Before Dutch Passion gave the world feminized seeds, regular seed was the only option. Unlike feminized seeds which are guaranteed to produce female plants, regular seeds have a 50% chance of germinating as males or females.
This can be problematic for growers that want to breed their own strains. It can be difficult to separate hermaphrodites from their female counterparts.
Stable Genetics
Plant breeding is a time-consuming and expensive process that requires patience, capital and over twelve generations of plants to create stable seed. As the cannabis industry matures we expect agtech companies that specialize in creating stable genetics to become more viable. The emergence of such companies could enable cultivators to focus on higher value components of their grow operations while also adding consistency to their end products.
Once a stable parental line is established, breeders can begin imparting desired traits into new crops through a variety of breeding techniques. This allows them to continue to improve and diversify the strains they offer their customers. The ability to produce consistent, high-quality seeds that can be bred for specific end product qualities such as potency, flavor and therapeutic profile will open up a wider range of growing opportunities for the industry.
Easier to Breed
Regular cannabis seeds operate exactly as nature intended and produce an equal number of male and female plants. As a result, growers and breeders can select specimens that exhibit the terpenes, high-THC levels and flowers they find most desirable. They can then create new strains with a wide selection of genetics that will suit the grower’s growing environment and personal preferences.
This makes them ideal for growers who want to try out a range of different cultivars and find their favourite phenotype. It’s also easier to manage a large crop because there are no male plants to worry about, which can contaminate the buds if they aren’t isolated early into flowering. This is why feminized seed is preferred by many commercial growers and those that need to harvest their crops at a specific time of year. However, for the experienced cultivator who wants to take their breeding to the next level, regular seeds are a good option.
Less Expensive
Generally, regular seeds are less expensive than feminized varieties. This is mainly because half of the seeds on average will turn out to be guys, which cultivators generally don’t want and will wind up discarding or using in other cultivation projects. In this way, the grower will save on substrate and a number of other products and services, such as fertilisers.
The other reason that growers choose to plant regular seeds is for breeding purposes. This is a very old practice that has been going on for as long as cannabis has been growing, and it can be very rewarding for those who are interested in producing their own strains of cannabis to enjoy.
To breed, growers will need to produce male and female plants in order to create the offspring that they want. This requires the gardener to separate the plants so that the males can be pollinated by the females, and then the pollen will need to be collected.
More Natural
Regular seeds have not been chemically altered in any way, so they’re ideal for growers who want to stay as close as possible to the original cultivar. Growing a strain from regular seed means that you will need to manually sex your plants throughout flowering to ensure that only females produce buds with psychoactive effects.
In contrast, feminized seed eliminates the need to sex your plants and can lead to more consistent yields. However, it’s worth remembering that 1 in 1000 feminized seed will become male and that you’ll still need to weed out male plants in order to get the highest quality buds. So, while feminized seeds are great for beginners, experienced cultivators should try experimenting with regular seeds to get the best results. Find a selection of high-quality regular marijuana seeds today from expert breeders. Click to buy NOW!..