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DIY Feminized Seeds
The Trade Secrets Exposed !
by Jason Mispagel , contributing writer
Jason Mispagel is the co-owner and operator of Year-Round Garden , a grower ’ s supply center serving both home and commercial customers since 2016 . His extensive growing experience in hydroponics and soil dates to the early days of legalization in Colorado , where he served as one of the state ’ s early caregivers . Year-Round Garden . 1225 W 103rd St , Kansas City , MO . 816.216.6917 – FB : yrroundgarden ● IG : @ yrroundgarden
I remember first hearing about “ feminized ” cannabis seeds many years ago and thinking , “ this is too good to be true .” I was skeptical that the plants would grow right , they ’ d have hermaphroditic tendencies , or they wouldn ’ t mature into females . The concept also seemed shrouded in mystery — sort of a secret reserved only for the professionals . It was hard to find information from a credible source regarding which products to use , in what amounts , and how frequently to apply them . Adding to my frustration , when I reached out to several feminized seed producers , they ’ d tell me that they used a “ proprietary formula ” or that it was some trade secret .
Fortunately , times have changed , and companies who produce the chemical compounds necessary for feminization have realized that the market for their products extends far beyond professional growers . The increase in states where home-growing is legal has also allowed these companies to be more comfortable advertising and packaging feminization solutions and sprays for the retail consumer . Along with the willingness to sell the products also comes the need to provide detailed instructions on how to use them ; if they don ’ t work right , you ’ re not very likely to purchase more in the future .
Frankly , there ’ s nothing all that magical about the ingredients . In fact , they ’ ve been applied in horticulture ( especially agriculture and floriculture ) for decades but with slightly different purposes .
The Birds and the Bees
Cannabis grown for its cannabinoid content ( i . e ., THC , CBD , CBG , etc .) is a dioecious plant . That means each will have either male or female reproductive organs , and seeds are created through sexual reproduction . Male plants produce staminate flowers , appearing as loose-hanging oval-shaped pollen sacs , while female plants produce pistillate flowers that grow tightly against the stem . In nature , pollen from the male plants is released into the wind or carried by insects until it contacts tiny white hairs protruding from the female flowers . These hairs are called pistils and transport pollen down into an ovary , where seeds develop over an 8 – 10-week period .
Sounds a lot like human reproduction , especially when you consider that female cannabis plants are comprised of two X chromosomes , while males have both an X and Y . When the X or Y chromosomes contained in male pollen fertilize the X chromosome of the female ovule , you end up with a seed that ’ s either XX ( female ) or