Month: March 2023

A seed is the product of a ripened ovule in gymnosperms and angiosperms. It consists of an embryonic plant and stored food all enclosed in a protective coat.

In angiosperms, fertilization involves the participation of two male nuclei in double fusion with the egg cell and central cell to form the zygote. The zygote develops into an embryo and the endosperm, which is normally triploid.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are an easy, low-maintenance flower to grow and enjoy. They also are an excellent weed suppressant and attract pollinators to the garden.

They are also a healthy source of protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals. Eating sunflower seeds can help you maintain a healthy weight and keep you feeling full longer.

You can grow sunflowers as an ornamental in your landscape, or you can harvest the seed heads for your own use. The sunflower seed kernels are rich in protein, dietary fiber, and essential fats.

These nutrients are important for promoting healthy digestion, blood sugar control, and a sense of satiety, says registered dietitian Maxine Yeung.

There are several varieties of sunflowers that have colorful blooms and work well in gardens, including ‘Autumn Beauty’ and ‘Lemon Queen’. ‘Autumn Beauty’ produces branching stems of flowers in tones of yellow, orange, bronze and red. ‘Lemon Queen’ is another good choice with soft, fluffy gold blossoms 4″ to 6″ across.

Marigolds

Marigolds are a garden staple with their bright, cheery flowers that are perfect for adding color and excitement to the vegetable garden. They are especially good as companion plants with other vegetables to control pests and deter weeds.

They are also great for attracting pollinators. Plant marigolds in areas of your yard that receive full sun and have well-draining soil.

Seeds can be sown directly into the garden or cultivated indoors. For the best results, sow your marigold seeds 6-8 weeks before your average last frost date.

To start your marigold seeds, prepare a container with a shallow layer of soil, mixed with peat or soddy soil (or a mixture of equal parts) and a small amount of compost. After a week, you can transplant the seedlings into flower beds.

Marigolds are very easy to grow and are virtually fool proof for even the novice gardener. However, they can have some issues with soft-bodied pests like aphids and spider mites, so monitor and treat when you see them.

Petunias

Petunias are a great way to add colorful flowers to your garden, and they come in all shapes and sizes. They are especially popular for window boxes and planters.

In addition to being versatile, they are also hardy and disease resistant. To help them thrive, they require frequent fertilization with diluted liquid fertilizer either sprayed on the foliage or poured onto the soil.

For the best results, plant petunia seeds indoors 8 – 10 weeks before your last spring frost date. Transplant young plants after they are hardened and have three leaves.

Generally, it takes 10 to 12 weeks for petunia seeds to sprout and flower. During this time, they may be prone to pests and other issues that can interfere with their development.

Infected petunias may skeletonize, so it is important to remove damaged flowers and foliage as soon as they appear. If you notice any large numbers of tomato hornworms or yellow woolybears infesting your petunias, spray them with insecticide while the caterpillars are still feeding.

Zinnias

Zinnias are one of the most popular annuals in the garden because they produce a long-lasting, colorful display of flowers that attracts butterflies and other pollinators. They are easy to grow, tolerant of heat and drought and make excellent cut flowers for bouquets.

These annuals can be sown directly outdoors as early as the average last frost date or in late June as succession planting. Once established, keep the soil moderately moist to encourage blooms and deadhead frequently for continuous flowering.

Sow a variety that will provide the longest flowering season, such as ‘Red Stripes’, which will bloom continuously from mid-June through fall. Zinnias also perform well in beds, as edging or in containers.

Zinnias are available in almost any color and can be grown in single, double or button-flowered varieties, with a wide range of flower forms. The scabiosa-flowered ‘Cupcake’ is especially fun for adding a touch of texture to arrangements, with frilly pompom-topped blooms.

Whether you’re new to cannabis growing or an experienced grower, regular seeds remain an essential part of your grow. They provide superior clones and a higher yield than autoflowering seeds.

While feminized cannabis seeds are the go-to option for many beginners, regular seeds are great for home breeders and those who wish to explore different strains and cultivars.

Breeding

Breeding regular cannabis seeds is the process of combining male and female marijuana plants to create new strains. It’s a great way to create new cultivars that display the best qualities of both parent strains.

However, this is not for every grower. For example, growers with a limited amount of space may prefer to grow feminized seeds since they will not have to worry about weeding out male plants from their crops.

Some growers may also want to combine two different strains to create a more balanced phenotype. This is a good way to make sure that you are getting the highest yield possible from your crops.

Similarly, growers who want to produce strong clones from a single cannabis plant can do so by using a technique called cloning. This technique involves taking tiny replicas of the chromosomes from the mother plant. Then, they can grow these clones into healthy and strong plants.

Cloning

Rather than buying seeds, gardeners often choose to clone regular plants using a process called rooting. This is a more efficient way to propagate, and the genetics of cloned plants will remain identical to their mother plant.

You can clone plants from many types of plants, including herbs, vegetables and flowers. The easiest clones to root are short, with no more than two nodes and no more than one fan leaf / auxiliary shoot on the main stem (these clones have the largest roots).

