Regular seeds are one of the most common types of cannabis seed available to growers. They are still popular among traditional gardeners who are looking to breed new strains and make hybrids.
Unlike feminized seeds, regular cannabis seeds produce approximately 50% male and 50% female plants. This natural proportion is vital for breeding purposes.
Breeding
Plant breeding is the process of cross-pollinating two parent strains to produce seeds with different traits from each parent. These traits are known as phenotypes.
Breeding is important because it allows you to develop strains that you love – plants with characteristics that you’ll enjoy growing, producing a high you want and flowers you find beautiful. With a little trial and error you can create the cannabis strain of your dreams!
A good breeding program involves several growers testing out various strains and crossing them with one another to see what phenotypes show up. This can be a great way to get feedback from other growers and alert you to any negative traits that should be bred out.
Regular seeds are a popular choice because they allow you to breed your own strains and create new cannabis hybrids. They also offer a lot of genetic stability when compared to feminized seeds because they haven’t undergone any kind of genetic modification that would make them less stable in the future.
Cloning
When scientists or growers clone an animal, plant or even single-celled organism, they create a genetically identical copy of the original. This process can be used to save endangered species and to research genetics.
In growing cannabis, cloning regular seeds is useful for breeding a specific phenotype or to reduce nutrient burn rates. These clones can be sourced internally or from a nursery and are an inexpensive way to incorporate new genetics into commercial production.
Aside from saving space and money, cloning can also be used to store germplasm in the form of tissue culture. This allows growers to bank valuable genetics that would otherwise need a mother plant for long periods of time.
Cloning involves dipping a cutting into rooting hormone powder or gel to seal off air bubbles and provide the plant with the proper nutrients it needs to start making roots. Gels are generally a better choice than powders, but you can mix and match to get the best results.
Pollination
Every seed-producing plant depends on pollination. This process triggers the plant to produce fruits, seeds, and young plants.
Most flowering plants rely on animals, birds, insects and the wind to transfer pollen from one plant to another. When these animals feed on the flowers, they rub against the stamens of the flower and get pollen stuck to their bodies.
When they move on to another flower, some of the pollen can fall onto its stigma and be fertilized. This process of pollination is called “self-pollination” or, more commonly, “cross-pollination.”
The amount of fertilization that results from a single method of pollination can be very small, but it is important for a plant to reproduce in order to survive. In addition, the genetic diversity that is produced can contribute to the adaptability and survival of a plant species.
Harvest
Regular seeds are a type of cannabis seed that produces half male plants and half females. In contrast to feminized seeds, regular ones will contain on average some 50% male specimens, and growers don’t want that around in their garden or grow tent.
Some growers prefer to stock only regular seeds, because they are less likely to produce hermaphrodite plants (plants that have a higher chance of going ’herma’ when under stress). Feminized seeds, on the other hand, run a much higher risk of producing hermaphrodites because of their breeding practices, which use at least one hermaphrodite plant as a parent.
The reason for this is that regular seeds don’t have any genetic modification that would make future generations less stable. This means they can be used to replant and breed new strains without fear of losing the desired genetic lineage. In addition, they are generally more stable than feminized seeds, making them the preferred choice for genetic purists who want to get the same phenotypes every time they grow a new batch of seeds.
