Cannabis self-growing is a very rewarding act, but it can be tricky, especially for newcomers to this fascinating world. There are light cycles, humidity levels, irrigation schedules, pests, harvest dates… However, the most important decision takes place possibly before planting, since the marijuana self-growing always begins with the most suitable seeds selection.

At Kannabia Seed Company we put at your disposal a wide range of options when it comes to choosing the best marijuana seeds. Our extensive experience in breeding the most demanded genetics, as well as the intrinsic quality and the confidence, makes you have come to the right place to buy marijuana seeds at the best price.

And, without a doubt, when choosing a type of seed, feminised strains are the most popular among many growers. In fact, the European cannabis seeds market is at present made up of more than 90% growers using feminised seeds.

With such a wide commercial focus on this type of seeds, you need to know what their main features are, in order to decide if you should also be part of that high percentage of users and can be greatly benefited by their advantages.

What are feminised seeds?

To understand the feminised seeds arrival on the market, it is first necessary to know how marijuana pollination works. Cannabis is a plant species that can be both monoecious, that is, plants of both sexes (hermaphrodites), and dioecious, which means that male and female flowers are born on separate plants. But only the females produce the buds, which are the accumulations of female flowers that are sought in the harvest.

To obtain these precious buds, female cannabis plants are grown in a male-free environment, namely, male specimens are removed before they release their pollen, to avoid pollination that causes female flowers to produce seeds. Thus, females can concentrate their energies on producing only flowers, generating more cannabinoids such as THC or CBD, which are found to a greater extent in the trichomes of these female flowers.

25 years ago, regular seeds produced by males and females in an ideal 50/50 ratio were the only option for growing marijuana varieties. In the late 90’s feminised seeds were introduced and they changed the rules game conquering the growers since.

What are the advantages of feminised seeds?

Feminised cannabis seeds mainly produce female plants, which is an efficient approach to optimise marijuana self-growing, since taking males out of the equation saves a huge amount of space, resources and production time. Some of these advantages are:

– It is not necessary to sex them: while some strains will show early signs of their sex before flowering begins, most cannabis plants do not begin to express their sex until they begin to mature beyond the vegetative stage. However, feminised cannabis seeds eliminate the need to sex plants, allowing growers to relax and not worry about male plants.

– Efficiency and economy: feminised seeds save a lot of space, time and resources (such as substrate or fertilisers) by ensuring the growth of exclusively female plants in the growing space. The plants will also be consistent in stability, ensuring the maximum number of specimens per square meter. This makes feminised seeds an ideal choice for home growers with restrictions on the number of plants.

– Better genetics: feminised seeds are excellent for anyone looking for better plant performance. Kannabia Seed Company breeders carefully monitor the genetic selection of feminised seeds to highlight the defining characteristics of each variety. With significantly better genetics, plants will be more strong, aromatic, attractive and productive.

– Optimised growing from the beginning: with feminised seeds it is possible to apply all kinds of training and optimised crops (SOG, SCROG, LST…) to improve overall performance. Feminised strains can be trained from the beginning of the vegetative phase to control height, maximise exposure to light and increase yields.

– A wide range of options: the market for feminised cannabis seeds is incredibly varied. You can choose feminised versions of autoflowering varieties, with different key cannabinoids and even limited edition genetics that you will only find in Kannabia Seed Company. The rigorous selection of the genetics in our catalogue facilitates the choice of the most suitable seeds for the quality, quantity and requirements desired.

Tips for growing feminised marijuana seeds

Once you have chosen the feminised marijuana seeds that best suit your circumstances, following these 5 golden rules can help you maximise yields and increase the chances of a successful harvest:

1- Optimal substrate

The substrate for feminised cannabis plants should have a pH level of around 5.8 – 6.2, be rich in nutrients and have a light and airy texture that allows the roots to grow unobstructed. A good proportion mixture can be 50% of the simple soil pot capacity (without added fertilizers, 25% perlite or coconut fibre to keep the soil aerated and 25% earthworm hummus, to ensure optimal nutrient availability.

2- Proper irrigation

One of the main mistakes novice growers make is to overwater. It is always better to water frequently with little quantity, than to do it suddenly and to overflow the substrate. The easiest way to know if your cannabis plant needs water is to let the pots dry completely. The pots weight will now be much lighter and can even be lifted effortlessly with one hand. This is when it’s time to water and let the liquid run through the bottom of the pots. The weight difference between fully saturated pots and dry ones will be a guide to the ideal window when to water next time.

