Why Feminized Seeds, Seedlings and Clones
The goal of having a crop of 100% females is an achievable goal for all CBD Hemp cultivators. The risk vs. reward is quite stark. A single male flower will produce between 300,000 and 400,000 pollen grains. These very tiny grains of pollen can be carried miles on the breeze. Once pollinated the CBD content of a female plant will be 56% lower.
The options for hemp cultivators who wish to have all female plants are:
- Seeds – Seeds have the lowest up-front expense. Lower quality seeds will have lower germination rates. Once planted, the fields must be monitored so as soon as the plants express their sex the males must be removed. Since cannabis is a dioecious plant, you can expect to need to cull 50% of the plantings by hand.
- Feminized Seeds – Be sure you get feminized seeds produced using female pollen to produce female seeds from female plants. Make sure to avoid chemically soaked seeds. These are far more likely to become hermaphrodites.
- Seedlings- Seedlings give you a great head start on your crop. Culling males is still a necessity.
- Feminized Seedlings- Clear advantage here but be sure to ask how the seeds were feminized.
- Clones- Clones are taken from proven female plants. We think that clones are well worth the higher cost. They give the highest assurance of completely avoiding the risk of cross-pollination.
Clones also eliminate the tedious process of culling male plants.
