Best Regular Seeds Blog

Seed means “a miniature undeveloped plant with a supply of food reserves, wrapped in a protective coat.” Seeds can lie dormant for a very long time.

Some seeds require physical or chemical dormancy to break before they germinate. For example, a hard seed coating can be broken by soaking or scarifying (scratching the surface). Other seeds need physiological dormancy, which is ended by exposing them to cold and moist stratification.

What Are Seeds?

Seed is the characteristic reproductive body of both gymnosperms (conifers and cycads) and flowering plants (angiosperms). It contains a miniature undeveloped plant embryo and some stored food materials enclosed in a covering called a testa.

Seeds may entice animals to disperse them (sticky seeds, hooks and barbs on burrs) or have fleshy appendages that attract animals who will eat them (acai, mango, peach). Others have wings (pine, maple) for wind dispersal.

Seeds are long-term storable foods for animals and provide an important food source for birds, mammals, reptiles and fish. They are the primary sources of grains (wheat, corn, barley and rice), legumes (beans, peas and peanuts), some vegetables and spices like dill, cilantro and basil, and many cooking oils including soybean, rapeseed (“canola”), sunflower and coconut.

How Do Seeds Grow?

Seeds are living entities with a store of food reserves, an embryo and other cellular structures that provide energy for growth. Each seed species has its own germination requirements that must be met for the seeds to sprout.

All seeds require water to initiate germination. The hard, impermeable seed coats must be softened so water can penetrate and swell the embryo. In nature, this can happen when the seeds are worn down by rodents or crushed in a rock crusher, or if they swell after undergoing freezing and thawing, being eaten by animals, being blown around by winds or passing through an animal’s digestive system.

Soaking seeds in water, a process called leaching, removes chemical inhibitors that prevent germination. The soaking should be done for 12 to 24 hours. Many seeds–especially peppers, tomatoes and some perennials–also need a period of cold to break their dormancy.

What Happens to Seeds When They Sprout?

Seeds contain everything they need to grow into a new plant. The hardest part is getting them to “wake up.” The process of waking up and growing is called germination.

Inside a seed is an embryonic (baby) plant and a food supply packed in starchy cells called endosperm. As the embryo starts to sprout, it pierces its seed coat and goes looking for water. It may also go down to anchor itself or up to look for light.

When it finds water, the seed starts to absorb it. This is called imbibition. The seed’s cell walls start to expand, and the seed coat softens and wrinkles up. Then the embryo starts forming roots and a tiny leaf (or cotyledon) at its top, depending on whether the plant is a dicot or monocot.

How Do Seeds Reproduce?

Seeds are an important part of the reproductive process of many plants. Without seeds it would be very difficult to plant many of the flowers, grasses and ground cover, vegetables and some trees we enjoy. Seeds are also used to produce most of the food we eat including grains, beans and nuts. Seeds also provide important textile dyes.

Seeds are fertilized ovules of seed plants (gymnosperms and angiosperms) that contain embryonic plant material and a store of food, all surrounded by a protective coating called a testa. A well-developed seed is a fertilized ovule capable of growing into a new plant given the right growth conditions. It consists of one or two cotyledons or seed leaves, a nutritious endosperm and at its center the embryonic plant embryo.

What Are the Basic Parts of a Seed Embryo?

The basic parts of a seed are a protective seed coat, stored food and an embryo that’s the beginning of a new plant. Seeds come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but all seeds have the same basic parts.

The outer covering of a seed is called the seed coat or testa and protects it from predators, pathogens and dryness. It also inhibits germination under unfavorable environmental conditions.

Inside the seed coat is the embryo and either one or two cotyledons (seed leaves) depending on whether the seed is monocotyledonous or dicotyledonous. The cotyledons provide nourishment to the embryo during germination. The embryo has its own set of roots and a stem (plumule) that sprout as it grows. A protein-rich layer called the aleurone separates the cotyledons from the embryo.

Regular seeds preserve genetic stability and are important for breeders to create new strains. They also offer a greater variety of phenotypes, each with unique characteristics such as growth pattern, leaf and stem development, scent, yield, insect resistance, terpene profile, and THC/CBD ratio.

However, many growers have forgotten about regular seed since the advent of feminized seeds. So, why should you choose them?

They are cheaper

Many growers choose regular seeds because they are cheaper. They are also easier for new growers to manage. They require the gardener to separate male plants from females and to collect the pollen, but this is not an insurmountable task for a novice. Moreover, regular seed still allows for the production of new genetics by crossing different varieties.

Regular seeds preserve genetic stability, which is important for breeders. This feature is beneficial for preserving desirable traits in future generations of cannabis strains. They also offer the potential for phenotype variation, which can add variety and excitement to cultivating marijuana.

Moreover, regular seeds do not undergo chemical treatments such as benzothiadiazole, gibberellic acid, silver thiosulphate, or colloidal silver. Therefore, they are much cheaper than feminized seeds. They are also more suitable for outdoor growing, especially when there is limited space. However, they are not as ideal for beginners as feminized seeds. The reason is that they have a higher risk of producing male plants, which will need to be removed.

They are easier to grow

Regular seeds are easier to grow than feminized seeds, but require more time and attention. This is because they need to be sexed and male plants removed at an early stage. This is often a challenge for first-time cultivators, but it’s essential for preserving the integrity of the plants and producing a high-quality crop.

