How To Choose the Best Seeds For Growing Weed?
Canabis is well known for the effects it produces when consumed, but few know where the high comes from—and even fewer know how to ensure that they’re smoking the highest quality buds possible.
Growing a great crop starts with picking the right seeds. To do so, you’ll need an in-depth understanding of how to grow canabis and which genetics are best. When a season or a strain performs better than expected, many growers set aside some seeds so they can replicate their success later. In this guide, we’ll explain how to choose seeds based on THC content and genetics.
THC: What Is It and Why Is It Important?
Also known as tetrahydrocannabinol, THC is the compound in canabis that produces its well-known psychoactive effects. When a smoker feels high after lighting up, they have THC to thank.
THC is one of hundreds of known cannabinoids, which are chemicals that work within the endocannabinoid system or ECS. By attaching to certain receptors in the brain and nervous system, THC activates the neurons that affect time perception, coordination, pleasure, thinking, and memory.
Anecdotal evidence and scientific research suggest that tetrahydrocannabinol may work to treat various medical conditions. And, from a recreational user’s point of view, THC brings a sense of well-being, euphoria, and relaxation.
Considering Genetics When Selecting Seeds: Why It Matters
Reputable seed banks produce seeds only after the mother plant has been stabilized—and they inspect the seeds after harvest, looking for any defects. This process is time-consuming, but it helps to ensure that customers get the highest quality canabis seeds that exhibit beneficial traits such as effects, potency, fragrance, and flavor.
Apart from seed quality, selecting the right canabis strain is of primary importance. We offer options such as:
With hundreds of strains to choose from, such as the award-winning varieties found on kindseed.com, you’re sure to find a strain that provides the effects you’re looking for.
Unlike buying vape pens, edibles, flower, or other canabis products, you have control over the environment when growing a home crop. If you’re cultivating a canabis crop under less-than-ideal conditions, consider selecting a strain that’s resilient and simple to grow. Choosing the best seed genetics ensures that your plants will reach their full potential—and that you grow a healthy, delicious crop.
Selecting the Right Canabis Species
There are two main types of canabis: indica and sativa. If you’re after a relaxing, mellow high, pick an indica strain that’s high in THC; if you want an uplifting feeling, go with a sativa strain. Most seeds on the market today are hybrids—which combine indica and sativa traits. While some hybrids are evenly balanced, others are indica- or sativa-dominant.
Sativa plants are usually thin and tall. They take longer to mature, with a flowering phase that lasts 10 to 16 seeks. For instance, a Purple Thai seed can take 13 weeks to reach maturity after you’ve switched to a 12/12 light cycle. While you’ll have to wait longer for these plants to mature, you’ll reap the benefits of a higher yield.
On the other hand, indica plants are bushy and compact, so you don’t need as much vertical area to grow a healthy crop. Though indica yields are typically lower than those of sativas, the buds can be equally potent and the effects just as relaxing. Strains such as Hindu Kush melt away the tensions of the day and induce a feeling of pure relaxation.
Selecting the Right Canabis Species
There are two main types of canabis: indica and sativa. If you’re after a relaxing, mellow high, pick an indica strain that’s high in THC; if you want an uplifting feeling, go with a sativa strain. Most seeds on the market today are hybrids—which combine indica and sativa traits. While some hybrids are evenly balanced, others are indica- or sativa-dominant.
Sativa plants are usually thin and tall. They take longer to mature, with a flowering phase that lasts 10 to 16 seeks. For instance, a Purple Thai seed can take 13 weeks to reach maturity after you’ve switched to a 12/12 light cycle. While you’ll have to wait longer for these plants to mature, you’ll reap the benefits of a higher yield.
On the other hand, indica plants are bushy and compact, so you don’t need as much vertical area to grow a healthy crop. Though indica yields are typically lower than those of sativas, the buds can be equally potent and the effects just as relaxing. Strains such as Hindu Kush melt away the tensions of the day and induce a feeling of pure relaxation.
