Month: March 2023

Regular seed is a natural cannabis variety, bred from both male and female parents. It can be a great option for beginners who wish to start breeding their own strains or finding genetically stable female plants.

These seeds are also more resilient than feminized ones, which means that they’re less likely to turn into hermaphrodites (developing both male and female flowers). This makes them the best choice for breeders and experienced growers who are looking to increase their yield or improve the quality of their buds.

Breeding

Breeding is a process that allows a plant to develop new traits. These new traits can include yield, resistance to pests and diseases and time to maturity.

A breeder creates thousands of “sister lines” from a single cross of two parent plants. These lines can be pure or inbred.

They can also be mixed, or hybridized, to add a desirable trait to the offspring. The result is called an F1 hybrid seed and can be used in breeding for many different crops.

Feminized seeds can be a bit tricky to grow, however, as they can go ‘herma’ after a lot of stress. This is particularly true for weed strains, as they can be susceptible to pruning and other techniques that put stress on the plants.

The benefits of feminized seeds can be significant, but they’re not for everyone. If you’re a beginner, or you’re looking to improve your cultivation skills, consider getting some regular seed so that you can practise growing and develop your own strains.

Cloning

Typically, the cloning process involves taking an immature egg (called an oocyte) from a female animal and adding the nucleus from another donor animal with desirable traits the farmer wants to copy. This is called somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT.

While the process is generally a safe and effective way to reproduce animals, it can be accompanied by high levels of animal suffering, including pregnancy losses, sickness or death in neonates, low-level abnormalities in surviving young, and distress from disease in the animals produced as disease models. These effects are often mitigated by the use of other methods of animal production, such as in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer.

The resulting genetic features are virtually identical to those of the original animal, making it a successful basis for food production. It is also widely used in research and scientific advancement.

Genetics

Regular seed production is a long process that can take over three years to successfully develop a stable genetic line. This is often done to achieve a desired trait such as better flowering or high yields, but some seed companies hold breeding experiments for more generic reasons.

The study of genetics can be traced back to Gregor Mendel in the middle of the 19th century when he was able to identify genes as the fundamental units that control heredity and how they act within an organism. Those genes are made up of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and are passed down from parents to their offspring through a chemical mechanism called heredity.

Depending on the plant species, the genetics involved in seed quality and performance vary but likely share common biological underpinnings. Hence, genome-derived knowledge can provide insights on how seeds can be improved to increase crop productivity. This includes the study of how traits such as germination, vigor, size, longevity, and dormancy affect seed quality and the ability to be stored for later use.

Price

The price of regular seed is influenced by a number of factors, including legality, supply and demand, production costs, and the THC content of strains. Expensive seeds often feature the highest-quality genetics, which undergo a more extensive development and research process.

Some online cannabis seed banks offer discounts during special holidays, such as 420 and Christmas. To save money, be sure to compare prices before buying.

Another factor that affects the price of regular seed is the chance of producing male plants. Although these are cheaper than feminized seeds, the price is still higher than autoflowering or hybrid seeds, which produce female plants.

The best way to get the most for your money is to buy regular seeds from a reputable seed bank. Some of the most popular regular seed banks include Dutch Passion, which offers a collection of original cannabis genetics dating back to the 1980s and early 1990s. This line of seed features some of the finest old-school terpene-rich marijuana strains available.

The seed of the cannabis plant is a delicate yet critical part of the entire plant’s genetic code. It contains the information that enables the plant to reproduce and grow into its mature form.

When a seed reaches its reproductive maturity, it undergoes germination, or the process by which it begins to sprout roots and leaves. This can take a few days or more, depending on the storage conditions and germinating method.

Bagseeds

A bagseed is the name given to seeds found within the bud of a cannabis plant. These seeds can be regular or feminized, depending on the source of pollination.

Bag seeds can be found in a variety of different strains, but they are most commonly found in Indica and Sativa strains. They can be a great way to save money while cultivating weed, as they are often more inexpensive than other varieties.

They can also be a great way to boost your digestive health, thanks to the soluble and insoluble fibre that is present in them. The soluble fibre dissolves easily, helping to slow down digestion and make you feel full for longer.

Bag seeds can be a great way to start your cannabis journey, but they should be handled with care. They may not germinate as well as you might expect, so it’s important to provide them with the right conditions for germination. Once they have sprouted, you can then transplant them into a medium for growing.

Clones

Cannabis cultivators use seeds and clones to produce cannabinoid-rich buds. Seeds germinate and grow into plants, while clones produce a genetic copy of their mother plant.