It is also possible to create phenotypes with regular seed, which is important for developing new strains and maintaining genetic stability. This is particularly important for breeders, as it allows them to explore the full potential of a strain’s genetics.

In addition, a predominately female crop makes it easier to manage a harvest, as there’s no need to deal with male plants. This is particularly useful if you want to produce a crop at a specific time of year. It’s also a great way to practice your growing skills and develop your understanding of the cannabis plant. This way, you can improve your yields and bud quality in the long-term.

They are more stable

Regular seeds are prized by some growers for their ability to produce a variety of phenotypes. This is a big advantage, especially for breeders as it allows them to experiment with different strains and create new varieties of cannabis. However, there are some things to keep in mind when cultivating regular seeds. It is important to make sure that the growing environment is stable and that there are no male plants present. Otherwise, the resulting plants may be intersex or hermaphrodite.

Aside from their phenotype variation, regular seed also preserves the genetic stability of the plant. This is beneficial for breeding purposes and to ensure that the desired traits are carried on into future generations of the plant. Regular seeds also require sexing to remove the male plants, but this is a small sacrifice when you consider how much faster feminized seeds can grow. This reduces the cultivation time and increases the overall yield of your harvest.

They are easier to breed

For gardeners who are interested in creating new strains, regular seeds are a good choice. These seeds produce a natural proportion of male and female plants, which can be pollinated by each other to make more seeds. They also allow growers to discover and preserve unique phenotypes that can be used for future breeding projects.

Using regular seeds also allows for a predominately female crop, which makes it easier to manage. This means less wasted space and fertilizer, as well as the potential for a larger yield.

Additionally, growers can use their regular seed to cross different varieties to create new strains. This process is called back crossing, and it requires a certain level of skill to achieve the best results. Using regular seeds can also save time by eliminating the need to sex each plant, which often leads to a waste of growing medium and fertilizers. This can be very beneficial for experienced growers who want to preserve and propagate their own strains.

Regular seeds offer a wide range of potential cultivars for breeders and growers. They also have a greater genetic stability than feminized seeds.

However, growers should be aware of the risks involved with growing these seeds. These include the possibility of hermaphroditic plants and the necessity to weed out male plants during the flowering phase.

Stable Genetics

Unlike feminized seeds, which are produced by spraying female plants with an unpleasant-sounding chemical called colloidal silver to induce them to grow male pollen sacs, regular seeds are created the way Mother Nature intended, via crossbreeding between two different strains of cannabis. The process can take several generations to stabilise a strain and create a stable line of genetics, with desirable traits becoming dominant over time.

Stable genetics are important to many growers and breeders, as they provide a greater degree of consistency and predictability when growing the strains they’ve developed. This can make it easier to understand and manage a strain’s growth and flowering cycles, and produce consistent harvests.

To create stable genetics, the breeder starts with a mother plant that possesses desired characteristics and then crossbreeds her with other seeds to produce F1 plants. This is the first step towards genetic stability, but the process can take up to 12 generations before reliable results are seen.

Breeding

Regular seeds give growers the ability to experiment with different cannabis strains, allowing them to create new cultivars and combinations of genetic traits. Breeding in regular seeds can be complicated and requires substantial facilities, but it’s an option that gives growers the opportunity to discover unique phenotypes of their favorite strains.

The downside to breeding with regular seeds is that it does have a higher chance of producing hermaphrodite plants, meaning that they produce both male and female flowers. However, this is not a huge issue when working with regular seeds, especially if the plant’s environment is carefully managed throughout its growth cycle to prevent hermaphrodite plants from developing.

Feminized seeds eliminate this issue entirely, which is helpful for growers who want to manage their crop with a predominately female harvest. This can save time and resources, and ensure that the buds produced are of high quality. It also reduces the risk of losing a crop to hermaphrodite plants, which can decrease overall yield and flower quality.

Phenotype Variation

Genetic variation results from the interaction of different alleles in a genotype with environmental factors. This variation is a major source of the diversity in plant and animal species. It can occur at the single-variant level (monogenic phenotypes) or at the aggregate variant-frequency level for polygenic phenotypes. In most cases, there is not a one-to-one correlation between genotype and phenotype.

For example, the flower color of a pea plant depends on whether its alleles favor purple or white flowers. The plant with the dominant purple alleles will produce purple flowers, while the one with the recessive white alleles produces white flowers.

Geographical separation between populations can also result in differences in phenotypes. For example, species of warm-blooded animals may have larger bodies in cooler climates to conserve heat and smaller bodies in warmer ones to allow them to more easily metabolize food. These changes are known as latitudinal and altitudinal clines. Similarly, species of plants may grow differently in different habitats.

Price

Many growers choose to purchase regular seeds rather than feminized ones for the simple fact that they are cheaper. The price of seeds depends on the strain and its popularity as well as your location and the supplier.

Feminized seeds require the use of a halting method to manipulate the production of ethylene in plants in order to create a high percentage of female plants. This is much more complex than achieving the same result with regular seeds, and the process naturally elevates their price.

However, there is another factor at play that could help you save some money when purchasing regular cannabis seeds. Many of the same genetics available in feminized form can also be found in regular seed varieties. For example, you can buy regular seeds of the sativa Amnesia Lemon from Herbies Seeds, which produces uplifting buds that tickle the taste buds with citrus flavours. Or, you can purchase Moby Dick regular from Quebec Cannabis Seeds, which delivers a potent mix of euphoria and pain relief.