Whether you decided to grow a Sativa or an Indica dominant variety, you will need to buy the seeds first (unless you are growing from a clone).
Although it sounds simple, choosing seeds can become a headache for many novice growers. Most strains’ seeds are offered in at least two of three categories: feminized, regular and autoflowering.
So, which one is right for you? The answer depends on your particular needs and skill set. After all, growing cannabis is a process with a lot of room for customization. Let’s find out the pros of each seed category by examining them one by one.
Regular Cannabis Seeds
Regular seeds are simply the result of pollen, released from male plant sacks, landing on female flowers (buds) during the flowering period. These seeds can either be male or female.
If you want to grow cannabis specifically for smoking the dried flower, you may want to steer clear from normal seeds. Male plants produce pollen sacks instead of buds and are useful only to breeders. Also, bear in mind that the pollen of male plants can ruin your crops if you are not careful.
Although you can’t tell the sex of a plant before the flowering phase, the ratio between male and female is about 50%. The risk factor is why regular cannabis seeds are generally cheaper.
So, unless you want to put in the extra effort, regular seeds are best for advanced growers who really know what they are doing.
Feminized Cannabis Seeds
Feminized seeds are no different from regular seeds in appearance. However, feminized seeds are produced by hermaphrodite plants’ pollen, thus excluding male chromosomes from their DNA imprint. As a result, the produced seed is pretty much guaranteed to grow a female plant.
Hermaphrodite plants (or hermies) are self-pollinating plants that develop male and female reproductive parts under strenuous circumstances. With males out of the pictures, you don’t have to worry about pollination, although you should take care of your plant to avoid growing a hermie.
In general, feminized seeds offer a much more streamlined growing experience and are a great choice for every grower. Their higher price is entirely justified by their ease of use, so you might want to go with feminized seeds for your first grow.
Autoflowering Cannabis Seeds
Cannabis plants growth is entirely dependent on their light intake. Under normal circumstances, cannabis plants will flower when days become shorter and they get less light. Indoor growers can induce flowering by setting the lights accordingly. Autoflowering plants, however, do all the hard work by themselves, without any input from the grower.
With an autoflowering variety, you can grow a cannabis plant from start to finish in two months, without getting your hands dirty. However, you must be prepared for smaller yields, as autoflowering seeds tend to grow smaller plants.
