by Nebula Haze
What are “feminized” cannabis seeds and how are they different from regular seeds? (Where can I get feminized seeds?)
Feminized cannabis seeds are produced in a way to make sure that all the resulting plants are female (since only female cannabis plants make buds).
“Regular” (or non-feminized) seeds will produce about half male, and half female plants.
Having male plants can be an asset to a breeding program, but having to watch over and throw away half the plants can be a waste of time and space for growers who just want to grow their own supply of bud!
By starting your grow with feminized cannabis seeds from a reputable breeder, you can stop worrying about plant gender altogether, and know that every single one of your plants is going to be female and make buds!
Pros of Feminized Seeds
- All plants end up producing buds
- Less wasted space on plants that need to be thrown away
- Don’t need to watch plants closely to make sure you remove males
- No chance of pollination without pollen sacs, so no seedy buds
- In order to build a robust breeding program and create new strains, you should start with regular seeds so you have both male and female plants
- It’s possible to buy feminized seeds from bad breeders which turn into problematic hermies (mixed gender plants) or even just end up being half male plants like regular seeds. That’s why it’s important to order seeds from a trustworthy breeder!
Since I started growing cannabis nearly a decade ago, I’ve only grown with feminized seeds! I’ve never had a single plant that didn’t grow buds!
Non-Feminized Seeds Produce Half Male, Half Female Plants
(learn more more about cannabis plant gender)
Feminized Seeds Only Produce Female Plants
Get Feminized Seeds From a Trustworthy Seed Source
How Do Breeders Make Feminized Seeds?
The way breeders create feminized seeds is they breed two female cannabis plants together, which means that all the resulting offspring will be female. This is done by spraying developing flowers with a substance that changes flower development (often colloidal silver or gibberellic acid). This process is used to force one of the female plants to start producing pollen sacs just like a male plant.
By harvesting the pollen sacs and using the “female” pollen to pollinate buds of a different female plant, you are giving the resulting seeds only female genes (there is no “father”), so none of the seedlings end up being male.
Learn how to make your own feminized seeds at home!
Jump to…
How to Germinate Your Marijuana Seeds
What Are “Auto-Flowering” Strains?
5 Ways to Increase Yields (with any strain)