Once you’ve selected your cuttings, dip them in rooting powder. Then, fill a container with a media that suits your growing needs, such as coco, rockwool slab or clay pellets.

Once rooted, your clone will begin to draw its nutrients from its fan leaves, which may turn slightly pale. Once the clone begins to grow and show signs of vigor, you can move it into direct sunlight. However, clones that have been exposed to 24 hours of artificial light can be sensitive to the heat and strong light given off by sunlight, so you should ease your new clone into direct sunlight gradually over the first few days.

Genetic Stability

Genetic stability refers to the ability of a gene or transgene to remain stable over time. It is a key requirement for biopharmaceutical products and vaccines.

Genetic instability is caused by a variety of factors such as the copy number of the expression construct, mutations in the regulatory circuits, defective systems for plasmid partitioning, and plasmid multimer formation. The resulting phenotype is often unpredictable, and changes may be induced that could lead to cancer formation.

There are several methods to test the genetic stability of a cell line or virus bank. These include testing at the level of the Master Cell Bank and the End of Production cells.

In some cases, a seed will be genetically stable but will display intersex traits due to the parents used in the breeding and pollination process. These are sometimes called “difficulty seeds” and can be a major problem for growers.

Price

There are a number of factors that affect the price of regular seeds. These include the type of seed, its popularity, and shipping costs.

Generally, seeds that are more popular than others are less expensive. They also offer a good deal when you buy more.

Another way to save money on seeds is to choose a seed bank that offers discounts and deals. These promotions usually involve free seeds or a percentage off your purchase.

If you are a beginner, you can try growing feminized seeds first before investing in regular seeds. Feminized seeds produce female plants with smokable buds.

You can also choose autoflowering seeds if you want to grow cannabis in less time. These plants flower in 7-8 weeks and are great for harsher climates or indoor grows with limited space. They also are less susceptible to bud rot.

While feminized and autoflowering strains are popular choices among cultivators, regular seed remains an important part of the cannabis genetic pool. They are cheaper, easier to grow, more stable and offer a better breeding environment than feminized seeds.

The choice of which seed to grow depends on a lot of factors, including cultivation experience, the primary goal for the harvest, and space and time constraints. The decision to go with regular or feminized seed is an individual one, but a grower must be aware of the advantages and disadvantages.

They are cheaper

Regular seed is cheaper than other types of seed, especially if you buy them in bulk. For example, you can get a large bag of a good bird seed mix from a big-box garden center for around $5.

If you have the money, however, it’s much more worth spending a little more to purchase high-quality seeds. This will help ensure you end up with a successful crop.

You can also use regular seeds to breed new strains, which is a great way to expand your knowledge and experience. If you have space and are familiar with sexing your plants, you can create new varieties of cannabis that are specific to your needs.

They are easier to grow

Regular seed is a great choice for growers who are looking to try their hand at breeding. Breeding strains is a great way to create new hybrids and discover more unique cannabis varieties.

A major advantage of regular seed is their versatility. They can be used for breeding and cultivating both male and female plants and will produce a wide range of phenotypes.

They are easier to grow than feminized seeds and are generally less expensive too. You can expect to get bud-producing plants from around half the regular seeds you purchase, on average.

The sexing of the plants is not done automatically, as with feminized seeds, and it is important to weed out all male plants from the seed before flowering begins. This can take time and resources, but it is worth the effort in the end, as female plants have a much higher genetic stability than their male counterparts do.

They are more stable

Whether you want to produce a cannabis strain for personal use, or for cloning/breeding purposes, regular seeds are a great choice. They provide many benefits that feminized seeds do not, such as their genetic stability and ability to produce healthy plants for asexual reproduction.

The main advantage of regular seed over feminized is that they do not undergo any genetic tampering, which makes them more stable. This is important for growers looking to breed their own strains, since they are less likely to have unstable phenotypes.

Furthermore, they are more able to withstand stress during their growth process. As a result, they can be better candidates for experimenting with different growing techniques and environmental conditions to improve their yield.

In short, regular seed is a great choice for any grower who is looking to expand their horizons and explore new ways of cultivating marijuana. As long as they buy from a reputable breeder, their seeds should be able to produce strong plants that are suited for a wide variety of growing methods and environments.

They are easier to breed

Whether you’re just starting out in cannabis cultivation or are looking to take your breeding skills to the next level, regular seed is an excellent choice. It makes it much easier to breed your favourite strains and produce clones with the traits that matter most to you.

Feminized seeds can be a bit tricky to get right, though. They can have a high percentage of hermies, which means that they will grow both male and female flowers in the same crop.

In most cases, these hermies are caused by bad genetics or untrustworthy breeders, so it’s important to do your research before you buy feminized seeds.

However, if you have good genetics and are confident that your seeds are bred by a reputable company, then feminized seeds will make growing and breeding more enjoyable than ever before. In addition, you will have the freedom to bred the varieties of your dreams without worrying about males eating up all of your space and time!