How to Make Feminized Cannabis Seeds

Out of all the marijuana seeds and its types, feminized cannabis seeds is still one of the most expensive out of them. This is because feminized seeds provide a guarantee that is very valuable in terms of a grower's mind. It is because feminized cannabis seeds can produce a female marijuana plant 99% of the time and as we know, only female marijuana plants can produce and deliver those huge and potent nugs that we love. So how do seed banks make feminized cannabis seeds? Well, basically this happens by breeding two parent plants that are both females allowing the elimination of the male chromosome in the seeds being produced. It may sound easy but it is not as simple to do. Read more below. What are Feminized Cannabis Seeds Feminized seed is a genetically modified seed that goes through a controlled environment wherein the grower is taking advantage of the cannabis plant’s natural survival feature, to become hermaphrodites when exposed to certain levels of stress. This is done by exposing a female cannabis plant to a stressful situation, and as a response, this will develop a male reproductive organ. This female plant with a male sex organ will then be allowed to mature and its pollen will be used to fertilize other females. The concept behind the science of this method is the elimination of the Y chromosome during the reproduction phase to produce an all X chromosome offspring which in all terms common to all organisms, results in a female version of that particular organism, which is marijuana. How to Force a Female Cannabis Plant to make Pollen? There are 2 proven ways to produce feminized pollen: 1. Chemically Induced Feminized Pollen This is how professionals feminize their cannabis seeds. This method is also used by most breeders and reputable seed banks in producing the feminized cannabis seeds that they sell in the market. Chemicals like gibberellic corrosive and colloidal silver are used and applied to the female plant. This is because these chemicals can force the female plant to produce a male reproductive organ hence producing feminized pollen. Inducing feminized pollen through the use of these chemicals is done by drenching the female plant on the first 3-4 weeks after this is switched to 12/12 or the flowering light cycle. 2. Rhodelization | a Naturally Induced Feminized Pollen Naturally, some female cannabis plants will start making male reproductive organs which can allow self-pollination. This happens when the plant is stressed or if the plant is overgrown and not harvested. They start doing this when they are deteriorating and dying because of old age. This is basically the plant’s natural survival reaction of trying to save the next generation of its genetics. This is a natural method and the result will be mostly female, however, the issue is there will be a challenge to spot a naturally occurring hermaphrodite plant instead of inducing it, which means there is a given chance that the seeds produced will all turn hermies as well. If this happens, you will be ending up with a seedy harvest if this is the case, that is why this is not that recommendable. Can Feminizing Cannabis Seeds cause Hermaphrodite plants? Well, the answer is yes especially if you do it wrong as this can lead to an increase in the chances of your female plants herming. But, by using a well tested and accurate method of feminization, one of the main focuses in this breeding process is to eliminate those plants that have these tendencies (Hermaphroditic). We must always use the strongest and the best-formed plants in the garden for this procedure to get the best results. Similar to any crossbreeding programs, we should always take a closer look at the parent plant's innate characteristics before using them for any reproductive purposes.