Demystifying Feminized Marijuana Seeds: Understanding the Basics 

Cannabis is a herb with a wide geography, growing in many regions of the world, from northern countries to tropical and subtropical areas. It used to be popular as a natural remedy for pain, anxiety, nausea, and gastrointestinal problems in ancient medicine, but its status has been dubious throughout the 20th century. The main problem with weed is its psychoactive properties, making users high and intoxicated after consumption. 

With the recent advancements in science and technology, chemical engineers have managed to isolate the psychoactive compound, THC, from the weed plant and have moved forward in understanding the mechanisms of weed’s action on the human organism. Weed legalization has been keeping pace with these advancements, and now people in most US states have an opportunity to grow a couple of plants for their personal medicinal use. Thus, growing weed for yourself is gaining ever more popularity as users become savvier in cultivation practices and choose to monitor the growing process and weed quality on their own. 

The Problem of Weed Plant Gender 

As weed cultivation becomes simpler and more accessible throughout the USA, users explore these opportunities at a greater scale. However, the major barrier any novice grower encounters at the beginning of their cultivation endeavor is the need to address plant gender. Weed has historically been a dioecious plant, meaning that some crops grow into male plants with sacs of pollen, and others grow into female plants with flower buds. As a result of the male and female plants’ location in one plantation, male pollen enters the female flowers, and weed seeds are formed.

While this process is at the basis of weed plant survival, most cultivators (those who are not weed seed breeders) are not interested in having their female plants pollinated. The essence of weed cultivation for further consumption is in capturing the moment of weed flowers’ maturity and collecting the harvest of non-pollinated flowers, which can be further dried and used as required. This is possible only if male plants are detected and removed from the weed plantation early enough, before they manage to disseminate the pollen. 

Plant gender detection may be challenging for novices, and sometimes even mature growers miss that pivotal moment and lose their weed yields as a result. However, science doesn’t stand still, and genetic engineers have managed to resolve this bottleneck for cultivators – they have designed feminized marijuana seeds to simplify the process of weed growing and increase the likelihood of female plant cultivation to 99.9%. 

What Are Feminized Cannabis Seeds? 

So, what is a feminized seed? What do you get when you buy a pack of feminized seeds of your favorite cannabis strain? Simply put, it is a seed variety with a 99.9% chance of growing into a female plant. These seeds have passed through a series of genetic manipulations in the labs, with the scientists removing male genes from the seed’s genotype to ensure that you don’t encounter unpleasant surprises in your plantation.  

Why not 100%? It’s vital to remember that weed can develop hermaphroditism, which is the instance of having both male and female organs on one plant. Such cases are pretty rare, as only highly stressed weed plants can grow into hermaphrodites. Thus, you can rest assured that your plants will likely be female under optimal conditions and proper treatment. 

Advantages of Growing Feminized Cannabis Seeds 

It’s evident that such extensive genetic work costs money, and feminized seeds naturally cost way more on the weed seed market than regular seeds would cost you. So, why spend a fortune on this seed variety? Here are a couple of sizable benefits worth the extra price you will pay. 

• Guaranteed female crops. It’s much more reassuring to know that all your weed crops will be female; no need for nervous inspections of the plants’ gender signs every morning. 
• Optimal for individual growers wishing bumper harvests. Feminized weed is known for better productivity, so you’ll reap much more weed than from regular or autoflower weed plants. 
• Cost-effective. You don’t need to eliminate male crops, which increases the yields and ensures you collect buds from as many plants as you initially planted. 
• Rich cannabinoids and terpenes. Feminized weed matures longer, but this longer duration guarantees that the buds accumulate more resin, THC, CBD, and healthy terpenes. 

Downsides of Choosing Feminized Weed 

Still, it would help to keep in mind that feminized seeds are not a panacea for a hassle-free growing experience and guaranteed success. Sometimes, even feminized seeds can be a wrong choice, and you should know these details to make an informed decision and spend money rationally. 

1. Not suitable for breeding. You can grow feminized seeds only if you expect nothing but weed buds. It’s impossible to produce male plants with these seeds, so you can’t crossbreed weed or get a supply of seeds for the next seasons. 
2. Not suitable for cloning. Experts point out that producing healthy clones from feminized weed plants is hard. It’s possible overall, but the clones are weak and have lower chances for survival and high yields. In most cases, you will have to start from seed over and over again. 
3. High risk of hermaphrodites. Thinking that you can expose your weed to any climate conditions without repercussions is a big mistake. Even female plants, if treated unfairly or stressed, can develop male signs and still pollinate your crops. So, be careful about plant health tracking and ensure your crops grow in optimal, suitable conditions. 
4. Higher price. Feminized seeds always cost more than regulars, as they require more production effort. This may be a bummer for growers on a budget. 
5. Moderate to advanced experience needed. Feminized seeds grow into plants with higher susceptibility to pests, diseases, and mold (in most cases). So, you must be a mature grower to counter all these challenges and protect your crops from hazards. 

Grow Your Feminized Seeds Like a Pro 

With all this information at your fingertips, you’re probably much better prepared to cultivate feminized weed seeds. Here are a couple more tips to hone your growing skills and ensure impressive yields: 

• Buy top-quality seeds from trusted suppliers. This way, you will avoid poor germination rates and growing difficulties resulting from weak crops. 
• Move on to advanced growing techniques only after you accumulate sufficient experience. Use large containers and put them into the soil if you grow weed outdoors; this measure will free you from the need to measure nutrients and make regular growing adjustments. 
• Continue your education to pump up your cultivation muscle. 
• Don’t overfeed the plants; it may cause stress and kill them before they develop healthy buds. 
• Use LED and supplemental UV lighting in the indoor grow room. 

This way, you can become a cultivation guru and reap impressive yields from feminized seeds without a problem. Good luck in farming! 

The article was written by Tia Moskalenko, an avid weed grower and experimenter with different strains and seed varieties. Tia shares her tips and findings with the audience of AskGrowers in her blogs to simplify people’s entry into household cannabis cultivation and improve everyone’s growing experience.