Marijuana Seeds

Auto-flowering Seeds

Confusing as the name may sound, auto-flowering seeds operate pretty simply: they flower automatically without having to wait for lighting cycles to change.

If you know the basics of growing cannabis, you’d know that cannabis plants from regular seeds start flowering once days get shorter, and nights get longer. This is why they are called photoperiod plants.

However, this can take quite a few weeks, and longer flowering periods mean more effort, time, and energy. Hence, breeders came up with the genius solution of auto-flowering cannabis seeds.

Plants from these no-nonsense seeds don’t wait for light/dark hours to change – they automatically start to flower once they reach a certain size.

So within 2-4 weeks, you’ll start seeing those precious buds start to grow, and in around just three months, you’ll be all set to harvest them.

Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, these plants do come with some disadvantages. For instance, due to quick flowering periods, the yield is lower than what you’d get from regular seeds.

Another and probably the biggest downside is the low psychoactive content in auto-flowering buds. Psychoactive substances are the stuff that’s mind-altering, and growers want their marijuana packed with it.

So that’s one trade-off you’ll have to deal with, although crossbreeding plants has made it possible to grow potent auto-flowering plants.

Feminized Seeds

One hurdle you may face while growing cannabis is separating the males and females. As mentioned earlier, once your male plants pollinate the females, they’ll die and leave you with nothing but seeds. Hence, you’ll need to act quickly as soon as the plants reveal their sexes and separate the males.

But wouldn’t it be cool if your plants had no males at all? Yep, you guessed it – breeders have come up with another genius hack, where almost all (99%) of the seeds grow up to be females. These seeds are called feminized cannabis seeds.

This process is possible through spraying substances, often a solution of colloidal silver, at the bud site before female plants start to flower. As a result, they produce pollen sacs instead, which is collected and used to fertilize other female plants that have already flowered.

Since these ladies get pollinated by other ladies, and there are no males involved, almost all the seeds they produce grow up to be females.

By using feminized seeds, you won’t have to go through the trouble of removing male plants. Moreover, you’ll save space and grow almost all females, resulting in a larger yield as compared to using regular seeds.

Sativa

This strain is known for giving people feelings of euphoria.

Plant structure

These subspecies tend to grow tall, and by tall, we mean over three meters high. Their branches are spread out – they like their space – and are broad and loose. You might as well call them trees rather than plants.

Sativa plants have distinctive leaves (a lot of them) that are long and widespread. They have narrow, spiky blades and are light green. Since this plant is leafier, trimming it is also comparatively harder.

Growth and Yield

These plants prefer sunny climates with long summers, which is why they like growing outdoors. This also leads to a more extended flowering period, somewhere around 10 to 16 weeks.

If grown in a suitable environment, they produce high yields and marijuana that looks fluffy and light in color. However, carefree and chill as they may seem, if you don’t grow them in the right conditions, they’ll be short and produce lower yields.

Effect

If you’re wondering what it tastes like, this type of marijuana has a spicy and citrusy tang to it – a flavor many that enjoy.

Now comes the most crucial distinguishable feature of Cannabis Sativa – its high THC content. Tetrahydrocannabinol is a compound that induces an uplifting and alert effect in a person’s mind.

People under the effects of Cannabis Sativa are usually more focused and energized, and tend to become more creative, talkative, and motivated. If you’ve got high before, you’d recognize the ‘buzz’ that one usually feels in the head after smoking – that’s THC doing its job.

Sativa dominant strains can also prove useful for conditions, such as:

• Depression
• ADHD
• Multiple sclerosis
• Nausea

Plant Structure

Indica strains grow short and sturdy. They barely become three feet tall and have short but strong branches that are close together, occupying twice as less space. This species is, therefore, more suitable for indoor growing.

Its leaves tend to be broader, and are a darker shade of green. They’re also shorter and not so finger-like as Sativas.

Growth and Yield

Indica originates from mountainous regions of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India. Since they’re used to growing in high altitudes, they can handle strong winds and colder climates.

