Regular seeds are cannabis seeds that result from a breeding line of genetics expressing an equal proportion of male and female chromosomes. They are commonly used by traditional gardeners and breeders who have not yet fully adapted to the concept of feminized seed technology.
These seeds are a good choice for beginner growers who want to hone their growing skills and get acquainted with the intricacies of marijuana plant breeding. They are also less prone to turning into hermaphrodites (developing both male and female flowers) than feminized seeds.
Breeding
Cannabis breeding is the process of combining two strains together to create new cultivars. It can be used to create strains with specific traits, such as potency, colour, or flavour, but it is also an excellent way to experiment with new terpene profiles.
Breeding regular seeds is an exciting voyage, but it requires a lot of patience and experimentation. Ideally, growers should start by choosing specimens that produce the desired phenotypes and then cross them to produce offspring.
When selecting males for breeding, growers should look for plants that are tall, have large leaves and are well-structured. They should also choose females that are similar in height, shape and leaf pattern to ensure the results of the breeding process are consistent.
Once these plants have been cultivated to maturity, they can be crossed with each other using cloning techniques to produce commercial hybrid seed stocks. The resulting strains are typically strong and resilient, making them suitable for growing outdoors.
Cloning
Despite the obvious benefits of cloning regular seeds, they still have some limitations. For starters, they’re difficult to find if you don’t have access to a network of growers who offer genuinely elite clones that are free from pests and disease.
Genetic issues are typically disappointing, but pests and diseases can have devastating effects on your entire grow room if you don’t take the time to vet your clone source.
The best time to clone is during the vegetative phase of the mother plant, which lasts about two months. This gives the clone a head start, and allows the root system to develop more fully before flowering starts.
After cutting, place the clone into a cup of water to encourage the roots to develop. Once they begin to grow, you can then transplant them into soil or a growing medium. This process takes about three to 14 days, depending on the clone’s roots and the growing conditions.
Seed Saving
Saving seed is an important way to preserve your favorite garden varieties, as well as heirloom seeds. It can be a rewarding hobby for anyone who enjoys gardening and is willing to take the time to save the seeds of their favorite plants.
The easiest vegetables to save for seed are those that are self-pollinating, like tomatoes, peppers, peas, beans and lettuce. These are also the most reliable since there is no need to manage pollination and germination.
Insect-pollinated and biennial crops such as carrots, beets, cabbage, radishes and parsnips are harder to save for seed because they require two growing seasons before they can set seed. They are also more likely to cross-pollinate, so you will have to take additional steps to ensure your saved seed is pure.
Fortunately, other fruits and vegetables that have perfect flowers, like cucumbers, okra, melons, tomato and bell pepper, are good crops for beginner seed savers. You can plant just one variety of each to achieve true-to-type seeds when adequately isolated from other gardens.
Genetic Preservation
Regular seeds stored in the genebank can be a valuable resource to support genetic diversity conservation, plant breeding and restoration of endangered plants. They also serve as an insurance policy against the loss of wild populations in a changing environment.
Long-term storage requires a cool, dark and dry environment with minimal oxygen. Film canisters, medicine bottles (non-translucent) and sealable containers work well for this purpose.
Depending on the species, seed longevity in storage varies from a few years to decades. The amount of time a seed will remain viable depends on the temperature and relative humidity during storage, its composition, and the duration of harvesting and drying.
A seed sample should consist of at least 3000 seeds, irrespective of morphological variation, for genetically homogeneous accessions and 4000 or more for heterogeneous materials. This can be converted from the number of seeds to the thousand seed weight using the approximate weights given in Appendix 2 of Cromarty, Ellis and Roberts (1982). Against the key success criteria proposed by Brown and Marshall [15] seed collections were successful for two focal species (M. balbisiana 81% and M. maclayi 93%), and less for M. acuminata (Figs 2 and 3).
