Cannabis cultivation is growing highly popular across the USA, with the wave of legalization of medical and recreational weed sweeping all boundaries between people and this herbal remedy for their various medical issues. This way, consuming and growing cannabis becomes fully legal, provided that the users keep to the basic rules and regulations in their jurisdictions.
Overall, growing the weed of your choice in your own backyard is a great idea, especially if you have a chronic condition and need weed for regular treatment. In this case, buying weed from local dispensaries (the ones that pay huge taxes and rent and impose those overheads on you) is not financially viable. Therefore, an optimal way to satisfy your weed needs and be 100% confident in the quality of your consumed cannabis is to cultivate it yourself.
Here comes the issue of weed strain choice; there are hundreds of cultivars produced by dozens of seed banks, which looks confusing. But don’t fall into despair. The experts of AskGrowers have searched deep and wide, selecting the top feminized seed varieties for your best-in-class cultivation experience. In this article, we focus on feminized seeds only to guarantee that you reap bountiful yields even from your first-ever cultivation project.
What Are Feminized Seeds?
It would be illogical to jump into the rating of feminized seeds without even explaining what they are and how they differ from other weed seed categories. Overall, there are three types of seeds you can buy in the market today:
- Feminized. These seeds are photoperiod, meaning they start to blossom only after the light-and-dark cycle changes. This way, they go through the vegetation period for 8-12 weeks and then start flowering when the days get shorter and nights grow longer – at the beginning of autumn. If you grow weed outdoors, this change of season will not be a problem; it will start automatically. However, if you grow your crops indoors, you will need to adjust the lighting to mimic the change of seasons and trigger the flowering stage.
- Autoflower. Cannabis genetics experts have finally achieved independence on the light cycle by crossing the regular weed strains with a recently discovered Ruderalis variety – the one found in the harsh climates of Siberia and northern Europe. Its genes help weed start flowering in a specific period, regardless of how many hours of sunlight it receives. Therefore, autoflower seeds are ideal for growers with no experience, as they allow the collection of reasonable yields without advanced manipulations and plant management.
- Regular. As this seed type’s name suggests, regular seeds have not been manipulated in any way; they may come with male or female genetics. Plants growing from these seeds flower like photoperiod weed, meaning they will need a change in the light duration to enter the flowering stage.
So, as you can see, regular seeds are the traditional variant of weed cultivation that has been used for centuries. However, it’s not viable today for most growers who want to harvest flowers instead of collecting seeds from pollinated plants. So, your choice would naturally depend on whether you want a high THC concentration and big yields or strive for a totally hassle-free growing process. If the first is your priority, then feminized seeds are the option to go for.
How to Choose Top-Quality Seeds?
Let’s also say a couple of words about selecting seeds. Obviously, you have no chance to look inside the seed when buying a pack of weed seeds for cultivation. Thus, you should master the art of evaluating the seeds’ quality and germination potential by their external appearance. Here are some valuable tips:
- The seed’s shell should be glossy and intact; it should contain no cracks or holes.
- It should look full (you may check this parameter by pressing the seed a bit; it shouldn’t be empty inside).
- There should be no signs of mold or pathogens on the seed’s cover.
- All seeds in the pack should be relatively equal in size, shape, and appearance.
- There should be no stones, plant particles, dust, or leaves in the package.
- The seed cover should be colored from light brown to dark brown, possibly with some healthy-looking linings, and it shouldn’t be discolored.
Notably, many seed banks give a germination guarantee. So, you need to document the evidence of your seeds’ germination and file a claim to the company where you bought the seeds’ pack in case something goes wrong.
Why Opt for Feminized Seeds?
When you’re choosing the seed type to cultivate, it’s logical to weigh the pros and cons of each type and find the optimal variant meeting your needs and expectations. So, what do feminized seeds offer to the grower?
- Unlike regular seeds, the feminized type will yield only female plants, thus saving you the hassle of gender detection and male plant elimination. The ROI is higher, as all seeds you germinate and grow will become productive females with flavorful buds.
