Month: September 2023

Choosing the right seed type for your grow can make all the difference. Different types suit different purposes, based on your growing experience, where you live and your cultivation goals.

Regular seeds will produce a 50/50 mix of male and female plants when germination occurs. They can be ideal for growers who want to avoid wasting seeds by identifying and removing male plants.

Genetics

A grower will typically encounter a 50/50 split of male and female plants when germinating regular seed. It is possible to identify and remove male plants from a crop, but this can be an arduous process for new cultivators.

However, this is a minor drawback to using regular seeds as it is often easier for them to produce healthy mothers for taking cuttings and clones. This makes them ideal for new and experienced cultivators alike.

Regular seeds also tend to have more varied phenotypes. This can give specialized growers much more variety when creating strains. For example, a particular strain may exhibit different characteristics depending on modifications and the outside environment. This is impossible to replicate with feminized seeds. QTL analysis of seed traits showed that genetic factors contribute to natural continuous variation, and that some of these QTL are pleiotropic (Table S1). The alleles conferring the largest seed size are found on chromosomes 1 and 2, while the alleles conferring the smallest number of seeds per fruit are located on chromosomes 4 and 5. These two QTL explain 5% and 7% of variance in average seed size and seed number respectively.

Price

A few factors influence the price of regular seed. Reputable breeders take their time and effort to ensure that their strains are healthy and have the right genetics, so this can translate into higher prices than feminized seeds.

Alternatively, many growers choose regular seed because it’s cheaper. They’re less likely to encounter problems with male plants pollinating the females during cultivation, and it’s not too difficult to cull any male plants before flowering.

Tropic Thunder regular delivers a mellow indica high with tropical flavors, perfect for a nighttime chillout. This strain is a little harder to grow, so it’s best for veteran cultivators. Its sativa lineage means it can grow tall, so it’s recommended to provide plenty of space for this cultivar. The flowering phase lasts from eight to ten weeks, so harvests are ready in October.

Availability

With the increase in popularity of feminized seeds some growers have turned away from regular cannabis seeds. However, for experienced growers regular seeds are an excellent choice for creating new cultivars and clones.

Regular seeds work the way nature intended – they have an equal chance of growing into male or female plants. This allows breeders to produce a large number of quality phenotypes and hybrids.

For those looking to preserve genetics and create a variety of phenotypes our collection of regular seeds includes the likes of Chemdawg, Creamy Kees, Bruce Banner and more original 1980’s strains. It is advisable to purchase more than one batch of seeds as it can be difficult to tell the difference between male and female plants early on.

Organic

When you grow organically, the plants you cultivate will not be sprayed with chemicals that could potentially make their way into the soil and ultimately in your buds. Choosing to use organic regular seeds will give you the chance to plant varieties that have remained unaltered for millennia.

Some believe that organically grown plants are heartier and better adapted to local growing conditions than non-organic vegetables. They are also more likely to produce rich, nutrient-dense soil.

Breeding

Regular seeds are ideal for breeders because of their genetic integrity. They can produce a wide range of phenotypes, each with unique traits. Growers can use these phenotypes to create their own strains by crossbreeding them with other plants.

In addition, regular seeds are cheaper than feminized seeds. They also have a higher germination rate, making them an excellent choice for beginners and those with limited growing space.

However, feminized seeds offer many advantages for growers. They are easier to manage and require less care than regular seeds. They are also less prone to hermaphroditism and are more resilient to stress and inclement weather conditions. They also have a higher yield and better quality buds. Feminized seeds are ideal for growers who want to focus on yield and don’t mind culling male plants.

Choosing the right seed for your cannabis garden is crucial. It will affect the size of your harvest, the quality of your buds and whether you can breed a new strain.

Regular seeds give a 50/50 chance of producing male and female plants. They’re preferred by breeders because they offer a wider range of genetically varied plants (phenotypes) to select from for breeding.

Breeding

If you are a grower or breeder who likes to keep things as natural as possible and avoid feminization, then regular seeds may be the way for you. With regular seeds, you have to watch out for male plants that will pollinate your females, so make sure you separate males and females early into flowering or use a process known as progeny testing, which involves collecting male pollen and applying it to the desired plant (ideally a female) to trigger fertilization.

The benefit of this is that you will end up with a full crop of new seedlings, rather than just female plants. Using this method, you will also be able to create hybrids that combine traits of different strains. This is a popular way to create new strains and it can be very rewarding for growers. However, it does take more time and effort than feminized seeds. This is a big reason why some growers choose to stick with feminized seeds.

Cloning

Taking clones is a faster and more reliable way to grow cannabis. This is because clones are biologically mature and have a head start on root development. Clones also allow you to skip the germination and seedling stage, which shaves off about a month from your cultivation journey.

You will need a mother plant to take clones from. It is advisable to look for a branch that has two or more nodes and is at least four inches in length. You should use a razor to make a clean cut as scissors can crush the tissue and inhibit clone growth. The clone should be dipped in rooting gel as soon as it is removed from the mother plant and then immediately placed in your growing medium.

