What is Sinsemilla or seed-free marijuana?
Sinsemilla, sometimes referred to as Sensimilla or Sensimilia - they are all the same thing - is derived from the Spanish words "sin" "semilla" (without seeds). It isn't a specific strain of cannabis but refers to seedless cannabis flowers. Although many people just use the term to describe any top-notch and highly potent bud.
Sinsemilla is a method of growing weed by not mixing females with males during flowering so female plants that develop without seeds. The female plant, once deprived of the pollination of males, devotes all its energy to the production of sexual organs (pistils and calyxes). The flowers are fleshier, denser, sweeter, and more fragrant, and, above all, more loaded with THC - what's not to love?
The technique to grow Sinsemilla weed is familiar to everyone who cultivates medicinal cannabis, as it enables the production of a far more concentrated herb with less tar when smoked.
A brief history of Sinsemilla
Marijuana has been cultivated for thousands of years but has been illegal in the west for the past few hundred years. Virtually all weed smoked in the west was imported. And weed that was illegally smuggled was often packed with seeds and stalks, low in THC and was generally of poor quality leading to a rough smoke. Thank goodness those days are in the past!
In the seventies, cultivators in the US and Europe became familiar with the predominantly Jamaican practice of Sinsemilla and the difference in quality; it was soon regarded as the best in the business.
As more cultivators began to adopt more effective ways of growing weed, misconceptions arose among the 'establishment'. People thought that new and dangerous types of weed were flooding the market. The truth was that the same types of weed were being mass-produced with vastly improved results.
In the nineties, feminized seeds became widely available for the first time, and this further revolutionized the cannabis market. Now novice home growers could cultivate strong, high-quality weed, and the dawn of the internet and online sellers and forums offering advice further compounded the rise of Sinsemilla as the most popular recreational drug on the market.
How to grow Sinsemilla weed?
The easiest way to grow some sweet Sinsemilla is to buy feminized seeds, which pretty much guarantees the development of female plants if bought from a reputable purveyor such as Weedseedsexpress.
If you choose to grow from regular seeds, the process is much more complicated and involves the close observation of the developing plants as they display male and female characteristics - and occasionally both when it comes to hermaphroditic plants!
Today, virtually every breeder offers weed that is technically Sinsemilla; feminized seeds with potent THC levels and a smooth and aromatic smoking experience.
The male plants need to be removed, as left to grow they will pollinate the female plants. The females need to focus their energy on developing juicy, resinous buds, not seeds, so they must remain un-pollinated.
To identify male plants during the negative or growing phase, look between its nodes; the part where the leaves and branches extend from the stem. If you can see pale green watermelon shaped pollen sacs, the plant is male. Male plants also tend to have thicker stems and fewer leaves; while female plants have stigmas which are designed to catch the airborne pollen.
Related article: What is Sinsemilla or seed-free marijuana?
FAQs about Sinsemilla cannabis
1. Is Sinsemilla Sativa or Indica?
It can be either as the term just refers to any cannabis plant that is female and unfertilized. It can also refer to autoflowers for this reason.
2. Is Sinsemilla the same as skunk?
Yes is the short answer. Today, virtually all cannabis is made from female flowers. Skunk typically refers to strains of cannabis with the highest THC levels, and potency so is really a synonym for Sinsemilla.
3. Who invented Sinsemilla?
Many growers in California and Mexico claim to have invented the process in the 1970s. Rafa was a famous grower depicted in the Netflix series 'Narcos' as being a leader in the game. However, growers across the world, in Afghanistan, South America, the Caribbean and India, have understood the need to eliminate males to produce large colas. We will probably never know exactly when this knowledge was first known.
4. If my seeds are feminized and won't produce any seeds, how can I propagate more plants?
You can do this by taking cuttings or clones. This is quite easy to do, and there are plenty of detailed instructions online. The most important thing to remember is to select the healthiest and mature plant for the cuttings and to pay strict attention to hygiene.