- Feminized seeds are generally regarded as higher-yielding than the autoflower variety. They take more time and effort to cultivate, but the resulting harvests will be a pleasant reward.
- Experienced growers mostly prefer cultivating feminized seeds because the plants growing from them can accumulate higher levels of THC, other cannabinoids, and terpenes due to the cultivator’s control of the growing cycle. Autoflower seeds are fast-growing and have a very short life cycle, with little manipulations possible.
Top 7 Seeds You Should Try Out
Now, it’s time to reveal our top 7 picks for the best cultivation experience of all time. We’ve carefully chosen these seven strains to ensure you enjoy high yields and a non-demanding cultivation process.
#1 Wedding Crasher
When buying Wedding Crasher feminized seeds https://askgrowers.com/seeds/wedding-crasher-seeds-feminized, you’re getting a safe bet in terms of an easy cultivation experience and a delicious, therapeutically beneficial harvest. This Sativa-dominant hybrid cultivar combines the best genetics of Wedding Cake and Purple Punch. So, it’s easy to grow (with plants rarely exceeding 200cm high, even when grown outdoors) and has a 21% THC level combined with 0-1% CBD in the flavorful buds. This strain grows well in locations with long summers, and its flowering period starts in about ten weeks. Thus, be ready to harvest your buds with a pleasant, sweet flavor with berry undertones in late October.
#2 Rainbow Haze
Another hit in our rating is Rainbow Haze feminized seeds https://askgrowers.com/seeds/rainbow-haze-seeds-feminized. They grow into small plants, up to 120cm high, and the flowers come with a mix of citrusy and sweet flavors and a magnificent berry aroma. This strain contains 17% THC and from 0.1% to 1.12% CBD, making it highly valuable for various health conditions. This cultivar possesses the features of Old Haze, Zkittlez, Chemdawg, and WW parents, so it has much to offer to growers and users.
#3 Gorilla Cookies
You will have an easy time growing weed from Gorilla Cookies feminized seeds. They grow into plants with a flowering period of 8-9 weeks and thrive in sunny and Mediterranean climates. The weed you will collect possesses an extra high THC concentration of 27%, which makes this variety applicable for setting the user into a euphoric and relaxed mood.
#4 Gold Leaf
This Indica-dominant hybrid grows well indoors and outdoors and is very easy to cultivate. Even with minimal effort, the growers get rich yields of buds that come with 17-23% THC and serve the needs of relaxation and mood-uplifting pretty well.
#5 Purple Punch
You’ll never go wrong when choosing Purple Punch weed for cultivation. It thrives indoors, outdoors, and in a greenhouse, so its growth will not cause any trouble. The flowering period starts in 7-8 weeks, giving patient cultivators yields of up to 2kg of buds per plant! The buds contain from 15% to 20% THC and can help consumers relax pretty quickly. Consumers also note the strain’s delicious berry flavor with shades of blueberry, grape, and muffin.
#6 Sour Diesel
Sour Diesel feminized seeds are another hit on the weed market. They grow into plants of manageable height, up to 160cm, and yield 300g-400g of flavorful buds per plant. The buds possess a pleasant fruity flavor with notes of citrus and diesel. This weed comes with 18% THC, so it’s highly helpful with mood swings and depression; it can quickly lift the consumer and set them into a euphoric state.
#7 Blueberry Yum Yum
The combination of 1% CBD and 15% THC in this strain makes it a popular choice among cultivators seeking an energizing and uplifting effect in weed. Growing these seeds is easy, as they start flowering in 8-9 weeks and thrive in indoor and outdoor setups. The yields will reward you with a sweet, spicy flavor that contains shades of berry and blueberry.
Final Word
Here you go with our rating of top feminized seeds for cultivation. Enjoy your growing hobby and get the most out of your weed. Good luck!
The author of this material is Denys Svirepchuk, a full-time blogger at AskGrowers specializing in cannabis strain research. Denys knows everything about strain varieties, their effects, and the peculiarities of the growing process. So, he educates current and aspiring cultivators to improve their experience and maximize their yields. (d.svirepchuk@askgrowers.com)
