Question: where do the seeds in my weed come from?

If you sometimes buy a bag of weed on the street you may well come across the odd seed or bits of stem. If you are of a certain age, you will remember that virtually all weed had seeds in the sixties and seventies before sinsemilla weed became ubiquitous.

Seeds in weed are much less common now, but if you are growing your own weed, you may encounter seeds in your bud from time to time. What does this mean, and what should you do with the seeds?

This article will explore the reasons for seeds in weeds as this is an ongoing issue, whether the seeds are found in marijuana from a dispensary or grown in your home.

I have seeds in my weed! Can I plant the seeds?

The short answer is 'yes' and if it is healthy it will probably grow into a great cannabis plant. The question, though, is whether it is worth your time doing so as it will be unlikely to have high levels of THC.

If you want to plant cannabis seeds, it's always worth buying top-quality seeds from a reputable company, such as WeedSeedsExpress.

Check all our: cannabis seeds

Growing weed from bag seed is always a bit of a gamble - it might produce great weed, but this is unlikely as the seeds probably arose as the result of herming and bad genetics.

Most cultivators intend to grow the best quality and dankest buds they can, so seeds are not a good feature! Apart from containing less THC, weed stuffed with lots of seeds looks unattractive and does not grind well.

Why are there seeds in my bud?

Seeds grow in buds when the female plant has been pollinated. If you have bought female-only seeds from a reliable source, this should be unlikely to happen, but mistakes can happen. Some methods of producing feminized seeds are more likely to produce hermies than others.

A marijuana plant is only able to self-pollinate by turning into a hermaphrodite - a plant that produces male and female flowers. And hermie seeds are more likely to grow into plants that are also hermaphrodites.

Hermaphrodites can also arise if the harvest has been left too late (Rodelisation), if the plants have been placed under stress at certain stages in their growing cycle, and by exposure to colloidal silver.

How can I tell if my seeds are healthy?

If you have found seeds in your bud, the first thing to check is the buds in which they were found. As it is possible to dry and cure weed seeds and buds in more roughly the same way, you can discover quite a lot about the seeds.

If your buds are still moist, the seeds will need to dry for a bit longer. To increase the probability of germination, you should aim to cure your seeds for a couple of months.

Buds tend to mature at a different rate than seeds, so there is a chance that the seeds are still immature. To avoid wasting time, have a good look at the seeds.

Ripe marijuana seeds are typically dark brown and often feature dots and stripes. They should be hard and firm so that you can squeeze them without splitting. If they crack, this is a warning that the seed is unripe.

The color is another sign of maturity; weed seeds usually become darker as they age so watch out for pale seeds unless they are from the White family.

If you come across some seeds while going through your weed, they are there as a result of one of two things: the plant was accidentally pollinated, or it is self-pollinated.

Why is accidental cross-pollination a problem?

If your outdoor plants have been accidentally pollinated, it is impossible to tell the father as you won't know where the pollen originated from. There’s a slight possibility it might come from a prize-winning strain, but the chances of it being something smokeable are pretty low.

To summarize, it is certainly possible to save some money by planting some seeds found in a bag of weed, but as with most things in life, you will probably get what you pay for.

And if seeds have been discovered in your growing plants; it's not the end of the world, but you need to act quickly to prevent the whole crop from being fertilized and the resulting impact on your harvest.

Learning to recognize the differences between male and female plants is an essential part of growing cannabis.

Buy your seeds at WeedSeedsExpress!

If you are a novice grower, your best bet is to buy some feminized or autoflowering seeds from a trusted supplier, such as WeedSeedsExpress, where you will also find lots of useful advice and tips.