by Nebula Haze
You found some cannabis seeds (also known as “bagseed”, “bag seed”, or “found seeds”). Yay! Should you grow them? Or should you buy cannabis seeds online at an online seed bank like Seedsman or Seed Supreme? What about on social media or even at a dispensary? How important are the marijuana seeds you start with?
Sometimes you get lucky with cannabis grown from found seeds. For example, these found seeds produced excellent quality purple buds. Though the starting weed was not purple, so that was a surprise.
Unpredictability is the biggest downside to growing with seeds you find in your weed. I have seen incredible grow results with bag seed (called this because these are the seeds growers find in a bag of weed), like the plant pictured above. The higher the quality of the starting weed, the greater the chance the seeds will produce good buds, too. That being said, bag seeds can cause problems including bud quality, poor germination rates, the potential for hermies, and unpredictable growth patterns.
Poor Quality Seeds = Confidence Killer!
Using random cannabis seeds (even from dank bud) can produce unpredictable results. Plants may grow wild or produce small airy buds with low potency, even if the original weed was dense and potent.
Pros of Using “Bag Seed” (seeds you find in your weed)
- Seeds are free (buying cannabis seeds can get expensive!)
- Easy (you already have seeds in hand)
- Can produce great bud if it came from great buds
Cons of Using Bag Seed
- Bud quality may not be as good as the weed it came in
- Potential for poor germination rates since seeds weren’t stored properly
- Unpredictable growth patterns – for example, plants may get tall or take a long time for buds to mature before harvest
- Up to half of seeds will grow male plants (male plants don’t produce buds) vs using feminized seeds which grow all female (bud-producing) plants
- Hermie plants are common (hermie plants produce seedy buds, which is often how seeds got in your bud in the first place)
Today we’ll investigate those potential issues so you can make an informed decision. Let’s do a quick deep dive!
1.) Bud Quality
Genetics makes a tremendous difference to your growing results. For example, the following two strains were grown in the same space with the same grow medium, nutrients, and grow light, yet the results were completely different.
These strains were grown in identical conditions. The green plant produced almost double the yields. The purple plant produced far less yields but the buds were denser, smoother to smoke, and almost twice as potent (14% THC vs 26% THC). When you buy seeds, you can choose what you like instead of the results being left to luck.
2.) Germination Rates
Germination is the process of getting your cannabis seeds to sprout and turn into seedlings. Typically, seeds are removed from buds and stored in a cool dry place to keep them fresh and viable. However, if the seeds have been sitting in your buds and the buds, it’s possible they weren’t stored in optimal conditions. That can cause you to have low or poor germination rates, even if you’re using a proven germination method.
“Found” seeds may have poor germination rates, for example, they may start germinating and “stall out” like this one did. It seemed healthy but never grew past this point.
3.) Growth Patterns
Using random seeds (even from dank bud) can produce unpredictable results. Plants may grow wild or produce small airy buds with low potency, even if the original weed was dense and potent. This is because the genetics weren’t stabilized to produce consistent results.
Bag seeds may grow in unexpected ways
4.) Male Plants
Cannabis plants can be male or female, and with regular seeds, about half of plants are male. Female plants produce the buds we know and love, while male plants only produce non-smokable pollen sacs. That means most growers want to avoid growing male plants so they don’t take up room in the grow space. On top of that, if male pollen sacs open up and release pollen on any nearby buds, those buds will get pollinated and end up with seeds in them. If you found seeds in your buds, it’s likely that pollen got on the buds while they were forming.
Learn More About Male & Female Cannabis Plants
Why am I explaining this in an article about bag seeds? Because when you’re growing from bag seed, there’s a strong chance that about half of your seeds will end up being male plants. This is important because male plants don’t produce buds and male flowers make your buds seedy. You need to be on the lookout for them and don’t want to grow them by accident.
Unless growing with feminized seeds, typically about half of all seeds will grow into male plants like this one. Male flowers are pollen sacs, which look like bunches of grapes.
After a few weeks, male flowers open up and pollen gets everywhere.
If any pollen gets on your buds, it will cause seeds to grow. This is one way that seeds can get in your buds.
Whenever using found seeds, you should determine the sex of young plants as soon as possible. This lets you toss all the male plants before they start making pollen and potentially seeding your buds.
5.) Hermies (Hermaphrodite Plants)
The other main way seeds end up in your buds is from a hermaphrodite plant, or “hermie”. A hermaphrodite plant produces both male and female flowers (both buds and pollen). The pollen from the male flowers pollinate buds and cause seeds to grow just like if a male plant released pollen.
Why is this important? Hermie seeds often produce hermaphrodite plants, and if you grow herm plants your buds will likely have seeds in them.
What Are Hermaphrodites (“Hermies”)?
Notice how these plants are producing both female flowers (buds) and male flowers (the pollen sacs are circled). Remove this plant immediately because once the pollen sacs open up they will seed all your buds.
Another type of hermie produces small yellow growths often called bananas (the “banana” would normally be found inside a pollen sac but on some herm plants they grow exposed on the bud). Bananas start releasing pollen immediately, causing seedy buds.
The best way to ensure all your plants end up being female is to start with feminized cannabis seeds from a trustworthy breeder. (Do feminized seeds make hermies?)
If you plan to use bag seed, just remember that there is a chance the resulting plants will be hermies. Keep an eye out for pollen sacs and bananas.
Should I buy seeds on social media like Instagram or Facebook?
Many growers get seeds from other people on social media sites like Instagram or Facebook. Can these seeds be trusted?
You need to be wary of any informal source of seeds, especially from people you don’t know and trust. There are many scammers taking advantage of growers by sending poor quality cannabis seeds or even no seeds. Try to find at least two legitimate people who have ordered successfully from the same source before you send any money. It sounds like a pain but it can save you a lot of time and money.
Additionally, there are many scammers that pretend to be legitimate companies. For example, several people on Instagram have copied our account (profile and posts) then messaged people to sell seeds as if they were us. Then they seed seeds of unknown quality or don’t send anything at all. If you’ve been following our actual Instagram account, you may not notice the seller is @growweedeasy__12_ or something like that instead of @growweedeasy.
Double and triple-check your source before ordering seeds through social media. Don’t throw money down the drain.
Or even better, just order seeds from a proven seed source that offers high-quality seeds and a plethora of excellent strains. If you’re lucky enough to live need a cannabis dispensary, you can sometimes find quality seeds there.
Be on the lookout for scams when buying seeds on social media. Consider a proven source of seeds.
Conclusion: Get Hype Seed if you Can!
Use found cannabis seeds at your own risk. You may get decent or even great results, but you may be disappointed, which can be a real confidence killer especially for new growers. There’s nothing more frustrating than doing everything right only to get bad results after 4 months of growing. I highly recommend buying at least a few seeds from a trustworthy breeder to ensure you are happy with the weed you grow at the end.
Not sure where to get seeds? Learn where to safely buy seeds online. Learn about American genetics.
One awesome strain that won’t break the bank (3 seeds for $30) is Blue Dream. Buds produce smooth and relaxing effects. A crowd favorite.
Blue Dream gives you sparkly buds, great yields, and excellent plant growth. The buds and leaves may even gain a purple tinge as harvest approaches, especially close to the grow light.
Looking for reaaaally potent buds and don’t mind paying a little extra? Check out Platinum Cookies (4 seeds for $55). Check out my full Platinum Cookies review.
