- Thread starter
- #641
Jacobsenji
Well-Known Member
Hope everything works out for the best Jake. Let us know how it goes if you peak in.
I know they will when it's all said n done. Thank you man I will.
600 Watt HPS - Easy Happy Soil Grow - Easy Does It Cloning & Veg
- Thread starter Jacobsenji
- Start date
I know they will when it's all said n done. Thank you man I will.
- Thread starter
- #642
Jacobsenji
Well-Known Member
Auto Destroyer day 47. Expecting seeds in three weeks or so. I hadda bend her up a bit to fit her under light. Every colla on this plant was pollenated except main cola and next two down.
Okay I snuck in a little mini update for posterity. Later y'all, I gotta run.
Okay I snuck in a little mini update for posterity. Later y'all, I gotta run.
She looks happy and healthy. 
She looks great Jake! Glad to see you still come around. Sadness is a terrible feeling to dig yourself out from under. You guys can come out on top! You have each other. Have a great day man, and make sure to give Meghan some extra hugs.
I almost forgot. The 3 zips of stems. I'm not sure if you can extract oil from them. I'm sure if the oil is there, you could extract it. The only thing I wonder about is the quality of the hash. Would little particles of stem get in there and make it taste funny? I do like to take the stems, grind them in the coffee grinder, then steep them in water for tea.
Nis sent me a link on making cannabis coffee. It's very similar to how we traditionally make cannabutter. What you do is take the buds/trim/hash (they suggest a half gram of bud per cup) and add it to 3 cups of boiling water. Add 2 tsp of butter. Boil it for 30 mins (or more). Strain the buds out, then add instant coffee to the water, stir, and drink as you normally would. I would chose a good sativa to go with the coffee for the extra kick in the morning.
Have a good day man!
I almost forgot. The 3 zips of stems. I'm not sure if you can extract oil from them. I'm sure if the oil is there, you could extract it. The only thing I wonder about is the quality of the hash. Would little particles of stem get in there and make it taste funny? I do like to take the stems, grind them in the coffee grinder, then steep them in water for tea.
Nis sent me a link on making cannabis coffee. It's very similar to how we traditionally make cannabutter. What you do is take the buds/trim/hash (they suggest a half gram of bud per cup) and add it to 3 cups of boiling water. Add 2 tsp of butter. Boil it for 30 mins (or more). Strain the buds out, then add instant coffee to the water, stir, and drink as you normally would. I would chose a good sativa to go with the coffee for the extra kick in the morning.
Have a good day man!
- Thread starter
- #645
Jacobsenji
Well-Known Member
She looks great Jake! Glad to see you still come around. Sadness is a terrible feeling to dig yourself out from under. You guys can come out on top! You have each other. Have a great day man, and make sure to give Meghan some extra hugs.
I almost forgot. The 3 zips of stems. I'm not sure if you can extract oil from them. I'm sure if the oil is there, you could extract it. The only thing I wonder about is the quality of the hash. Would little particles of stem get in there and make it taste funny? I do like to take the stems, grind them in the coffee grinder, then steep them in water for tea.
Nis sent me a link on making cannabis coffee. It's very similar to how we traditionally make cannabutter. What you do is take the buds/trim/hash (they suggest a half gram of bud per cup) and add it to 3 cups of boiling water. Add 2 tsp of butter. Boil it for 30 mins (or more). Strain the buds out, then add instant coffee to the water, stir, and drink as you normally would. I would chose a good sativa to go with the coffee for the extra kick in the morning.
Have a good day man!
Thank you Canna. Yeah I will still be around when I get the chance. I think the sad may be wearing off already but the sadness lingers... Make sense ? Only way I can splain it from my view. Hugs have already been administered with more to come with more n that with em fro later. We do have one another so that is the grace we need.
Yeah I got a little under three pounds of leaves and small buds. I also got a lot of stems that I will make butter out of. Last few years outdoor harvests we made butter from male culls and assorted other materials. Every year we make a batch of butter or oil from just stems. Tastes real nutty if you do it the way I do.
Real good with brownie mix and a can of cherries. For real. I wish I could send ya some.
