Choosing the right marijuana seeds to plant isn’t easy. There are lots of seeds with different traits to choose from. Some are light while others are dark-colored; some turn to dust when subjected to pressure while others are tough. Whatever seed you choose, you want to ensure it’s healthy and vigorous.
Before buying seeds from your homegrown cannabis company, you need to research well. So, what should you pay attention to when selecting marijuana seeds?
This article explains the factors that you can consider.
- Plant Gender
Though this may seem a trivial thing to consider, it’s crucial. It’s only female plants that develop weed buds that can be smoked. If you’re a grower who intends to grow smoked weeds, you need to consider selecting female or feminized seeds.
On the other hand, if you intend to create your species or grow plants for your consumption, then regular or male seeds may be a good fit for you. Therefore, before buying weed seeds, ensure you know why you’re buying them.
- Seed Appearance
An excellent way of gauging the quality of marijuana seeds is by looking at their appearance. Some traits are easily noticeable, while others may take you time to identify. Genetically superior seeds usually have a grey or dark outer shell. Healthy seeds will also appear to have a wax coating on their surface. You can easily identify the coating by exposing the seed to bright light. Seeds that have a sheen effect are of good quality.
Better quality seeds also feel firm when touched. If the seed does not break or bend when you squeeze it between your index finger and thumb, it’s worth planting. But if it crumbles, its quality is low. Poor-quality seeds are also white and green in appearance. Such seeds may not germinate, and even if they do, they may take longer to grow to maturity. Obtaining fresh seeds with optimal age will ensure you get better yields.
- Floating Ability
If you’re unsure about the quality of seeds you want to plant after analyzing their appearance, you can perform a floating test on them. The test is easy to perform and has two outcomes.
Fill a jar with water and put your seeds on the surface of the water. Seeds that don’t sink but remain buoyant have low quality and are to be discarded. On the other hand, seeds that sink to the bottom are healthy and can be grown.
When conducting this test, you need to be patient. The results are not instant but may take up to two hours to reflect. Good seeds need enough time to absorb water and sink. Keep yourself busy as you wait for the results, so you’re not bored. You should conduct this test only if you’re planning to plant the seeds immediately after the experiment. The good seeds will have sunk to the bottom of the jar, a signal that they’re active for germination.
- Time of Flowering
Though seeds don’t show when they’ll flower, on their package, you can find their flowering times. As you pick the seeds from the shelf, ensure you read the package to check when they’re supposed to flower. Most growers prefer seeds that bloom fast. It will take you around 49 to 56 days to harvest seeds for strains such as the Northern Lights and Swiss Cheese. A shorter flowering period lessens the time you take to combat plant diseases, pests, and mold.
- Growth Difficulty
The growth difficulty of various cannabis strains is one of the essential factors that growers need to consider. If you are a beginner, it would be best to choose a strain that’s easy to breed. But if experienced, you can grow any type.
Not all marijuana plants are the same. Some varieties can be easily attacked by fungus, while others have high mold resistance levels and can tolerate mistakes such as over-watering. Choosing a breed with a high resistance level can make your tending work easier.
- Potential Harvest Size
After growing cannabis, you may either get a good harvest or low yields. However, you need to consider the potential harvest size of your seeds before buying them. At the end of the day, you’ll be planting your seeds because you expect to get something.
It’s not a guarantee that you’ll receive a large harvest because it depends on numerous factors. Those factors could be the plant’s health, breeding technique, soil values, humidity, and diseases. However, some strains can produce a large harvest against all the odds. Examples include the Sexxpot variety, which can yield up to 1000 grams per meter square, and Super Silver Haze, which can give up to 800 grams per square meter. When you choose such strains, you can be sure that you’ll receive a good harvest.
- Plant Height
The potential height of a marijuana plant determines whether you’ll plant it indoors or outdoors. The height of all cannabis plants can be controlled, though some strains grow very tall. If you’re an indoor grower, you may want to choose a seed that produces a plant with a maximum height of 1.20. But if you’re an outdoor grower, you can select species that reach their maximum height.
The plant height depends on whether the seed is of the Sativa or Indica species. Indica strains tend to remain low and mainly grow in width. Sativa species, on the other hand, are known for developing a high and narrow stature. So, the place you want to plant your seeds should guide your choice of strain.
The Bottom-line
With many varieties of seeds in the market, it’s essential to know what to consider when selecting the best strain to plant. If you’re a beginner, choosing a variety that’s easy to grow and tend can be a great idea. But if you’re an expert, you can try out different strains and see the output they give. You also need to consider the gender of the seeds you’re selecting depending on what you want to do with them. Feminized seeds are good for smoking, while regular seeds can be used for medical purposes.
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