High-quality cannabis starts with good genetics. If you know what you’re hoping to get out of your buds, then you’ll want to do some research on available strains to make sure you maximize your chances. As a bottom line, you want to make sure that you are using healthy viable marijuana seeds, otherwise you won’t get any crop at all! The best place to start is with a reputable seed company.


The first step for most new growers is to extract seeds from large commercially purchased bags of cannabis. This is likely the easiest way to get seeds, but be warned— the cannabis has already been heavily processed and packaged. Huge quantities of bud are dried and cured together en masse, and then snipped and stuffed into big vacuum-sealed bags.


Throughout all of this, they might go through a lot of rough handling and questionable environments. Since the legality surrounding cannabis cultivation is hazy in most parts of the world, there aren’t very many regulations that need to be followed. Instead of leaving it to hope that you might find quality seeds in your stash, read this guide first. If you want to make your own feminized seeds, read my article How to make feminized seeds.

What are quality marijuana seeds

What this means for the consumer is that it can be difficult to get good seeds. Seeds are, in fact, considered undesirable by most commercial growers, and many of the seeds that sneak into the end product never reached full maturity before being harvested. There’s just no good reason for commercial cultivators to ensure that each and every bud has reached maximum maturity and that the seeds are robust and healthy.


The only reason you’ll be able to find marijuana seeds at all is the difficulty growers have in finding and removing all of the seeds. Commercial growers have nothing to gain by offering free seeds to consumers. Another factor that can come up is freezing seeds, especially in northern latitudes. You won’t know if the seeds have been frozen when you get your cannabis, but if the seeds have in fact been frozen, they are far less likely to produce viable plants.


With moderately healthy stock, you’re likely to see about one in every three cannabis seeds actually sprout. Although relatively robust, there are many factors which can prevent sprouting: seeds with damaged husks, immature seeds, or seeds that have been damaged by environmental extremes. Additionally, seeds won’t last forever. If the seeds are too old, they are also very unlikely to sprout.


There are a couple steps to take when culling seeds to make sure you are saving the best candidates for sprouting. While you’ll never reach a perfect success rate, you can learn to discern good seeds from bad ones. Mature cannabis seeds are a dark brown, often marbled through with lighter shades or stripes. In general, you’re better off avoiding seeds that are pale green or white since these probably aren’t mature. Big fat seeds are ideal, and they should have a fairly rounded shape. You can use smaller seeds too, but as a rule of thumb, you’re more likely to develop a healthy sprout from a bigger healthier seed.

Cannabis seeds grow underneath the buds themselves, sandwiched in between the plant matter and the parent stem. They’re difficult to see because of these and have a cushion of protection to guards against all of the drying, curing, processing, and packaging that they’ll go through before they get to you. This is why seeds manage to survive at all.

Young marijuana seeds are also protected by a white-green cellulose sheath that will wither and fall away as the seed matures. To remove them from the plant itself, the best method is to simply find them and gently nudge them free of the stems with a little finger or thumbnail. Feel free to discard any seeds with damaged or scratched surfaces. The same is true for any immature seeds with white seed coats.

Veteran growers might want to grow a mix of both male and female plants, but this is not recommended for most growers, especially inexperienced ones. There is a high risk of inadvertent fertilization, which can ruin the yield of an entire crop. Unfertilized female plants produce the biggest and best yields.

Fertilized females can still provide a crop, but the end yield will inevitably be much smaller and the buds filled with seeds. Mainly they can provide the seeds necessary for the next generation. Multigenerational breeding is extremely complex, however, and extends beyond the scope of what we’ll talk about here. For now, consider purchasing feminized seeds from a commercial distributor. This will simplify the process, and make it much easier to get started if you’re new to cannabis cultivation.

Keep in mind that if you do end up purchasing feminized seeds, you will get only female plants. With no males in the area to pollinate the female plants, you won’t get very many seeds if you get any at all. Over the long-term, this can be something of a drawback for a home grower since it’s impossible to harvest seeds for the next crop. It also means you won’t be able to reproduce the same crop, which can be frustrating if you find a strain that you really like. Read more in the article What are regular, feminized and autoflowering marijuana seeds

It takes a lot of trust to buy cannabis seeds. There’s no way to know what strain you’re getting by looking at the seeds themselves. You won’t know anything about the genetics, except the information you’re given by whomever you’re purchasing from. This is one of the biggest reasons why you’d want to purchase your seeds from a reputable company or seed bank. Random dealers won’t necessarily know any better than you what strain they have.

When you buy seeds, try to choose a seed bank or company that offers some client support. Cultivating cannabis isn’t too difficult, but because of the nature of the plant, you can’t just ask friends and family for help and support. Usually seed banks and commercial companies will be available for some troubleshooting since it’s in their best interest to help customers and maintain a positive reputation.

