Many cannabis consumers like the idea of growing cannabis, whether it's recreational or medical marijuana. People often find it incredibly rewarding to smoke buds from their own plants, and many enjoy being able to nurture their plants from seed to final harvest. Growing weed can be accomplished by either starting with cannabis clones or by sprouting and planting cannabis seeds.
Fortunately, cannabis seeds are now easier to find and purchase than ever before. With many top-notch seed banks making various feminized and autoflower seeds available alongside regular seeds, it's easy to buy cannabis seeds online or in brick-and-mortar stores. From legal concerns to strain choices to indoor vs outdoor, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to purchase cannabis seeds.
How marijuana laws affect buying cannabis seeds
The law is the first thing to take into consideration when planning to grow cannabis. Before doing anything else, double and triple-check the laws in your area related to purchasing cannabis products and growing weed at home. This is important because the legal status of both cannabis products and home cultivation will dictate where and how you can buy seeds.
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If you live in a state where it is legal to grow weed at home and there are not many restrictions on home cultivation, then you'll likely be able to buy cannabis seeds directly from your favorite licensed dispensary. Sometimes, you may also have the option of buying from a brick-and-mortar or online retailer.
How to decide which cannabis seeds to buy
However you go about buying cannabis seeds, plan ahead. In many ways, successful germination and eventual harvest depend on getting the right seeds upfront. Fortunately, the cannabis industry is now offering a vast selection of seeds to choose from. For example, Royal Queen Seeds' website features a special tool called the Seedfinder, designed to narrow down the options among the vast strains they offer. The filters consider growing characteristics, taste, and effects.
Here are some of the most important factors you need to think about to ensure that the cannabis seeds you buy will meet your needs and objectives:
Indica, sativa, or hybrid?
There is a seemingly endless variety of cannabis strains now in existence. Before buying seeds, you need to know what kind of weed you want to grow. Start by determining if you will grow an indica-dominant, sativa-dominant, or hybrid strain.
- Indica-dominant plants tend to be short and bushy with thick stems and broad, deep-green leaves. They also have short flowering cycles and grow well in cold climates with short growing seasons.
- Sativa-dominant plants have longer flowering cycles, fare better in warm climates with long seasons, and grow taller with light-green, narrow leaves.
For the last 50 years of cannabis cultivation, crossbreeding has been the name of the game. As a result, there's virtually no such thing as a pure indica or sativa anymore. Every seed you'll consider purchasing is probably a hybrid. Classifying a particular cultivar or strain as indica or sativa usually means its genetic makeup tends more toward one side or the other of the indica-sativa spectrum.
Which cannabis strain?
In addition to deciding between indica, sativa, or hybrid, you should also figure out which specific strain you want to grow. If you're not sure which marijuana strain you want to grow, or you're curious to learn about other strains you might not be familiar with, browse through the digital catalogs of reputable seed banks online, such as the SeedFinder mentioned above, and read about the various strains currently available. The best seed banks will have plenty of helpful information.
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When you've decided which strain to grow, do some research to familiarize yourself with the unique cultivation needs of that strain. While there are general guidelines for growing any type of cannabis, each strain has its own specific needs. Some strains do better in specific parts of the world or climates. Growing a strain that is well-suited to your climate will make it easier on you and the plants while giving you better odds of a successful harvest. If you are still determining what strain you want to grow, you can always try mixed packs of seeds, though it may be difficult to replicate any successes.
Indoor or outdoor cultivation?
Another question to ask yourself is whether you want to be an indoor or outdoor grower. Growing indoor seeds allows you to control and fine-tune the growing climate for your plants. You may feel more confident trying new seeds or difficult cultivars because you can adjust the environment as needed.
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Outdoor growing inherently carries different concerns, including the length of the outdoor growing season and other significant variables. If you plan to grow marijuana outside, you should probably spend a bit more time researching the specific cannabis seeds you want to purchase to make sure they will thrive in your unique climate and environment. On the other hand, some cultivars thrive better outside and deliver better yields. And some swear that weed grown outside under the sun simply tastes, smells, and smokes better.
