Modified on: 27/04/2022
Why are feminized plant seeds the most sought after by growers?
Did you know that marijuana plants also have a gender? Cannabis seeds give life to plants whose DNA-related gender is only recognizable after the plant is grown. A few weeks after the germination of marijuana seeds, the young plant enters pre-flowering and shows its feminine or masculine nature.
The difference between the two genders is significant as male plants produce pockets of pollen, while females produce resinous inflorescences abundant in THC and CBD.
As in all species, the male plant is used to fertilize the female. In this case, however, the female plant will produce flowers with seeds, useful only for the collection of these. Female plants produce flowers without pollination, and for this reason, growers are looking for female hemp seeds.
However, it is impossible to recognize the gender of the seed before growing them! For this reason, methods have been found to feminize the plants. When a female plant is auto-flowering (and not fertilized), it is “stressed” by spraying a silver solution of sodium thiosulfate.
In this way, the production of ethylene hormone is inhibited, and the female plant will begin to produce pollen pockets (with female chromosomes), usually present only on male plants. This plant is then used to fertilize other female plants, which will produce female-prone marijuana seeds.
It means that these ganja seeds, obtained from particular pollination (made by a female plant with pollen bags), will give birth to 99% of the cases of female plants. Now let’s see what the 3 reasons to prefer feminized marijuana seeds to regular seeds are.
1) Feminized cannabis seeds produce inflorescences
As explained above, the main advantage of using feminized cannabis seeds is that they will give birth to 99% of female plants. Indeed, these unique seeds can produce inflorescences rich in THC and other cannabinoids.
Male plants are used for the reproduction of the species and in hybridization processes, where it is essential to use the male. For the rest, its fibres are better than those of female plants and have a mainly textile destination.
Read also: Autoflowering cannabis seeds: what are the alternatives?
2) Feminized cannabis seeds produce flowers without pollination
The second reason that feminized cannabis seeds are preferable to regular seeds is that female cannabis plants can flower without being fertilized. Flowering does not depend on pollination but only on photoperiod.
Female plants begin to flower between late summer and early fall when light hours decrease. The rougher variety blooms differently, depending on the age of the plant, giving human-created self-flowering qualities, thanks to hybridizations with the type of ruderalis cannabis.
Most of the cannabis market is related to inflorescences, as they contain a large number of cannabinoids. In male plants, you will only get few, and in fact, male plants are mostly used for their fibres.
3) Feminized seeds give guarantees to growers
Growers prefer this type of marijuana seeds, as they will be guaranteed to obtain female plants, and therefore a crop of flowers. Otherwise, i.e. using regular seeds, they would need to plant a much higher number of plants, having to discard the males.
The cultivation of hemp seeds is a costly business, so the advent of feminized seeds has been a great success with professionals. Thus, using only feminized seeds, a grower will be able to know more precisely to what extent the harvest of inflorescences will be based on the number of plants.
Read also: Autoflowering cannabis seeds: is it possible to germinate them in just 60 days?
Last words about feminized seeds
As you can read in this article, it is obvious why feminized seeds are the most sought after on the market, both by professionals and amateurs. However, we need to remind you that in our country, weed seeds germination and cultivation is not allowed, although it is not a criminal offence.
The sale of cannabis seeds is legal, as the seeds do not contain THC and their intended use is to be collected.
Click here to buy your feminized hemp seeds right now on SensorySeeds! On our online shop, you will find the best qualities of feminized cannabis seeds, auto flower seeds, and fast growing seeds, available on the market.