It takes a lot of experience and expertise to produce high-quality seeds. The entire process of selecting, testing and producing a batch of seeds can take up to a year or more. Still, it’s worth it to know you have the right strain, and in a feminized form

A Guide to Different Types of Cannabis Seeds

Cannabis seeds are a huge part of the legal marijuana industry, and for any collector starting out, there’s a lot of knowledge to pick up. On the market today, there are various different types of seeds that have their own backgrounds and distinctive qualities.


You may have heard of feminized seeds or seeds bred to have certain genetic qualities, but what does this mean in real terms of the product? Here’s a spotlight on feminized seeds, autoflowering seeds and regular seeds.

Feminized seeds
Feminized cannabis seeds have been bred by top brands over the last generation to have no male parts and when grown, create a 95%-plus female yield. In recent years, these have become a really stable option and have a range of benefits. Investing in feminized options means that you can germinate more plants in the same sized space as the male plants are no longer taking up room; male plants do not produce bud and are typically destroyed to make way for more female plants.

Created through genetic selection over many crops, feminized plants produce their own resinous buds and do not need pollinating. They also don’t require specific temperatures and lights, as you might expect. In essence, as man has intervened, they’ve been made easier to grow as they’re a hybrid — taking only the best elements available through nature.

If you have limited space or simply don’t want to waste time with male plants, these cannabis seeds are a good choice; all the results with none of the hassle. They are also known for growing faster and producing bud with higher levels of active cannabinoids.

Autoflowering seeds
Similar to feminized seeds, autoflowering strains are easier to grow than regular seeds because they don’t require such specific light and temperature environments and can even mature in as quickly as 10 weeks. Their unique appeal comes from their ability to automatically flower and shifting from a vegetative state over time and with age. Although they aren’t all female, they also don’t require any removal of male plants so can also be considered a low maintenance option (however, you may also want to remove male autos to be on the safe side). Another distinctive quality is that autoflowering plants are normally shorter in height.

Autoflowering examples are also a lot older than their feminine counterparts and have existed in some form for thousands of years. Typically quite low in strength, breeders have increased the active agents with genetic selection so they are now as strong and potent as regular seeds.

Regular Seeds
Regular seeds, standard seeds or perhaps even the seeds that started it all; before feminized and autoflowering were developed, you just had regular seeds which were roughly 50% male and 50% female. As a result, the yield was also 50/50 so double the work was needed to get the same amount of marijuana.

For experienced cannabis seed collectors, regular seeds are a more authentic approach but if you’ve never used them, it’s best to go straight in with feminized seeds as they’re more straightforward and rewarding. Regular seeds require more attention and care in terms of lighting and temperature, and of course time must be invested in removing the male plants and cultivating the female instead.

Perhaps a good exercise in learning about marijuana and trialing germination skills, they’re not for the faint-hearted but are a more natural option where you earn every bud with hard graft

Top 10 Best Feminized Cannabis Strains

To help you out, we’ve compiled this list of the top 10 feminized strains of cannabis so that you can buy cannabis seeds that are right for you without having to do all the research.

 

 

 

 

 

Royal Gorilla

Our Royal Gorilla is one of the strongest strains available from Royal Queen Seeds. We have managed to bring this powerful cannabis strain all the way from the U.S. - the only place were it had been available until now.With an average THC level of 25% - and exceeding 30% depending on the phenotype - this incredible beast will take you soaring the skies....or have you glued to the couch!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Royal Moby

Our feminized Royal Moby is one of the best cannabis strains for growers who are looking for a big, strong plant with a high first yield. It is genetically Sativa dominant, which means that it will grow heartily and easily to an average height of two metres indoors or three metres outside. Indoor growers can count on a harvestable yield of 75 grams per Royal Moby plant. This strain takes up a lot of room and needs a lot of nourishment, but the payoff is a high THC content product that provides an incredible high.

 

 

 

 

 

Power Flower

Power Flower is a reincarnation of Power Plant, one of Amsterdam’s most prevalent and popular strains. It’s a high-yield strain that is relatively easy to grow indoors, making it a great choice for recreational growers and medical cannabis growers alike. Those living in northern latitudes would probably struggle to get Power Flower to thrive, but growers in warmer climates will find it reasonably easy to get a 65 to 85 gram yield from their plants. It has a delightfully citrusy taste and provides a mellow high.

 

 

 

 

 

Northern Light

Northern Light is a household name at this point, and its time-tested reputation is all due to its powerful, intense high. Our feminized Northern Light will reach a height of about one metre indoors, or two metres outside. It flowers in seven to eight weeks, and the resin coating on the buds produces a beautiful glowing effect toward the end of the growing period.

