Can you cross feminized cannabis seeds?
Given the value of female cannabis plants, many growers are now wondering if they can cross female cannabis seeds. While both male and female cannabis plants are necessary to create cannabis-based products, only female plants can produce cannabinoid-rich flowers. These cannabinoids are what give marijuana and hemp the effects that customers seek.
A 2017 Gallup poll found that 45% of the U.S. population had tried marijuana, compared to 4% in 1969. A 2019 Gallup poll found that one in seven Americans regularly uses CBD products. As cannabis legalization continues to expand in more and more U.S. states, these figures will continue to rise. To meet the demand, scientists have discovered ways to create feminized cannabis seeds. Feminized seeds produce only female plants, helping growers maintain high yields for a growing consumer base and an increased return on investment.
Understanding the Value of Feminized Cannabis Seeds
As noted, feminized cannabis seeds produce only female plants because they contain only female genes. Hemp and marijuana growers can benefit from growing exclusively female plants. To be clear, cannabis flowers are rich in cannabinoids such as CBD and THC, which, according to numerous studies, offer potential health benefits. THC is also the component of the marijuana plant that causes users to feel relaxed and euphoric—a state commonly referred to as a “high” or “stone.” These sensations are the reason why so many people find using marijuana extremely appealing.
Most cannabis plants are dioecious, which means they require two sexes to reproduce: male and female. Hermaphroditic cannabis plants are monoecious because they develop both male and female reproductive organs.
Generally speaking, male cannabis plants pollinate female plants, which the females use to produce more seeds—both male and female. Usually, the ratio of male to female seeds is roughly equal. However, female plants tend to be the most valuable, thanks to their high cannabinoid levels. As such, many growers prefer to grow exclusively female plants. Consequently, scientists have developed certain methods for creating all-female seeds that produce all-female plants.
However, the question remains: Can you then cross female cannabis seeds? More on that in a moment.
Traditional Growing vs. Growing Feminized Seeds
When growing regular seeds, it is impossible to know whether they will produce male or female plants. A grower would simply plant the seeds and expect about half of them to be male plants and the other half to be female. Unfortunately, this strategy can be ineffective, especially considering that the goal of growing them is to produce flowering plants. Furthermore, keeping male and female plants together during the growing period allows the males to pollinate the females. Once the male plants pollinate the female plants, the females’ yield potential decreases significantly.
To prevent cross-pollination in cannabis, growers closely monitor the plants at the start of flowering and then separate the male and female plants as soon as their sex becomes apparent. However, this process requires careful attention and quick action to be effective. This illustrates yet another reason why feminized seeds are so valuable. As such, it’s no wonder people ask: Can you cross feminized cannabis seeds?
Feminized seeds help ensure higher yields
The process of determining the sex of cannabis plants requires growers to closely monitor the plants as soon as they enter their flowering cycle. To be clear, this occurs when the plants receive an equal amount of light and total darkness each day. Unfortunately, it can be tedious to go through all the plants to check their sex. On the other hand, growers can be certain that all plants are female when they grow feminized seeds.
Because feminized seeds can only produce female plants, growers can achieve higher yields with much less effort. Furthermore, there aren’t a bunch of male plants taking up energy, resources, and space in the garden or grow room without producing any yield. Growers using feminized seeds can therefore expect all of their plants to produce flowers, rather than just half.
How do breeders produce feminized seeds?
There are several ways to produce feminized seeds. The first involves encouraging females to produce seeds—an evolutionary mechanism that also works well for genetic development. Essentially, when a female produces her own seeds without any male assistance, the seeds will contain only female chromosomes, thereby eliminating any chance that males will develop. A common way to achieve this is to disrupt the plant’s light cycle during its flowering phase. Alternatively, growers can allow the females to age past their peak to achieve the same results.
A more common and controlled method of stressing female plants involves spraying them with a solution of colloidal silver thiosulfate or silver. The stress causes the female plant to produce pollen sacs so that it can self-pollinate. This is part of their evolutionary process to preserve their genetic lineage.
The resulting offspring will have only female chromosomes, which ensures that the seeds they produce are female. To explain, pollen from male plants has two chromosomes, an X and a Y. Female plants have only two X chromosomes. When female plants pollinate other female plants, they will have only X chromosomes, ensuring that all resulting seeds are female.
