Month: August 2023

Regular seeds are a classic option for cultivators. They offer several advantages over feminized seeds and are the preferred choice of breeders.

Regular sexed plants produce male flowers that produce pollen to fertilize female flowers, generating seeds. For breeders, this is a useful process that gives them a large selection of phenotypes to choose from.

Cheaper

For those who are interested in breeding, regular seeds make it easier to produce clones and duplicate the exact phenotype of a plant. This can be useful for growers who want to create their own unique strains that may boast specific flavour profiles, colouring, or morphology.

Another benefit is that growing regular seeds provides more genetic diversity as they do not undergo the feminizing process. This is particularly useful for those seeking to preserve old-school varieties that never made it into the feminized market and are now missing from today’s selection.

The main drawback of regular seed is that it will require more work on the part of the grower to ensure a harvest of only female plants. This involves identifying and removing male plants as they arise, which can be a time consuming and labour intensive process. However, this can be managed with patience and knowledge and will allow the breeder to preserve desirable traits in future generations.

More Genetic Diversity

Some growers prefer regular seeds from a financial perspective. They cost less to produce, and even when you need to cull male plants (to avoid pollinating your next crop) you will still end up with a percentage of female plants in your final crop.

Growing from regular seeds can be a great way to experiment with different strains and find ones that are suited to your particular climate, germination conditions and growing style. You might be able to discover an entirely new and genetically untouched phenotype that can become your next favourite cultivar!

It’s also worth remembering that regular seed is the preferred choice for those who want to breed as it gives them the best chance to successfully collect male flowers to make your own feminized seeds. This has been a long-standing practice and one that can be very rewarding for home growers who love to create their own strains! Breeding with regular seeds is very possible for all levels of grower, from beginners to expert gardeners.

More Vigorous

In addition to providing a stable genetic foundation, regular seeds also offer increased vigor for plant growth. As a result, they are less prone to hermaphroditism and can better handle stress, pests and inclement weather than their feminized counterparts.

Regular seeds are the preferred option for experienced breeders who want to achieve a wide range of phenotypes. They are more cost-effective than feminized seeds and provide an excellent opportunity to select plants with desirable characteristics and then cross them to produce new cultivars.

While growing regulars requires a certain amount of trial and error to identify and remove male plants, it’s also an exciting way to create the strain of your dreams. With the right knowledge, it’s possible to cultivate cannabis that perfectly matches your preferences in terpenes, highs and effects. This is what a true cannabis experience is all about! Ultimately, choosing the best regular seeds is all about finding the perfect balance of genes that suit your needs.

Unaltered

A lot of growers opt for regular seed because it’s more organic and natural. The pool of available genetics is smaller, however, so it’s important to choose strains that are suitable for your growing conditions.

The advantage of regular seeds is that they can produce male and female plants. This can be beneficial when working with specific strains that you’d like to highlight certain traits.

Regular sexed seeds also give rise to different phenotypes, and it’s this that makes working with them so rewarding. You don’t need to be an expert breeder to create your own strains – even hobbyist growers with a reasonable amount of experience can get involved. This is often a good choice for people who want to produce their own marijuana seeds for sale, because they can ensure the purity of their products. This is particularly important for medicinal cannabis growers who must guarantee the germination of their harvest. The process of breeding can be difficult, but it’s worth the effort to maintain the quality and integrity of your strains.

Cannabis seeds are a great source of nutrients and contain the plant’s genetic code. They grow from pollinated flowers on female plants and can be eaten or used in smoking, but they don’t have any of the psychoactive or medicinal properties that we associate with weed.

Spontaneous hermaphroditism occurs frequently in cannabis plants. The stigmas of hermaphroditic flowers develop receptive papillae and collapse around a central core (anther).

Germination

Cannabis seeds require warm, dark and humid conditions to sprout. The best time to germinate them is during the Spring equinox if you’re growing outdoors. Using an indoor growing setup though allows you to germinate them whenever you want, as long as the environment is a good match for their natural growth conditions.

Soaking seeds in water works well, especially for the older seeds with harder shells that may need a wake up call. Soak the seeds in a glass of room-temperature water for 12 hours and store them in a dark place.

The main drawback to this method is the risk of damage to the seeds as you move them from one container to another, and the seeds can dry out and die if not kept in a damp towel or between two plates. If you use jiffy pellets or seedling cubes, they already come moistened so there’s less of a risk of damage when moving the seeds.

Soil

Using soil that is rich in nutrients and beneficial microorganisms is the foundation of growing cannabis. The nutrient pool of the soil enables plants to grow from cute little seedlings to healthy, productive adult plants with a canopy of dank buds.

Use sterilized potting soil, organic compost or a mix of organic topsoil and non-peat potting soil. Add perlite to any mix you choose – these light airy “rocks” increase drainage and oxygen levels.

Do not buy soil that has a lot of big visible wood chip fragments in it – the chips keep water and nutrients from reaching the plant, so the plants struggle.

There are a few brands of potting soils that are specifically formulated to work well for plants like cannabis. These “super” soils contain mycorrhizae, kelp, fish bone meal, worm castings and lobster compost that provide slow-release organic nutrients that see the plant through its entire growth cycle – no need for additional chemical nutrient supplements.

