The Pros And Cons Of Feminized Medical Marijuana Seeds

[trix]

Unless you are new to the field of medical marijuana, chances are you have at least heard of feminized seeds. These seeds are likely to produce female offspring; with some seed companies claiming 90-100% female plants. Many growers avoid feminized seeds because of concerns regarding the stability of the plant and the possibility of hermaphrodites. Although some methods used by less reputable breeders can create high hermaphrodite offspring ratios, there are many reputable breeders using more sophisticated methods to create stable feminized seeds.

Feminized seeds are the result of a female plant being pollinated with pollen created by another female plant. Female medical marijuana plants, like other dioecious plants, will mutate (hermaphrodite) to create their own pollen in certain environments where there is a low amount of male pollen available. In most cases this happens when the female can no longer be fertilized herself. Breeders discovered when a pollen-producing female plant pollinates another female plant the offspring are almost entirely female plants. This discovery has led to a few different methods of creating feminized seeds.

 

Beware Marijuana Hermaphrodites

 

Less reputable seed companies select female plants with a tendency for hermaphrodites and use them to pollinate other female strains to create feminized seeds. Although the offspring will be mostly female, this method produces stability issues. Even if the female recipient of the pollen is 100% female, with no hermaphrodite tendencies, the other parent (the pollen producing female) is a hermaphrodite by nature and will instill that trait into its offspring. Feminized seeds produced by this method can, and will, produce hermaphrodite plants.

 

How The Pros Create Feminized Marijuana Seeds

 

The breeders that create quality feminized seeds use a different method. Instead of selecting a hermaphrodite as the pollen producer, they select a 100% female with desirable traits and use a treatment of hormones or safe chemicals to produce abundant male flowers. These “artificial hermaphrodites” pollinate other female plants creating feminized offspring. The difference in this process is stability. The female clone that is treated with the chemical or hormone still passes its stable genetics on to the offspring which results in feminized seeds with little or no hermaphroditic tendencies.

 

An Important Warning About Feminized Marijuana Seeds

 

When discussing feminized seeds one important issue should be addressed. The plants produced by these seeds cannot produce their own offspring. They are completely sterile. Growers should avoid feminized seeds if they are looking to purchase strains in order to breed their own genetics. For many medical marijuana growers a perpetual garden where offspring are created via cloning is the preferred method so sterile seeds is of little concern.

 

Trix

[cristinew]

I use them,, no problems.. and i create them.. you now can pick up the packets to make them,

[trix]

I never have had the chance to ever try any feminized seeds before, I have been doing alot of reading about the subject though.

 

Here is a little info I dug up, about female and feminized female seeds..

 

Female and Feminized Marijuana

 

Female marijuana is different than feminized marijuana. During the 1960's and 1970's some cannabis breeders took to experimenting with Colchicine. Colchicine, a powerful mutagen for both man and beast, stops cell duplication, while the cellcore duplication continues the same. The end result is a doubling or more of the chromosome set. This treatment can be beneficial to marijuana because it enforces many properties such as higher production of thc and resistance to disease. What also resulted, when gender chromosomes doubled, is that male or female chromosomes appear manifold, called Hermaphrodites. What's the plant to become? It becomes all at once. The result is called feminized or effeminate marijuana seed.

 

Genetically, a cannabis plant is more or less predisposed to become male or female. This is regulated by 2 chromosomes everyone knows as the X and Y chromosomes. A plant with 2 XX chromosomes becomes female. A plant with an X and Y turns into a male. Plants have hormones that regulate it's functioning, of which gender is one of those functions. The hormone balance is genetically determined, and partly influenced by environmental factors. An example is when plant roots get damaged. The roots will produce a substance that in turn slows down leaf growth. The result is male flowers. When discussing hormone balance you get FEMALE SEED or feminized marijuana: a female is a plant with XX or only female chromosomes.

 

When you have a seed with just X chromosomes, you are certain this seed will grow into a plant that is genetically female. To achieve the XX only plant: a female plant is forced by a hormone called Gibberellic Acid to produce male flowers, the pollen created contains only X chromosomes, when you offer this pollen to another female plant you can be absolutely certain to get seeds which are 100% XX. Once again this seed is called FEMALE SEED. Gibberellic Acid can be found in online. It takes years for an individual to achieve the proper plant hormone manipulation to get 100% female XX seed. Supplies therefore fluctuate and there are many different strains available worldwide.

 

Trix

[Celliach]

I always thought they were a waste of money, but I know lots of people want them. Almost every new grower I meet thinks he should get feminized seeds. I usually talk them out of it.

[Tyin'Flies]

I used feminized seeds with very good results. Out of eight strains I've had one that had that would hermie. After 2 years in the rest are still very stable. No hermies, good medicine and good yield. Price is the only thing that would make me talk anyone out of femmed seeds.

 

There is no doubt that some feminized seeds produce hermies like crazy. However there are still a lot of great feminized seeds that really are stable.

[cristinew]

People are have great luck with the ones we have done , some have been going for 4 years no hemmies .. they sell the packets now so you can produce your own seeds,, just breed the best of what you have,

[Celliach]

There has been an abundance of good quality free seeds throughout my county. That's one of the reasons I talk them out of it. Hermies is also one, cost being the other. Many patients that I'm meeting are on disability and can't afford to pay $50+ for a dozen seeds.