Feminized FAQs
Feminized seeds are specially bred cannabis seeds developed to produce only female cannabis plants, which are the ones that yield the buds desired by growers and consumers alike. Through careful breeding techniques, these seeds are manipulated to eliminate male chromosomes, ensuring nearly all plants grown from feminized cannabis seeds will be female.
This simplifies the growing process by removing the need to identify and remove male plants, which can pollinate females and reduce bud quality. Feminized seeds are highly valued by growers for their reliability and efficiency in producing high-quality yields.
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Feminized cannabis plants are generally cultivated to produce resinous buds rather than seeds, but under certain circumstances, they can in fact produce seeds. This usually happens when a feminized plant becomes hermaphroditic due to stress factors such as irregular light cycles, extreme temperatures, or other environmental stressors.
When this occurs, the plant develops both male and female reproductive organs, allowing it to self-pollinate or pollinate other nearby female plants, resulting in seed production. To prevent feminized cannabis plants from producing seeds, it is important to maintain a stable and stress-free environment throughout their growth cycle.
Seeds from a feminized plant can be female, but it is primarily based on the breeding method used that determines if they will be feminized, autoflower, or regular.
For example, if a feminized plant has been pollinated by a male plant, the resulting seeds are usually regular. If a feminized autoflower plant is pollinated by another autoflower plant, the seeds are usually autoflowering. If a feminized plant is stressed or treated with a feminizing solution, it will usually produce feminized seeds.
For growers seeking consistent and reliable female plants, purchasing high-quality feminized seeds from a reputable breeder is generally the best approach.
To flower feminized seeds, you need to adjust the light cycle to mimic the natural progression from summer to fall, which signals the plants to start producing flowers.
For indoor growers, this typically means changing the light schedule to 12 hours of light followed by 12 hours of complete darkness. This even split triggers the flowering hormones in the plant, prompting it to transition from vegetative growth to flower production. It’s important to maintain consistent dark periods, as any light interruptions can stress the plants and impact their cannabis flowering process.
If the feminized seeds are autoflowering, they will require a “vegetative” light cycle, which consists of 18 hours on and 6 hours off or 20 hours on and 4 hours off each day.
The flowering period for feminized seeds varies depending on the strain but generally lasts between 8 to 10+ weeks for photoperiods, less for autoflowers.
Environmental factors such as light intensity, temperature, and nutrient availability can also affect the flowering timeline. Observing the trichomes and pistils is a good practice for determining the optimal time to harvest, ensuring that the buds have reached their peak potency and flavor.
- Trichomes: The small, sticky resin glands on your plant that look like small spheres will change color throughout the flowering phase, starting clear and progressing to cloudy, before eventually turning amber. Many growers will shoot to harvest once a small percentage of amber (5-10%) is visible, often viewed through a zoomed-in photo or microscope.
- Pistils: The “hairs” that you see on your buds are called pistils, and they will change from a light yellow to an orange-ish red as your plant ripens. These pistils will also recede into the buds in many cases towards the end of a plant’s life.
Yes. You can clone cannabis plants from feminized seeds, and many growers choose to do so to replicate the desirable traits of a particularly successful plant. Cloning involves taking cuttings from a healthy mother plant and rooting them to create genetically identical copies.
Since feminized cannabis plants are bred to be female, clones will also carry this trait, making them a more reliable choice for continuous crops.