Water

During the flowering phase of cannabis, plant growth can require a lot of water. For this reason it’s important for the grower to have a good idea of how much water they are using. A hygrometer can help to give an accurate reading of the moisture in the soil or growing medium.

Generally speaking, cannabis seeds like to be kept in moderately dry conditions. Too much water can cause the seeds to rot and die.

When it comes to purchasing cannabis seed, it’s always best to choose a trustworthy seed bank with a great reputation. ILGM, Beaver Seeds, and Crop King Seeds are some of our top picks for their customer service, high germination rates, and reasonable prices.

When it comes to watering cannabis plants, distilled or filtered water is ideal. Bottled water often contains added minerals and nutrient levels which can stunt plant growth. A pH level of 7.0 is ideal for cannabis root zones, and it’s also recommended to use a hygrometer to ensure the right amount of water is being used.

Stone Wool Blocks

Stone wool (rockwool) is a popular hydroponic substrate used by cannabis growers. It’s made from molten rock spun into cotton candy-like fibers that are then compressed into a variety of shapes and sizes – from plugs to blocks to slabs, all tailored to different plant stages and cultivation methods.

Unlike peat and coco coir, which can be contaminated by fungal spores, pests and other carbon-based organic material, Grodan stone wool is highly consistent and inert. It also has a higher water uptake capacity than soil and a more uniform texture that allows for better root zone management during vegetative growth.

Cultivators using Grodan Grow-Cubes and Grow-Slabs for clonal propagation find that their consistency from planting to transplanting supports precise root zone management and tightly choreographed vegetative growth. They can also count on consistent size and structure for a smooth integration with automation systems to reduce labor costs and facilitate data collection that maximizes facility productivity.

Like all seed type options, regular seed has its pros and cons. It’s a good choice for experienced growers that have some cultivating cycles under their belt.

Essentially, regular seeds produce both male and female plants (hermaphrodite) in the growing process. Typically, it’s up to the grower to identify and remove any male plants throughout the growing cycle.

Unaltered Genetics

Like all plants in nature, regular seeds produce both male and female cannabis crops. Generally, the ratio of male to female plants is approximately 50/50. This is great for breeders and growers who want to preserve the genetic diversity of a particular strain.

Blueberry regular seeds give birth to a robust family tree that smells just like ripe blueberries and produces traditional indica effects of deep relaxation and munchies. Regular seeds are a good choice for anyone interested in growing natural, stable marijuana that isn’t tampered with by human hands.

However, unlike feminized seeds, regular seed has an equal chance of producing male cannabis plants, which will pollinate your crop and lower your yields. The process of identifying and removing male plants requires patience and a certain amount of cultivation experience.

More Genetic Variation

Seed size and number are major contributors to the reproductive output of plants, yet their genetic architecture and interaction with life-history traits remain largely unknown. Although the theory that a trade-off between seed number and seed weight is inevitable has been broadly accepted, empirical tests of this hypothesis have yielded mixed results.

The QTL analysis of average seed weight and number identified eight QTL, located on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, and 5. The largest one is located on chromosome 1 (21.6 Mb) and explained 15% of the variation.

The QTL analysis of seed coat glossiness also identified several significant markers, but the segregation pattern is dominated by the Asp gene and only moderately influenced by the J locus. This suggests that natural selection has not been shaped by a trade-off between these traits.

More Vigorous Plants

Unless you’re after extreme potency or specific terpenes, your best chance of creating your dream strain is by working with regular seeds. They perform exactly how nature intends and offer an equal chance of sprouting as male or female cannabis plants. This makes them ideal for growers who are keen on breeding, as they allow you to make superior clones and cultivars that produce fantastic growth and yields.

Many old school cultivars, such as Thin Mints and Chemdawg, were originally grown from regular seed. They are also perfect for breeders and experienced growers who want to highlight particular genetic traits through breeding, such as high THC content. Growing from regular seeds also allows you to take cuttings for making new plants, something that feminized seeds simply cannot do.

More Stable Genetics

Regular seeds are what you’d find in nature before feminized and autoflower varieties stole the spotlight. They go through their life cycle based on the amount of light they receive, and develop into male or female plants with a 50/50 split (barring rookie errors that turn your plants into hermaphrodites).

If you breed two F1 marijuana strains together to produce regular seeds, their offspring will contain all possible phenotypes, thanks to the genetic variation in their parent plants. To stabilize a strain, breeders must select and cross them over multiple generations until they can reliably predict the characteristics of offspring.

For this reason, it can take years for breeders to perfect a strain. Once they do, however, growers can reap the benefits of stable plants.

Easier to Breed

Regular seeds have a 50% chance of producing male or female plants after germination. This means that a grower might have to cull male plants from their crop, which can cut down on the potential yield of a harvest.

However, this is often a good thing as the male plants can be used to produce clones. This makes a strain more stable and can help to maintain important traits like resistance to pests or high THC potency.

This also gives growers access to a wider genetic pool when breeding, and can help them discover new phenotypes with unique flavor and aroma that might not be possible with feminized seeds. This is a key reason why many experienced cultivators prefer to work with regular seed.