If you have time, I'd love to hear how you make butter with the stems. I've got a bag of stems hanging out. I've been trying to come up with a way to get rid of them discretely. Butter, we'll canna-coconut oil, is the perfect way! I think I'll try it in the MB2! Thanks man! You just made my life easier!Thank you Canna. Yeah I will still be around when I get the chance. I think the sad may be wearing off already but the sadness lingers... Make sense ? Only way I can splain it from my view. Hugs have already been administered with more to come with more n that with em fro later. We do have one another so that is the grace we need.
Yeah I got a little under three pounds of leaves and small buds. I also got a lot of stems that I will make butter out of. Last few years outdoor harvests we made butter from male culls and assorted other materials. Every year we make a batch of butter or oil from just stems. Tastes real nutty if you do it the way I do.
Real good with brownie mix and a can of cherries. For real. I wish I could send ya some.
- Thread starter
- #647
Jacobsenji
Well-Known Member
Lol, unfortunately this will not help you get rid of them discretely. Unless you count greasy cooked woody indistinguishable stems discrete
The easiest way to make butter or oil with stems (for me) is to cut up dried stems into inch or two pieces and add them to oil or butter in a sauce pan. Butter is a little harder to work with because you need to get it hot but not hot enough to foam up. Now, with either I will cook stems until they lose the outer color. The will look dried and polished like driftwood. Take them out and replace them with fresh dried stems. I try to keep oil low. The way I tell is color. If it starts to brown and smells smoky I take it off til it cools. But I never get to this. I can cook for like four hours but average time for stems to cook is about an hour before I replace them with fresh dried.
I believe, but have not officially tried but maybe, they only need a minute or two to get the trichs off. The rest is just decarb imo. Oil will smell particularly nutty when done.
One way I tell that the decarb has taken place is that the bubbles will stop.
Hi Jacob 
Thank you for the "smell" parts of making oil. Hope all is well with you 
Thank you for the "smell" parts of making oil. Hope all is well with you - Thread starter
- #649
Jacobsenji
Well-Known Member
Sneaka pics.I hafta stay scarce soon. i think........
The last of photos before the Dark Devil Destroyer grow.
Bear with me y'all I am tryin to stay in touch here.............
The thing is that I love my lady to the ends. I wanna stay in tune and keep alog of life here too. Not just for anyone here. But me.
Later you guys and me. Til next time you gotta stone on Jacob. I love you man.
If you come around in a few days, let us know if the pistils started wilting yet. Shouldn't look like normal pistil dying off but it almost looks different.
BillyBlaze22
New Member
Thanx bro, hang in there man I can totally relate to ya as I had to do the same and if need a moment and a drink holla cuz you know Billy is always down to kill a 12er of PBR and lie about how fast we used to be. Oh, I am game for that hippy hay thing too if yer into that sort of stuff
LOL seriously though hope everything gets sorted rather quickly
Peace
LOL seriously though hope everything gets sorted rather quickly
Peace
- Thread starter
- #652
Jacobsenji
Well-Known Member
If you come around in a few days, let us know if the pistils started wilting yet. Shouldn't look like normal pistil dying off but it almost looks different.
I have been waiting on this wilting. I haven't seen it yet. Does it happen like bam one day they are just wilted or a gradual thing ?
Gradual. This is the only picture on my phone I have as the others are on the computer. This is a week after pollination.I have been waiting on this wilting. I haven't seen it yet. Does it happen like bam one day they are just wilted or a gradual thing ?
Here is the DDA the same day.
- Thread starter
- #654
Jacobsenji
Well-Known Member
Gradual. This is the only picture on my phone I have as the others are on the computer. This is a week after pollination.
Here is the DDA the same day.
I was just out there checkin things out and I think I see this on some of the flowers. Thanks Nis.
Hell yeah dude.
- Thread starter
- #656
Jacobsenji
Well-Known Member
Hell yeah dude.
Now on the photos I pollinated I was wondering what the percentage of autos will be. Do you know round about ? Also, will they all be fem ?- Thread starter
- #657
Jacobsenji
Well-Known Member
It's kind of hard to tell looking for that particular discoloration under hps
The photos will have a 25% chance of being Auto.
The blue is the photoperiod and red is auto. Say the capital "X" is the photo gene and the "Y" is Auto. You would want to breed until you get "Yx" to keep the auto.
- Thread starter
- #659
Jacobsenji
Well-Known Member
The History of Autoflowering Cannabis Strains
Cannabis Ruderalis in the Wild
Autoflowering cannabis strains come from the cannabis ruderalis species. This adaptation of the cannabis genus is considered by some to be a species of its own and by others to be a sub species of either Cannabis sativa, possibly descended from escapees from cannabis plantations that have evolved in the wild, or a sub species of cannabis indica that has migrated down from the Himalayan mountains, the cradle of all cannabis culture.
