Regular cannabis seeds have the right balance of male and female hormones in a perfect proportion. The male sex hormone is called Androgen and it is responsible for the development of new hair, skin and nails. Therefore, when you grow cannabis plants from regular seeds, the new growth will have an even tone and natural color. When it comes to growing cannabis plants for personal use, the females are encouraged to grow more vigorously than the males.
In order to encourage the feminization of plants during the time of flowering, regular cannabis seeds are soaked overnight in water containing mild autoflowering chemicals. The chemical combination encourages the vagina to open and allow for greater estrogen production. Autoflowering chemicals work very well with auto flowering and flowering plants that are already feminized. However, the process is very sensitive to environmental factors such as temperature and lighting.
Autoflowering doesn’t work on all strains of cannabis. A successful breeding program relies on genetics, climate, location, water availability and many other factors. It is not uncommon for certain types of breeders to be highly motivated to preserve their own strain by producing only the best seeds and cutting out anything that isn’t strictly necessary. In many cases this has lead to some strains being crossed with other strains, resulting in increased potency or a new unlicensed ‘hybrid’ strain that is completely unheard of.
Some growers are willing to risk the possibility of crossing their own plants with other growers, but they still want the assurance that the feminized seeds they produce are highly desirable. For this reason, many amateur breeders are willing to purchase regular cannabis seeds from seed banks. Seed banks can provide high quality and selective cannabis and indoor gardening plants at affordable prices. Not only are feminized seeds highly desirable, but regular cannabis seeds are also tested for genuineness before they are sold on the market.
Many growers who breed cannabis plants using feminized seeds have little formal training in plant genetics. They rely on the advice of fellow growers on which plants will produce the highest yield, color and flavor, but they rarely carry out genetic testing on their own plants. Many seed banks can easily provide a list of ‘genetically aggressive’ plants.
Cultivators who don’t know much about genetics often crossbreed strains to make them look better or increase their potential. Some feminized seeds are crossbred to specialize in one characteristic, such as tight flowering or narrow spreading plants. Other growers may crossbreed to increase their yields even more. Often a characterizing feature of a particular variety can be desired and incorporated into the breed, such as disease resistance. This increases the probability that the crop will have better quality and yield than any competing variety.
There are two main methods of breeding cannabis plants: pollen or seed and nature’s selection. Pollen or seed maturing techniques are common when producing high-quality, consistent buds. Some of the best marijuana breeders use the mother plants from which they take clones. Some companies specialize in producing complete hybrid varieties from pure parent plants. If you want to learn more about how to grow regular cannabis seeds and select your own mothers, I would suggest following one of the two popular blogs on this topic – Outdoor Gardening on Roof Gardens or Hives.
Nature’s selection is a technique used by some professional breeders to create new characteristics in plants. One example is the creation of hybrid variegated marijuana with some of the characteristics of its mother plant, allowing for greater flowering time. When you buy regular seeds from reputable companies such as Mountain Rose Herbs, you can be sure that the feminized seeds you receive are in excellent condition and will germinate and flower beautifully. Just follow your instincts and good results will come!