Regular Seeds
Definition: Regular seeds are cannabis seeds produced by a natural cross between a male and a female plant. Each seed has roughly even odds of becoming male or female, so growers must identify and remove males before they release pollen. Breeders favor regular seeds because males are required to create new strains.
How Regular Seeds works
Before feminized seeds arrived in the late 1990s, every cannabis seed was a regular seed. They are still the standard for breeders, seed preservationists and growers who want to make their own seeds, because a male plant contributes half of every offspring’s genetics.
Sexing regular plants
Photoperiod plants show their sex at the nodes roughly 4 to 6 weeks after sprouting, or within 1 to 2 weeks of switching to 12/12. Look where leaf stems meet the main stalk:
- Female: a small teardrop-shaped calyx with one or two white hairs.
- Male: a smooth, round ball on a short stalk, often in clusters, with no hairs.
Males can open and shed pollen within about two weeks of showing, so remove them promptly and keep them far from your females if you plan to collect pollen.
Why some growers still choose regulars
Many old-school and landrace lines are only available as regular seeds. Some growers also report that regular-seed females are more stable under stress, though that view is anecdotal. Expect to start about twice as many seeds as the number of females you need.