Are regular seeds better than feminized?

[zem]

After more than 15 years of trying, I think that regular seeds give more potent products. I don't know why and I always thought otherwise and I lost lots of efforts trying feminized so hard and I could not match the best regulars that I had, not even close. Anyone had a similar experience?

 

[WeedHopper]

Good to know. I have never grown feminized beans. Probably never will. I like Mother Natures way of making seeds turn female.

 

[Caw]

After more than 15 years of trying, I think that regular seeds give more potent products. I don't know why and I always thought otherwise and I lost lots of efforts trying feminized so hard and I could not match the best regulars that I had, not even close. Anyone had a similar experience?

A friend of mine has hesitations of using feminized seeds. He is a master grower. He didnt give much reason as to why though.

Personally, I'd do regular seeds since there are so many more strains available. But, I have limited grow space and dont want to waste months with the possibility of finding out I only got males. I was over my friends house one day and he was furious that 8 out of 10 seeds popped were males. But, I'm sure he just crossed it with something else.

He called me a couple days ago asking if I wanted some Blue Cheese pollen. It must be special as I know he has jars of various pollen in his house/kitchen.

 

[2RedEyes]

I’m a fairly new grower having grown maybe 10 or 12 grow cycles...first seeds I bought were from some seed producer in Spain...fem seed I think...I’ve since tried other feminized or regular seed from different sources including here on MP...
I’ve not noticed a big difference in potency but that could just mean I’m a lousy grower...however I think this current grow is looking better than some of my previous grows...I got a new light & maybe I’m learning stuff...don’t know cuz currently I’m pretty stoned...
had a couple of nice jams earlier tonight...wish y’all coulda been there...

 

[zem]

A friend of mine has hesitations of using feminized seeds. He is a master grower. He didnt give much reason as to why though.

Personally, I'd do regular seeds since there are so many more strains available. But, I have limited grow space and dont want to waste months with the possibility of finding out I only got males. I was over my friends house one day and he was furious that 8 out of 10 seeds popped were males. But, I'm sure he just crossed it with something else.

He called me a couple days ago asking if I wanted some Blue Cheese pollen. It must be special as I know he has jars of various pollen in his house/kitchen.

I noticed lately that the seeds market is flooded with feminized more than regular seeds. What strains and from what breeders does your friend grow? Any recommendations?

 

[AladinSane]

Good question. I have grown both and my unscientific answer is that I can not tell the difference. Have grown very potent buds from both. A favorite land race sativa that I have grown several times 4 or 5 years ago is only available as feminized beans. Have some in the mail now. Thru the years every time I checked on them, they were sold out. I tend to favor regular seeds as I enjoy a little "pollen chucking" some times.

 

[AladinSane]

My present seed order is from Herbies Seeds (Herbies Head Shop). After the tracking number stopped working, I contacted customer service, they checked and said they're lost and issued me a reorder, which is in the mail. Good customer service, I will order from Herbies again.

 

[Caw]

I noticed lately that the seeds market is flooded with feminized more than regular seeds. What strains and from what breeders does your friend grow? Any recommendations?

My friend has been growing for MANY years. He is an avid music festival goer and frisbee golf player. He often gets seeds from his trips. And now he produces his own strains/crosses.

Unfortunately I dont have any recommendations. I have bought seeds through Growers Choice seeds. They have a limited selection, BUT they accept credit card payment and are in the US. Pacific Seed Bank used to take credit card payments, but last I checked, they had temporarily stopped due to the virus (not sure how the virus affected credit card payments...?).

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Yeah, no credit card at Pacific. I am rather peeved at Pacific Seed Bank. I have been waiting for over 6 weeks for seeds and I am in southern Oregon. They finally answered my 5th inquiry with an automated reply that didn't answer any of my questions or let me know when they might be sending out my seeds. They took awhile last year, but not nearly this long. Even with Covid 19 and it being growing season, this is ridiculous. I will never trust them again. It is getting too late to start seeds now.