3- Humidity and temperature levels

Humidity and temperature levels are two fundamental factors, so you’ll want to make sure they stay well balanced for the sake of your plants. As a general rule, the temperature difference between the illumination and darkness periods should not be above 10 °C to avoid thermal stress. For the most part, marijuana prefers these temperatures when the lights are on:

– Seedlings/cuttings: 24-26 ºC; 70-80% relative humidity. Cuttings or seedlings left to cool down or dry will die quite quickly.

– Vegetative growth: 20-25 ºC; 50-70% relative humidity. If our cannabis is below 20 °C during the light period, the metabolism slows down.

– Flowering: 19-24 ºC; 40-50% relative humidity. Even lower (30%) during the last weeks before harvest to avoid problems with fungi.

4- With nutrients, less is more

If you’re growing in substrate, you won’t need to add nutrients every time you water (unless you’re using a hydroponic media): you can use a standard soil mixture and then supplement with liquid nutrients, which come in preparations for vegetative or flowering stages. You must avoid overfeeding plants at all costs, as it is always easier to add more nutrients than to eliminate them. The first sign of overfeeding plants is burned leave tips and claw-like shaped leaves

5- Prevention is essential

In the presence of a pest, prevention is better than cure. Therefore, the first step to avoid any infestation is to take appropriate preventive measures. And the best way is to start with a safe environment for your crop to thrive. Make sure your grow space is always clean and as aseptic as possible. Due to the large variety of hungry insects craving your marijuana, it is good practice to learn to identify the presence of a pest as soon as possible. Each pest shows different signs and possible solutions. Knowing what you’re facing allows you to step forward even when you don’t see the enemies, but you know they’re there.

What lighting cycle do feminised plants need indoors?

In indoor growing you will have photoperiod total control thus, using feminised seeds, you can choose when to start the growth and flowering phases and plan its duration. During the vegetative phase you should apply daily an 18 hours cycle of light and 6 hours of darkness (18/6). In order to start the flowering process you will have to reduce the hours of light as to what happens in nature itself, changing the cycle of light and darkness to 12/12. Remember that more indica varieties will take about 8-9 weeks to complete this flowering process, compared to 9-10 weeks of sativa strains.

Where can you grow feminised seeds outdoors?

To grow cannabis outdoors it is necessary to have suitable climatic conditions, so make sure that your plants have direct natural light for at least 6-7 hours a day and avoid exposure to temperatures below 18 ºC or above 33 ºC. The Mediterranean climate is considered one of the best for growing cannabis, being characterised by being mild, sunny and with good humidity conditions. If you live in a more northern climate, or in a continental or Atlantic climate, characterised by very cold winters and short summers, hot and with frequent rains, you will need more resistant genetics to overcome inclement weather. In this type of climate it is advisable to use a greenhouse or other system of protection against adversity.

Can feminised seeds be hermaphrodite?

When feminised cannabis seeds were first launched, some growers were concerned that the plants they produced were unstable hermaphrodites. This fear was mostly unfounded and, as feminisation techniques continue to improve, this problem rarely occurs.

However, under certain stressful conditions (such as temperature fluctuations, irregular light cycle, structure damage, etc…); even a female plant can mature and develop intersex characteristics. Mitigating these is also the goal of developing stable feminised seeds. Kannabia Seed Company has been perfecting the feminised breeding process for years, as well as breeding and stabilisation protocols, so that domestic growers can minimise the possibility of hermaphroditism in their plants.

How much money do feminised seeds cost?

When feminised cannabis seeds were first put on sale, they were more expensive, sometimes much more expensive than regular cannabis seeds. Fortunately, today there are many different strains of feminised marijuana seeds of excellent features and very affordable, which gives growers a wide range of options for their money.

Where to buy feminised cannabis seeds at the best price?

It is always advisable to choose proven quality feminised marijuana seeds as you will find in our online store in Kannabia, where we have a strains selection on the rise, many of which have been born in response to our overtime customers’ needs.

If you are ready to buy feminised cannabis seeds at the best price on the market, remember to consult our catalogue to find all our products, especially the new varieties we launch every season! At Kannabia Seed Company we are ready to helAp you make the most of your harvest and enjoy all that this amazing plant has to offer.