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According to recent estimates, the global cannabis market was valued at USD 20.5 billion in 2020. The same statistics suggest that the marijuana market will hit USD 90.4 billion by 2026, representing an impressive compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28%.
With the cannabis industry projecting a bullish outlook, it’s not surprising that many investors are now jostling for a share of the sector. One ingenious way to invest in the lucrative cannabis industry is by becoming a grower or cultivator.
But like most farmers, marijuana cultivators face various challenges, including choosing the right cannabis seeds. In this post, we highlight everything there is to know before choosing cannabis seeds, with a particular focus on how to tell quality marijuana seeds from fake ones.
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It doesn’t matter whether you’ve chosen to cultivate marijuana for commercial or subsistence use. It’s essential to appreciate the significance of investing in quality cannabis seeds.
Numerous things could go wrong if you ignore the quality of cannabis seeds that you plant.
For starters, planting low-quality marijuana seeds is one of the surest ways to set yourself up for poor harvests.
Low-quality marijuana seeds are also infamous for their slow growth rate. In some cases, these seeds can remain perpetually in the vegetative stage. And as you may already know, you can only harvest marijuana once the plants enter and complete their flowering cycle.
In the worst-case scenario, low-quality cannabis seeds may not germinate at all.
The term ‘bad’ can be quite subjective depending on what’s being described.
First off, cannabis seeds are considered ‘bad’ if the seeds will cause any of the three problems we’ve already highlighted above, including;
Cannabis seeds are also considered to be ‘bad’ if they produce male cannabis plants.
As a marijuana cultivator, your primary objective is to optimize your harvests. This should happen organically. But if you have a substantial number of male cannabis plants in your marijuana farm, the male plants may pollinate the female plants when they reach maturity. That’s bad news as far as marijuana cultivation is concerned.
Basically, pollination causes female marijuana plants to produce seeds. When that happens, these plants spend significantly less energy producing quality buds. Low-quality buds translate to poor harvests. Note that cannabinoids (pharmacologically useful compounds in marijuana) like cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabigerol (CBG) are usually concentrated at the buds. The pollination of female marijuana plants is also discouraged where growers need to preserve certain genetic traits.
Fortunately, you can cushion your female marijuana plants from undue pollination by purchasing feminized seeds. Theoretically, feminized seeds should produce female plants. Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell whether cannabis seeds are feminized simply by visual inspection. That underscores the importance of purchasing your marijuana seeds from reputable growers. Last but not least, cannabis seeds may be deemed ‘bad’ if they belong to the wrong strains. Well, there’s no right and wrong marijuana strain. It depends on what you’re looking for and which strains you’re using as your point of reference. As you shall find, cannabis strains differ slightly across various parameters, such as maturation period, the volume of yields, physical characteristics, and overall resilience.
Common weed strains include;
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Essentially, good cannabis seeds are those that;
Now, there are several ways to check the quality of cannabis seeds. You can start with the traditional approach known as the germination test.
In this test, you simply plant your marijuana seeds and track their germination rate. The higher the number of sprouts, the better the quality of the seeds.
There are multiple ways to conduct the germination test.
You can go with the old-school method of planting the seeds directly in the soil and watching for any sprouts.
Alternatively, you can use the paper towel method, where you dampen a paper towel but ensure it’s not soaking wet. You then place the towel on a kitchen plate and lay the seeds on top of it. Next, you put another kitchen plate on top of the first plate upside down. This creates a moist, warm, and dark environment, the kind that cannabis seeds require to grow. Check on the seeds after one day for signs of germination, which include a white taproot.
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Besides the germination test, the following are additional tests you can perform to check the quality of marijuana seeds;
As the name implies, the sight test involves visual inspection of cannabis seeds. Marijuana seeds generally feature a mottled-brown appearance, with patches of light and dark stripes. A closer look may also reveal shiny tiger stripes. The following are the top variables to examine while conducting the sight test;
Healthy cannabis seeds sport a dark coloration with patches of gray or black. White or green seeds are likely immature and may not germinate. In the same breath, avoid pale seeds as this is an indication of old and ineffective seeds.
Healthy cannabis seeds tend to be rounder and fatter. It’s understandable to be concerned about marijuana seeds with thick shells. However, there’s no need to fret as the shell will break down once the seeds are thoroughly soaked.
Depending on how they’ve been handled, some cannabis seeds may come cracked. Cracking is not necessarily a sign of unhealthy seeds. But cracked seeds may never germinate as cracking renders the seeds defective.
Healthy marijuana seeds should also have a waxy, shiny coating.
Lastly, mildew on cannabis seeds is an indication that the seeds have a fungus and may not germinate. To inspect the seeds for mildew, you’ll need to view them close up using a magnifying glass. Keep an eye out for signs of mildew, such as a white, dusty powder.
The touch test aims at checking how cannabis seeds feel. Hold the seeds between your thumb and index finger and give them a gentle squeeze. If the seeds crack under minimal pressure, then they’re probably past their sell-by date.
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Choosing quality cannabis seeds is instrumental in ensuring a bumper harvest. We hope you can use this article as a guide the next time you go looking for quality marijuana seeds.
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