These days, most growers agree that the best way to get a heavy crop from healthy marijuana plants is to start them from seed instead of buying clones. Historically, home growers had a hard time obtaining and germinating high-quality marijuana seeds, but recent efforts at legalization coupled with an increased public interest in growing at home have changed all that. Now, growers can find regular, feminized, and autoflower seeds for just about any strain they want and have them delivered right to their doorsteps.
Quality Is Key
The first thing to note is that quality is key when it comes to choosing the right seeds for growing cannabis. It doesn’t matter what strain the seeds came from if they weren’t harvested from healthy, genetically stable plants. They’ll be far less likely to have high germination rates and guarantee a good yield at the end of the season.
The best way to ensure quality is to order seeds online from a reputable seed bank. That way, growers will know exactly what they’re getting, and they may even be able to take advantage of germination guarantees.
Choosing the Right Seeds
Picking what strains to grow is important, but it’s not the first decision growers should make about which seeds to buy. First, they should decide between photoperiod and autoflower seeds, then decide whether to buy regular or feminized varieties.
What Are Photoperiod Seeds?
Photoperiod seeds grow into ordinary marijuana plants that require a full growing season to produce buds. The exact length of time the plants will need to spend in veg will depend on factors like whether they’re indica, sativa, or hybrid strains and whether growers are willing to give up some of their yields to speed up the flowering process. Photoperiod seeds can be either feminized or regular.
What Are Autoflower Seeds?
Autoflowers don’t rely on the amount of light they get to trigger flowering. Instead, they grow into smaller plants that have shorter seasons but produce buds reliably after a certain period of time in veg. As with photoperiod seeds, autoflower seeds can be either feminized or regular.
What Are Feminized Seeds?
Feminized seeds are created using a process known as rhodelization. They’re guaranteed to grow into female plants, making life easier for novice growers who aren’t sure how to sex marijuana plants and anyone who has a limited amount of space.
What Are Regular Seeds?
Regular seeds contain both female and male genetics, so they have a 50/50 chance of growing into either marijuana or hemp plants. They’re usually cheaper than feminized seeds, but most growers prefer to stay away from them unless they plan to get into plant breeding and new strain creation. There are few benefits to giving resources to male plants only to pull them before the flowering period or risk accidental pollination.
How to Germinate Marijuana Seeds
Once growers have found a reputable seed bank and chosen what strains and what types of seeds they want to grow, they can germinate them right at home. The easiest way to germinate marijuana seeds is to place them between two damp paper towels in a cool, dark place and check them daily to make sure the paper towels stay moist. When the seeds start developing taproots, remove them from the germination tray and plant them out in the soil.
High-Quality Seeds Produce the Best Yields
Growers who want to maximize their yields while growing true-to-type strains of cannabis should always purchase high-quality seeds that will produce healthy plants. It’s the best way to get any grow, whether indoor or outdoor, started off on the right foot.