Cannabis ruderalis as we know it has its roots in the northern areas of eastern and central Europe and central Asia where environmental conditions are very different to the warm areas that we normally associate with cannabis plants. The wide open spaces here are typified by short and cool summers that experience long hours of daylight. At the northern edges of the ruderalis range summer days can have 24 hours of light. This short but light filled summer presents a particular challenge to plants, which need to be sure to spread their seed before the onset of the often harsh winters.
As an adaptation to these environmental factors cannabis ruderalis has evolved to flower early. If it began to flower when the hours of daylight had shortened sufficiently then it would not be able to finish flowering and set seed before the winter. So, unlike other cannabis species which begin to flower depending on photoperiod, or the amount of daylight that they receive, cannabis ruderalis begins to flower after a certain period of time, normally almost immediately after becoming established and putting out its first full sets of leaves.
This is an adaptation that has worked very well for cannabis ruderalis. The origin of its name gives us a clue to this success, ruderalis literally means ‘roadside’. Like ditchweed, cannabis ruderalis can be found growing wild across this area. It has also spread across Alaska, Canada and into America as well as westward across Europe.
wild cannabis ruderalis
Although, in its wild state, cannabis ruderalis lacks the strong psychoactive effects of its more famous cousins, history tells us that it was widely used in the traditions of the area. Russian and Mongolian folk lore contain many references to the medicinal properties of the plant and it is believed to have been part of ancient shamanistic rituals carried out on the high, central Asian plateau.
Experimentation with Cross Breeding
Let’s fast forward to the 1970s when the modern interest in cannabis ruderalis began in earnest. At this time cannabis cross breeding was in its infancy. Most cannabis came in its original landrace form and there were only a few of the fancy and complex hybrid strains that we know and love today. Yet cannabis lovers are an ingenious bunch and soon began to take a great interest in the obvious potential to create different and better cannabis strains.
The first recorded experimentation with crossing ruderalis species with sativa and indica came from growers in Canada who experimented with the ruderalis species that grew there in the wild. At around the same time the famous cannabis breeding wizard, Neville Schoenmaker, also began similar experiments in The Netherlands.
Although these experiments met with some success, the results were unstable and could not be repeated with consistency. After a while the experimentation came to a halt.
Enter the Joint Doctor
The autoflowering strain story took a giant leap forward thanks to the, now famous, Joint Doctor. The Joint Doctor was introduced to the idea of autoflowering strains by a friend called Antonio. Antonio gave the Joint Doctor some seeds that he called ‘Mexican Rudy’. These seeds formed a short plant which flowered remarkably quickly. The history and genetic provenance of ‘Mexican Rudy’ is unclear, although the Joint Doctor later said that he believed it to be an experimental cross of a Russian ruderalis species with some Mexican cannabis. This strain possibly originated from the University of Mississippi during the 1970s but this is impossible to confirm. Indeed, the Joint Doctor tried to research the origins of the strain to no avail.
Whatever its origins, ‘Mexican Rudy’ had been successfully grown out in Canada for several years. It wasn’t long before the Joint Doctor got a hold of the seeds. As soon as he did he began experimenting. The first cross was with another strain chosen for her short stature and high potency, Northern Lights #2. The resulting F1 seeds produced plants that were short, compact and fast finishing. However, they were unstable and still dependant on photoperiod. So began the laborious task of crossing the F1s with a variety of different strains, selecting the best and most suitable attributes he could find.
The breakthrough came with William’s Wonder. William’s Wonder is a very potent indica strain that is known for its small size, fast flowering, massive yields and extreme potency. Exactly the right attributes for a good ruderalis cross. After growing on the first batch of seeds obtained from crossing the NL#2 X Mexican Rudy F1s with a William’s Wonder clone, the Joint Doctor discovered some male plants that began to flower as soon as they had set their first few leaves.
Having successfully recreated this autoflowering trait the Joint Doctor immediately used the males to pollinate the next generation. The result was a success. All of the offspring matured in less than nine weeks and grew no taller than twelve inches. The autoflowering cannabis revolution had arrived!
