Choosing the correct type of weed seeds is an important consideration when growing your own weed. With so many options on the market, picking the best seed variety can be a hair-splitting experience. While weed seeds come in all shapes and sizes, feminized and autoflowering weeds are the most popular.
But how do you choose between these two superior strains of weed seeds? Each seed variety is engineered to deliver exceptional results and cater to different weed-growing needs. But it comes with subtle yet significant differences that will impact your results and growing experience.
Dig in as we explore the differences between feminized and autoflowering weed seeds so you can make an informed choice.
Autoflowering weed seeds are special cannabis seeds bred to produce only female plants. Feminized seeds are produced through stress training, which exposes female cannabis plants to highly stressful growing conditions.
The plants are grown under stressful conditions such as high humidity, lower temperatures, and light deprivation. The stress triggers the female plants to produce pollen, which is then collected and used to fertilize other female plants.
Following successful pollination, the resultant seeds only produce female cannabis plants. As a result, feminized seeds guarantee a higher percentage of female plants than regular seeds. With traditional cannabis seeds, your crop has a 50/50 chance of producing male and female plants.
Males plants are a liability to your cannabis crop. Male cannabis plants don’t produce consumable buds and can pollinate female plants. Females pollinated with pollen from male plants produce low-quality buds. In traditional cannabis cultivation, the crop comprises male and female plants. However, the male plants are culled during the growing season to prevent cross-pollination.
Purchasing feminized seeds eliminates the risks posed by male cannabis plants. It also saves you the additional hassle of culling the male plants. , since With feminized seeds, your entire crop will comprise the desirable female plants to help you maximize your yields and resources.
With feminized seeds, you’re assured of a uniform and consistent crop. Since all the plants are female and have similar genetic makeup, they will have similar growth patterns and produce superior-quality, highly potent buds.
Feminized cannabis seeds also ensure a bumper harvest. With regular seeds, 50% of your crop will likely be male plants, which you must remove. Conversely, feminized seeds only produce female plants to help you harvest from 100% of your cannabis plants.
Autoflowering seeds are a recent development to solve one of the most significant challenges in the cannabis growing world—lighting. These cannabis seeds are bred to produce cannabis plants that flower automatically, independent of the light cycle. An autoflowering cannabis crop will start flowering based on age rather than a change in the light cycle.
Autoflowering cannabis seeds are produced by crossing cannabis plants with the Ruderalis, a wild hemp strain that grows in Russia and China. Ruderalis hemp strain has adapted to growing in harsh climatic conditions by flowering based on age instead of changing light cycles. Crossing this strain with other cannabis plants passes on the genetics necessary to trigger age-based flowering.
Autoflowering cannabis plants are small, compact, and fast-growing. These cannabis plants typically reach maturity in 10 to 12 weeks. They’re an ideal choice if you wish to grow multiple crops in a single growing season.
Age-based flowering is a helpful characteristic and comes with substantial cost-saving benefits. Standard cannabis plants require 12 hours of darkness to induce flowering. That means you’ll need an elaborate and costly lighting setup to deliver the precise amount of light and darkness.
Autoflowering cannabis plants save you this hassle. They can complete their growing cycle in as little as 8-10 weeks, regardless of the light they receive. You can easily grow these plants indoors or outdoors and enjoy a bumper harvest at the end of each growing cycle.
Crossing with the Ruderalis plant allows the autoflowering cannabis seeds to inherit its superior genetic traits. Besides flowering automatically based on age, the resultant cannabis plants are incredibly hardy and versatile. They’re highly resistant to pests, diseases, and environmental stresses such as temperature fluctuations and water shortages. The short growing season means you can grow them in various climatic zones and enjoy bumper harvests multiple times a year.
Autoflowering cannabis plants are typically smaller and ideal for the space-limited or discreet grower. They will easily fit into your available space and reward you with a crop high in THC content and potent medicinal properties.
Due to their small stature, autoflowering cannabis plants deliver a lower yield than traditional cannabis plants. They may also have a different aroma and flavor profile than regular cannabis strains due to a different flowering process.
Feminized cannabis plants are large and bushier while autoflowering plants are small and compact. Feminized weed seeds have a longer vegetative growing period, typically 12 to 16 weeks, before flowering. Autoflowering plants are set to flower automatically after 10 to 12 weeks, giving them a shorter growing cycle.
Feminized seeds are more prolific than autoflowering plants. Thanks to their larger size and lengthy vegetative growth, feminized plants produce higher yields, and their buds pack a bigger punch. An extended vegetative growth period allows them to develop more branches and produce more buds.
Autoflowering cannabis plants have a shorter growth cycle than feminized plants. An autoflowering crop will be mature and ready in 10 to 12 weeks, while a feminized weed crop will take up to a month longer to mature. Autoflowering seeds are the ideal choice if you’re after multiple harvests each growing season.
Feminized cannabis plants require a strict lighting schedule to induce flowering. You’ll need up to 12 hours of darkness to induce flowering yields and produce highly potent buds. As the name suggests, autoflowering plants will flower once they come of age. You don’t need an elaborate lighting system to grow them. Autoflowering plants can thrive in wide-ranging lighting conditions and are easier to manage for novice growers.
Feminized cannabis seeds have an elaborate production system and thus carry a higher price tag. Autoflowering weed seeds are typically more affordable than feminized seeds. However, feminized plants have higher yields and produce more potent buds, which may help you recover your initial investment.
Feminized cannabis seeds deliver a predictable flavor and aroma profile because they follow a standard flowering cycle. The age-based flowering cycle of autoflowering cannabis plants may alter the flavors and aromas.
Ultimately, the choice between feminized and autoflowering cannabis seeds comes down to your specific needs and preferences. Feminized seeds are an excellent choice for a seasoned grower who wants a bumper harvest of potent buds. Autoflowering seeds are a perfect choice for novice and discreet growers or growers with limited space and resources.
In either case, you must choose your feminized or autoflowering seeds carefully. Cannabis seeds are available in different strains, and their genetic makeup determines tier yield, potency, growth patterns, and more. Always buy your cannabis seeds from a reputable source to ensure they’re high-quality and can deliver the desired results. Contact us for more information!