Month: March 2023

Seeds are an important part of plant biology. They allow plants to reproduce and spread to new areas.

Seeds are also an important food source for humans and animals. They can be eaten whole or used to make oil, flour, and other products.

Functions

Seeds are the reproductive organs of flowering plants (angiosperms). A typical seed contains three main parts: the embryo, endosperm and a protective layer called the seed coat.

The embryo is a tiny, underdeveloped plant that will grow and mature into a new plant once it emerges from the seed. The endosperm stores food for the embryo to help it grow.

Seeds are also good sources of protein, which is important for growth and development. Some seeds are high in fiber, which can help reduce digestive issues like bloating and constipation.

Size

Grape seeds are a good source of vitamin C, which is important for improving the health of the heart and blood vessels. The seeds also contain flavonoids, which are a type of antioxidant that helps fight against cancer and other diseases.

In plants, seed size is thought to evolve in a trade-off between fitness and number (Smith & Fretwell, 1974). This is typically modelled from the parental point of view, and selection on seed size is influenced by the allocation cost to the mother plant of increasing seed size.

Shape

Seed shape can be influenced by many factors including dispersal, germination, and growth. For example, rounded seeds of cabbage species tend to roll into crevices and reticulate seeds of lamb’s quarters (Chenopodium album) often stay in positions where they first fall.

Moreover, seed shape is also affected by environmental conditions. The rounded seeds of many herbaceous grasses, for example, drop into the soil clod. The reticulate ones of the ferns and legumes, on the other hand, tend to remain in their original position.

The morphology of seeds can be described by geometrical figures such as the oval, ellipse, and cardioid, which can provide a quantitative description of seed shape, allowing the comparison between genotypes or seeds grown in different environments. These figures have been used to describe and quantify the shape of seeds in several model plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Medicago truncatula, and Lotus japonicus, among others.

Appendages

The seeds of Salix and Populus (Salicaceae) are characterized by numerous long hairs which loosely accompany the seeds. Moreover, they have another unique annular appendage at the radical end of the seed that separates from the funiculus and easily breaks away from the seed.

In the study of Steyn et al [17], this small appendage was called a “hilar aril”. However, these observations only focused on the morphology and detailed structure of this structure in one African willow species Salix mucronata.

In the present study, we have used standard techniques for plant anatomy and histochemistry to investigate the whole ontogeny and detailed structures of the two seed appendages in Chinese willow S. matsudana, with the aim of showing how they are initiated and how they complete their development, especially to establish the correlation between their development and the development of the ovules.

Dispersal

The dispersal of seeds is a process that helps plants grow and reproduce. Seeds are transported in a variety of modes, including wind, water and animals.

Some plant species enclose their seeds inside fleshy fruits that are attractive to hungry animals. These fruit-loving animals are called frugivores, and they disperse seeds by eating the fruit and passing them through their digestive system.

This ingestion of the fruit pulp can improve germination rates by giving seeds a dose of nitrogen that helps fuel growth, and it also allows them to survive better after being digested. However, this strategy can be hampered by other factors, such as invertebrate predators or fungal infections.

Cannabis seeds are packed with healthy fats and protein. They help maintain lean muscles and can help you lose weight.

They are also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which keep your organs healthy. This can lower your risk of heart disease.

Buying Seeds

Buying seeds is an easy way to get started growing your own cannabis. But there are a few things you need to know before making your purchase.

First, you need to understand the difference between regular and feminized seeds. While regular seeds produce female and male plants on average, feminized seeds are specially bred to produce only females.

When it comes to buying seeds, you want to make sure you are getting quality genetics. This will help you grow your marijuana successfully and make your purchase worth it.

Germinating Seeds

Cannabis seeds need the right environmental conditions to germinate. This includes the right temperature and humidity.

The combination of warmth and moisture (in the spring) causes a marijuana seed to start sprouting by burrowing its main root/taproot through the shell.

Once a taproot is visible, it’s time to plant the seed in its next growing medium. Place the germinated seed in a two-inch container of soil or other growing medium, with the white root down below the surface.

Growing From Seeds

Growing from seeds gives you the freedom to experiment with a wide range of genetics and cultivars. Besides, it is often much less expensive than buying clones or feminized seeds.

Seeds need warmth, moisture, and light to germinate (sprout). This process is important because the first small taproot will trigger a plant’s growth cycle.

Whether you’re growing indoors or outdoors, the most common method for germinating cannabis seeds is to simply soak them in water. The key is to make sure the water stays at a comfortable temperature, somewhere between 22degC and 25degC.

Cloning Seeds

Cloning is a process of taking small pieces of cannabis stems and using them to grow new plants. Usually this is done in tissue culture labs where small pieces of the mother plant are placed into jars with a jelly-like substance containing hormones that stimulate root development.