Originally the Joint Doctor named this strain ‘Willy’s Automatic’. Further research and experimentation was undertaken to ensure stability. When, after several generations, the Joint Doctor was happy with the strain’s stability he renamed it as Lowryder and introduced it to the cannabis world during the first years of the 21st century.
Lowryder autoflowering cannabis
The rest, as they say, is history, although it is worth mentioning one further fact in this story. Despite causing a huge stir with all the implications of a plant that could flower automatically, regardless of lighting, Lowryder wasn’t a great yielder, her THC production was low and the taste was considered poor. The early years of the 21st century were witnessing an exponential rise in the quality of cannabis and this strange autoflowering strain failed to completely tick all of the boxes. People liked the concept, but it needed to be executed better.
The Joint Doctor already knew this and was busy trying to add some sativa to the mix. After some more experimentation he finally crossed Lowryder with the highly respected Santa Maria, a sativa strain from Brazil. He already knew how the breeding worked so, after a few generations of back crossing for stability, Lowryder #2 was born. This strain still had perfect autoflowering traits but delivered much bigger yields, was much more potent and had a far superior taste.
Lowryder #2 really grabbed people’s attention and autoflowering strains rocketed in popularity. With the secrets of breeding unveiled it wasn’t long before many new autoflowering strains hit the market, most of them based on variants of Lowryder #2.
Producing Autoflowering Cannabis Seeds
Crossing two autoflowering strains is relatively simple. If both the male and female auto strains are completely stable the offspring should also carry the autoflowering trait. Selecting the offspring with the best autoflowering properties and back crossing once more should create a stable autoflowering strain.
However, creating a new autoflowering strain from a regular cannabis strain can prove to be a little more difficult. The ruderalis autoflowering genetic heritage is inherently unstable. Whilst obtaining a cross may be reasonably achievable, obtaining a cross that is stable and consistent is another matter.
F1s of a cross between a stable autoflowerer and a regular cannabis strain are likely to be wild and unstable, demonstrating a wide range of characteristics with only a small percentage carrying the autoflowering properties. The trick behind it is to successively back cross for several generations, selecting each time for autoflowering traits as well as vigor, potency and taste. With each successive generation you should realize more and more stability with an increasing percentage of autoflowering offspring. However, it will take many generations of this before you can truly say that you have created an autoflowering strain.
Cannabis Ruderalis in the Wild
Autoflowering cannabis strains come from the cannabis ruderalis species. This adaptation of the cannabis genus is considered by some to be a species of its own and by others to be a sub species of either Cannabis sativa, possibly descended from escapees from cannabis plantations that have evolved in the wild, or a sub species of cannabis indica that has migrated down from the Himalayan mountains, the cradle of all cannabis culture.
Cannabis ruderalis as we know it has its roots in the northern areas of eastern and central Europe and central Asia where environmental conditions are very different to the warm areas that we normally associate with cannabis plants. The wide open spaces here are typified by short and cool summers that experience long hours of daylight. At the northern edges of the ruderalis range summer days can have 24 hours of light. This short but light filled summer presents a particular challenge to plants, which need to be sure to spread their seed before the onset of the often harsh winters.
As an adaptation to these environmental factors cannabis ruderalis has evolved to flower early. If it began to flower when the hours of daylight had shortened sufficiently then it would not be able to finish flowering and set seed before the winter. So, unlike other cannabis species which begin to flower depending on photoperiod, or the amount of daylight that they receive, cannabis ruderalis begins to flower after a certain period of time, normally almost immediately after becoming established and putting out its first full sets of leaves.
This is an adaptation that has worked very well for cannabis ruderalis. The origin of its name gives us a clue to this success, ruderalis literally means ‘roadside’. Like ditchweed, cannabis ruderalis can be found growing wild across this area. It has also spread across Alaska, Canada and into America as well as westward across Europe.
wild cannabis ruderalis
Although, in its wild state, cannabis ruderalis lacks the strong psychoactive effects of its more famous cousins, history tells us that it was widely used in the traditions of the area. Russian and Mongolian folk lore contain many references to the medicinal properties of the plant and it is believed to have been part of ancient shamanistic rituals carried out on the high, central Asian plateau.
Experimentation with Cross Breeding
Let’s fast forward to the 1970s when the modern interest in cannabis ruderalis began in earnest. At this time cannabis cross breeding was in its infancy. Most cannabis came in its original landrace form and there were only a few of the fancy and complex hybrid strains that we know and love today. Yet cannabis lovers are an ingenious bunch and soon began to take a great interest in the obvious potential to create different and better cannabis strains.
