At a first glance, these options seem straightforward. Growing from seeds requires germination, whereas a clone is a portion of an adult plant that will grow after being replanted.
Although it may seem easier to grow from a clone, transplantation of cloned marijuana plants is often trickier than it sounds. The act of cutting and transporting a clone is stressful to the plant, which can reduce its hardiness in its new environment or affect the quality of the bud.
It is much easier to discreetly acquire seeds than clones online. Seeds are smaller, cheaper and easier to ship. Seeds are, after all, the way that plants transport their genetic information from one place to another and are practically meant for shipping.
Additionally, if you grow from a seed, then you know the entire growth history of your marijuana plant. Clones will have the same genetic background as the adult plant that they were grown from, which includes any and all susceptibilities to fungus or other parasites.
Growth also has an impact on the quality and type of high that you get from your weed strain. If you grow from a seed, you’ll know that your marijuana plant grew in ideal conditions from day one.
Why to buy marijuana seeds online:
Online seed stores have many more varieties than your local dispensary. If you’re looking for a particular type of high, or for a plant that can grow in your specific conditions, you’re more likely to find the right strain online. The large amount of strains available online also means that there’s always a new weed strain to try.
Seed sellers online also use discreet packaging and ship quickly so you’ll get your seeds right away.
Autoflowering Seeds:
Autoflowering seeds grow into marijuana plants that are able to begin flowering on their own. This is in contrast to most of the regular marijuana plants, which must be pushed into their flowering phase. Typical cannabis strains (non-auto strains) are pushed to begin flowering by a change in light/dark periods.
There are some downsides to the autoflowering plants. Typically, these plants will have a shorter lifespan than other strains. This can, in some strains, result in a lower yield per harvest, per plant. However, more harvests are possible per growing season, and outdoor plants can produce multiple harvests per summer.
Other differences include that due to a different genetic makeup from non-autoflowering plants, the autoflowering marijuana plants do not grow as high as the regular varieties, which can make them easier to grow, and easier to hide depending on where you need to grow your plants. The faster harvest time also means that if you only have a limited time to use your garden, you can still get a harvest in.
Autoflowering seeds only require one growth set-up. Regular seeds will require a different growth set-up for the vegetative and flowering cycle. During the vegetative stage of regular marijuana plants, the plants can grow with a constant light level. During the flowering cycle, regular plants will need a “short day” light cycle in order to push the plants to produce buds. Essentially, shorter “day lengths” are necessary to trick regular marijuana plants into believing that it is the end of the growing season and time to flower. With autoflowering plants, you can skip directly from the vegetative to flowering states.
Feminized Seeds:
Feminized seeds are plants that have been grown from two female marijuana plants to make sure that the genetic makeup of every seed is female. This is possible because the genetic sex of plants is more complicated than we’re used to. After all, plants can’t move to find a better place to live.
Some species of plants produce both male and female flowers on the same plant, which allows those plants to self-fertilize. Marijuana plants are typically dioecious, which means that a single plant will have all male or all female flowers. However, in stressful conditions, the female plants are capable of growing male flowers so that they can self-fertilize and produce new seeds for the next growing season.
Although all female marijuana plants can produce male flowers when stressed, individual plants require different levels of stress before they produce male flowers. Current methods for creating feminized seeds use two female plants that are unlikely to display intersexuality. One of the female plants is treated with a silver compound to bring out the male flowers. The resulting seeds are guaranteed to be female, and should remain female even in stressful conditions.
Regular seeds will occasionally produce male plants which are useful if you are planning to make your own crosses. However, male plants don’t produce buds, so feminized seeds are useful if you want to guarantee a harvest from each plant.
Sativa vs Indica:
Sativa and indica are two different species of marijuana plants. The three main types of marijuana are Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. Due to differences between the two main species, sativa and indica, the plants produce different highs. Sativa plants tend to produce a more energetic high, whereas indica tend to produce a calm, body high.
Weed strains sold as seeds tend to be sativa/indica hybrids with a varying amounts of sativa or indica genetics depending on how the strain was hybridized. In general, strains that are mostly sativa will have a higher THC content than the primarily indica strains. Primarily indica strains are typically more calming and will be better for pain management.
That said, recent studies on the effects of different weed strains suggests that it may be the effect of another chemical in marijuana called the terpenes rather than the more famous cannabinoids, like THC. In either case, the company selling the seeds you’re looking for should have a description of the type of high expected from that particular strain. Although it’s not a perfect method of separating cerebral highs from calming, body highs, indica vs. sativa is still a good place to start.
Weed strains
The White Widow strain is an excellent choice for people looking for a classic, relaxing high. The strain is primarily indica and has high CBD levels, which results in a calm mind and body. Due to these effects, White Widow is an excellent strain for medicinal use. This strain of weed is available in autoflowering and feminized seeds, and does not grow too tall. White Widow produces a medium yield per plant.
