Understanding Cannabis Seed Banks 101

If you are just starting planting Cannabis, you need to gain knowledge of different gardening skills. The cannabis plant can start with the seeds, so you must know a lot of things. 

Getting quality seeds would help you obtain a yield of good quality. If you start with low-grade seeds, you will end up with low-quality production, no matter how you worked hard for it.

You have to know the important details on Cannabis seeds so you can identify what’s good or bad just by yourself. You have to take note of the parts that would be your guide.

What is Cannabis Seed Bank

A Cannabis seed bank is an institution or business establishment that focuses on selling and storing Cannabis seeds. It is good at feminizing these seeds for the reduction of male plants. It is necessary for maximizing yields for the benefit of individual and commercial growers alike.

Purpose of a Cannabis Seed Bank

Seed banks aim to protect seeds from getting ruined by some factors like extreme weather and some animals. It’s the basic reason for the establishment of this seed bank. There is more to it.

Cannabis seed banks are working on diversity these days. The specific genetic traits of the plants should be preserved, and there’s no other place that would take the responsibility other than a seed bank.

Other purposes of a Cannabis seed bank are as follow:

– Climate change may affect and eradicate some of the species, so a seed bank stops this possibility and works on preservation.

– Natural catastrophe can sweep the whole ecosystem, but seed banks can make the species survive. 

– It acts as a protection from man-made destruction in times of war.

– It’s a part of research as seed banks keep some seeds that are used for a study. A future investigation would make these valuable species available for further research. 

Things in Reproducing Cannabis Plants

The cannabis plant is classified as a dioecious plant, so you will find separate male and female plants. So growers need to separate plans based on gender. Female plants are deemed to produce incredibly potent Cannabis.

Sensimilla is a female plant without seeds and can flourish without a male plant. It’s one powerful herb you can find in a dispensary if it’s grown from this plant.

The process of reproduction in Cannabis is that the male plant pollinates the female plant. After this process, female plants will be able to bring forth seeds. 

There’s also hermaphrodite, which has both female and male organs so it can pollinate itself as it can produce pollen. Whichever way has been done, seeds come to existence, and once they mature, they drop off from the plant. These seeds can turn into a new Cannabis plant, but if not, they will be used for hemp oil. 

You may be curious about how to differentiate male plants to female ones. Let them grow, and you will find out after six weeks when pre-flowering occurs. Female plants have small buds between new branches. Buds become mature flowers. You will also see pistils hairs in white hue on the area where the bud formation takes place.

There’s a pollen sac created by a male plant. It’s a bulb that appears like a tulip. They don’t have pistols. Once you see them, remove them from your plant as they will work on pollinating the female to make seeds rather than creating a flower for you to consume. 

Different Kinds of Seeds You Can Find in a Cannabis Seed Bank

1. Feminized Seeds

These seeds are capable of just exclusively giving out female plants that can form potent buds. It will not bother you of getting rid of male plants, and you will no longer have a fear of pollination. 

Feminized seeds can be obtained through hermaphrodite and monoecious conditions within the female plant. It’s a result of self-pollination as there’s only one gene present. 

It is also called cloning by seeds. Here are some ways to do it:

– A colloidal spray that contains tiny silver particles would do the necessary job for you.

– Rodelization is a method that female plants that are over the maturity stage can pollinate their fellow females.

– Use a hormone that can activate the germination, and it is called gibberellic acid. 

But when it comes to breeding and stabilizing a new strain, a feminized seed is not an option. It’s due to the reason that it only has a single set of genes. You can do it yourself and, of course, avail it from a seed bank.

2. Auto-flowering Cannabis Seeds

The unique thing about these seeds is connected with the light cycle. If it’s not your first time to grow Cannabis plants, you’ve already known that the light cycle is crucial as it helps the shift from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage. 

The duration of the plant’s exposure to the light is called photoperiod. The vegetative stage would require 16 to 20 hours of light exposure in a day. Then, 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness is needed for several weeks for your plants to reach the flowering stage. 

It’s the normal thing for the growth of other seeds but not with the auto-flowering Cannabis seeds. They are produced by Ruderalis Cannabis, and they can reach any growth stage regardless of the amount of light exposure. 

A cross can be made from a low-THC Ruderalis and a potent kind to create a new strain. It has a favorite area where summer is cold and short and rainy days come in early spring. It may not need an exact light cycle, but it needs to receive consistent light to reach an optimum harvest. The natural way of this plant’s progress means that you shouldn’t let it stay in vegetation for a long period. 

3. High-CBD Seeds

CBD or cannabidiol is a compound in marijuana that is gaining popularity nowadays. It’s not responsible for the high that some people want, but it provides therapeutic effects. It is not intoxicating, and it doesn’t appear in any drug test as long as there’s no THC involved, which is the psychoactive compound found in marijuana.

Numerous studies were conducted and published to seek the medical benefits of this compound. Most marijuana plants are potent with THC as it was the first, famed thing. There’s a different pathway for those who have a high THC content. Plants with high CBD content are rare. 

CBD abound in hemp and THC is relatively low. So breeders began creating strains that carry high CBD content. The examples of this are Harlequin, Charlotte’s Web, and ACDC. 

So you can purchase this seed from the seed bank, but unfortunately, it won’t guarantee you that you will come up with a plant that flourishes with CBD. It needs more time to perfect a certain line of strains. Further development should be attained to get the consistency of having high CBD. 

Identifying High-Quality Cannabis Seeds

Genetics is the most important factor in identifying the quality of cannabis seed. High-quality seed is a way of getting a good Cannabis plant. Some careless breeders will just randomly select male and female plants. However, a good breeder would be dedicated to doing procedures like backcrossing and stabilizing desirable traits while doing their best to produce different phenotypes. 

The seeds shouldn’t be allowed to come to the complete maturity point before getting them. Storage should be done properly to avoid molds and pathogens. The right way to store seeds is by placing them in a dark, cool place. They can last for 16 months. You can also freeze them.

Where to Find Cannabis Seed Banks

Cannabis seed banks provide online access to its customers. There are existing banks all over the world and countries like Canada, Holland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. You can easily buy Cannabis seeds from these countries as they tend to be lenient in dealing with these things. 

They have safety measures when shipping it to you. As a buyer, you should be vigilant if the seed bank is reliable. Make sure you’re buying from a reputable seller. 

When you live in other countries like the USA, there’s a possibility that your package is seized by Customs and Border Protection. Some areas allow home-grown Cannabis so you can purchase seeds from dispensaries in this case. 

The Legality of Seed Banks

You must be aware of if it’s legal to purchase, sell, and possess Cannabis seeds. Some countries allowed selling Cannabis seeds for the sake of souvenir. 

In the USA, federal law categorized Cannabis seeds as illegal unless they’re sterilized. But it would be found if you have a license for recreational cultivation and a medical recommendation. 

Summary

The cannabis seed bank is important for the preservation of the plant’s genetics as well as future discovery. At first, people got to know it because of its use for making ropes and other materials. Then they like how it can make them high and stoned. The recent fondness over Cannabis is the therapeutic benefit of CBD.

Though the legality is not completely provided, some studies and advancements happened. Cannabis seed banks also focus on the advantageous cultivation of this plant.