What are feminized cannabis seeds?

To put it in a simple way: a feminized cannabis seed is a seed that is sourced from a feminine cannabis plant. Breeders typically prefer feminine cannabis plants because they’re rich in THC and CBD. So, planting feminized cannabis seeds lead to a higher chance of sourcing feminine cannabis plants than when using regular seeds - and yields us more awesome THC.

Let's dive into what feminized cannabis seeds are, and why they're so important to cannabis growing!

The Life Cycle of a Cannabis Plant

The typical life cycle and harvest time of cannabis plants takes between four to eight months and includes four stages: germination, seedling, vegetative, and flowering.

The type of cannabis plant and whether it’s Sativa or Indica Dominant affects this time span. Understanding these differences can help breeders properly care for their plants for the best results.

Feminized Cannabis Seeds Versus Male Cannabis Seeds

Only female flowers are capable of growing plants with consumable flowers with trichomes that include THC and CBD. Feminized plants are also what leads to the euphoric or uplifting high that consumers desire. Indica flowers are sourced from the female plant, whereas Sativa is unisexual and can come from either.

While male cannabis plants are only capable of producing pollen sacs, they do have small amounts of THC. However, female plants have a higher cannabinoid level and are far more potent than male plants.

The problem with male plants is that they’re not only less potent, but they can also be harmful to the more potent female plants. If left in close proximity to female cannabis plants for too long, they can pollinate them and lead to less rich plants in the grow room.

Cannabis plants can also be hermaphroditic. Hermaphroditic plants have both male and female flowers.

Increasing the Chances of a Feminine Plant

Cannabis plants can produce both male or female seeds. When growing cannabis plants, breeders have an equal 50/50 chance of producing female or male seeds. Before modern growing practices, breeders would increase the number of plants they grew, taking into account that as many as 50% of their plants would be useless for recreational or medicinal purposes.

This led to a lot of wasted products and resources since it can take a while to recognize whether a plant is female or male. In the early stages of growth, it’s not possible to tell the chromosome differences between cannabis plants. However, as a cannabis plant matures, the differences become more recognizable.

As a result, female seeds were created using seed banks to increase the odds of growing a female plant. Suppliers have found that using feminized cannabis seeds to grow cannabis plants leads to a higher chance of growing feminine plants. Using feminized cannabis seeds to plant a new cannabis plant can increase the chances by up to 99%.

Another benefit of feminized cannabis seeds is that they mature using a photoperiod. This means that they are light cycle-dependent, which works naturally with changing seasons or can be controlled in an indoor growing environment.

How to Feminize Cannabis Seeds

The process of feminizing cannabis seeds includes:

• Spraying a female plant with colloidal silver during the flowering stage. This promotes pollen sacs to sprout.
• Using the pollen sacs from the sprayed plant to pollinate a female cannabis plant. This increases the chance that the resulting seeds will be female.
• Other harvesters may use products like silver thiosulfate to encourage the production of female pollen. There is some debate as to whether or not cultivators should consume plants that have been sprayed with these chemicals.

By using feminized cannabis seeds, suppliers and growers no longer have to waste time or resources checking the gender of a plant. There’s also less chance of growing male plants, which they then may have to dispose of.

If you’re looking for a more natural option, rodelization is a popular technique. During this process, the breeder keeps a female plant in the flowering stage as long as possible. Eventually, the plant should begin self-pollinating, and they can then use the pollination to pollinate a traditional female plant. In turn, this will lead to the mother plant producing feminine seeds. However, this method is less accurate and reliable than when compared to the other options.

Germinating feminine seeds can be a fast process, with some ready in as little as 60 days.

Regular Feminine Seeds Versus Feminized Cannabis Seeds

Regular feminine seeds are seeds that are naturally feminine without applying the feminization process. Feminized seeds may lead to better results and decrease the chance of male plants growing. They can also reduce the likeliness of male plants pollinating nearby female plants, reducing their potency. 

Feminized seeds are a great choice for beginners since they produce a good product with better results.

How to Get Feminized Cannabis Seeds

If you plan on growing at home, you’ll want feminized cannabis seeds to ensure a high-quality product. Feminized cannabis seeds are easily accessible today. New growers enjoy them because they lead to a product with a lot of terpenes and high THC levels with minimal waste. Feminized cannabis seeds are preferred to the auto-flowering process.

Female seeds are also available in different strains. Some popular and widely available feminine seed strains include the White Widow or Blueberry strains.

Cannabis cultivation is legal in Canada! This means that you can grow your own cannabis strains at home. While some home growers rely on auto-flowering seeds, they are less reliable. You could waste valuable flowering time growing male flowers. If you’re looking to grow your own cannabis buds, female seeds are the best option.