More and more people are growing cannabis at home. In some places, it is the only way to legally obtain marijuana. The availability of cannabis in many places where it’s legal to grow, possess and consume but not purchase has led to a curious conundrum. A lack of a sales system leaves many retail stores without seeds and clones to sell. Since a grower needs seeds to start growing plants and plants to make the seeds, they often find themselves with a “chicken-or-egg” problem.
Growing flowers and growing seeds is a complex process, but the two are not mutually exclusive. One accident could ruin either the crop or render otherwise helpful plants unable to produce seeds. For higher quality, consistent, and dependable results, many farmers use seed banks. In this article, we’ll explore why some farmers go to a seed bank and what to look for when selecting one.
Growing Cannabis for Seeds
When the cannabis space is scarce, communities turn to traditional advice of, “just grow your own!” While this can be excellent advice for growing plants, it isn’t so easy for seeds. Growing for seed is more specialized than regular planting, and requires greater materials and some knowledge of the process.
For any marijuana grower, the first obstacle is acquiring some pot plants. Traditionally, you’ll need at least two plants: a male and a female. The process of producing seeds for cannabis plants begins by growing a male plant to maturation and saving its pollen before collecting it. The female plant, instead of using its energy to grow flowers (and thus the coveted cannabinoids that flourish on them), will then divert this energy to make seeds.
Fertilized female plants will not produce as many THC-rich flowers.
When the seeds are ready to be planted, they can be, but there will still be a degree of uncertainty. Some will be male, some will be female, and each will be a genetic hybrid of the two parent plants. When properly stressed, female plants can be induced to self-pollinate and make seeds on their own. This process then produces almost entirely female seeds, which is where “feminized” seeds come from. To create the best circumstances for a female cannabis plant to grow, the creator must add some sort of chemical (usually colloidal silver). However, many amateur growers do not have familiarity with how this process is done.
Many Growers Use Seed Banks as a Solution
If you visit a dispensary in a legalized US state, you’ll likely find flowers from dozen different strains of marijuana on the same shelf. How did a handful of landrace strains from all over the globe end up in your local pet shop just months after opening? The open secret for most of the industry is that the majority of those seeds very likely came from seed banks. One of the reasons growers prefers purchasing seeds is because of variety.
A good seed bank will have dozens of different genetics, which should include the latest up-and-coming crops. How else would someone get that new Birthday Cake Haze Kush OG Blueberry strain?
Using a seed bank can allow new growers to get their bearings in the cultivation world, and removes the headache of finding or growing viable seeds. Growing high-quality cannabis, regardless of whether it be hemp or marijuana, can be a complex task. A seed bank streamlines and simplifies one of the major difficulties in growing a successful harvest.
What to Look for When Choosing a Seed Bank
There are several important features to look for when choosing a seed bank, including their selection and customer service. When starting a new grow, finding the best bank for your particular needs can take up a lot of time.
Genetics
A good seed bank will offer a wide variety of genetics to choose from. The various strain traits can be quite specific, so you may want to find the exact product that suits your needs. The banking industry is starting to offer a greater selection of strains for their customers, as many banks now carry their creations.
Similarly, something we found particularly attractive at Weedseedsexpress is a wide variety of high-quality CBD strains. CBD consumers have settled for bland, generic flowers for far too long. Two years since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, it’s exciting to see an emerging area of the marijuana industry get more attention from cultivators who have moved beyond pure THC-focused harvests to plant broad acres of hemp.
Quality and Customer Support
A lot of people who operate seed banks do not necessarily grow the seeds. It’s best to find a business that has experience growing from scratch, harvesting and propagating their seeds, and the kind of personalized customer service to go along with it. Improving customer support can be done in several different ways.
Seed Type Variety
There are many different types of seeds and while some simply grow what they’re supposed to, some have other qualities that designate how the plants will turn out. With the different strains of marijuana available on the market, it can be difficult to find a seed bank that meets your needs.
Delivery Guaranteed
Seeds are time-consuming, require care and money, and nobody wants to waste their investment. Before buying from a seed bank, be sure to check the delivery policies to find out if they will either guarantee delivery or offer a refund if needed.
Legality
The practice of buying from seed banks is popular, and many legal operations likely started this way, but prospective purchasers need to do their research first.
Be aware that the legality of purchasing cannabis seeds is often uncertain and may depend on where and how one purchases them.
The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp seeds for consumption across the USA, and many companies now sell strains of CBD-specific products. The rules for buying cannabis seeds vary depending on your location. Before making a purchase, be certain to check the laws and regulations in your area. We’ve heard a lot of public opinion about seed banks. Have you ordered seeds from one? Share your experience in the comments section!
I’m not a novice but some bud I had the other day had a couple of seeds in it and I was curious if I were to plant them and not get all of the fancy lighting and what not necessary to grow huge plants, what would happen? Like, would it still grow if I put it in a pot in the window and watered it daily? Or would it just grow as a plant with no real bud on it?
I’ve done this. Found the seed. Filled a big plastic cup up with dirt and put the seed in. Watered that bitch a bit and like two days later I had a sprout. It grew like a weed for a few days and mostly just grew tall. Like the stem was shooting up and up but the tiny little leaves were still infantile. I kind of thought to myself “what do I do now?”. I just kept watering it and gave it all the sun I could. It was alive for another few weeks and the baby leaves were still very small but they were taking the shape of the iconic “marijuana leaf”. The tall sprout was too tall and too thin too support itself and i attempted to transplant it to a bigger pot too late. It bent in half and ceased to live. I didn’t know much about growing marijuana but wanted to see what would happen. And, well it went as expected.