The wonderful world of cannabis is vast and full of mysteries! Many customers do not know much about the types of cannabis strains, let alone the different kinds of marijuana seeds. If you are keen to learn more, be sure to read this article where we discuss the various types of cannabis seeds: regular, feminized, autoflowering, and photoperiod! Have a nice read!
Regular and feminized cannabis seeds
We need to start by categorizing cannabis seeds based on their sex. Yes, sex! There are male and female cannabis plants. Female plants are much more popular among cannabis users and amateur growers. These are the plants that, when mature, contain the highest levels of desirable cannabinoids in their flowers, primarily THC. If you live in states where possessing cannabis seeds and growing cannabis is legal (such as California, Oregon, New York) and you intend to cultivate a THC-rich plant, these are the types of seeds you should be interested in.
Male plants do not create THC, but they are significant for another reason. Many weed companies involved in cannabis cultivation use them for breeding various strains. They are indispensable in that regard. Female plants give rise to pistils, while male cannabis plants make non-potent pollen sacs. At the right moment, male plants release pollen from these sacs, which is then captured by the pistils of female plants. Pollinated female plants subsequently produce not only THC-rich flowers but also seeds. This is how strain breeding works.
If you buy cannabis seeds that are feminized, you have a 100% chance of growing a female plant. When you purchase regular weed seeds, you get 50% chance of getting male plant but! When you are lucky enough, you will grow a very strong female one. The female plants that sprang out of regular seeds are much more resilient to diseases, mold, and even harsher weather conditions. They are also a bit stronger in the THC percentage department.
Autoflowering and photoperiod weed seeds
Cannabis seeds are also categorized based on how their flowering process begins. Let’s start with seeds that grow into photoperiod plants. These are cannabis plants that require a change in the amount of light they receive to start flowering. For outdoor strains, flowering begins when the seasons change, resulting in a change in the amount of natural light each day. Indoor strains start flowering when the grower changes the amount of artificial light the plants receive each day.
The advantage of photoperiod strains is that they yield higher crops. They also usually have more THC, but they take longer to mature. Often referred to as full-season strains, they are typically sown around May in temperate climates and harvested between late September and October, sometimes even in early November. They grow significantly longer than autoflowering strains, typically for 16 weeks or more.
Autoflowering seeds? Wholly different story! They originate from Cannabis ruderalis, a type of cannabis that grows in less favorable climates (Eastern Europe, Siberia). These plants had to mature faster because the number of sunny days and favorable weather conditions were limited. As their name suggests, they flower automatically once they reach maturity, which occurs between 8 and 12 weeks after planting the seed in the soil.
The speed of their growth is a huge advantage of these strains. However, they yield lower crops and are much more sensitive to any environmental changes, making them somewhat harder to cultivate both indoors and outdoors, but only for inexperienced growers. They also grow shorter than photoperiod strains.
Sativa vs. Indica vs. Hybrids
We can categorize marijuana seeds by their sex. We can differentiate them by the type of flowering, but we also can distinguish one from other using different method. That is – by dividing them by their genotype.
Scientifically speaking, there is only Cannabis sativa. Cannabis indica and cannabis ruderalis are considered by biologists as subspecies of the main hemp specie, which is C. sativa. However, in the cannabis world, it has become common to categorize cannabis into sativa and indica strains. These types differ somewhat in their morphology as well as in their effects on the human body.
Sativas are tall and can easily exceed 6.5 ft in height. Their leaves have long, slender fingers, and their flowers are similarly elongated and slim. In contrast, indica strains do not grow very tall, rarely reaching two 6.5 ft. Their leaves have shorter, broader fingers, and their flowers are dense, resinous, and compact, with the plant itself being more bushy compared to sativa.
Sativas are perceived as more stimulating and creativity-enhancing strains, while indicas have stronger effects, often leading to couch-lock, increased appetite, and frequently having a mildly sedative effect, especially when smoked in the evening.
That’s how the categorization of cannabis seeds looks. Now you shouldn’t have any trouble choosing them! However, remember that in not all states is the possession of seeds, and especially their cultivation, legal. Buy them only where it is legal!