The first recorded experimentation with crossing ruderalis species with sativa and indica came from growers in Canada who experimented with the ruderalis species that grew there in the wild. At around the same time the famous cannabis breeding wizard, Neville Schoenmaker, also began similar experiments in The Netherlands.
Although these experiments met with some success, the results were unstable and could not be repeated with consistency. After a while the experimentation came to a halt.
Enter the Joint Doctor
The autoflowering strain story took a giant leap forward thanks to the, now famous, Joint Doctor. The Joint Doctor was introduced to the idea of autoflowering strains by a friend called Antonio. Antonio gave the Joint Doctor some seeds that he called ‘Mexican Rudy’. These seeds formed a short plant which flowered remarkably quickly. The history and genetic provenance of ‘Mexican Rudy’ is unclear, although the Joint Doctor later said that he believed it to be an experimental cross of a Russian ruderalis species with some Mexican cannabis. This strain possibly originated from the University of Mississippi during the 1970s but this is impossible to confirm. Indeed, the Joint Doctor tried to research the origins of the strain to no avail.
Whatever its origins, ‘Mexican Rudy’ had been successfully grown out in Canada for several years. It wasn’t long before the Joint Doctor got a hold of the seeds. As soon as he did he began experimenting. The first cross was with another strain chosen for her short stature and high potency, Northern Lights #2. The resulting F1 seeds produced plants that were short, compact and fast finishing. However, they were unstable and still dependant on photoperiod. So began the laborious task of crossing the F1s with a variety of different strains, selecting the best and most suitable attributes he could find.
The breakthrough came with William’s Wonder. William’s Wonder is a very potent indica strain that is known for its small size, fast flowering, massive yields and extreme potency. Exactly the right attributes for a good ruderalis cross. After growing on the first batch of seeds obtained from crossing the NL#2 X Mexican Rudy F1s with a William’s Wonder clone, the Joint Doctor discovered some male plants that began to flower as soon as they had set their first few leaves.
Having successfully recreated this autoflowering trait the Joint Doctor immediately used the males to pollinate the next generation. The result was a success. All of the offspring matured in less than nine weeks and grew no taller than twelve inches. The autoflowering cannabis revolution had arrived!
Originally the Joint Doctor named this strain ‘Willy’s Automatic’. Further research and experimentation was undertaken to ensure stability. When, after several generations, the Joint Doctor was happy with the strain’s stability he renamed it as Lowryder and introduced it to the cannabis world during the first years of the 21st century.
Lowryder autoflowering cannabis
The rest, as they say, is history, although it is worth mentioning one further fact in this story. Despite causing a huge stir with all the implications of a plant that could flower automatically, regardless of lighting, Lowryder wasn’t a great yielder, her THC production was low and the taste was considered poor. The early years of the 21st century were witnessing an exponential rise in the quality of cannabis and this strange autoflowering strain failed to completely tick all of the boxes. People liked the concept, but it needed to be executed better.
The Joint Doctor already knew this and was busy trying to add some sativa to the mix. After some more experimentation he finally crossed Lowryder with the highly respected Santa Maria, a sativa strain from Brazil. He already knew how the breeding worked so, after a few generations of back crossing for stability, Lowryder #2 was born. This strain still had perfect autoflowering traits but delivered much bigger yields, was much more potent and had a far superior taste.
Lowryder #2 really grabbed people’s attention and autoflowering strains rocketed in popularity. With the secrets of breeding unveiled it wasn’t long before many new autoflowering strains hit the market, most of them based on variants of Lowryder #2.
Producing Autoflowering Cannabis Seeds
Crossing two autoflowering strains is relatively simple. If both the male and female auto strains are completely stable the offspring should also carry the autoflowering trait. Selecting the offspring with the best autoflowering properties and back crossing once more should create a stable autoflowering strain.
However, creating a new autoflowering strain from a regular cannabis strain can prove to be a little more difficult. The ruderalis autoflowering genetic heritage is inherently unstable. Whilst obtaining a cross may be reasonably achievable, obtaining a cross that is stable and consistent is another matter.
