
These seeds are a good choice for people who want to breed their own strains or create hybrids, but they can be a bit more difficult to grow than feminized plants. They may not produce as much flower as feminized seeds, but they can offer more genetic diversity and stability. However, they do require more attention and work from the grower.
They are easier to grow
Regular seeds are the result of a cross between a male and female cannabis plant. They are also known as mixed seed.
Regular seed strains are more resilient than feminized varieties, meaning they will be less likely to develop into hermaphrodites (growing both male and female flowers) or turn into clones. This means that they will be more suitable for a grower who wants to breed and create new strains from their own genetics.
They are also cheaper than feminized strains, so you can get more for your money. In addition, they are much easier to grow, which is important if you’re growing indoors or in a climate where you can’t afford to lose plants due to weather.
Many people who want to explore breeding possibilities use regular seed. These growers will usually have separate grow areas for their male and female plants so that they don’t accidentally pollinate each other. Some will even collect their own pollen from the male plant and cold-store it for future use.
They are less prone to hermaphroditism
In cannabis, regular seed is much less prone to hermaphroditism than feminized seeds. This is because the genetic ability to turn hermaphroditic is a natural trait that is built into every single plant from it’s origin as a seed.
There are three main types of hermaphroditism: synchronous hermaphrodites, which produce both sperm and ova at the same time (protandrous forms); protogynous forms, which function first as males and then as females; and asynchronous hermaphrodites, which are not in the process of changing sex at any given point in their lives.
Hermaphrodites that are not in the process of changing sex are considered gonochoristic. This type of hermaphroditism has been detected in some demosponges, such as Polymastia mammillaris and Suberites massa, but not all. A small number of hermaphrodite species have also been found to be in the process of changing sex, which is called “successive hermaphroditism”.
They are more genetically diverse
Open-pollinated plants tend to be more genetically diverse because they do not have any restrictions on the flow of pollen between individuals. This allows for a greater amount of variation within the plant population, which can help plants to adapt to varying growing conditions year-to-year.
This can also lead to a more diverse seed lot, especially if you grow seeds from different clones. For this reason, it is important to maintain a high level of genetic diversity within a seed lot.
Interestingly, the level of genetic diversity appears to be influenced by the degree of relatedness between parent clones. This makes sense, as related individuals draw from the same gene pool and might only represent a limited level of genetic diversity.