MARIJUANA SEED: AUTO FLOWERING VS FEMINIZED SEED

Growing cannabis seed is more than meets the eye. It's a practice that rewards those who are diligent in learning and possess a strong desire to be equipped with the knowledge of everything that happens in producing a highly productive yield. In your quest to find suitable cannabis seeds, you're likely to come across three categories of seed banks. These are feminized, auto flowering, and regular seeds.

Each of them has its strong points and also weak areas. The choice depends on what you need at the moment. Are you a lover of a marijuana plant that produces potent THC at the highest level? Or are you a grower interested in a fast, convenient, and easy harvest? Or do you seek to enter the breeding world and experiment with various male and female plants? Some seeds are most suitable for each goal.

However, we will only discuss auto flowering and feminized seeds in this article. As you read on, you'll discover what auto flowering and feminized seeds are, the difference between them, when to choose either of them and the purpose they help to achieve.

WHAT ARE AUTO FLOWERING SEEDS?

To comprehensively understand auto flowering, we must examine some essential concepts, such as photoperiod-dependent plants and cannabis ruderalis.

Photoperiod-dependent seeds

The growth of a photoperiod-dependent seed is determined by the duration of its exposure to light and the light cycle its experiences. Examples of such plants are the famous and classic strains such as Indica, Sativa, and hybrid. They include the famous Blue dream, sour diesel, and many more. It's possible some growers have been cultivating cannabis seeds for a while without knowing how it flowers. Flowering in photoperiod-dependent plants occurs based on the light they are exposed to. Let's take a look at the origin of the auto flowering seeds, that is, the cannabis ruderalis.

Cannabis ruderalis: The birth of auto flowering seeds

The origin of auto flowering seeds is the cannabis ruderalis; a cannabis plant fully adapted to the shorter growing seasons and cold climate of central and eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia. Because of the short summer available in these regions, the subspecies had no chance but to start flowering independently. In other words, the cannabis ruderalis don't have time to waste, and they must germinate before the end of the short summer, or the arrival of the freezing temperature of autumn completely engulfs the landscape.

This condition enabled the plant not to depend on the amount of light for flowering but on age and time. Auto flowering seeds are obtained from cannabis ruderalis, and they rely not on light like the photoperiod-dependent seeds but on age and time. It's pretty rare to see growers cultivate ruderalis plants because they are shrubby and produce a meager amount of THC and other cannabinoids. Therefore, growers came up with the idea of creating a mixed genetic of auto flowering and photoperiod-dependent seeds, which help them to enjoy the best of the two worlds. With this, the THC level of the ruderalis plant is increased. Although this turned out well, the potency isn't in any way   closer to that of a regular Indica and Sativa strain.

PROS OF AUTO FLOWERING SEEDS

• It is unaffected by the change of light cycle
• The seed buds are small and compact, therefore suitable for growth in small spaces
• It usually produces a good amount of CBD
• Their hardy genetics makes it easier to grow and beginner friendly

 CONS OF AUTO FLOWERING SEEDS

• The yield of the plant is low.
• It doesn't contain many cannabinoids, including THC, and it's not as potent as most photoperiod-dependent seeds.
• It is not easy to clone

THE FEMINIZED SEED

There are different reasons for growing cannabis seeds; if you intend to produce a resinous flower with a large amount of THC, then feminized seeds will be to your liking. A regular seed has a 50% chance of producing a female plant and a 50% chance of producing a male plant. Feminized seeds are specially bred to produce female plants. Why female plants, you might be wondering.

This is because only the female plant produces flowers, the part of the plant that contains cannabinoids. Hence, as a grower searching for a strong THC production, it's highly advisable to go for feminized seeds as it raises the chance of getting female plants to 99%. Additionally, regular seeds produces a mixture of male and female plants, and a male plant have a great tendency to pollinate female flowers. When this happens, the female plant diverts its energy from producing resinous flowers to seed production; thus reducing the production of THC and other cannabinoids. Therefore, a grower must make his best effort to keep male cannabis plants from female if he seeks a highly resinous flower.

PROS OF FEMINIZED SEEDS

• It is an almost guaranteed way of producing female plants
• It takes away the 50:50 gamble between the male and female plant.
• It is the best type of seed to grow for growers who need resinous flowers.

CONS OF FEMINIZED SEEDS

• Impossible to breed with them
• Harder to clone
• A potential chance of yielding Hermaphrodite plant, especially if the quality purchased is low.

Auto flowering seeds do not require a specific ratio of light to move from vegetative growth to flowering growth. Instead, they are dependent on time. In the case of feminized seeds, you can be assured of a 99% chance of getting a female plant as it is specially bred to produce female plants and completely eradicates the 50/50 gamble present in regular seeds.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AUTO FLOWERING AND FEMINIZED SEEDS

