Do Feminized Seeds Need to be Germinated? 

The cannabis plant just like any other plants undergoes germination. It’s the process where a plant grows from the seeds. This results in the formation of the seedlings that are eventually used for cannabis cultivation. For cannabis growers, it is important to look for good quality marijuana seeds, even the feminized ones in the USA to ensure a great yield production.

If you’re new to the cannabis cultivation industry, you might want to check this article as we will tell you why germination needs to be done. It might seem like an easy task since most growers regardless of the plant do this, but since you’re new you might experience a few humps on the road. But nothing to worry as we’ll surely help you out.

Basic Information on Choosing Seeds to Germinate

You can get cannabis seeds from different sources and they will always vary in quality. Purchasing from an online seed bank may be your best bet for quality and genetic diversity but it takes a great amount of work to choose the seeds you’ll use. You will need to consider factors such as yield quality, the duration of the whole cultivation process and the environment the seeds will grow from.

When you’re on the stage of choosing the seeds, make sure that they are matured and they appear dark brown with lighter accents and a hard feel. As tempting as it is, never goes for seeds that feels and looks fresh and green. This indicates that the seed has not yet reached maturity.

Once you have chosen which cannabis seeds to use, you need to make sure that you have the space necessary to allow your plants to grow and be healthy. Never pop seeds when you are not sure of your grow space, time availability or intention with your marijuana garden.

Can I Germinate Marijuana Seeds that are Feminized from the USA?

You need to know that marijuana seeds that are feminized regardless if it came from the USA or any other country need to be treated like it’s just any other seed. Growers treat it the same way from germination to the vegetative stage. The ideal thing to do if you’re using different strains for your marijuana garden is to make sure that you grow them separately.

By allowing them to grow separately lets them have uninterrupted production. Cannabis production using feminized seeds are homozygous that allows for the increase in the dominant or recessive trait of the parent plant so the features that you want or don’t want can be amplified. The main good thing about using feminized seeds in marijuana cultivation is the assurance of getting another female offspring.

The Best Way to Germinate Cannabis Seeds

Cannabis seeds will require three things to germinate: these are water heat and air. There are many methods to germinate your seeds. The most common and perhaps the simplest method is using paper towels in saturated water.

For this method you will need:

Two clean plates
Paper Towels
Seeds

Step 1: Get four sheets of paper towels and soak them in distilled water. They should be soaked but shouldn’t have any excess water running off.

Step 2: Take two of the soaked paper towels and place them on a plate. Place the cannabis seeds at least an inch apart from each other and cover them with the remaining two sheets of paper towels.

Step 3: Take another plate, flip it over to cover the seeds like a dome. This allows you to create a dark, protected space for the seeds.

Step 4: Ensure that the area is kept warm, a temperature ranging between 70-90 degrees Fahrenheit will do.

After completing these steps, you will have to wait. Make sure that you check the paper towels and see if they’re still saturated if they seem to lack moisture just apply more water.

Cannabis seeds vary when it comes to germination rate, some germinates very rapidly while others can take several days. You will know that a seed has completely germinated once it splits and a single sprout appears. This is known as the tap root, that will become the main stem of the plant. Make sure that the area remains sterile and never touch the tap root as they begin to split.

How do I transfer Germinated Feminized Cannabis Seeds?

Once the tap root exposes itself, this is already an indication that you can start transferring your germinated seeds into the growing medium. It’s good to start in small 2-inch pots. You will need to fill the pots with loose, airy potting soil and poke a hole in the middle about a quarter-inch down using pen or pencil.

Carefully transfer the seeds by using a pair of tweezers to gently pick it up, you can drop the seed in the hole with the taproot facing down and lightly cover it with soil. You will need to water the soil. It’s best to use a water spray at the early stages of cultivation to ensure that the seeds will not drown. The water spray provides moisture without oversaturating the soil. Over-watering can suffocate and kill the delicate sprout.

Also, pay close attention to the temperature and moisture level of the soil to keep the seed happy and within a week you should see a seedling starting to grow from the soil.

Common Mistakes When it Comes to Cannabis Germination

Letting the germination medium dry out

This is a big no-no in the germination stage. By making sure that the seed is moist allows a series of reaction to begin and germination to start in a few hours or days. Once the seeds stop absorbing moisture, it’s also likely that the seed will cease its activity and never germinate.

Leaving seeds to germinate for too long

When using the paper towel technique, never let the seed germinate until the cotyledons appear. If this happens, the subsequent transplant will be very difficult and it is very likely that the roots will be damaged.

Also, the longer the roots are exposed to air and light, the more damage will result so it’s preferable to transplant before this occurs.

Direct germination in soil

This common mistake will eventually result in non-germination especially if the substrate hasn’t been previously watered before sowing but is watered afterward. To ensure better results, you have to germinate the seeds in a kitchen paper or peat plugs then transplant them to pots or containers once the small seedlings have been born.

Temperature and Humidity for Germination

The cannabis seeds germinate correctly with relatively high temperature and humidity values. It will be necessary to use sources of heat to get a temperature of about 26-28 degree Celsius.