F1s of a cross between a stable autoflowerer and a regular cannabis strain are likely to be wild and unstable, demonstrating a wide range of characteristics with only a small percentage carrying the autoflowering properties. The trick behind it is to successively back cross for several generations, selecting each time for autoflowering traits as well as vigor, potency and taste. With each successive generation you should realize more and more stability with an increasing percentage of autoflowering offspring. However, it will take many generations of this before you can truly say that you have created an autoflowering strain.
- Thread starter
- #660
Jacobsenji
Well-Known Member
Producing Seeds
Any grower can manage to preserve some genetics by growing f2 seeds where they have crossed a male and female of the same strain, or can produce a simple cross which would be referred to as strain1xstrain2 for instance white widow crossed with ak-47 would be referred to as a WW x AK-47. You can produce some excellent seed and excellent marijuana this way.
To Feminise or not to Feminise
There are numerous myths surrounding feminized seeds. Feminizing seeds are a bit more work than simply crossing two plants naturally. However it will save you a lot of time in the end. If you make fem seeds properly then there is no increased chance of hermaphrodites and all seeds will be female. This means no wasted time and effort growing males and it means that all your viable seeds produce useful plants. Since roughly half of normal seeds are male this effectively doubles the number of seeds you have.
Feminized seeds are bred to contain no male chromosomes, which will be able to produce the crop of resinous buds sought by most growers. For gardeners who require a quick and easy cultivation process, feminized seeds are the ideal choice. Some medicinal cannabis users may be deterred from growing their own supply because of the perceived difficulty of growing or of identifying the different genders and removing males early in the blooming period. Feminized seed-strains offer a simple solution to these issues, as there is no need to spend time in the first weeks of flowering checking for male plants.
Other times you will have no choice but to produce feminized seed because it will be a female plants genetics that you want to preserve and you won't have any males. Perhaps you received these genetics via clone or didn't keep males.
The new thing on the market for commercial Cannabis cultivation are auto-flowering feminized strains. By crossing of the cannabis ruderalis with Sativa and Indica strains many cultivators have created interesting hybrids which boast benefits from both sides of these families.
The first 'auto-flowering cannabis seed' which came on the market a few years ago was the Lowryder #1. This was a hybrid between a Cannabis ruderalis, a William’s Wonder and a Northern Lights #2. This strain was marketed by 'The Joint Doctor' and was honestly speaking not very impressive. The genetics of the ruderalis was still highly present which caused for a very low yield and little psychoactive effect. Not very attractive.
Auto-flowering cannabis and the easily distributed seed have opened a whole new market in the world of the online grow-shop, making it easy for home growers with shortage of space to grow rewarding cannabis plants in many different varieties. To grow plants indoors, a growing medium (e.g. soil or growing Potting soil, irrigation (water), fertilizer (nutrients), light and atmosphere need to be supplied to the plant.
Selecting Suitable Parents
There are a number of important characteristics when selecting parents. First are you making fem seeds? If you are then both parents will be female. This makes things easier. If not then the best you can do is select a male with characteristics in common with the females you hope to achieve from the seed.
Obviously potency, yield, and psychoactive effects are critical to the selection process. But some other important traits are size, odor, taste, resistance to mold and contaminants, early finishing and consistency.
Collecting and Storing Pollen
Pollen will keep for a few months in the refrigerator and can be used on the next crop. Filtering the pollen through a silkscreen, drying, and freezing can extend viability for decades. At least one reader indicates success using pollen treated in this manner and stored at -30c for 17 years. The chance of viability does decrease with time, even in the freezer, so the more fresh the pollen the better. Wrapping the pollen in a layer of aluminum foil and then a layer of plastic should help to protect it from freezer burn. Additionally, oxygen evacuation such as with a heavy gas like nitrogen or vacuum sealing should provide additional assurance of preservation.
To make feminized seed you must induce male flowers in a female plant. There is all sorts of information on the Internet about doing this with light stress (light interruptions during flowering) and other forms of stress. The best of the stress techniques is to simply keep the plant in the flowering stage well past ripeness and it will produce a flower.
Stress techniques will work but whatever genetic weakness caused the plants to produce a male flower under stress will be carried on to the seeds. This means the resulting seeds have a known tendency to produce hermaphrodites. Fortunately, environmental stress is not the only way to produce male flowers in a female plant.
The ideal way to produce feminized seed through hormonal alteration of the plant. By adding or inhibiting plant hormones you can cause the plant to produce male flowers. Because you did not select a plant that produces male flowers under stress there is no genetic predisposition to hermaphroditism in the seed vs plants bred between a male and female parent.
