How are feminized seeds created? Are all plants grown from feminized seeds female? Those, and more questions answered here.
No, feminized seeds and regular seeds have the exact same genetics. However, feminized seeds are bred to contain no male chromosomes. And so, they should not produce any male plants. In contrast, regular seeds have a roughly 50/50 chance of producing either male or female plants. Whether feminized or regular is better for you depends on whether you only want female plants or not.
Autoflowering seeds are feminized seeds that have added ruderalis genes. The ruderalis gene produces the autoflowering trait; flowering occurs automatically at 2-4 weeks. Non-autoflowering feminized seeds produce photoperiod plants; they will flower when the hours of daylight decrease. Autoflowering feminized plants tend to be smaller, have a shorter life cycle, and allow for multiple harvests within one season.
Feminized seeds produce female plants 99% of the time. They are bred specifically to lack male chromosomes, growing only plants that will flower as female. It is rare for feminized seeds to produce male plants and only occurs under extreme stress or interruption to the growing environment.
Feminized seeds are typically ready to harvest 10-12 weeks after planting. Flowering times vary significantly according to the strain. Indica strains usually require shorter flowering times than sativa strains. The total life cycle also depends on how long the grower prefers to vegetate their plants, which affects the size of the plant at the time of harvest.
Feminized seeds are created by inducing female flowers into producing viable pollen. This pollen is carefully collected and used to fertilize a separate female plant. The resulting seeds produced lack male chromosomes and are known as feminized seeds.