 

 

 

 

 

Skunk XL

With its genetics laying the groundwork for many different hybrids around today, Skunk is truly the grandmother of all of the best cannabis seeds you come across. It’s a Sativa dominant blend of Columbian, Mexican and Afghan strains, and is one of the easiest plants to grow in our cannabis seeds bank inventory. Commercial growers love Skunk for its huge yield and short flowering time, and indoor growers can expect between 65 and 75 grams from a one-metre-tall plant. Its fruity flavor and instant high makes Skunk a classic favorite for all types of smokers.

 

 

 

 

 

Fruit Spirit

Fruit Spirit is a sweet, tasty treat that you’ll practically be craving for dessert. It has a berry flavor and a pleasant head high, and cannabis connoisseurs favor it for its deliciously different taste sensation. Truly one to try for hobby growers, the plant stays just under one metre indoors with an average yield of about 30 to 40 grams. Our feminized Fruit Spirit loves warm, sunny climates, and it evens smells amazing during its flowering period. This specialty smoke needs an 8-week flowering time, and will take a little extra care after harvesting to retain that fantastic fruity flavor.

 

 

 

 

 

O.G. Kush

There’s a raging debate about the genetics, origin and even the actual meaning of the name O.G. Kush, but there’s no debating the fact that this feminized strain has been enduringly popular for decades. Its strength and potency make it money well spent, and the plants feature huge, dense clusters of resinous buds. It’s Indica dominant and the plants remain short, with a yield of about 50 or 60 grams each.

 

 

 

 

 

Amnesia Haze

Developed from the popular haze strains in Holland by an American expatriate, Amnesia Haze produces that psychedelic head high that haze varieties are renowned for. Amnesia Haze is best grown indoors, and despite its long flowering time, it’s one of Royal Queen Seeds’ best yielding plants. You can reasonably expect 70 to 80 grams from a single metre-tall plant, and the strength of the smoke plus the fruity flavor makes the harvest well worth the wait.

 

 

 

 

 

White Widow

First grown in the Netherlands, White Widow was developed from a Brazilian pure Sativa and an Indian Indica hybrid. Its popularity led to the seeds being strewn all over the world, and now every seed bank has their own knockout variety of the classic. We’re so proud of our feminized White Widow, and we offer it as a recommendation for first-time growers due to its low maintenance. Unlike other strains, it can actually be grown in colder climates, and the pine flavor and clean head-high will make this one of your absolute favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

Critical

Critical has every single one of the qualities that you’re looking for in a marijuana plant. Its high yield, easy maintenance and major potency make it the ultimate triple threat, and we think you’ll love the relaxed, sublime high you get the first time you smoke it. Critical will produce an average of 65 to 75 grams per one-metre plant, and the flowering time only takes about seven weeks. If you’re looking to grow fast and furious, Critical is the plant for you.

 Whether you’re growing cannabis seeds for the first time, or are an experienced medical marijuana grower, you’ll find that our cannabis seeds bank has a variety of feminized strains of cannabis to suit your needs. Not only does Royal Queen Seeds carry the best cannabis seeds around, we provide datasheets and reviews for every strain in order to help you decide which seeds you want to grow.

Knowing the Different Types of Marijuana Seeds

 

Before you begin growing your marijuana plants, there are plenty of things you need to know first. Among these things, the most basic of all is to know which types of marijuana seeds you want to grow. There are lots of types of marijuana seeds depending on their specifications – their growing environment, strain and growth type.

What are the types of marijuana seeds based on their growing environment?

There are two types of seeds based on their growing environment – indoor and outdoor. Indoor marijuana seeds are those which grow best in indoor environments using various lighting systems as well as hydroponics. Basically, these seeds are the perfect choice if you don’t have enough outdoor space to accommodate your plants. Outdoor seeds on the other hand are those which thrive perfectly outdoors. They are usually the potent ones, and are also expected to produce larger yields as compared to indoor seeds.

Which seeds are available based on their strain?

Based on the strain, marijuana seeds could be classified as Indica and Sativa. Indica seeds are those which strains are consumed and used for medical purposes. They have low THC content but high CBD which is beneficial for treating depression and anxiety issues. Sativa seeds on the other hand contain high THC but low CBD, thus making the strains ideal for treating chronic pains.

Which seeds are available depending on the growth type?

Generally, there are three – regular, feminized and autoflowering. Regular seeds are those which produce both male and female plants, with a 50/50 ratio of producing both of them. Such seeds are basically far more stable than the other types. Feminized seeds are those which have a 100% guarantee of producing female plants upon maturity. Lastly, autoflowering seeds are those which produce plants which can completely flower even without the need of reducing daylight hours