Home Growers Corner
Crossbreeding to Create
Your Own Hybrid Strains
Plus , Name My Stain Contest by Jay Richardson , contributing writer
If you have been following my articles each month , you know that I enjoy growing cannabis and sharing my experiences . One of the joys of being a seasoned cultivator is the chance to crossbreed and create my own hybrids . A hybrid is when you cross two marijuana strains to create an entirely new and , sometimes , unique strain .
Much like someone making beer or wine in their garage , some of my craft brews ( or strains ) rival some of the best in the world . I take no credit for this . If you crossbreed two world-class marijuana strains , you shouldn ’ t be surprised to end up with a new strain that is competitive with its parents . Like making fine wine , this process requires a great deal of experimentation and not being afraid of failure . If it takes a dozen mediocre paintings to create a masterpiece , you can still be considered a great artist with that one great piece of art .
Until this point , like the home beer maker , only myself and a few close friends have tasted my creations . After the passage of Amendment 3 last November , it is now legal for any adult to gift another adult up to three ounces of marijuana , and it ’ s about effing time . So now , I can legally share the fruits of my labors and show you guys what I am doing . I assure you that before cultivation was legalized in 2018 , I had no knowledge or participation in marijuana or its production . My online attorneys have informed me that this disclaimer has little chance of standing up in court , but that ’ s my story , and I am sticking to it .
Male plant with Stamens that resemble a cluster of grapes � On the left is a female plant .
The photos shown below are of a mature male cannabis plant , something most people have never seen . The introduction of feminized seeds has made male plants almost nonexistent .
You may notice that the stamens somewhat resemble a cluster of grapes . The individual stamens are sectioned similar to an orange or grapefruit . The sections open like a flower , which they are , and they drop their pollen . In nature , the pollen is released into the wind and most of it ends up on our windshields . The rest of it sticks to the pistils of the females and creates seeds . In a controlled environment , there are many ways to harvest pollen . Sometimes it ’ s easier to visualize this process , so I have videos demonstrating a few of my techniques on my Bobo ’ s Botanicals YouTube channel . You can find the link in my credits area at the end of this article . See the video labeled “ How to Harvest Pollen From a Male Marijuana .”
My preferred method is to simply place a piece of white paper beneath the mature male flower and tap it with my finger . The pollen will drop onto the paper and is easily scraped into a baggie or envelope . You can now put the dust onto an artist ’ s paintbrush and apply it to a few female buds without fertilizing the entire plant , allowing you to have ample seeds for future planting without compromising the quality of your crop . Because of state legal restrictions , you can only plant six seeds at a time , so having several hundred seeds serves no useful purpose .
The process of crossbreeding is actually fairly simple . All you need is some pollen and a female plant that is a few weeks from maturity . Male marijuana plants have stamens , which produce pollen . Females have pistils , which collect them to produce seeds .
This month , we ’ ll try something fun for our readers . I have a new strain of cannabis , and I want the readers of The EVOLUTION Magazine to help me name it . What we have is a cross between Purple Jager and Sour Diesel . Purple Jager is named after the German
36 September 2023