Plus, the daylight hours tend to decrease in these regions, which is why these plants start flowering much earlier than Sativas. On average, it takes only around six to ten weeks for Indicas to flower, making them appealing for growers who don’t want to invest a lot of time in their plants.

Since these plants are dense and require less space and time, they’re usually grown indoors. Indica plants also produce heavier, darker, and dense yields as compared to the light-colored fluffy Sativas.

Effect

Medicinal marijuana often has lower levels of THC because of how strongly it can affect you. You may feel overwhelmed because of all the alertness, which can actually be harmful to people suffering from, for instance, anxiety.

Most Indicas do have some THC in them, but they also have high CBD levels, unlike Sativas. In fact, cannabidiol levels in Indicas are a lot higher than in Sativas.

CBD helps you feel more relaxed rather than ‘high.’ Combined with other cannabinoids, it can help your muscles relax, act as a sedative, and calm you down (a LOT). This is the ‘stoned’ effect that you may have heard of.

Hence, the CBD levels in Indicas counter the overwhelming effects of THC and other similar compounds. This can help with:

• Anxiety
• Nausea
• Side effects of chemotherapy
• Arthritis

Plant Structure

Cannabis Ruderalis grows only about one to two feet tall and has tiny but broad leaves with four to six blades per leaf. The stems are also short, but thick and fibrous.

Growth and Yield

This type of cannabis can be found growing just about anywhere – on the roadside, near the trash can – seriously, they can grow anywhere. This means that they’re used to growing in harsh conditions.

But what’s best about Ruderalis is not its ability to remain short or resistant to tough weather. Remember the auto-flowering seeds we talked about that don’t need light cycles to flower? Those come from Cannabis Ruderalis strains.

These plants also produce smaller but dense buds and lower yields.

Effect

Ruderalis is pretty useless on its own when it comes to its psychoactive compounds. It barely has any amount of THC and minimal amounts of CBD. So, what’s the big deal about this species then?

Strains can be crossbred to retain the desirable characteristics of parent plants in the offsprings. For instance, breeders crossed Ruderalis with Indica to form highly beneficial, quality seeds.

These seeds grow up to plants that have not only the THC and CBD content of Indicas but also the auto-flowering capabilities of Ruderalis. This helps you grow plants rich in THC or CBD with ease in a short amount of time. Pretty neat, right?

One downside, though, of plants crossbred with Ruderalis is that they tend to produce lower yields compared to those that don’t auto-flower, like Sativas, which produce high yields.

However, you have thousands of strains to choose from that are interbred and genetically modified to serve different purposes. This is why today, you can grow cannabis in any part of the world, no matter what the weather conditions are, thanks to the different strains.

Time

Marijuana seeds need a few or several days to germinate. After this, you need to transplant them into a growing medium. This whole process requires time and effort that you may or may not want to invest in.

Moreover, with regular seeds, you need to stay vigilant and remove the males before they fertilize the females. Again, this is not an easy task and consumes time and energy.

On the other hand, clones have already germinated when you get them and are established as females. This can quicken the time it takes to harvest, so if you want multiple harvests within one season or don’t have the time and energy to nurture seedlings, you should go for clones.

Growth

When a seed germinates, you’ll see a small root pop out of the seed. That’s the taproot, which grows vertically and forms a base for secondary or lateral roots. It acts as the primary transport system for nutrients and also supports the plant in remaining upright.

Unfortunately, clones don’t form a taproot. They just grow out lateral roots that help absorb water and nutrients. Even so, this may not be enough to support proper growth. And as a result, you may have weak plants.

Moreover, your clones may not be happy with the new soil and nutrients. They may be in shock, and, in turn, weaken and die. Hence, clones need extra care and attention once you transplant them and are more suitable for indoor growers.

Yield

Your clones may not give you the same amount of yield as seeds would. So if you’re an indoor grower and are only aiming to grow weed for personal use, clones will be perfect for you. We can’t say the same for serious outdoor growers.

Diseases

Being a part of the original plant, clones will carry pests or diseases that the parent plant had. Hence, it’s hard to make sure that the clone you’re buying is free from such dangers. Plants from seeds, though, grow separately, and you can protect them from such stuff.