Regular marijuana seeds, feminized seeds, or autoflowering seeds?
If you browse through seeds sold at a dispensary or an online store, you will immediately see them categorized as feminized, regular, or autoflower. A vital part of understanding how to buy cannabis seeds is understanding the differences between these categories that refer to the sex or maturation process of the seeds. When you purchase regular seeds, some will grow up to produce male plants, and others will grow into female plants. Therefore, growing regular cannabis seeds requires you to pay close attention to the sex of each plant so you can get rid of any males that sprout.
Male plants produce fewer, smaller, less potent flowers and will not give you much to smoke. Even worse, males will pollinate your female plants and cause them to produce low-quality buds that are full of seeds. If you plant regular seeds, plan to buy more than you might need, as a higher percentage of these weed seeds will produce male plants.
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On the other hand, feminized seeds have been bred to produce only female cannabis plants. For many growers, these are the best cannabis seeds to use. One reason is that using feminized seeds means you won't need to buy quite as many because a higher percentage will grow into female plants. However, feminized seeds are not fool-proof, and there is no fully reliable germination guarantee, so you should still pay attention to the sex of your plants as they mature so you can spot and eliminate any males that might pop up. In general, feminized seeds are more straightforward to grow.
Finally, autoflowering seeds have more to do with the growth cycle of the marijuana plant than the sex of plants. Many growers consider autoflowers the best seed choice because they require less work and flower more quickly. When growing regular or photoperiod seeds indoors, you must manipulate the light your plant receives to trigger the flowering process. But autoflowering seeds have been genetically designed to produce plants that automatically flower based on their age rather than changes in the light, meaning less work for you.
How many plants to grow?
Once you've figured out which seeds are right for you, you must decide how many seeds to purchase. Regardless of the strain or seed type, you should know how many plants you want to grow. It's also good to circle back to your area's laws and check the number of plants you're legally allowed to grow.
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Remember, seeds must be germinated before planting, and there is no iron-clad germination guarantee. Always plan on a certain percentage of seeds failing to germinate or growing into weak, unviable plants. Plan on purchasing more seeds than you think you will need. As a general guideline, assume that at least 25% of the seeds you plant will not make it to harvest for one reason or another.
For best results, buy and plant 25% more seeds than the number of mature plants you want to produce.
How to buy weed seeds online
Buying online may be the simplest way to purchase cannabis seeds. Online retailers often have a more extensive selection and may provide more detailed information than smaller brick-and-mortar stores.
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At the same time, buying seeds online has some potential drawbacks. For one, some weed-legal locations, including the US, still outlaw buying and shipping seeds across state or national borders. There are also issues of reliability. If you want to do business with an online cannabis seed bank, research the company. Make sure it's reputable and has good customer reviews.
How to buy cannabis seeds at a brick-and-mortar shop
Buying seeds directly from a brick-and-mortar shop gives you the benefit of talking to an expert before purchasing. Ensure the dispensary you're buying from has experienced employees with the growing process.
Here are a few questions you should ask before making a purchase:
- What are the main cannabinoids in the strain? If you want to buy seeds that produce a particular cannabinoid profile in the mature plant, ask if they tend to produce plants that match your requirements.
- What kind of yields do the plants produce?
- Do the plants require special care like trellising, certain nutrients, or a particular environment to prevent pests and disease?
Bottom line
In many ways, buying high-quality seeds is very much like purchasing other items related to cannabis. Even in places where weed is legal, seeds are generally considered cannabis products, the same as flower, edibles, oils, and anything else coming from the cannabis plant. For that reason, pay very close attention to the legal status of cannabis seeds in your area.
With the ability to buy marijuana seeds online or from brick-and-mortar sellers and so many vendors now able to sell seeds directly to consumers, it is easier than ever to grow your own cannabis plants. Having all those options available makes it more important than ever to research them before making that final purchase.