The Amnesia strains are a good pick for a sativa high. These strains are available as Amnesia feminized seeds or as Amnesia Haze autoflowering. The Amnesia is typically a larger sativa plant with a long flowering period. However, that long flowering period is worth it, as the yield from these feminized seeds is massive. For a smaller yield with a faster growing period, the Amnesia Haze autoflowering strain has a similar flavor but grows much more quickly than the classic Amnesia. Amnesia Haze autoflowering seeds can produce up to two harvests per summer.
Another classic strain is the Cheese strain. This strain is named cheese due to the specific pungent smell that the plant gives off, which smells like cheese. Feminized seeds will grow to a large plant that produces a massive yield. Cheese is a 60-40 indica/sativa mix. As a result, this plant will produce a giggly high but can also be used for medical purposes, as it will also produce a relaxing body high. Cheese feminized seeds will produce a large yield. Cheese is also available in an autoflowering strain which is smaller and easier to grow indoors. However, when growing any Cheese strains indoors, it’s important to use an air filter to hide the smell.
Choosing and buying your seeds :
There are several things to keep in mind when choosing marijuana seeds to buy. The conditions that you have available for growth, your experience level, and the type of buds you’re hoping to get. Indica vs. sativa ratio can give some hints as to the type of high to expect, but it’s important to read the notes for each strain. Some indica strains can give the sativa energetic high, and some sativa strains can give the more relaxed body high.
Are you growing for yield, for flavor, or for something else? Some strains, such as the cheese, will have an extremely high yield. Other strains will produce smaller buds, but may be a more enjoyable or useful high for you, depending on why you’re smoking.
Flowering time and height are both important depending on whether or not you have long-term access to your garden. If it will be difficult to set up multiple grow conditions, go with an autoflowering strain. If you’re new to growing your own weed strains, a feminized, autoflowering strain is likely to be an easy entrance into weed cultivation.
Smaller strains may be ideal for indoor growth, or for areas in which you would like the plants to blend into the rest of your garden.
Brief guide to growing marijuana:
Ideally, you will have chosen marijuana seeds based on the realities of the growing conditions that you have available. If you need to grow short plants quickly, one of the feminized, autoflowering strains is your best bet. However, if you have more freedom in your growth set-up, weed strains with other specifications can work.
First, germinate your seeds. Seeds can be germinated in water, soil, or on damp paper towels. It’s important in all cases to make sure that the seeds stay damp. In soil, be careful not to overwater, as this can cause the seed to rot. The best method is to put the seeds inside a folded, damp paper towel. In this case, make sure that the seed gets some air flow, otherwise it may grow mold and rot. After a few days, you should be able to see a root growing from the seed. Once that root is about 3 milimeters long, you’re ready to plant.
Location, location, location! Whether you’re growing inside or outside, you need to know the specifics of the location in which you’re growing your weed. For inside growth, make sure that you place your lights at an appropriate distance from the tops of your plants. Strong lights placed too close will burn the leaves, while weaker lights placed too far away will force your marijuana plants to waste energy growing toward the light.
New growers should consider autoflowering strains, as they will be able to set up a single place for their plants to grow. However, if growing regular seeds, the plants need to be allowed plenty of light for the vegetative stage. After regular plants have reached the appropriate heights, they should be switched from continuous light to a day-night cycle with 10 to 13 hours of darkness at a time. This will trigger the plants to begin flowering.
The plants are ready to harvest when the seed pods swell with resin and the white hairs on the outside of these pods begin to change color to red, orange, or brown. Harvest can occur as soon as the majority (about 80%) of the seed pods are changing color.
A Brief History of Marijuana:
Marijuana has been cultivated and used for thousands of years, both as a psychoactive drug and as a source of hemp fibers.
Considering that marijuana is a plant from central Asia, how did it spread all over the world? Easy: due to cultivation. There is evidence of marijuana seeds and buds being burned in fires for smoke as long ago as 3000 BCE. Between the extreme usefulness of hemp fibers and the more entertaining aspects of the bud, marijuana spread all over the world.
Up until the early 20th century, growing marijuana was legal inside of the United States, although it was typically grown for hemp, which could be used for rope, clothing, or other textiles. In fact, during the seventeenth century, it was illegal for farmers in Virginia to NOT grow hemp!
Prohibition of marijuana in the United States began in the middle part of the century following the marijuana scare that culminated in the anti-weed propaganda film “Reefer Madness.” Marijuana was effectively made illegal in the mid 1930s by an excise tax, although American farmers were encouraged to grow the plant for hemp during WWII. However, the increasingly negative perspective of marijuana, followed by the war on drugs, resulted in its current, mostly-illegal status in the United States.
However, at least in the United States, the prohibition on weed is slowly beginning to lift in various states.
Whether you’re a beginner looking to start growing your own plants, or a connoisseur looking for a specific high, you can find the seeds you’re looking for. The weed strains available online range from classic strains to easy to grow autoflowering varieties. So choose some seeds and get growing!
