Like cannabis in nature, regular seeds carry both male and female DNA. When pollinated, they produce both smokable buds and new seeds, which can grow into male specimens that breeders use for creating new strains.
Cultivating from regular seed can be impractical for some growers, as it requires a significant amount of space to identify and remove all the male plants. Feminized seeds eliminate this problem and can be more cost-effective for some.
Breeding
Regular seeds can be used to breed cannabis plants that are a little different from the original parent. Growers who love the challenge of breeding their own cultivars choose regular seeds to work with because they allow for a wider range of genetic variation. They can cross indica and sativa strains for example or experiment with terpene profiles by crossing a fruity variety with an earthy one.
When a gardener grows regular seeds there is always a chance that some of their plants will turn out to be male. This is because male plants can pollinate female cannabis plants by releasing their ripe pollen into the air. This process is called outcrossing and it can occur naturally in the wild or by human intervention in seed crop cultivation.
Breeders often use regular seeds to create feminized seeds. This process involves first crossing a regular cannabis plant with a Ruderalis plant. The resulting hybrid contains 50% female and 50% male plants. This is then crossed with the original mother plant, producing a new generation of feminized seeds.
Cloning
Many trees, shrubs and vines reproduce vegetatively with clonal ramets that are genetically identical to the parental organism. This process is called gemmae. Many vascular plants, such as ferns and dandelion, also form clonal populations through asexual reproduction, known as apomixis.
Clones take less time than seeds because they’re cut from a mature plant with a head start on root development. However, clones can be susceptible to transplant shock and are often weaker than seeds.
Germinating seeds is a tedious process and takes some experience to get right. Inexperienced growers can easily get their plants contaminated with disease, fungus or pesticide residues. This contamination can cause a host of problems, including powdery mildew and mold. In addition, growing from seed gives growers a wider selection of strains than clones. If you’re shopping for clones or seeds online, look for a seed bank that offers germination reports and cultivar information, such as Trilogene Seeds. These pieces of information are vital to the success of your crop.
Genetic Stability
In a typical breeding program, clones that are not processing well or exhibit genetic instability are discarded. This is to prevent the insertion of unwanted DNA and ensure that the imparted trait is stable. A similar requirement is routinely included in commercial product development programs.
A variety of factors can cause genetic instability and chromosome rearrangements, including mutations, copy number variation and defective systems in genome partitioning. These events can affect the quality of a seed crop.
Stability studies for transgenic products usually include evaluation of the DNA sequence of the inserted gene, stability of expression at the transcript and protein level (required in some geographies), as well as phenotype and inheritance patterns. Inheritance pattern consistency and stability are particularly important for reducing the risk of self-fertilization and genetic contamination in seed orchards. Similarly, phenological stability and fertility uniformity can influence the expected genetic gain of a seed orchard9.
Price
Many growers choose regular seeds to preserve cannabis cultivars that were never feminized. They are also less expensive, making them a better choice for growers who want to keep their costs down.
Feminized seeds require a much more intense breeding process than regular seeds, so they are typically more expensive. However, they offer a higher return on investment per harvest. This is because feminized seeds are nearly guaranteed to produce smokable buds.
Male plants infiltrate female colas and fertilize them, producing seed-bearing buds. This can be avoided by sexing your plants and isolating the males early in flowering.
When growing regular marijuana seeds, you will get about 50% male and 50% female plants. This is normal, but environmental conditions can affect this ratio. For example, if you grow marijuana in a warm, humid climate, the odds of getting all males increase dramatically. This is why sexing your plants is so important.
