Autoflower vs Feminized vs Regular cannabis seeds details and differences explained. Find the right seeds for you with this handy guide and learn all about the wonderful world of weed genetics.
While there may be thousands upon thousands of strains available, it is important that you understand the difference between Autoflowering, Feminised and Regular seeds if your are going to achieve your growing goals. As these are what define the plant’s gender and potential. So let’s take a look at all you need to know.
Cannabis’ natural life cycle
Cannabis has a natural summer life-cycle that depends on male plants pollinating female plants. The females then create large seeds that fall from their flowers at the end of the season. These seeds are frequently eaten and spread, going on to sprout the following spring and continue the cycle. Outdoor cannabis plants can pollinate each other from miles away. Special care is therefore taken by medical and recreational growers to eliminate males. As large, dense, seedless female flowers are the most prized and valuable. But what are Autoflower, Feminized & Regular cannabis seeds?
Regular Cannabis Seeds are the OG
Regular Cannabis Seeds are selectively bred the traditional way. A stud male is used to pollinate females plants, thereby creating thousands of seeds. Each seed has a 50/50 chance of being either male or female. This has always created extra work for growers who put the time and effort into growing plants that end up being male and removed from the garden. Male plants that aren’t spotted early and removed quickly can go on to pollinate and seed crops. Ruining them nearly overnight.
Although a trend is now emerging of growers who value males. A good male can go a long way to help you growing your own seeds. This comes with the exhilaration of self sustaining and pheno-hunting personal unique hybrids. The vigorous growth of F1 (first generation) regular cannabis seeds is also very appealing.
The Feminized Cannabis Seed Revolution
Feminized cannabis seeds changed the game forever. Avid growers discovered a way to reliably create seed that would grow female plants 99.9% of the time. The process pretty much boiled down to using one of weed’s weird quirks. Female plants were chemically induced or stressed into turning into male plants. This transgender pollen would then be bred to regular female plants to create only female seeds. And so the feminized revolution began.
Breeders and seedbanks adopted this new wave of genetics in the 90’s, thereby creating a market of now mostly feminized cannabis seeds. The time, energy and cost saving of no longer having to deal with male plants allowed grows to be greatly optimized. While the sheer convenience, crazy big variety and genetic stability easily entices growers to keep buying these seeds rather than bother with growing their own. But there was another revolution on the way.
Autoflower Cannabis Seeds Are The New Wave
Autoflower cannabis seeds started with a small but loyal following. Dedicated and curious growers bred with a novel road side strain of cannabis from eastern Europe. These Ruderalis plants were able to ignore the sometimes complicated light timing that defined cannabis’ life-cycle. And would go on to be an extremely easy plant to grow. This was a turn key cannabis genetic growing solution. Simply plant and harvest in as soon as 10 weeks… but the weed kinda sucked.
The lack of potency and yield were soon addressed by selectively breeding these genetics with just about every regular and feminized strain out there. Auto-flower cannabis seeds have become hugely popular for offering the best of both worlds. Growing reliable and dank plants that won’t outgrow you.
Shout Out To The Hermies
Hermaphrodite cannabis plants are not uncommon in cannabis. These express both male and female flowers that occur either due to a genetic trait or unstable growing conditions. Hermie plants should be gently removed ASAP to ensure that the rest of the crop remains seedless. You can selectively trim small male flowers off as a last minute resort on mature plants near harvest, but close attention should be paid.
This article about Autoflower Seeds in South Africa was brought to you courtesy of Green Smoke Room Seeds. Visit their site for an extensive range of leading high quality seeds.
Now that you know all about Autoflower vs Feminized vs Regular cannabis seeds your can learn more about how to grand dank weed, when to plant outdoors and getting a license.
for me its purple haze,, what a great sativa
Critical cheese will always be a regular plant for me, along with Tangerine Dream. Waiting on some Sundancekid 4 and some clearchem ;)
Sounds delicious:)