Colloidal Silver (CS)
This is the least expensive and most privacy conscious way to produce fem seed. CS has gotten a bad name because there is so much bad information spread around about its production and concentrations. It doesn't help that there are those who believe in drinking low concentration colloidal silver for good health and there is information mixed in about how to produce that low concentration food grade product. Follow the information here and you will consistently produce effective CS and know how to apply it to get consistent results.
Simply construct a generator using a 9-12v power supply (DC output, if it says AC then its no good) that can deliver at least 250ma (most wall wart type power supplies work, batteries are not recommended since their output varies over time). The supply will have a positive and negative lead, attach silver to each lead (contrary to Internet rumors, you aren't drinking this so cheap 925(92.5%) stirling silver is more than pure enough. You can expose the leads by clipping off the round plug at the end and splitting the wires, one will be positive and the other negative just like any old battery. Submerge both leads about 2-3 inches apart in a glass of distilled water (roughly 8oz). Let this run for 8-24hrs (until the liquid reads 12-15ppm) and when you return the liquid will be a purple or silver hue and there may be some precipitate on the bottom.
This liquid is called colloidal silver. It is nothing more or less than fine particles of silver suspended in water so it is a completely natural solution and is safe to handle without any special precautions. The silver inhibits female flowering hormones in cannabis and so the result is that male flowering hormone dominates and male flowers are produced.
To use the silver, spray on a plant or branch three days prior to switching the lights to 12/12 and continue spraying every three days until you see the first male flowers. Repeated applications after the first flowers appear may result in more male flowers and therefore more pollen. As the plant matures it will produce pollen that can be collected and used to pollinate any female flower (including flowers on the same plant).
Silver Thiosulfate (STS)
Silver Thiosulfate is a substance that has similar principle, application and results of CS, but is more difficult to make. STS is more difficult to acquire, but it can still be obtained directly from a chemical supply company. STS is not an expensive or controlled substance.
Gibberellic Acid (GA3)
This is probably the most popular way to produce feminized seed, but at the same time the least effective. GA3 is a plant hormone that also causes the plant to stretch uncontrollably. It can be purchased readily in powdered form, a quick search reveals numerous sources on e-bay for as little as $15. Simply add to water to reach 100ppm concentration and spray the plant daily for 10 days during flowering and male flowers will be produced
Any grower can manage to preserve some genetics by growing f2 seeds where they have crossed a male and female of the same strain, or can produce a simple cross which would be referred to as strain1xstrain2 for instance white widow crossed with ak-47 would be referred to as a WW x AK-47. You can produce some excellent seed and excellent marijuana this way.
To Feminise or not to Feminise
There are numerous myths surrounding feminized seeds. Feminizing seeds are a bit more work than simply crossing two plants naturally. However it will save you a lot of time in the end. If you make fem seeds properly then there is no increased chance of hermaphrodites and all seeds will be female. This means no wasted time and effort growing males and it means that all your viable seeds produce useful plants. Since roughly half of normal seeds are male this effectively doubles the number of seeds you have.
Feminized seeds are bred to contain no male chromosomes, which will be able to produce the crop of resinous buds sought by most growers. For gardeners who require a quick and easy cultivation process, feminized seeds are the ideal choice. Some medicinal cannabis users may be deterred from growing their own supply because of the perceived difficulty of growing or of identifying the different genders and removing males early in the blooming period. Feminized seed-strains offer a simple solution to these issues, as there is no need to spend time in the first weeks of flowering checking for male plants.
Other times you will have no choice but to produce feminized seed because it will be a female plants genetics that you want to preserve and you won't have any males. Perhaps you received these genetics via clone or didn't keep males.
The new thing on the market for commercial Cannabis cultivation are auto-flowering feminized strains. By crossing of the cannabis ruderalis with Sativa and Indica strains many cultivators have created interesting hybrids which boast benefits from both sides of these families.
The first 'auto-flowering cannabis seed' which came on the market a few years ago was the Lowryder #1. This was a hybrid between a Cannabis ruderalis, a William’s Wonder and a Northern Lights #2. This strain was marketed by 'The Joint Doctor' and was honestly speaking not very impressive. The genetics of the ruderalis was still highly present which caused for a very low yield and little psychoactive effect. Not very attractive.
