Regular seed is often overlooked in cannabis seed banks but has a lot to offer. They offer a number of benefits over feminized seeds that can be surprisingly attractive for cultivators.
They can be a great choice for cultivators who are looking to breed and create new strains. They also provide more stable plant genetics than feminized varieties.
Stable Genetics
Stable genetics are essential for breeders creating new strains. They are the result of crossing together healthy, stable mother and father plants that express certain traits that resurface in their offspring over time.
Ideally, these traits should become dominant and never revert back to the original parent strain. In order to achieve this, breeding must be carefully controlled.
Unstable parent stock risks producing heterozygous offspring, a range of traits that do not correspond to predictable Mendelian ratios. Often, breeders backcross with the original parents to reinforce the desired dominant characteristics and prevent undesirable traits from returning.
This technique can be more complex with unstable parent stock, but in the long run, it produces predictable phenotypes. Generally, the higher the parent stability, the better. Several generations of selective breeding can stabilize a strain by selecting for the desirable traits, and gradually eliminating the undesirable ones. Eventually, the resulting seed line will be a true-breeding strain.
Less Male Plants
Aside from being less expensive, regular seed also contains fewer male plants. This is a good thing if you are looking for flowers to harvest, or if you plan on breeding your own seeds.
Less males in regular seed can be a great benefit for growers, since they will reduce the number of pollen grains that reach female inflorescences (clusters of flowers) — resulting in more seeds and fewer buds. That’s a huge win for growers who want a bumper harvest.
To spot males in your regular seed, look for sex organs at the node between the main stem and a branch, or at the edge of the field. These sex organs will look like little balls that will eventually develop into pollen sacs. If you find them in your grow, just get rid of them as soon as possible.
Less Expensive
Regular seeds are less expensive than feminized or autoflowering varieties, though the price does depend on the number of seeds in each pack. Feminized and autoflowering seeds cost more because of the breeding work that goes into making them.
Seeds can be more expensive if you buy them at a time when they’re not in season or if the strain is extremely popular. However, there are plenty of discounts, deals, and promos available throughout the year so you can find cannabis seeds for a reasonable price.
Heirloom seeds are also cheaper than hybrid varieties. They’re easy to save and are a great way to preserve genetic diversity. They also tend to be more resistant to pests and diseases. Heirloom seeds are also easier to grow and they often yield a higher crop than their hybrid counterparts. Buying heirloom seeds is a great idea for new growers, especially those with limited space or experience. They can also be a good way to get a feel for the different types of cannabis plants.
Better for Breeding
Regular seeds are more suitable for breeders looking to experiment and create their own strains. These seed types can be crossbred with other cannabis strains to produce new and exciting varieties, often blending opposing terpene profiles to achieve a more balanced cultivar.
During breeding, the female plant is removed from the growing process early on in order to ensure that it can be more resilient in the long run. The result is a stronger plant that can withstand the stress of changing conditions and thrive without worry.
Feminized seeds, on the other hand, come from a combination of two different types of plants, each with their own genetics. By removing the male plant from the breeding process, the breeder can guarantee that the female plants will be the only ones to produce buds.
This means that growers won’t have to deal with unwanted male plants. This can make the whole process of a crop easier, especially for growers who have limited space. It can also save on substrate and products like insecticides.
