Month: September 2023

Seed is the characteristic reproductive structure of both angiosperms (flowering plants) and gymnosperms (conifers, cycads, ginkgos). It contains a miniature undeveloped plant embryo surrounded by stored food in the endosperm and/or cotyledons and protected by a seed coat.

Cecilia is investigating how gene networks affect ovule and seed development in gymnosperms, which have simpler ovule and seed structures than angiosperms.

Lawn Seed

The right lawn seed for your home or commercial property is key to a healthy and attractive yard. The grass species chosen should be suited to your region’s climate and everyday use, including exposure to sunlight and traffic.

Aim for a seed mixture that has been certified to be free of disease and weeds and has high yields. Be sure to test your soil for pH and add appropriate fertilizers before you plant.

The best time to overseed your existing lawn is late summer or fall when soil and atmospheric temperatures are most conducive for germination. Regular mowing and the use of an all-natural pre-emergent herbicide (2-4-D is illegal in Alberta, Ontario, & Quebec) will keep the new grass from forming weeds. Water the new or overseeded area daily until the seeds sprout and are well established. This will ensure the grass has enough moisture to grow quickly and resist drier conditions. This will also help to prevent snow mould.

Flower Seed

Flower seeds are the small, dry or fluffy part of a plant that holds its genetic information. Each seed contains a root part (radicle), a prospective shoot or plumule, one or two cotyledons and a hypocotyl, which connects the radicle to the plumule.

Most flowers produce their seeds during the flowering process. They do this to reproduce and pass their genes on to future generations of plants. Flowers can be pollinated by insects, wind and water.

It is important to save flower seed from mature, healthy-looking plants. Saving seeds from flowers that are wilted, dead or discolored won’t result in viable seed. You can also collect flower seeds from plants that are ready for harvest, but they need to be completely dry before gathering. Paper coin envelopes work great for this purpose; they are easy to write on and won’t trap in moisture. Ziplock baggies are an alternative, but make sure the seeds are totally dry before storing.

Vegetable Seed

Vegetable seeds are the nutrient powerhouses of the plant world. They contain essential proteins, healthy fats, energy and minerals. They are a great addition to a variety of meals and can be used as a snack.

The process of saving vegetable seed is a little more involved than that of other crops as most vegetables cross-pollinate and require special methods to ensure that pure seed can be saved. The exact method will vary depending on the crop and its characteristics (whether it self-pollinates or pollinates by wind or insects, for example).

In order to be sold as a pure seed variety, any vegetable must be grown in isolation from other varieties with a minimum separation distance. This is accomplished through the use of roguing, an important practice in organized vegetable seed production endeavours. In addition to these requirements, if any vegetable seed is treated with anything other than water, the percentage by weight of that coating must be shown on the label.

Herb Seed

Herbs are easy to grow from seed and most of them will do well if sown directly in the garden. Anise, borage, fennel, and dill can all be grown from seeds sown in fall or early spring before the heat sets in. These cool-weather herbs will go to seed and provide a source of fresh herb leaves as needed, while the ripe seeds can be used in pickles.

A shady garden spot will be fine for some herbs, but others need full sun. Herbs are light feeders and will benefit from a compost tea or slow-release organic fertilizer such as Gurney’s Vegetable Food.

If you have the space, growing herbs from seed is a cost-effective alternative to buying transplants. University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Nancy Kreith suggests starting seeds indoors as spring approaches and transplanting them into the garden in May depending on your region’s average frost-free date. She recommends using a small greenhouse, a south-facing window or a set of supplemental grow lights.

Regular seeds provide more genetic diversity for specialized growers who want to create their own strains. They also require more work for new growers since they will need to identify and remove male plants.

It is important to note that weed plants grown from regular seed will sometimes become hermaphrodite, especially when subjected to stress such as topping, fimming, lollypopping or defoliation.

Genetics

The seeds produced by regular marijuana plants have a 50-50 chance of growing into male or female plants. This makes them a popular choice for growers who want to use the best genetics for their garden or breed new strains. However, the process of sifting out male plants can be time-consuming and frustrating, especially in large grows.

In order to maintain the desired genetics in a seed crop, the fields are often rogued before flowering to remove any off-type plants that may pollinate the rest of the field. This is a key practice for ensuring the production of high-quality, well-filled viable seeds.

Regular seeds are also known as photoperiod plants, meaning they require a change in the light cycle to initiate flowering. Because of this, they have a small chance of becoming hermaphrodites, which can cause problems for the grower. Feminized seeds, on the other hand, offer a high guarantee of producing only female plants.

Yield

Whether you choose feminized or regular seeds, the yield from your plants will depend on many factors, including the quality of the strain and your growing environment. Regardless of which seed type you choose, you can expect decent harvests if you grow the plants correctly.

Moreover, if you want to create new hybrids and cultivate mother plants, regular seeds are the best choice. They are less prone to hermaphrodite production than feminized seeds, and they can produce heavy yields per plant.

Theoretically, regular seeds should produce a 50% female to male ratio, but this can vary depending on your luck and environmental conditions. However, if you are a beginner or don’t have the time to wait for your plants to show their sex, then feminized seeds may be a better option for you. In any case, you can expect 4-6 female plants per pack of 10 seeds when using regular seed.