Auto-flowering cannabis and the easily distributed seed have opened a whole new market in the world of the online grow-shop, making it easy for home growers with shortage of space to grow rewarding cannabis plants in many different varieties. To grow plants indoors, a growing medium (e.g. soil or growing Potting soil, irrigation (water), fertilizer (nutrients), light and atmosphere need to be supplied to the plant.
Selecting Suitable Parents
There are a number of important characteristics when selecting parents. First are you making fem seeds? If you are then both parents will be female. This makes things easier. If not then the best you can do is select a male with characteristics in common with the females you hope to achieve from the seed.
Obviously potency, yield, and psychoactive effects are critical to the selection process. But some other important traits are size, odor, taste, resistance to mold and contaminants, early finishing and consistency.
Collecting and Storing Pollen
Pollen will keep for a few months in the refrigerator and can be used on the next crop. Filtering the pollen through a silkscreen, drying, and freezing can extend viability for decades. At least one reader indicates success using pollen treated in this manner and stored at -30c for 17 years. The chance of viability does decrease with time, even in the freezer, so the more fresh the pollen the better. Wrapping the pollen in a layer of aluminum foil and then a layer of plastic should help to protect it from freezer burn. Additionally, oxygen evacuation such as with a heavy gas like nitrogen or vacuum sealing should provide additional assurance of preservation.
To make feminized seed you must induce male flowers in a female plant. There is all sorts of information on the Internet about doing this with light stress (light interruptions during flowering) and other forms of stress. The best of the stress techniques is to simply keep the plant in the flowering stage well past ripeness and it will produce a flower.
Stress techniques will work but whatever genetic weakness caused the plants to produce a male flower under stress will be carried on to the seeds. This means the resulting seeds have a known tendency to produce hermaphrodites. Fortunately, environmental stress is not the only way to produce male flowers in a female plant.
The ideal way to produce feminized seed through hormonal alteration of the plant. By adding or inhibiting plant hormones you can cause the plant to produce male flowers. Because you did not select a plant that produces male flowers under stress there is no genetic predisposition to hermaphroditism in the seed vs plants bred between a male and female parent.
Colloidal Silver (CS)
This is the least expensive and most privacy conscious way to produce fem seed. CS has gotten a bad name because there is so much bad information spread around about its production and concentrations. It doesn't help that there are those who believe in drinking low concentration colloidal silver for good health and there is information mixed in about how to produce that low concentration food grade product. Follow the information here and you will consistently produce effective CS and know how to apply it to get consistent results.
Simply construct a generator using a 9-12v power supply (DC output, if it says AC then its no good) that can deliver at least 250ma (most wall wart type power supplies work, batteries are not recommended since their output varies over time). The supply will have a positive and negative lead, attach silver to each lead (contrary to Internet rumors, you aren't drinking this so cheap 925(92.5%) stirling silver is more than pure enough. You can expose the leads by clipping off the round plug at the end and splitting the wires, one will be positive and the other negative just like any old battery. Submerge both leads about 2-3 inches apart in a glass of distilled water (roughly 8oz). Let this run for 8-24hrs (until the liquid reads 12-15ppm) and when you return the liquid will be a purple or silver hue and there may be some precipitate on the bottom.
This liquid is called colloidal silver. It is nothing more or less than fine particles of silver suspended in water so it is a completely natural solution and is safe to handle without any special precautions. The silver inhibits female flowering hormones in cannabis and so the result is that male flowering hormone dominates and male flowers are produced.
To use the silver, spray on a plant or branch three days prior to switching the lights to 12/12 and continue spraying every three days until you see the first male flowers. Repeated applications after the first flowers appear may result in more male flowers and therefore more pollen. As the plant matures it will produce pollen that can be collected and used to pollinate any female flower (including flowers on the same plant).
Silver Thiosulfate (STS)
Silver Thiosulfate is a substance that has similar principle, application and results of CS, but is more difficult to make. STS is more difficult to acquire, but it can still be obtained directly from a chemical supply company. STS is not an expensive or controlled substance.
Gibberellic Acid (GA3)
This is probably the most popular way to produce feminized seed, but at the same time the least effective. GA3 is a plant hormone that also causes the plant to stretch uncontrollably. It can be purchased readily in powdered form, a quick search reveals numerous sources on e-bay for as little as $15. Simply add to water to reach 100ppm concentration and spray the plant daily for 10 days during flowering and male flowers will be produced
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