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From our Cannabis Academy Learning Guide ... Cannabis seed and clone profiles.
Using seeds or clones are the two sources to grow cannabis. Seeds carry genetic information from two parent plants, female and male, which can express many different combinations of traits. In our commercial cannabis production profile, we will plant seeds of two strains that are currently favored in the illegal trade and to be offered legally under the FIRST JERSEY CANNABIS label. As clones from these individual plants, they will represent our consistent genetic feedstock which allows for mass production. Within our GREENMARK growing schemes, all “seed” plants are cycled into three categories: (1) selected clones for mass production, (2) seed harvesting, and (3) clone type modifications with rooting hormones.
Cannabis seed and clone profiles
For starters growing from seeds produce a stronger plant with more solid genetics. Indeed, plants grown from seeds are heartier than young plants when compared to clones, mainly because seeds have a strong taproot. First Jersey Cannabis prefers to germinate seeds using coco coir pods with a branded pH-balanced solution in a warm, humid environment until the radicle root emerges and is transferred to our proprietary aeroponic system.
How cannabis seeds work
Cannabis can be either male or female—also called “dioecious”—but only females produce the buds with controlled THC values. For reproduction, males have pollen sacs and pollinate females, causing female flowers to produce seeds. Once cannabis seeds are mature, the female plant begins to die, and seeds are either dropped to the ground where they grow into new cannabis plants, or the seeds are harvested for processing into seed oil or food products or stored so they can be proceeded hydroponically and become the next generation of plants.
To get commercial buds, female cannabis plants are grown in an environment without males—or the males are removed from the area before they release pollen—so the females don’t create seeds. Females can then focus their energies on producing buds and not seeds—this high-potency cannabis is traditionally known as “sinsemilla,” meaning “seedless.”
Some varieties of cannabis can produce male parts alongside female flowers on the same plant, especially if exposed to environmental compromisers. These plants are known as hermaphrodites, and sometimes they can self-pollinate to create seeds. With our GREENMARK growing schemes, such an event is impossible.
Pros and cons of using cannabis seeds
The main drawback to growing from seeds is there is no guarantee as to what you’ll end up with because cannabis seeds will be a mix of males and females. You’ll need to sex them out to identify the males and get rid of them because you don’t want female plants producing seeds. Sexing cannabis plants can be a time-consuming process, and if you don’t catch males, there is a risk that even one male can pollinate your entire crop, causing all your female cannabis plants to produce seeds. One way to avoid sexing plants is with feminized seeds, which ensures every seed you plant will be a bud-producing female.
As indicated above, you can also minimize headaches and avoid the hassle of seed germination and sexing plants by starting with clones.
How cannabis clones work
Aside from producing cannabis through seeds, or sexual reproduction, you can also reproduce the plant through cloning, or asexual reproduction. A clone is a cutting that is genetically identical to the plant it was taken from—that plant is known as the “mother.”
Pros and cons of using cannabis clones
Through cloning, you can create a new harvest with exact replicas of your favorite plant. Because genetics are identical, a clone will give you a plant with the same characteristics as the mother, such as flavor, cannabinoid profile, yield, grow time, etc. With our GREENMARK growing schemes, we are able to target specific strains or phenotypes to reproduce more buds that have the same effects and characteristics within our profile marketing model.
With cloning, you don’t have to get new seeds every time you want to grow another plant—you just take a cutting of the old plant—and you don’t have to germinate seeds or sex them out and get rid of the males.
One drawback of clones is they need to be taken during the vegetative stage of a plant—flowering is too late— that is why in our GREENMARK growing schemes all “seed” plants are cycled into three categories to adjust for specific development characteristics. Under our program we eliminate the drawback to clones by identifying negative traits from the mother plant, i.e. disease, attracts pests, or growing weak branches, its clones will probably have the same issues.
What are feminized cannabis seeds?
Feminized cannabis seeds will produce only female plants to the bud stage, so there is no need to remove males or worry about female plants getting pollinated. Feminized seeds are produced by causing the monoecious condition in a female cannabis plant—the resulting seeds are nearly identical to the self-pollinated female parent, as only one set of genes is present.We called it “cloning by seed” and will not produce any male plants. This is achieved through our proven methods:
By spraying the plant with a solution of colloidal silver, a liquid containing tiny particles of silver,
Through a method known as rodelization, in which a female plant pushed past maturity can pollinate another female,
Spraying seeds with gibberellic acid, a hormone that triggers germination, which proves unique on certain subsets.
As a rule, we do not use feminized seeds because they only contain one set of genes, and compromised their use for breeding purposes. However, we use feminized seeds in our clone-type modifications with the rooting hormones program.
In conjunction with our R&D program, we use “autoflowering seeds” to study light cycles and nutrition programs. Most cannabis plants begin flowering when the amount of light they receive on a daily basis reduces. Outdoors, this happens when the sun starts setting earlier in the day as the season turns from summer to autumn. As exclusive indoor growers, we are able to control when a plant flowers by reducing the daily amount of light plants receive from 18 hours to 12 hours and modifying the nutrition levels accordingly. Moreover, we are experimenting with a type of cannabis called Cannabis ruderalis, which developed in extreme northern conditions without much sunlight, and will begin flowering once the plant reaches a certain age—they automatically start flowering regardless of the amount of light they receive, hence the name “autoflower.”
