What Are Feminized Cannabis Seeds?
Feminized cannabis seeds are genetically engineered to almost always (99.9%) become female plants. Female cannabis plants produce far more THC and CBD than their male counterparts. However, once a female plant is fertilized, resources and energy are diverted from growing rich, sticky flowers, to growing a healthy crop of seeds instead.
In the past, if one was growing cannabis from seed, there was always a 50% chance each plant would be male. However, only female plants grow buds rich in cannabinoids such as THC and CBD. Male plants produce seed pods, and, if they stick around long enough, they’ll pollinate the female plants and dramatically reduce their yields.
Because of that, those growing regular seeds had to identify the sex of their plants as soon as possible in order to cull the males. Then, the creation of feminized cannabis seeds in the 1990s revolutionised cannabis cultivation.
Feminized seeds tend to be designed to produce photoperiod plants. Photoperiod cannabis blooms depending on the daylight/darkness hours. Out in nature, cannabis starts to flower at the end of summer when the days get shorter. Indoors, photoperiod cannabis is kept in the vegetative phase until the grower is ready to induce bloom by reducing light hours.
In summary, feminized cannabis seeds have made growing cannabis much easier and more economical. They ensure that growers will have a plant that will produce cannabinoids, eliminating the need to check the sex of plants and discard male plants.
