The cannabis plant has gained significant attention as a plant with medicinal properties and as a plant used for leisure purposes. With this positive development, many people are aspiring to become cannabis growers and start their private or commercial plantations or farms. Choosing the right cannabis seeds can be no easy task for a beginner due to the growing number of seeds available in the market, which have varying THC and CBD contents, as well as different plant and flower varieties. The seed is mostly where everything starts when you grow cannabis.
If you are interested in starting growing cannabis, read further as we share some must-know basics about cannabis seeds.
About Cannabis Seeds
Most cannabis plants are dioecious, which means they can be either male or female. Only the female plant produces the buds that marijuana lovers are very familiar with. For reproduction, a male plant must pollinate a female plant’s flowers. After which, the female flower produces cannabis seeds, which will mature in a couple of weeks. The female plant begins to die once the seeds reach maturity. From there, the seeds can be left untouched when it falls to the ground to let it germinate and grow the next spring, or the seeds can be harvested for processing into food products or seed oil. For those who intend to start a cannabis farm, the seeds can be sown to start a new batch of plants.
Feminized Seeds
There are various descriptions of what a feminized is, and some are too technical for a new cannabis grower to grasp. Simply put, a feminized seed is genetically designed to be female when it germinates and grows. This is achieved by causing a hermaphrodite condition in a female cannabis plant by spraying the plant with a colloidal silver solution or through Rodelization (pushing a female plant past its maturity to pollinate another female). Another method of feminizing is by spraying the seed with gibberellic acid, although this is a less common method. Making the next generation of cannabis plants into females is a good way of starting a cannabis farm.
Autoflowering Seeds
To understand what autoflower is, we need to look at the regular process of cannabis plant flowering. Most cannabis plants begin flowering when they receive only 12 hours of light each day, mimicking the amount of sun exposure during autumn.
However, there is a certain cannabis plant species, the Cannabis ruderalis, which begins to flower when it reaches a certain age, regardless of the amount or length of light exposure it receives, thus the term autoflower. Autoflowering seeds are favored in areas with cold and short summers, with relatively early wet weather during fall. Autoflowering strains are less potent than regular cannabis strains, but a good way of overcoming this by crossing a potent marijuana strain with the low-THC ruderalis variety to create a more potent autoflower variety.
Where to Order or Buy Seeds
There is a thriving marketplace for cannabis online, and there are seed banks located around the world. If you are planning to start your own cannabis farm in the US, you have to know that it is still illegal to bring seeds into the US, even though more and more states are legalizing marijuana. There are reputable seed banks and dealers who take precautions to ensure that your ordered seeds are safely delivered. If you don’t want to risk the Customs people seizing your package, you can purchase seeds at a dispensary if your state has legalized marijuana.
We have provided some of the basic pieces of information about cannabis seeds to help you get started with your cannabis-growing endeavor. While it’s true that planting and harvesting seeds can be challenging when done for the first time, having the right knowledge can help you do well on your first attempt and make the necessary adjustments to make better yields. Whatever your purpose is for starting to grow marijuana, start with the basics, and learn in the process to be a successful cannabis grower.