Clones will have a 50/50 chance of being female and male, but this can vary depending on the environment. This is different from feminized seeds, which only produce female plants and can be accidentally fertilized by male plants.

Genetic Stability

The genetic stability of regular seed allows breeders to develop new strains. This genetic consistency is especially important for industrial growers, as it helps them produce consistent yields and quality. It also means that they can use clones to reproduce their products more effectively.

Another advantage of using regular seeds is that they provide a greater range of phenotypes than feminized plants. This enables them to create unique and diverse cannabis varieties that can be used for many different purposes.

The results of this study show that the seven promising lines of M82 showed high genetic stability in all 12 experiments and environments. This was mainly due to the presence of canal-1e4058 and IL10-2-2 loci. Similarly, wild species are selected in nature to survive and reproduce in varied climatic conditions. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the genes and QTLs found in these lines will improve yield stability in commercial processing tomatoes. Nevertheless, more research is needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Price

The price of regular cannabis seeds plays a significant role in their popularity. The breeding and testing process that creates the genetics of a strain takes a lot of time, effort, and money—and that’s reflected in the price tag on the final product.

While many new growers choose feminized seeds, regular seeds are an excellent option for experienced cultivators who prefer to breed and want to maximize flower production with a high percentage of keeper female plants. They also work well for those who want to try their hand at cloning.

If you’re interested in trying your hand at growing regular seeds, Herbies has a vast selection of premium strains from expert breeders such as Dutch Passion, Dinafem, and DNA Genetics. From earthy tones to tropical sweetness, there’s a cultivar that’s right for everyone.

Blimburn Seeds offers a wide selection of regular seeds. They’re ideal for growers who enjoy the natural experience of sexing their cannabis plants.

Regular cannabis seeds contain a 50/50 chance of producing male or female specimens. Consequently, you’ll need to remove any males as soon as they become apparent around the pre-flowering stage.

Breeding

Cannabis breeding has been around since the beginning of cultivation, and is a key component to cultivating the strains that we know and love today. With a little experimentation, growers of all skill levels can create their own unique strains and customize them for maximum potency, yield, and flavor.

Regular seeds operate as nature intended, giving each seed a 50% chance of emerging as male or female. This gives breeders the ability to produce new cultivars and superior-quality clones.

Feminized seed eliminates the 50/50 genetic gamble, and offers a higher guarantee of producing all-female plants. This makes it easier to manage a large crop, and allows growers to harvest at a convenient time. It also eliminates the need to sift out male plants during the early vegetative stage, and reduces accidental pollination. This can result in a healthier, more vigorous crop and higher yields. It is more expensive than growing regular seed, but it is worth the investment for many growers.

Cloning

Clones are exact genetic copies of their parent plant, which makes them ideal for commercial growers who need a consistent product. They also root faster than seeds and require less nutrient-rich growing medium to thrive.

Cloning requires a sterile environment, expensive equipment and specialist knowledge to create the tissue cultures that clones are grown from. This can add weeks to the growing time compared with growing from seeds.

However, clones are not as reliable as seeds. If a female clone produces seeds, it may have been pollinated by a male and produce hermie plants (hermaphrodites that have both male and female parts). Also, because they are exact copies of their parent plant, clones can pass on pests or diseases from their parents. This can be a problem if the original plant was not healthy or resistant to pests and disease. This can also lead to a lower yield than seeds.

Pollination

As a dioecious species regular seed plants have a 50/50 chance of growing into male or female flowers. Pollination occurs when pollen from a male flower moves to the stigma of a female plant of the same species. The stigma is the receptive tip of the flower’s anther (male part). Once pollen lands on the stigma it grows into a tiny tube, all the way down to the ovary and fertilizes an egg cell in an ovule. This fertilization process produces seeds and fruits.

Unwanted cross-pollination may come from other varieties of the same species being grown in close proximity-as in neighboring gardens or large stands of nearby agricultural crops. It may also be caused by wind or water-borne pollen from wild plants of the same species or from a cross-compatible plant.

Seed savers practice isolation to limit unwanted cross-pollination during the critical flowering period. Isolation is one of three key facets of saving seeds that are true to type.

Storage

If you’re storing regular seeds to plant later, you’ll need to take care of them. They need to be kept in a cool, dry location where they won’t be subjected to temperature fluctuations.

Temperature is a big factor in seed longevity. A refrigerator can be a great place to store seeds long-term, but the frequent opening and closing of the door can cause them to experience some dramatic temperature fluctuations.

Another option is to store your seeds in a cooler. These are easy to find second-hand, and can be bought with temperature controls that allow you to optimize them for long-term storage. The key is keeping them cool, dark and dry. You can add silica gel sachets or dried rice to absorb any excess moisture and keep the humidity at an optimal level. This will also prevent any fungus from growing that would otherwise spoil the seeds.