Buy canabis seeds online from Kind Seed Co
Photoperiod Canabis Seeds
Most of our strains are photoperiods, which means they rely on a light cycle for healthy growth. We offer options such as:
- Feminized seeds, which are 100% female
- Regular seeds, which are a 50/50 male-to-female ratio
- Autoflowering seeds, which are all female and flower faster than feminized or regular seeds
Among all the types you’ll find on kindseed.com, feminized seeds are the most common choice, mainly because they’re easy to grow and there’s no need to cull male plants from the crop. Autoflowering seeds are also becoming quite popular among home growers, as they only take seven to nine weeks from germination to bud harvest.
Other Tips on Choosing Canabis Seeds
Hopefully, the information and tips presented here will help you narrow the field and select the right seed variety. However, new growers may still find things a bit confusing. If you’ve never tasted, smelled, or experienced a certain strain of canabis, count on the experts at kindseed.com to help you find the perfect pick.
Instead of searching for specific, obscure varieties, new growers should consider sticking to tried-and-true favorites and reading up on CO2 generators for a more successful canabis crop. Thousands of buyers from countries around the world love our canabis cultivars and grow great crops each season. Our numbers speak for themselves! If you’ve looked at our online catalog and still can’t decide, let us pick something for you. We’ve been breeding plants and selling top-quality seeds for years—so we know a bit about canabis.
When creating our products, we keep undecided and novice growers in mind. We’ve created our beginner packs just for this purpose; they allow new weed growers to try several varieties at one time and experience each strain’s unique effects. From there, you’re sure to find a favorite!
Does Price Matter?
Like most other things in life, price matters when choosing canabis seeds according to genetics and THC content. It can be tempting, especially if you have money to spend, to buy the highest-priced seeds on the market. After all, you get what you pay for, right? That’s not always the case—especially for new canabis cultivators.
When starting out, consider leaving the top-shelf strains to more knowledgeable growers. Keep in mind that, no matter how much reading and research you’ve done, a successful crop requires hands-on experience. Canabis plants are resilient, but there are still numerous ways things can go wrong, and even the most skilled growers must deal with mold, pests, and other problems.
It’s more painful to lose plants when you’ve paid a higher price for the seeds. By choosing less expensive varieties for your first few plantings, you’ll gain the experience needed to move onto higher-priced strains with better genetics and more THC.
Verifying the Quality of Canabis Seeds
While it’s impossible to determine the genetic reliability or gender of canabis seeds imply by looking at them, you can assess their suitability. To do it, you’ll need to know what fresh, healthy, and not-so-healthy seeds look like. Before germination, inspect your seeds and look for the following qualities:
- Good color. A healthy canabis seed is dark brown with a black or light brown pattern.
- You cannot identify a canabis strain by looking at seed markings, but they do offer some clues. Sativa seeds are typically small and plain, while indicas are typically larger and striped.
- When a seed has a hardened shell, it’s more likely to be of good quality. Don’t use seeds that feel soft and mushy to the touch.
It’s also important to choose the right seeds for the climate in which you live. Check out our blog post for some easy seed selection tips.
Preserving Your Seeds
Though most guides cover seed selection and cultivation, knowing what to do with unused seeds is just as important. If properly preserved, canabis seeds can be saved for up to ten years. Simply keep them in a dry, dark, and cool place. Avoid areas with temperatures that are too hot or too cold and minimize light exposure to preserve the quality of your seeds.
Buying Top-Quality Canabis Seeds
It takes a certain degree of trust to buy weed seeds online. There is no way to tell which strain you are getting by looking at a handful of seeds, and you’ll have to rely on the seller to be honest about the seeds’ genetics.
This is a major reason to buy canabis seeds from a reputable seed bank like kindseed.com. Our experts hand pick the best strains, so you’re more likely to get the THC content, taste, and aroma you’re after.
We Make Choosing the Right Seeds Easy
When buying canabis seeds online, it’s important to choose a company that offers great customer service and support. Cultivating canabis isn’t hard, but because of the plant’s legal status, it’s difficult to ask family and friends for advice. You can count on us, though, for troubleshooting help. We’re focused on your service, your satisfaction, and the success of your crop.
It takes a great deal of expertise and experience to produce top-quality canabis seeds. The process of choosing, testing, and making a batch of seeds can take a year or longer, but we promise it will be worth the wait. Browse our online catalog to find all the most popular strains in regular, feminized, and autoflowering forms.
