How to grow cannabis from seed?
You can grow cannabis in two ways: from seed or from clones. Growing cannabis from seed is a truly remarkable experience. With this plant, you will go through its complete growth cycle. However, growing cannabis seedlings requires a lot of patience and a bit of luck. To help you discover the beauty of growing from seed, we have prepared this article to serveas your guide to growing cannabis from seed.
Are cannabis seeds or clones better?
One of the first things to consider when growing cannabis is whether tostart with seeds or clones.
Seeds
For the average home grower, it is usually easier to find cannabis seeds than clones. This is mainly because they are more readily available and legal in most countries. Many growers believe that growing from seed will produce stronger plants with more resistant genetics, which will be more resistant to pests, grow faster and produce larger buds. Cannabis plants grown from seed have a ' taproot' which many growers believe gives the plant more support.
Clones
Acannabis clone is a small cutting descended from a mother plant that has developed its own root system. A clone is an exact genetic copy of the parent plant. And because the genetics are identical, theclone will produce a plant with the same characteristics as the parent plant, for example in terms of taste, cannabinoid content , yield and length of growth. However, clones arehard to come by, can vary in quality and can take on the negative characteristics of the parent plant. This can lead to the cloned plant not being resistant topests and diseases.
How to choose the right cannabis seeds?
Feminised seeds
Feminised seeds are probably the first category of cannabis seeds you will come across. These cannabis seeds are produced only by female plants. This greatly saves growers the time it takes to identify and separate male and female plants. Feminised photoperiodic strains need 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness to move into the flowering stage.
Autoflowering cannabis seeds
Autoflowering cannabis seeds are produced by female plants that donot need a photoperiod of light to move from the vegetative phase to the flowering phase . This transition is activated when the amount of daylight changes, which occurs naturally as the seasons change from summer to autumn. If you're a beginner, consider buying autoflowering seeds, as youwon't have to worry about whether it's a male or female plant or when to change the photoperiod.
Photoperiodic cannabis seeds
Photoperiodic seeds are those thatrequire a change in light to flower. The cannabis plants stop growing in height and start flowering and forming buds in early autumn when the days get shorter. Indoors, this process is done bygrowers reducing the number of hours of artificial light from 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness.
High CBD hemp seeds: What are they good for?
CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of the chemicals found in the cannabis plant. CBD hemp seeds are bred solely for their higher content of this non-psychotropic cannabinoid. They are therefore suitable for growers who use cannabis for medicinal purposes. CBD-rich varieties are particularly popular because they help with:
- pain relief,
- inflammation,
- seizures,
- anxiety.
When growing a high-CBD variety , theseeds must be specially bred to contain a high amount of CBD. A grower who intends to grow cannabis with a certain ratio of THC to CBD must use tested and proven seeds. It should be noted, however, that no plant grown from these seeds is guaranteed to contain high levels of CBD, as it takes many years to develop a seed line that gives consistent results.
How do I germinate hemp seeds?
Growing cannabis starts with the germination of the seeds. This is the process by which the seed germinates and begins to grow into a plant. Germination can takebetween 3 and 10 days, but can take as little as 24 hours or as long as 2 weeks. Cannabis seeds need three things to germinate: water, heat and air.
There are several ways in which cannabis seeds can be germinated. Some of them are:
In a paper towel
This method is one of the most popular. Just wet a paper napkin, fold it, place the seeds in it and then place it in a plastic bag. After a few days, check to see if the initial root, called the rhizome, has appeared . The rhizome becomes the basic stem of the plant and its appearance is a sign of successful germination.
Directly into the growing medium
Place the seeds directly into the growing medium to avoid transplant shock. Dig a small half-centimetre hole in the soil and place the seeds in it. Then put some soil on top of the seeds. Then moisten the soil with a little water. Theseeds will germinate after about 4 to 5 days.
In the water
Just soak the seeds in water containing enzymes until the root appears. Then place them in the substrate.
Transplanting sprouted cannabis seeds
Once the seeds have germinated, they must be transplanted into the growing medium. When transplanting ,handle the plant carefully and take care not to damage the roots. Use your finger or a pencil to dig a hole. Then carefully plant your seedling. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle. Make sure the plants get plenty of air and light.
How to tell the sex of cannabis plants?
You will be able to tell the sex of the plant afterabout 4-6 weeks of growth. If you are growing cannabis from feminised seeds, you may not be concerned with this step. However, if you are not growing from feminised seeds, determining the sex of the plant is one of the most important parts of the growing process.
Since buds only produce female cannabis plants, it is important to identify the male plants and then get rid of them. If you do not separate male and female plants, you risk unwanted pollination. If female plants are pollinated, they stop expending energy to produce strong buds. Instead, they expend energy on producing seeds.
Thesexual organs of cannabis plants are located in the so-called nodes, the places where the branches grow out of the main stem. Signs that help you identify the sex of a plant are:
- Male plants: small pollen sacs clustered in nodules that release pollen into the air when ripe .
- Female plants: female plants have a round structure with longer hairs that form pistils that trap pollen in the air.
Where to buy cannabis seeds?
Choosing the right seeds depends on your plans, level of experience and growing space. You can buy cannabis seeds from a number of seed banks. Visit our e-shop and choose from a wide range of cannabis seeds with up to 1% THC!
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