Growing cannabis from seed is a beautiful experience. Quite different than growing from clones. It would be best if you considered the range of cultivars available as seeds. Thousands of awesome cannabis seedbank offer a good selection of sources. This extends to the individual cultivar. Seeds deliver a fantastic variation of phenotypes within the same genetic family. You can plant ten white widow seeds, and while they will mostly be the same, you might get one that is taller, one with fruitier small, one with more Sativa, or Indica in the high. It is called genetic diversity, and it is the cornerstone of the evolution of growing your cannabis from seeds.
Genetic Drift
With seeds, there is no fear of genetic degeneration sometimes associated with over cloning. Genetic drift is improperly associated with this. The degeneration is caused by environmental factors from plant diseases that can be introduced through the cutting scissors to repeated heat and cold stress factors. It is scientifically known as epigenetic change. It is leading to phenotypic plasticity.
Seed Diversity
You always get some level of diversity with seeds. Diversity is a gift. Not everyone shares the same palette or endocannabinoid system. Unlike clones, seeds can be easily delivered anywhere in the world. Seeds give you more durable roots and potentially a more healthy cannabis plant.
Before deciding what kind of cannabis seeds you want, you need to ask, what kind of high do you want? How experienced are you at growing? How much space do you have? Indoors or outdoors? Feminized or regular seeds? All important questions that could affect your decision, and lastly, are you going to breed? Meaning creates more seeds, or are you growing for harvest.
Feminized Seeds
The breeder wants regular unfeminized seeds that have roughly a fifty-fifty chance of being male or female. You will need both for a successful breeding program. Feminized seeds won’t grow a male plant, but poor growing conditions and rare genetic anomalies and, in extreme cases, cause a plant to die. Feminized seeds only produce female seeds, and female plants are also their significant advantage. Female plants grow fine smokeable blooms full of cannabinoids, and males don’t. They are only giving pollen to reproduce the varieties of cannabis.
Take Away
If you a re a novice, you might want to start with an auto-flowering strain. These can be planted all year round and automatically flip into after two to four weeks of growth regardless of how much light they receive. They also tend to be robust plants and easy to grow. One downside to autos is their yield. It is generally smaller than your photoperiod plants. This becomes an advantage if you’re a grower with limited space or a busy schedule.