Why You Should Cross Breed Regular cannabis Seeds
Regular cannabis seeds are created when a male cannabis flower grows in the female cannabis flower. Male pollen is often released from ripe stigmas and blown by the strong wind (or deposited by a careful hand) until it reaches the receptive buds on the female flowers. The female flowers, being more delicate, contain fewer spurs or bracts and therefore are more easily broken. The male flower then pollinates the female petals with its pollen. The entire process can take several days to complete.
Some female flowers may have even had sexual intercourse with another cannabis flower, resulting in cross-pollination. To facilitate the cross-pollination process, some growers artificially pollinate the plants. Autoflowering seeds can be introduced into the marijuana flower system when autoflowering or feminized seeds have been created. When feminized or autoflowering seeds are introduced into the female flower system, the male flowers are destroyed along with the pollen. In order for cross-pollination to occur, the autoflowering or feminized seed must come from a parent plant that has already produced the desired offspring.
Autoflowering strains are specially designed to produce only one set of desirable characteristics. They are bred specifically to produce high levels of potency and small amounts of psychoactive smoke. They are very different from regular cannabis seeds which are used to produce a wide variety of distinct types of strains. Autoflowering strains are extremely hardy plants that grow well in all types of conditions. They are exciting new botanical species.
Through careful selection and precautions, the new autoflowering strains can be developed into distinct feminized or cross-bred types. This is why it is so important to properly cultivate these feminized plants under the most controlled conditions possible. If you plan on crossing your regular cannabis seeds with these new varieties, you must do so with extreme care. The goal is to produce plants that will grow well together and produce a wide variety of hybrid offspring.
Cross-breeding can create some unexpected results, however. Because of the unpredictable nature of cross-breeding, the results of any given cross-breeding experiment can never be exactly duplicated. Some strains can be extremely potent, while others are considered mild. Because of this, it is impossible to predict with 100 percent accuracy what traits any given cross-breeding effort might produce.
Some experienced breeders have learned to use their knowledge and experience to further improve the quality of the plants that they produce through cross-breeding efforts. The goal of these breeders is to produce plants that will have the highest quality potential of overall performance and yield. These breeders pride themselves on achieving a balance in the selection of the crossing strains in order to produce a final product with the best traits possible.
Many gardeners are discovering that it is easier to harvest feminized seeds than to harvest regular cannabis seeds. Harvesting feminized cannabis plants is both more difficult and time-consuming than harvesting regular cannabis seeds. The reason for this is because each of the cross-breeds used to create the feminized plants contains only one set of chromosomes from each parent plant, rather than the multiples of them you would find in regular cannabis seeds.
In short, the big bud regular seeds are not as pure as they first seem. Like all marijuana strains, there is always some risk involved when you are creating your own stock. However, the rewards make this endeavor well worth it. Remember that when you buy legal cannabis, it’s in large part due to the legal restrictions placed upon it. With that said, any time you can create your own stock by cross-breeding one of the many different types of marijuana strains available, you are making a smart decision.