1. Auto flowering seeds can turn out to be either a male or a female plant: A significant difference between the two seeds is that auto flowering seeds don't assure you of a specific gender. It's similar to regular seed in this aspect.But a feminized seed is created with the sole aim of producing female plants, thus raising the stakes of getting a female plant to about 99%. If you're working with auto flowering seeds, you must constantly observe their features as they enter the flowering stage to quickly identify and cull the male plants from the female plant before it develops and pollinates the female, causing a tremendous drop in its resinous flower production.
2. Auto flowering seeds yield lesser harvests compared to feminized seeds: The auto-flowering seed has an edge over feminized seeds because of its small and compact size. However, this shortness in stature translates to a smaller harvest. While it's not bad. If you desire to have a crowd of consumable buds from each plant, then feminized seeds will be the better option. This is because of the larger growth size of the auto flowering plant, which gives it more space to cultivate many flowers. Feminized seeds, regardless of whether it's grown outdoors or Indoor produces larger yields than auto flowering seeds, thanks to their morphology and physiology.
3. Auto flowering seeds possess less potency than feminized seeds: Cannabis ruderalis, the significant component in auto flowering seed, is known for producing cannabinoids in lower quantity and potency. Since all auto flowering seeds possess this, they are considered weak in potency. While in the case of feminized seeds, they focus the energy in the stems and leaves on the flowers. This increase in metabolic energy, which could have gone to producing seeds, is used in producing more cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. Each offers users different experiences; more THC means a more euphoric and high feeling to users, more CBD means a better medical experience, and more terpenes and flavonoids translate to a better taste and good-smelling final product.
4. Feminized seeds require a more extended period to reach maturity: Auto flowering seed is known to reach maturity after 75 days(2.5 months). This varies based on factors such as the type of cannabinoids planted and some environmental conditions surrounding its growth. While on the other hand, plants obtained from feminized seeds take a longer period to reach maturity; it can be anywhere in the range of 240 days(4-8 months) to attain maturity.
5. Feminized seeds are more difficult to grow than Auto flowering seeds: Auto flowering seeds are the best to cultivate for a beginner because they are hardy, have strong resilience to pests and diseases, and it's a whole lot easier to harvest than photoperiod-dependent varieties. Also, there's no need to disturb yourself with changes in the light cycle and how much light is exposed to the plant. While in feminized seeds, you will need to pay special attention to the light cycle. Furthermore, feminized seed has a longer life cycle, so more experience, and basic knowledge would be required to know the right amount of time to sow to avoid future crop problems.

FAQ: AUTO FLOWERING AND FEMINIZED SEEDS.

• What is the difference between Auto flowering and feminized seeds regarding harvest and lightning requirements? 

 Most growers regard the growth cycle as a crucial part to consider. If you want multiple harvests all year round, then auto flowering will be your best option. Generally, an auto flowering seed often needs 12-20 weeks to grow from seed to harvest. In terms of lighting, feminized seeds demand 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness a day to begin flowering, whereas an auto flowering seed flowers based on age, and that's around 2-4 weeks after planting. While it's easier to monitor the number of light cycles indoors, it's pretty challenging to do it outdoors; you would need to wait till autumn or adjust your light cycle to help you get the right amount of light suitable for the plant.

• Which is more suitable for indoor and outdoor cultivation?

The characteristics of auto flowering plant makes it more ideal for indoor cultivation. It occupies space, it's discreet, and has a strong resistance. They are suitable for growth in balconies and guerilla because they don't grow past one meter and are easy to work with. Because of this, growing auto flowering seed indoors is the industry standard, while feminized seeds produce bigger and taller plants than auto flowers. One thing to note is that whatever seed you choose, a bigger pot will always make space for a bigger plant and bigger buds.

• Do Auto flowering seeds produce more leaves than feminized seeds?

Auto flowering plant tends to produce more leaves than feminized seeds, making it hard to harvest their buds. Not only that, but they also possess a solid tendency to yield denser foliage. In other words, they tend to produce more leaves and few buds. However, this is not entirely true, especially if the auto flowering seed is given optimal conditions without pruning and allowing the necessary time to complete its auto flowering cycle without having the process disturbed

• How potent is Auto flowering?

At the start of auto flowering, when cannabis ruderalis was being used as the only auto flowering plant, the potency was known to be very low due to low levels of THC. The quantity of THC produced determines the potency of the cannabis plant. You can use simple kits and devices even at home to check and evaluate the quality of your seeds. However, with time, cross-breeding sets in, and ruderalis plants are cross-bred with strains that have a high amount of THC, thus producing auto flowering strains that are very potent.

• Which Is the best option to choose between feminized and auto-flowering seeds?

Now that you have understood the differences between feminized and auto flowering seeds, you should be able to pick the one easily out of the two that best meets your specific need. Both seed types have strong points and areas where they could be improved. If you're a beginner with little or no experience growing seeds, then auto-flowering seeds will be the best option.

However, if you are an experienced grower who desires plants with a lot of potency and quantity, then you would want to go for feminized seeds. Nevertheless, the quality of the cannabis plant also plays a significant role in making a decision. For example, if you buy low-quality feminized seeds, you can expect a remarkable decrease in the psychoactive or medicinal effects of the cannabinoid produced. Therefore you should always strive for the highest quality seed; it's also better if the seed comes from a healthy, well-producing parent. The treatment given to the seed also plays a huge role in selecting the seed to buy. For example, if a chemical is used to nurture the plant, then there's a possibility that you will also find traces of such chemicals in every product you take.

If you're new to growing cannabis, you will eventually realize that the more you learn, the better you become, and the more you also enjoy the process. With time, It will also become easier for you to produce your desired yield.