Pollination

The transfer of pollen grains from a plant’s male anther to the female stigma of another flower of the same species, resulting in fertilization and production of seeds. This process is facilitated by wind, water, birds, insects, mammals, and more than 3,000 other types of living pollinators.

Most of the food we eat (including fruits, nuts, vegetables, seeds, and cotton) depends on the work of pollinators. Bees are probably the most famous of all pollinators, but there are many others that contribute to our world’s biodiversity and to one out of three bites of food we eat every day.

The use of exclusion bags or netting with pore sizes that block some pollinators allows researchers to control the number and type of pollinators that a plant is exposed to. This allows them to determine the minimum amount of pollination required for a certain cultivar, or even for a particular genotype within a crop. In this way, scientists can also test different methods of hand pollination to determine which may produce the best results in terms of seed yield and seed protein.

Breeding

For growers who enjoy the process of creating their own cultivars and strains, regular seeds are a necessity. They work as nature intended – with a 50/50 chance of producing male and female plants. Male cannabis plants can be separated from the females and pollen collected, fertilizing the female flowers to produce new seeds and create a whole new strain with the desired traits.

However, this requires plenty of patience and cultivation experience, since it’s not easy to know whether a plant is a male or female until they flower (release the pollen). Feminized seed production makes this process much easier for the grower as there’s no need to wait for the crop to complete its cycle and the male plants can be pulled up without ruining the entire harvest. A predominately female crop also means less stress for the plant. This can help with yield and quality of the buds. Regular seeds also offer a wider range of phenotypes to choose from when creating a new strain or cultivar.

Having quality seeds is one of the most important things you can do to ensure success in your grow. You can tell if seeds are high-quality by their color, texture and shape.

Some of the best cannabis seed banks are ILGM, Beaver Seeds and Crop King Seeds. These companies offer high germination rates and excellent customer service.

Soil

The type of soil you grow your cannabis in will have a big impact on its quality. Cannabis is a flowering plant, so it needs plenty of oxygen and nutrients to thrive. The best nutrient for cannabis is nitrogen, which helps plants develop strong stems and leaves.

There are four main types of soil: sandy, silty, clay, and loamy. Sandy soil drains well but lacks nutrients; silty soil has good water retention, but it can become compacted; and clay soil has abundant minerals but drains poorly. Loamy soil is a mix of sand, silt, and clay with organic materials and is a great choice for cannabis cultivation.

If you don’t want to make your own soil, almost any organic soil potting mix is suitable for cannabis growing. Some brands like Fox Farm Ocean Forest are specifically formulated to be a “hot” mix that has all the nutrients packed inside, so you can start seeds directly in it without needing to add anything else.

Water

Cannabis seeds are tiny dried fruits, with a subtle membrane that protects them and contains a small amount of nutrients for the embryo once it has germinated. They are stored in a slightly waterlogged environment where oxygen levels are around 21%, and this helps keep them alive until the time of germination.

Germinating seeds is one of the most basic parts of growing cannabis and requires little to no interference from the grower other than nutrient levels and light intensity. All that’s needed is for the seed to be soaked in water until it grows its first leaves (cotyledons) and shows signs of life.

You can use tap water for soaking, but we recommend using distilled water as it will remove any chemicals and heavy minerals that could damage your seeds. Once the seed sprouts, it’s important not to disturb it. Attempting to reposition the seed at this stage will cause it to slow or even stop its growth. Instead, let the roots grow downwards so they will be easier to root in soil when you are ready to transplant them.

Stone Wool Blocks

Stone wool is a unique growing medium made from basaltic rock and heated at high temperatures to form a material similar to cotton fibers. It is used for many cultivation applications such as seed starting and cloning (2). Cultivators can use Grodan stone wool products such as their Gro-Blocks or Hugo Block to streamline production schedule efficiency, optimize grow room climate and watering consistency and enhance plant root uptake.

After soaking each block or plug, gently insert one cannabis seed into the centre of each. The seeds will then germinate and sprout, and after a few days small leaves (cotyledons) will begin to appear. Once the cotyledons have appeared you can irrigate your seedlings with a nutrient solution. Be careful not to overwater your rockwool cubes as they will drain quickly, but make sure the roots are well fed. It is important to keep a balance between the amount of water and nutrients to avoid nutrient lock out.

Blender

All flora produce seeds to create their next generation, and cannabis is no different. When given the right conditions, cannabis seed will germinate (sprout) and begin to grow. Growing from seed is a fascinating journey. Watching a little miracle bean turn into a mature plant producing flowers that will affect you is nothing short of an evolutionary marvel.

The first few weeks of a cannabis seedling’s life require very little interference. Nutrients will need some tweaking, but the germination period is a time to sit back and watch your baby plant take shape.

The quality of the soil a cannabis plant is grown in has a significant impact on its growth, vigor, and overall health. Adding cover crop seeds to the soil, like fava beans (a nitrogen-fixing plant), can help draw in additional nutrients to enrich the living soil food web. These seeds can then be chopped and dropped as a green mulch, providing a natural layer of protection to the soil under a cannabis canopy.