When cultivating from seed, growers are faced with choosing between packs of mixed male and female seeds or packs of feminized seeds.
Starting from packs of mixed male and female seeds is actually the most traditional way of cultivating cannabis but involves having to separate male plants from the female plants once they begin to flower. This can be a tedious process, and if overlooked, the male plants in your garden will begin to pollinate your female plants, and your medicine will be seeded.
Using feminized seeds, on the other hand, is a way to cultivate cannabis from seed without having to worry about separating male plants from female ones.
Feminized seeds are made by taking a flowering female plant, applying coloidal silver to it in order to force the plant to become hermaphroditic, so that it may begin to produce seeds on its own. The resulting seeds are “feminized” and are almost always guaranteed to be female.
Mixed Male and Female Seeds vs Feminized Seeds
There are pros and cons to cultivating from both types of seeds, and it is important to consider them before making the choice to propagate your cannabis from seed.
Mixed Seeds
+ Strong, vigorous plants. Cannabis grown from seed will typically be stronger and more resilient than clones and feminized seeds, and the plant will typically grow with more vigor.
+ You can breed male and female cannabis plants to make your own strain! With mixed male and female seeds, you can actually look for a strong “male plant” to keep and breed with your other strains. This is a more advanced and tedious process, but more experienced growers often prefer mixed packs of seeds for this very reason.
– You must tediously remove the males from your garden if you wish to grow “sensimilla” (an unseeded and clean crop).
– You may need to employ various intermediate techniques in order to determine the sex of your plants before it begins to flower.
Feminized Seeds
+ Almost always guaranteed to be female. No need to worry about having to determine the sex of your plant before you begin the flowering cycle. Great for monocropping a specific stain!
– Has a very small chance of becoming hermaphroditic. Note that a small percentage of feminized seeds may carry the hermaphrodite genetics of the mother plant.
– Will typically not be as strong or as vigorous as those grown from mixed male and female seeds.
Whether cultivating from mixed seeds, feminized seeds, or even clones, it is important to weigh the benefits and drawbacks for all methods of growing. It is also important to consider your own grow space limitations and conditions in order to maximize your crop.
