Cannabis seeds are a vital part of the growing process. They are used for breeding purposes, cloning, and pollination.
Regular seeds are the natural result of crossing a male and female plant. They have a 50% chance of producing a flowering plant.
Regular seeds are the preferred type for growers who enjoy breeding their own strains. They also provide strong clones with superior genetic stability.
Breeding
If you’re a beginner grower, feminized seeds are probably the best option for your first couple of crops. They make growing easier and, in the long term, help you develop the skills needed to breed your own strains.
Once you have a few plants that are consistently producing excellent quality harvests, it might be time to start breeding regular seeds. By putting your growing and breeding skills to work you can create exciting new marijuana strains.
In order to successfully cross two cannabis strains with each other you need to find a female that possesses certain characteristics such as height, structure, leaf pattern and so on. You also need to find a male plant that from appearance, phenotype and growth structure aligns with the characteristics you are looking for.
Cloning
A clone is a genetically identical offspring that carries the same genes as its donor animal. This is different from a mutant or weaker version of the original animal.
When it comes to growing marijuana, clones are more complex than seeds, and you will need to be an experienced grower to make the most of this method. You will also need to be careful not to introduce pests or disease into your grow room.
The first step to cloning is cutting a branch from the mother plant that you want to reproduce. The cutting should be a clean cut, without any damage to the stem or leaves.
After making the cut, place it in a clean plastic cup filled with a few inches of water. Change the water every three days to keep it hydrated and ready for rooting.
Once the clone has roots, it is ready for transplant into soil or a growing medium. Ideally, you want to wait for the roots to reach an inch or two in length before planting.
Pollination
Pollination is the process of transferring pollen from one flower to another. It is an important process in plants because it begins the production of seeds.
There are many ways that a plant can be pollinated. Most plants rely on animals or the wind to help them get their pollen.
In plants with flowers, pollen grains are produced from the male parts of the flower called stamens. These pollen grains are then transferred to the female part of the flower called pistil.
The pollen grains germinate on the receptive surface of the pistil, known as the stigma. After the pollen grains have reached the stigma, they form a tube cell with a style length that grows down through the pistil toward an ovule (seed precursor).
A sperm cell in the tube is then transported to an egg cell in the ovule, where fertilization takes place. Fertilization is usually successful. During this process, a seed develops, which contains two sperm cells and an egg cell.
Genetics
Genetics are the underlying genes that determine how plants grow and flower. When seed companies are developing new varieties, they may use landraces, hybrids or outbreeding techniques to stabilise desired traits.
In addition, cultivators can make use of a genomic library, which provides access to stable, stabilized plant genome sequences. These can be modified by breeding, added back to the library and then licensed to other cultivators.
A good example of this is SSSC, which offers regular cannabis seeds containing authentic original genetics such as Karel’s Haze, Creamy Kees and Frosty Friday.
Aside from delivering excellent quality, regular seeds also come in handy when growing indoors as they are less likely to go hermaphrodite when stressed by pruning and other techniques. Moreover, they have higher levels of THC concentration than their feminized counterparts. So whether you’re a beginner grower or an experienced breeder, regular seeds have something for everyone! Get yours today and start transforming your garden or grow tent into your dream space!