Choosing the right seed for your grow can make a big difference in your yield. Feminized seeds allow you to make the most of your cultivation space by producing only female plants. You can also avoid the frustration of having to remove half of your crop because it is male, which reduces the overall yield.
They are cheaper
Although most growers and breeders choose to stock feminized seeds, it is important to consider the advantages of regular seed as well. Using these seeds can be a more efficient way to get the results you want from your growing process. For example, if you have limited space or time for your cultivation, regular seeds can give you the best yield with less effort.
Another advantage of regular seed is that it allows you to produce more male plants for breeding purposes. This is possible because the seed itself hasn’t been tampered with, unlike feminized seeds. This is also ideal if you plan to clone a certain cultivar.
Finally, regular seeds are much cheaper than feminized seed. This is because feminized seeds are more expensive to produce and grow, and they don’t work as well for breeding purposes. Regular seeds, on the other hand, work exactly as nature intended. They have a 50% chance of emerging as either a female or a male plant, which is an excellent starting point for breeding new cultivars.
They are less predictable
Compared to feminized seeds, regular seed operates more like nature intended. Regular cannabis plants have a 50% chance of emerging as either male or female, and can be used to create new cultivars or better-quality clones. However, this makes growing them more difficult for beginner growers, as they have to spend a lot of time weeding out male plants.
A typical batch of regular seeds should give a theorical percentage of 50% female plants and male plants, although this can vary depending on luck and environmental conditions. As a result, it is important to purchase more than the number of seeds you want to plant, to account for any male plants that will need to be culled.
While many growers choose to use feminized seeds to ensure they produce only female plants, some prefer to use regular seeds because they offer a wide variety of genetics. This means that you can experiment with different strains and choose the best one for your specific growing environment, based on factors such as height, internodal distance, and aroma.
They are more vigorous
One of the main reasons why many growers opt to buy regular seeds is because they are more vigorous than other types of seed. They are also a good choice for beginners who want to breed their own strain. Although it can be a difficult process, it is possible for hobbyist growers to breed their own strains with the right amount of patience and knowledge.
The vigour of regular seeds is due to the fact that they produce both male and female plants. This allows growers to use all their growing space without worrying about removing male plants. This will save a lot of time and energy, as well as the cost of wasted light, water, and nutrients.
Another benefit of regular seeds is that they have a higher genetic stability than feminized seeds. This is because feminized seeds are often made using hermaphrodite plants. Hermaphrodite plants are more likely to go ‘herma’ during stressful cultivation techniques like topping, fimming, and lollypopping. This can result in a lower yield.
They are easier to breed
Unlike feminized seeds, regular seed can produce both male and female plants. This is advantageous to growers who want to preserve certain genetic traits like flavour, aroma, potency, or resistance to pests and diseases. During the breeding process, the grower can take a cut from a mother plant and use it to propagate new plants with the desired characteristics.
These plants are then cultivated to harvest buds and seed. The resulting offspring is then used to create the next generation of cultivars. This is a popular technique in the cannabis industry.
Growing regular seed is similar to feminized seed, but it requires more care and attention. This is because it is important to eliminate male plants early and prepare for crossing the best phenotypes. This will help ensure that the plants have a high percentage of females for optimum yield and potency. For this reason, many growers choose to grow regular seed over feminized seed.