Clones are a great option for growers who don’t want to wait for germination. They’re ready to harvest in about a month instead of up to a year from seeds.

However, clones come with some limitations. One major drawback is the lack of variety. If you’re cloning from your own mothers, you have only a handful of options, and if you’re buying them from dispensaries and markets, the selection is even smaller.

Many growers feel that clones are also a breeding ground for pests and diseases. Diseased clones can carry hitchhikers from the dispensary or market into your garden and be very hard to control. They can even cause your healthy clones to get sick too!

Feminized seeds

Feminized cannabis seeds are a popular choice for growers looking to maximize yields. They’re specially bred to produce female plants, which tend to have higher yields and more potent buds than male seeds.

A female plant produces flowers rich in cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD. These cannabinoids are known for their pain-relieving properties and mood-boosting effects.

These seeds are also often used by industrial cultivators who need a large harvest in a short amount of time. They’re usually photoperiod strains, meaning they have two growth phases controlled by the amount of light.

Feminized seeds can be purchased online from reputable suppliers. They’re a great choice for beginners and experienced growers alike. They’re also less expensive than regular seeds, making them a worthwhile investment.

Autoflowers

Autoflower seeds are a great way to start your cannabis seed collection. They are a good choice for beginner growers and those who want quick results without the hassle of changing light cycles or getting rid of male plants.

These strains are fast to grow and provide a good yield of high-quality buds. They are also hardy and resistant to pests and mould.

They are also known to produce higher levels of CBD than other strains, which can be beneficial for medical users.

As with all cannabis plants, it is important to keep autoflowers in optimum conditions. This includes adequate temperatures and humidity levels and a proper light cycle.

A seed is the reproductive body of a plant that can grow into another plant. It consists of an embryo, stored food and a protective coat.

In plants, seeds are important for reproduction and dispersal. They are also used to produce oil, fiber, and food products. Some seeds have medicinal properties.

Germination

Germination is the process by which a seed starts to grow into a plant. All seeds need the right temperature, water, oxygen and sometimes light or darkness to germinate.

Most seeds have a protective layer that protects them from the elements and insects, but it can also inhibit germination. The seed’s coating can clog up the nutrient flow to the embryo.

To break this barrier, the seed needs to swell and split open. This happens when the seed is soaked in water, which softens the coating and allows the nutrients to get through.

This process can take as little as one day, but can be longer depending on the species and its unique germination conditions. Once the root has broken through the seed coat, it goes down into the soil looking for water and nutrients. Next, the shoot grows up in search of sunlight. The whole germination process takes one to two weeks to complete.

Soil Conditions

Seeds need water and oxygen, but they also require optimal soil conditions. These can include proper temperature, light and adequate moisture to germinate properly.

During germination, a seed’s protective coating breaks down and the embryo’s cells start to enlarge. It then takes in water and oxygen through the seed coat.

Soil conditions that promote germination (or emergence) can be determined by soil texture, moisture availability and ground cover. Soils that are sandy or drain well tend to warm up faster than heavy, water-logged soils.

Wet-thermal models use germination trials conducted in the laboratory to determine the rate of seed germination as a function of soil moisture availability and temperature. They have been shown to be highly predictive of germination responses measured by hydrothermal models in field tests (Hardegree et al., 2018).

Temperature

While seed germination is dependent on many factors, including seed vitality, soil moisture and air quality, the soil temperature plays an important role in the speed of germination. Whether you are directly sowing seeds in the garden or starting them indoors, achieving optimal soil temperatures will increase the germination rate and result in more vigorous plants.

Using a soil thermometer, insert it 3 to 4 inches deep into the soil surface and note the temperature. Planting at the optimum temperature for a particular crop will ensure that hearty seedlings will be ready to harvest.

All seeds have an optimum temperature at which they will germinate. Depending on the species, this range is between 55 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit or 21.1 and 27.7 degrees Celsius.

Light

The light that a seed receives can either promote or inhibit its ability to germinate. This is largely down to the wavelengths of light, which are in the red and blue spectrums.

The effect of light on germination is complicated by the fact that different seeds have varying degrees of sensitivity to light. It is sometimes only part of the seed that is light sensitive, like the micropyle on phacelia, or even just one point on the surface of lettuce.

In other cases the whole seed will need to be exposed to light for it to germinate, such as in the case of a tiny flower bulb. In such a case, the seed will have to be covered with a thin sprinkling of vermiculite after sowing and left in diffused light until germination takes place.

Most gardeners use fluorescent shop lights or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs for seed starting. LEDs are energy-efficient and available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.