Regular cannabis seeds are created when a mature male cannabis plant grows in a female flowering plant. Male seed is usually released from unripe pollen sacs and rolled by the hand or blown by the wind (as with some varieties of cannabis) until it eventually finds the right receptive stigma on female flowers. The timing of release can vary, and some seeds have to be thrown away, or eaten, after a certain length of time because they contain a large amount of resins that could kill the plant. Many of these resin producing plants also contain small amounts of beneficial herbicides that help control herbicide resistant weeds.
When you purchase cannabis seeds, whether they are intended for growing buds or regular cannabis seeds, you will most likely be buying feminized seeds. Feminized refers to a cannabis plant that has had its flowering buds or stalks feminized. To do this, the petals are coated in a sticky substance that seeps into the flower and causes the male flowers to grow in a female shape. Many enthusiasts consider feminized flowering plants superior to their non-Feminized counterparts, because they produce flowers with a more feminine smell and overall appearance.
While feminized cannabis buds are available in many specialty stores, regular cannabis seeds may be found more easily. Regular cannabis seeds, unlike feminized ones, are created by cross pollination between two separate cannabis species. Cross pollination occurs when pollen from one plant is transferred to another plant through budding, as is the case with many Indoor and Outdoor varieties of cannabis. The end result is a plant with both male and female qualities.
When breeding for regular cannabis seeds, the process of selecting the appropriate strain phenotypes (or genes) to develop the plants depend on a number of factors. If cross pollination is present, breeding for specific desired strains can often be very simple. Cross pollination between two distinct species of cannabis can cause specific desirable traits to appear in the plants, such as disease resistance or herbicide tolerance. Other desirable traits can be bred into the plants through selective breeding, or a carefully chosen ‘breed’ of just one strain can lead to the creation of an entirely new species. In addition to cross pollination, some breeders can introduce additional genes to the plants through conventional breeding techniques.
When cross pollination and conventional breeding methods are not present to create feminized cannabis, alternative methods must be used to achieve the desired results. Cultivators can use hybrid-shunned seeds to cross-pollinate established hybrid species, resulting in sterile seeds that are free of any pollen. This eliminates the need to cross-pollinate the plants through conventional means. However, because the resulting seeds are not free of any pollen, they will germinate and grow in small amounts, rather than the large quantities needed to cross-pollinate established crops. For these reasons, many consider feminized cannabis to be free of any unwanted side effects associated with pollen from controlled pollen sources.
Autoflowering cannabis seeds can also be created by selecting plants that have desirable traits that can be improved through genetic manipulation. Often, through careful selection and development of the desired traits, breeders can remove undesirable characteristics and then introduce those genes into their autoflowering cannabis seeds, effectively creating a new variety of cannabis with desirable characteristics. This method is commonly used to avoid the undesirable characteristics of traditional breeding methods and to produce high quality crops.
Because most of the characteristics of cannabis are controlled through genetic engineering, most autoflowering seeds and varieties of cannabis are similar in taste and aroma. This can make it difficult for many new users to determine whether they are getting a regular cannabis seed or a feminized cannabis seed. However, many common traits of regular cannabis seeds can also be found in feminized seeds, such as higher potency and flavor. This is important because many people who want to enjoy all the same benefits of cannabis, but do not want to smoke the drug, prefer to purchase feminized seeds instead.
Many cannabis growers and breeders choose to buy feminized seeds and varieties from reputable online seed banks, as these seed banks will typically be able to offer growers a wide range of hybrid varieties, as well as regular cannabis seeds that have been crossed with other breeds. This allows consumers to enjoy many new hybrid varieties and take part in growing their favorite plant, while avoiding the risk of harmful side effects associated with regular cannabis seeds. Many growers and breeders choose to grow cannabis with feminized seeds because they believe that the resulting plants will produce flowers that are stronger, skinnier, and more fragrant than regular cannabis seeds. Some feminized varieties will even produce perfect, white flowers, which are also common with traditional varieties.