CBD: Feminized Seeds

[Keith]

Here is a great article about about feminized seeds from Leafy. Numerous advantages for growers who start their garden using feminized seeds.

By removing the guesswork of germinating regular seeds, feminized seeds streamline the growing process, saving space and time. (https://www.leafly.com/news/growing/what-are-feminized-cannabis-seedsMale)

plants don’t just take up space in a garden, either. They can also sap time and resources from growers. When male and female plants are both present, growers need to cultivate both until their sexes are clear. While some strains will show early signs of their sex before flowering begins, most cannabis plants don’t begin to express their sex until they start to mature past the vegetative stage.

The High CBD Hemp Genetics that we offer are the same ones that we use on our farms. They are specifically sourced and bred based on their extraction efficiency and because they yield the highest diversity and quality of cannabinoids and terpenes. Ecogen Labs seeds are produced at our 4 acre campus with 130,000 sq. foot Nexus greenhouse complex in Palisade, Colorado. Our unique genetics are developed in a highly controlled environment.

We own and operate proprietary processing/extraction labs, genetics research facilities, greenhouses, hemp farms, and a machine fabrication facility, which allows EcoGen Labs to produce the highest quality CBD on the market. EcoGen Labs guarantees premium quality from seed to sale.

Cheers,
Keith

• This topic was modified 4 years, 7 months ago by Keith.

[Rafael]

Nice and informative post, Keith!

Figured I would chime in since you’ve got the first post on the cultivation section and many eyes will come this way. For some new hemp farmers, feminized seeds are the way to go. The main reasons are:

– Less maintenance required to fields due to not having to remove as many males after they start to show their sex (late July-August). Good feminized seeds normally have 1-2 males per acre.

– Higher CBD potency (normally 1-3% points higher CBD on hemp plants with no seeds)

– Higher value. Smokable hemp flower is one of the most lucrative parts of the industry and on top of a slow dry and cure, the material must also be seedless

However, farmers should know growing regular (unfeminized) isn’t a bad option either. The main advantage is cost, regular seeds are sometimes 10x lower in price than feminized varieties. If the goal is a female only field, males can still be removed when plants begin to show their sex. Otherwise, letting your fields get pollinated will impact CBD potency and yields slightly but not enough to the point it doesn’t make sense. We’ve seen hemp flower full of seeds and still testing around 17% CBD and averaging 1500-2000 lbs yield/acre.

The main pros to regular seeds are:

– Lower initial cost

– If you don’t mind seeds, less maintenance

– No worries of cross-pollination from neighboring farms

– The future of large scale hemp cultivation

– Beginner friendly

Farmers also have the option of going with clones, but we would advise against that. Seedlings have faster growth, lower cost of production, and heavier yields than clones.

Good luck to all this 2019 season!

[BevanDSuits]

I read so many opinions it’s hard to figure out which is the right way, since there is so little scientific data to back up the claims. Such as with clones, I can take that at face value but what’s it based on?

[Rafael]

You’re right, it’s very difficult to decipher the current information when it comes to hemp cultivation. To succeed with this crop, you need an equal balance of cannabis and traditional agricultural experience mindset. There are many ways to accomplish the same task and the best ways will show themselves over the next few years. A lot of trial and error is still required.

We personally won’t ever farm hemp on large-scale cultivation from clones again. We made roughly 120k clones and 500k seedlings in 2018. The seedlings had a lower cost of production, faster-easier-cheaper transplant rate, faster growth rate, more hardy, and heavier yields.

While most people still prefer feminized varieties, as we all gain more experience we’re starting to realize seeds in the middle of biomass isn’t that big of a deal. Some of the reasons are you only see an impact of 10-20% in yields and flowers can still reach the 15-20% CBD range. It becomes very difficult to control males that pop up on larger plots and cross-pollination from other farms. If you’re going for biomass, we don’t find it necessary for males to be removed. If the goal is a smokable flower, then it’s best to have flowers that are seedless.

USA Hemp has been in the industry since 2015 and currently farms a little over 300 acres. In addition, we’ve had the chance to become vertically integrated from CO2 extraction to a retail line of products. Having made just about every mistake you can think of in this industry (and we’re not done!), we don’t mind sharing what we’ve learned. Ask away if you have any other questions.

[Biobob]

So Rafael if I let a field go to seed I really will be able to harvest it dry it and be able to sell it as bios mass? I am glad I joined this place. I have already made friends and acquired contacts through this site. My plan keeps getting bigger. I am going to try and stick with females in my primary farm location with probably 4 varieties. But after reading your post maybe I should plant seeds in a couple of other locations 18 miles away and let them seed out since I have free land and plenty of seed. My partner and myself are doing this full time. Maybe were crazy our 1 acre keeps growing, were now maybe at 15-20 acres. Plus I have another 2 locations with acreage. Will have about 18000 seedlings planted in our greenhouse this weekend. Not new to the plant or crop farming. Just new to a large grow. My biggest concern is harvesting a large quantity and mainly I do not have buyers yet.

[Rafael]

Glad to know you’re getting the information you need! That’s correct, a majority of the biomass on the market right now contains seeds. If you wanted to get super picky about it, you could have a grass seed cleaning facility clear your batch or purchase the equipment yourself. Try it this year and see for yourself which works best for your circumstances. That’s a good bit of acreage to harvest with little experience. Be careful. I’m not exaggerating when I say harvest will be MUCH harder than you probably imagine.

[Author]

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