Feminized seeds are useful for all growers
Growers looking to produce high yields find great value in feminized seeds. However, other types of growers also find feminized seeds valuable. Most U.S. states have laws limiting the number of plants an adult can grow for personal use. For anyone planning to grow in this way, buying regular seeds will likely mean that half of their plants will end up being male, and thus will yield nothing and serve no purpose. As such, feminized seeds are the best way to make the most of what a person can legally grow for personal use. With feminized seeds, the grower can be sure that all of their plants will be female and produce flowers.
Of course, feminized seeds are more expensive than regular cannabis seeds because of the extra effort involved in producing them. However, both home and commercial growers know that their yields could double with feminized seeds, making them money well spent.
Can you cross feminized cannabis seeds?
Male cannabis plants can pollinate female plants grown from feminized cannabis seeds, just as they would with plants grown from regular seeds. The X and Y chromosomes come into play, so the resulting plants could be either male or female. However, growers and breeders can also stress plants grown from feminized seeds so that they self-pollinate or pollinate other female plants and produce more feminized seeds.
Growers can also clone plants from feminized seeds, just as they can clone any cannabis plant. The cloning process involves taking a cutting from the mother plant, placing it in rooting hormone until it develops roots, and then planting it as usual. Tomatoes are also easy to clone, as are many other houseplants.
However, there is a small caveat here, whether you’re crossing feminized seeds or cloning them. Some cannabis experts claim that feminized plants are more likely to become hermaphrodites. In other words, crossing or cloning feminized seeds increases the likelihood of producing hermaphroditic plants. As such, hermetically sealing females increases the likelihood that female flowers will produce seeds.
That said, it is impossible to predict whether crossing feminized seeds will produce hermaphroditic plants. Just because plants grown from crossed feminized seeds are more likely to become hermaphroditic does not mean they will. Perhaps they won’t.
Why clone feminized plants?
Cloning feminized plants offers the same advantage as using feminized seeds in the first place. The idea is to have a garden full of female plants that produce female flowers rather than male plants that pollinate them. When you clone a feminized plant, you automatically end up with another female plant with exactly the same characteristics as the mother.
The same applies to the crossbreeding of feminized seeds. When growers produce plants from feminized seeds, they can train the resulting female plants to produce only female seeds. The result is a continuous supply of female plants.
In particular, there is currently no scientific evidence that cloning and cross-breeding feminized seeds result in weaker plant genetics. At this point, it is merely a theory.
Emerging cannabis technology eliminates the uncertainty associated with purchasing cannabis seeds from U.S. seed banks. When a cannabis breeder finds an attractive cultivar, they cross that strain with another or take a cutting for future use. If a breeder likes a feminized seed strain, cloning or crossing those feminized seeds offers the same advantage.
Sometimes, breeders find that their feminized cannabis flowers provide the exact blend of energy, creativity, and calm they were looking for. In such cases, they are likely to cross that feminized strain with another high-performing cultivar or clone it to produce an identical product.
Why Choose Silent Seeds?
Silent Seeds is a Swiss seed bank based in the canton of Vaud that offers high-quality regular and feminized cannabis seeds. Our Swiss seed bank features an incredibly diverse selection of strains to meet all of our customers’ needs. We offer strong genetics, competitive prices, and first-rate customer service, ensuring that every customer has the best possible experience in our store.
Silent Seeds sells only seeds from experienced breeders to ensure the highest quality. They select top-quality cannabis strains with excellent genetics and make sure to include a variety of premium cannabis products. Customers who purchase feminized seeds can rest assured that they will grow only female plants.
Regular customers are also eligible for excellent SS deals on cannabis seeds. In addition to our already competitive prices, regular customers qualify for our membership program, where they can get early access to certain strains and earn substantial discounts on cannabis seeds. The more customers spend in our stores, the more they can save on cannabis seeds and premium genetics.
Buy feminized cannabis seeds today
There are many good reasons why a grower might choose to buy feminized cannabis seeds. Whether you’re looking for reliable and predictable genetics or simply trying to save a little effort during the cannabis growing process, fem seeds are an excellent solution. Our seeds come from the best cannabis genetics in America, and our breeders bring a unique twist to some of the most popular fan favorites. With over ten years of experience in selecting and selling cannabis seeds online, we’re confident you’ll love what we have to offer.
Check out our complete selection of regular and feminized cannabis seeds today, or contact us to learn more about our products and services. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to receive news, brand updates, and special offers on cannabis seeds delivered straight to your inbox.
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