 

[stinkyattic]

I'll always buy regular seeds when possible. I want males too. I want the ability to f2 then backcross for a seed run if the smoke/ease of cropping/yield is good from one of the females.
I distrust feminized seeds like voodoo. If something i want is only available feminized, I'll grudgingly buy it, and then find a straight run pack of its nearest relative for a pollen donor male and see if anything from that cross yields a keeper pheno.
Got some crop king black Indica going that was only available feminized which strikes me as odd considering the parents are both *supposedly * IBL s. Nice plants so far, but...
What's that jar smell like?
Fishy, that's what.

 

[420trout]

.

 

[stinkyattic]

So the f2 using a good male from a pack of related seeds will give you a straight run that also includes males that have good genetic material from your favorite female from the feminized pack, plus a y chromosome from the related seeds. Picking a male is an art form that others are better qualified to elaborate on than I... there may even be a thread around here about it... but then you use the same "keeper" female you used for the f1, and pollinate HER with the offspring son. That's your BX1. so the offspring are now 75% genetic material from the original mother.
This can be repeated indefinitely, choosing males that as closely resemble the traits you want in each successive generation, until all the offspring behave virtually identically, and you've got what is known as an IBL, or inbred line.
Now, if the original feminized mother carries and expresses a lot of recessive traits, this is harder to stabilize. And picking males is an ART!

 

[420trout]

.

 

[stinkyattic]

Its a lot of time, patience, and especially finesse to end up with the offspring being very close to "m1"... and you gotta have plenty of room capacity to do it where you may not end up flowering out a ton of smoke for a while. So depending on your goals, you need to decide if it is worth the effort. This process takes years. Much respect to anyone who can pull it off!!!
IMVHO... if you love the mother plant enough to hang on to her good genes... bust out your scalpel and dip-n-gro, and get cloning, my friend!

 

[zem]

Its a lot of time, patience, and especially finesse to end up with the offspring being very close to "m1"... and you gotta have plenty of room capacity to do it where you may not end up flowering out a ton of smoke for a while. So depending on your goals, you need to decide if it is worth the effort. This process takes years. Much respect to anyone who can pull it off!!!
IMVHO... if you love the mother plant enough to hang on to her good genes... bust out your scalpel and dip-n-gro, and get cloning, my friend!

Yes I had done that many years ago and i did several back crossings until 87.5% but I think to be considered real F1 it had to be done one more time to get above 90% but those seeds are surprisingly stable. Any tips on how to choose a male? I went with the healthiest plant from the same strain and crossed it with the healthiest best female of that strain

 

[Rosebud]

Hi guys, just stopped in to say hi zem, good to see you guy. I have a boy big sur holy bud in the bathtub now with a female, from Umbra that is a cross of bshb and Kali mist. I can't wait to see what get. I love me some BSHB. I hope I get seeds.

 

[Daxtell]

I have been saving some seed from a hermed plant that pollenated itself. I had numerous issues with that first grow. I figured the stresses hermed it. I'm curious about what happens with females that pollenate themselves. What will the offspring be? Herm prone? Probably. Female because of chromosomes? Sterile?

I've been busy with computer issues. I better do some research before I mess my computers up again.

 

[Lois OBerry]

After more than 15 years of trying, I think that regular seeds give more potent products. I don't know why and I always thought otherwise and I lost lots of efforts trying feminized so hard and I could not match the best regulars that I had, not even close. Anyone had a similar experience?

 

[zem]

Hi guys, just stopped in to say hi zem, good to see you guy. I have a boy big sur holy bud in the bathtub now with a female, from Umbra that is a cross of bshb and Kali mist. I can't wait to see what get. I love me some BSHB. I hope I get seeds.

Hi Rose! Good to see you. Wow you seem to have a plan for a good cross! Never even heard of BSHB

 

[zem]

I have been saving some seed from a hermed plant that pollenated itself. I had numerous issues with that first grow. I figured the stresses hermed it. I'm curious about what happens with females that pollenate themselves. What will the offspring be? Herm prone? Probably. Female because of chromosomes? Sterile?

I've been busy with computer issues. I better do some research before I mess my computers up again.

I guess that it will be prone to herm and probably other sorts of problems