Cloning can be an excellent tool to use in a home grow environment as it is a time-saving and cost-effective method for creating new cannabis plants. However, it is important to choose healthy clones for cloning as it can be easy to accidentally introduce diseases and pests into the garden.

Buying Clones

Buying clones is a good way to get a phenotype that has already been screened and cultivated. It can be a quick and economical way to incorporate a new strain into a grow operation or add another phenotype to an existing one.

When purchasing clones, check for healthy roots. Look for a deep tap-root that’s straight down from the plant base, not a bunch of smaller rootlets.

Buying Feminized Seeds

When you buy cannabis seeds, make sure to choose feminized seeds. They are the best choice for growers who want to avoid growing male plants.

Feminized seeds are genetically manipulated so they only produce female cannabis plants. They are also a great way to save time and money, since you won’t have to buy a lot of male plants to get your harvest.

Feminized cannabis seeds are easy to grow indoors or outdoors and come with a guarantee of a full harvest. They can also be used for beginners and those who prefer to keep things simple.

Buying Autoflower Seeds

Autoflower seeds are ideal for growers who want to quickly and easily produce cannabis. They are also easier to grow than feminized seeds because they do not need as much light.

As a result, they can be grown indoors and outdoors. They can be used to grow a variety of different strains.

They can also be used to cultivate plants with higher yields than feminized seeds, as long as the conditions are right. In addition, they are resistant to pests and diseases.

When buying autoflower seeds, it is important to choose high-quality genetics. These will ensure you get the best results from your cannabis.

Regular seeds are cannabis seeds that have not been feminized. They have an equal chance of becoming male or female plants, meaning that they can be valuable when it comes to breeding or cloning.

For this reason, it’s important to understand how regular seeds work and what they offer growers. Read on to learn more!

1. More Stable Genetics

Regular seed is a good choice for breeders who want to create new strains. They are a more reliable source of plant genetics than feminized seeds as they have not undergone any tampering that could make future generations less stable.

They also allow growers to create new hybrids that have never been seen before. These strains can be based on height, structure, internodal spacing, aroma, yield, terpene profile, and more.

During the last 50 years, many varieties were preserved in regular seed form and are now available to new growers as stable IBLs. This means that they can be back crossed with new genetics to produce even better plants that would not be possible with feminized seeds.

Moreover, growers can also take cuttings from regular cannabis plants and preserve them as mother plants to be used in breeding projects with a higher chance of success. This is because they can contain a natural proportion of male and female plants.

2. More Vigorous Plants

Regular seeds operate in exactly the same way as mother plants, producing both male and female flowers. Generally, this is an ideal 50/50 ratio.

But not always – sometimes the sex percentage can be much higher. In any case, the plants that emerge from non-feminized seeds are more sturdy and less likely to become hermaphrodites when stressed (a sudden photoperiod change, a lack of water or excessive fertilisation).

These benefits make them an excellent choice for beginner growers as they are more forgiving. They are also less susceptible to pests and diseases.

Regular seed can also be used to create clones from your favorite cannabis plant. This allows you to recreate the characteristics, growth pattern, leaf and stem development, aroma, yield, terpene profile and THC/CBD ratio of your favorite strain.

3. Less Expensive

While feminized seeds can be a good option for growers with space and who need predictable, rigorous growth, regular seed is still a viable choice. This is because they are considerably less expensive than feminized seeds.

A key benefit of regular seed is that they provide more stable plant genetics than feminized seeds. This is because they haven’t been cultivated with any genetic modifications that could make future generations less stable.

Furthermore, regular seeds are a great way to breed and create new strains. This is because they have the ability to produce a male and a female plant from one single batch of seeds.

This is a valuable trait for cultivators to have, as it can help them expand their horizons and develop a diverse range of marijuana strains. If you’re looking to try your hand at breeding, it’s worth investing in a few packs of regular seeds. Then you can explore a variety of genotypes and phenotypes to find the ones that suit your needs.

4. Easier to Breed

If you want to breed a new strain, regular seeds are the way to go. They are the most stable form of Cannabis genetics, and they will produce consistent clones every time you cross them.

Feminized seeds are also a good choice for breeding, but they have some disadvantages. First of all, they are more susceptible to unstable genetics, and the plants that grow from them won’t be as robust as those from regular seed.

They also run the risk of producing males a third of the time, which can be a problem for growers who are limited to a certain number of plants.

Luckily, it’s easy to avoid that problem by growing feminized seed. When you plant a feminized strain, you’ll get female plants 98% of the time. This means you’ll have double the yields compared to the same strain grown from regular seeds, and it’s much easier to eliminate males as you grow.