Autoflower Research
Our primary studies target the growing and flowering cycles, which occurs quicker than other cannabis strains, may be offered the means to expand the amounts of “grows” per year by 20%. Since, autoflowered plants are smaller—perfect for close-spaced indoor growing, the potential can add substantially to our bottom line. However, current autoflower strains are less potent with THC levels below 9%. Also, because they are small in stature, they usually don’t produce big yields. With our crossbreeding strategies, the low-THC ruderalis can be enhanced with other more potent varieties and create exclusive, primary commercial strains.
As offered under our Cannabis Academy Training Program
How to germinate cannabis seeds
Germination is the process in which a seed sprouts and begins to grow into a new plant. Also referred to as “popping,” germination is the very first step in starting your plant to grow. Cannabis seeds require three things to germinate: water, heat, and air. There are many methods to germinate seeds, but for the most common and simplest method, you will need:
Two clean plates
Four paper towels
Seeds
Distilled water
Step 1
Take four sheets of paper towels and soak them with distilled water. The towels should be soaked but shouldn’t have excess water running off.
Step 2
Take two of the paper towels and place them on a plate. Then, place the cannabis seeds at least an inch apart from each other and cover them with the remaining two water-soaked paper towels.
Step 3
To create a dark, protected space, take another plate and flip it over to cover the seeds, like a dome.
Step 4
Make sure the area the seeds are in is warm, somewhere between 70-85°F.
After completing these steps, it’s time to wait. Check the paper towels once a day to make sure they’re still saturated, and if they are losing moisture, apply more water to keep the seeds happy.
Some seeds germinate very rapidly while others can take a while, but generally, seeds should germinate in 3-10 days. If it’s been two weeks and a seed hasn’t sprouted, it’s probably a dud and won’t sprout.
A seed has germinated once the seed splits and a single sprout appears. The sprout is the taproot, which will become the main stem of the plant, and seeing it is a sign of successful germination.
It’s important to keep the delicate seed sterile, so don’t touch the seed or taproot as it begins to split.
Noted: The paper towel method is used only for training purposes.
Transplanting germinated cannabis seeds
Once you see the taproot, it’s time to transfer your germinated seed into its growing medium, such as soil.
Fill a 4-inch or one-gallon pot with loose, airy potting soil
Water the soil before you put the seed in; it should be wet but not drenched
Poke a hole in the soil with a pen or pencil—the rule of thumb is: make the hole twice as deep as the seed is wide
Using a pair of tweezers, gently place the seed in the hole with the taproot facing down
Lightly cover it with soil
Keep a close eye on the temperature and moisture level of the soil. It’s very delicate at this stage. Use a spray bottle to water it—over-watering can suffocate and kill the delicate sprout.
Within a week or so you should see a seedling begin to grow from the soil.
Germinating cannabis seeds doesn’t always go as planned. Some seeds will be duds. Others will be slow and take longer to sprout. But some will pop quickly and grow rapidly.
This is the beauty of seeds—often, you can tell which plants or genetics will thrive right from the get-go. This will help you determine which plants you want to take cuttings from for clones or for breeding our seed bank. Noted: The soil method is used only for training purposes.
How to sex a cannabis plant
Because only female cannabis plants produce buds and you want them to focus all their energy on producing buds and not seeds, it’s important to identify and get rid of male weed plants so they don’t pollinate females. If females are pollinated, it will give you buds filled with seeds, making your cannabis unsaleable. Cultivating males is important for our breeding program to cross new strains and genetics. Growing male and female cannabis seeds will show their sex organs, or “pre-flowers,” after 8-10 weeks from germination. Cannabis plant sex organs appear on nodes, the points where branches grow off from the main stalk. Males will have round balls—these will develop into pollen sacs, which will release pollen into the air when mature. Females will have a round structure with long hairs—these hairs will develop into pistils, which will catch pollen in the air. Pre-flowers can initially be extremely small and hard to identify with the naked eye, but you can use a magnifying glass to get a better look.
There are a few indicators that will give you a sense of whether the seed is worth germinating.
Tiger stripes—dark stripes on the seed which resemble veins on a leaf are generally good
Solid shell—a seed should be able to withstand a little pressure when pinched between your fingers; if it crumbles or cracks, it’s no good
Immature seeds tend to be light in color and have a soft outer shell.
In some cases, even if a seed isn’t completely mature, there’s still a chance it could be viable. But often these are extremely weak, take longer to develop, and express other unfavorable characteristics. In our program, do not discard weak plants. Such plants are to be removed and placed in separate trays for further evaluation.
You might also find a mature seed that has been physically damaged through poor handlings, like rough trimming. In those cases, Such plants are to be removed and placed in separate trays for further evaluation.
Remember, once a seed germinates, the real work begins. Sexing, selecting, vegetative growth, flowering, and the eventual harvest all lie ahead.
JOIN THE TEAM - A once in a lifetime opportunity in a new industry that predicts that our first 1,000 employees should be millionaires in five years.
BECOME AN INTERN - Free course. Once qualified - Trainee starts at $25,000 per year, complete insurance and medical plan, profit sharing, matching 401K, steady advancement to any phase of the business. Earn big money to the level of your abilities.
Learn more about cannabis by just asking.