Your cannabis quality is one of the primary conditions for enjoying a bumper harvest. High-quality seeds have higher germination chances than shoddy ones. Moreover, good seeds offer great value for your money, time, and effort. Don’t forget that seed quality also affects the buds’ overall effects on your health.
However, all these outcomes depend on how well you can distinguish good seeds from poor ones. How do you know the best seeds that will give you a bumper harvest? Our post shares wisdom to help you determine high-quality marijuana seeds. Keep reading to make an informed choice.
Flotation Versus Sinking
You can test cannabis seed quality using the floating test by placing your seeds in a glass of water and leaving them there for some time. The sinking seeds are viable for better germination, while floating ones won’t.
However, you need some patience when conducting this test because it may not show immediate results. So, wait 1-2 hours before getting satisfactory results because some high-quality seeds require sufficient time to absorb enough water to sink. You may utilize this waiting period to do other things before returning to confirm the results.
We recommend using this method only if you plan to germinate your seeds immediately. Otherwise, you won’t be able to store the sunk seeds for a long time.
Seed Cost
While cost is not the most important test to confirm seeds’ quality, it still plays a role. Most high-quality seeds cost more because you recover the costs through higher yields. However, be careful because some unscrupulous vendors can sell low-quality seeds more expensively to create a delusive impression. Opting for the other side of the extreme, such as buying exceptionally cheap seeds, will most likely give you a raw deal as well. You may buy them cheaply but lose more because of poor yields.
Seed Size and Shape
Seed size and shape are other elements to consider when determining whether your cannabis seeds are viable. These traits depend on a strain’s genetics. Please note that some seeds are naturally larger and more spherical, while others are smaller and oblong. However, they can germinate irrespective of their shape and size.
So, how do you use size and shape to determine seed quality? Fortunately, all healthy cannabis seeds—their size notwithstanding—have a tear-drop body round at one end and tapered at the other. If a seed lacks this shape, it might be genetically flawed. Exceptionally flat seeds may also have germination difficulties and produce low-quality plants.
Feel
You may also test a seed’s quality by feeling it. A healthy cannabis seed is firm to the touch. If you press it between your index finger and thumb, the seed shouldn’t cave in to pressure. Immature cannabis seeds usually deform under such pressure because of their high water content and poor structure. Likewise, older marijuana seeds break under slight pressure and become dust.
Seed Appearance
You may also test the seeds’ quality by checking their appearance. The sight test considers the following elements:
- Waxy coating. Healthy cannabis seeds have a shiny, waxy coating. Otherwise, you will waste your money on duds that won’t spout.
- Cracks. You also need to check if the seeds are cracked or not. Discarding all cracked seeds is wise because they most likely won’t germinate.
- Mildew. Check out for mildew to determine if the seeds are viable or not. You may use magnifying lens to view the seeds closer to detect any white, dusty powder signaling mildew presence. Seeds with mildew have had a fungal infection and won’t grow.
- Color. Color is another crucial element to look for when using the sight test. All healthy cannabis seeds have gray or black patches. Additionally, they appear brown with a lighter or darker shade. Some seeds have a uniform color, while others have numerous shades, like tiger stripes or turtle shell patterns. So, all seeds falling within this color range are promising germination candidates. However, slight color changes shouldn’t worry you. The little variations might be due to genetic factors and other environmental variables. For instance, some viable seeds might be darker because they have been packaged for some months. Therefore, they get exposed to lighting, humidity, and oxidation that slightly alter their original color. Inversely, green or white seeds are less likely to sprout because they are immature. Pale seeds are also the least likely to germinate because they are old.
Seed Bank
You may also determine seed viability based on their origin. Seeds from poor-quality vendors or seed banks have low germination chances. Therefore, we recommend sourcing your seeds from a reputable vendor and seed bank to boost your success chances. You can check out more about good autoflowering options like Cereal Milk seeds https://askgrowers.com/seeds/cereal-milk-seeds-autoflower to make a safe choice and enjoy high germination and growth rates.
Take some time and check the vendors’ or seed bank’s user reviews to see what other users have experienced with them. Growers who have already planted the seeds on their farms can testify to their tastes, effects, and expected yield levels. So, do your homework well before purchasing any seeds.
Storage Conditions
You can also determine seeds’ worth based on their storage conditions. Getting sufficient information about seeds’ storage conditions might be tricky, but it’s still possible. If you get those details, you can be better positioned to establish seeds’ viability.
Whenever possible, buy marijuana seeds from a seller who keeps them in dry and cool conditions. Such seeds rarely get mold or contact with other fungal infections that could significantly affect their overall quality and germination chances.
You can also save yourself the trouble by avoiding all seeds stored in bags. Container seeds are more likely to be of poor quality because, most likely, invading males might have pollinated them. Remember, such pollination hinders resin production, the substance containing THC.
Moreover, pollinated seeds are denser, meaning their market worth might be lesser than what you spent on them. Therefore, buying from reputable online or offline sellers is the safest bet.
Initial Growth Stages
You may also evaluate seed quality by watching the quality of plants they produce over the first few weeks. Healthy cannabis plants have turgid, dark, and green leaves if you grow them in ideal conditions like high-quality soil and sufficient lighting.
Germination
A germination test is another way to know whether your cannabis seeds are of poor or high quality. Low-quality seeds may not even put out shoots. Mid-quality seeds take more to sprout, while qualitative ones produce taproots within a few days.
To test your seeds, you can place them in the soil to see if they sprout. Alternatively, you may use a damp paper towel to germinate them. Place some moist kitchen paper towels on a plate and get some seeds onto them. Place another kitchen plate on the damp one to lock in the moisture. Healthy seeds will produce a taproot because of dark and moist conditions beneath the place. After the germination, you can carefully transfer the delicate seed into a growing pot to avoid damaging it.
Seed Weight
Lastly, you can establish seeds’ viability and quality by their weight. Remember, denser seeds have higher germination chances than lighter ones. That means you shouldn’t only consider seed maturity before choosing. Instead, the mature seeds should also be dense enough because you could find mature, old seeds that have lost most moisture and nutrients.
Why Begin Only With Healthy Cannabis Seeds?
We saw that the journey to healthy plants and higher yields starts with healthy seeds. You already know how to test and choose these seeds, and so far, so good. Now, why should you start your cultivation journey on this note? Below are the top benefits of planting high-quality cannabis seeds.
- Improved germination rates;
- Higher-quality genetics;
- Better yields;
- Crops with outstanding aroma and flavor.
Closing Remarks
The law of seed and harvest works universally, even in the cannabis sector. You always reap what you sow. Thus, only high-quality seeds can guarantee a good harvest if all the other factors remain unchanged.
However, getting these seeds is impossible if you don’t know how to differentiate poor-quality from high-quality cannabis seeds. We composed this guide to show you how to detect high-quality marijuana seeds that give you optimal returns on your investment. Use this valuable information to make an informed decision.