But if you find a plant you really like and want more of it, clones can come in handy.

Accessibility

Probably one of the biggest problems with clones is accessibility. There are hundreds of seed banks out there, and you can even easily buy marijuana seeds online. Clones, on the other hand, are not so readily available.

To grow weed from clones, you’ll have to access a healthy mother plant from where you can cut off a branch. And while there are stores that offer to deliver clones, improperly transporting them can damage and weaken them.

Meanwhile, seeds can survive in storage for ages, and almost all of them will manage to germinate.

More importantly, when you order clones, you can’t be entirely sure of what you’re going to get. You could receive a plant with a disease, attacked by a pest, or not healthy in general. In contrast, ordering seeds online is not only easier but also reliable. You can pick the strain and grow the plants the way you want.

Appearance

Just by looking at some seeds, you can tell that they’re either top-notch quality or unhealthy. High-quality seeds have a darker color in general: brown, grey, and hints of black. They’re often a mixture of these three and have patterns such as stripes on them.

However, unhealthy seeds are whitish or green, which shows that they are underdeveloped and not fit to germinate.

You can also look at your seeds under a bright light. If they have a visible sheen or a waxy layer on them, then they’re pretty healthy. This layer protects the seeds from stuff entering it and maintains its dormant state.

Another thing to check for is cracks. Seeds that are broken or cracked are unhealthy and are bound not to germinate. Always grow intact seeds.

Float Test

A fool-proof way to test whether you have healthy seeds or not is the float test. Seeds that are unhealthy will float on water, and you shouldn’t waste your time on them.

To conduct this test, take a container and fill it halfway with water. Next, drop in a bunch of seeds and leave them in there for two to three hours.

After this, you’ll see that the good seeds sank to the container’s bottom while the bad ones are still afloat. Why? Because unhealthy seeds are hollow and are, therefore, lighter, which is why they float. Your magic beans at the bottom have all the nutrients and goodies to grow up nice and healthy.

Note: don’t leave your seeds in the water for too long as this can damage them!

Germinate Them

Lastly, an entirely accurate test is germination, of course. Before you order seeds from a store in bulk, you may want to buy only a few at first, and try germinating them.

If all or at least most of the seeds germinate, you know your seed bank is giving you quality seeds that will grow into quality cannabis. If the seeds don’t germinate or take too long, you can avoid wasting your money and not order from them again.

Feel

Seeds are supposed to be strong. Take your cannabis seed between your fingers and press it. If it’s hard and doesn’t crack or break under pressure means it’s a high-quality seed.

Unhealthy seeds may crack or even completely crumble if you press them between your fingers.

Age

This might be a bit hard to make sure of, but knowing how old your seeds are could tell whether they’ll sprout or not.

Even though seeds can last ages, not all seeds stored for a long time will germinate. Hence, it’s better to order a fresh batch of seeds, so most, if not all, can grow. You may be able to ask your seller how old they are, just to be sure.

Source

Where you get your seeds from is also an important factor. Buying them from a reputable seed bank is obviously a better choice since these people have experience and they know what they’re doing.

You can order a type of seed, like auto-flowering seeds, and be sure that you will get good quality auto-flowering seeds and nothing else.

However, if you just get seeds from a grower that ‘you know,’ you may not get what you wish for. Moreover, with seed banks, you have a more extensive range of strains and seed types to choose from.

Marijuana Seeds Germination

Just like any other seeds, cannabis seeds go through germination to become seedlings. In this phase, they soak up water, air, and heat, which activate them from dormancy. Using the stored nutrients, the seed cracks open, and a little sprout pops out – the taproot.

Once this happens, you can transplant these seedlings into the soil where they grow up to become plants.

If you’re wondering about how you can germinate cannabis seeds, there are two ways to do so: you can either place them between sheets of paper towels that are wet or sow them directly in the soil.

Even though the latter may seem easier as you can skip the transplanting step, placing them in paper towels is better.

It gives you better control over variable factors such as moisture and heat, which ensures proper germination. This also lets you observe your seeds and check if they’re doing well or not.