Regular seed is a forgotten breed, largely overlooked by growers. These strains have an incredible number of possibilities, and you can use them to experiment with phenotypes and genotypes.
If you’re interested in breeding, regular seed is a great way to get started. They will naturally produce a good ratio of males to females, and you’ll have a much easier time culturing them.
Breeding
Regular seeds are the original genetics that were used to create the cannabis strains you know and love. Though feminized and autoflowering seeds are relatively new, many growers still prefer the pure genetics of regular seed.
A growing technique called ‘back crossing’ can also be used to produce strong, consistent offspring from regular seed. This process involves taking a male and female plant and cross-breeding them to create an S1 generation (S1 is the industry term for an F1).
During this back-crossing, growers can take advantage of the unique traits that each parent exhibits to create an entirely new hybrid. This allows growers to create a variety of genetics that can be further manipulated through cloning. If a grower has a particular look or color they want to replicate in their next crop, cloning regular seed is the perfect solution.
Cloning
Cloning is a process that replicates an exact genetic copy of an organism. This type of cloning is commonly used for therapeutic purposes, such as in the production of embryonic stem cells.
In the cannabis industry, cloning is also used to preserve favorable traits from one generation of plants to the next. For example, if you grow a strain that produces lots of high-quality, cannabinoid-rich flowers, cloning it will help ensure your daughter plant will produce the same amount.
The process of cloning involves taking a small cutting of the mother plant and placing it in a jar containing a preservative mixture composition (agar gel). This mix contains the right nutrients and hormones for root and sprout development.
Once the clone has formed roots, it’s transplanted into a long-term growing medium. This way, the clone is fully mature before it’s harvested, saving growers time and energy. Additionally, clones have the added advantage of being disease and pest-free from the start.
Harvesting
Harvesting is the process of cutting a plant or crop after it has matured and ready for harvesting. This is most often done by hand, using a’sickle’, which is a sharpened wooden blade that cuts the plant, or by a modern machine-like harvesting rig.
The best seeds to save from your plants are those that self-pollinate, meaning they require no pollen from a separate flower to germinate. This is especially true of cucumbers, beans, peas, peppers, and tomatoes.
When ripe, collect seeds from the flower head and dry them on waxed paper for about two weeks before shelling and storing in an airtight container until you’re ready to plant. These seeds will keep for up to three years in storage.
There are many vegetables and herbs that have different clues to when they’re ripe and ready for harvesting, so it takes a little practice and experience to get your timing right. Generally, seed pods that shatter easily and seeds that are brittle should be harvested earlier than others to avoid them’shattering off’ the plant or being lost when airborne in a windstorm.
Packaging
There are many varieties of packages used to pack processed seed. They are made of burlap, cotton cloth, paper, films, metal, glass, and combinations of materials. Some of these materials offer moisture protection, while others do not.
Packaging is important to maintain the quality of seed during storage and marketing. A good package is designed to protect the physical qualities of seeds–their tensile strength, bursting strength, and tear- ing resistance–in addition to their moisture content.
Besides being useful in protecting seeds against insect infestation, rodent damage, and changes in moisture, a good package should be easily adaptable to automatic filling and sealing. It should also have sufficient weight to permit a certain number of seeds to be packed into it.