Canada cannabis laws allow adults of legal age to buy and use marijuana in all kinds of forms. But that’s not all- in most provinces, you’re also legally able to grow your own marijuana. You’ll need to follow a few rules, but growing your own marijuana can be a fun and rewarding project. Plus, it’s a fairly cost-effective way to get a lot of weed. However, first of all, you’ll need a guide to marijuana seeds.
Marijuana seeds come in many different forms. You can get seeds for all of your favorite cannabis strains, but even these are categorized based on their gender and how they grow. It’s important to learn about the differences between marijuana seeds before you use them- choosing the wrong ones can be a big waste of time. There are also alternatives to seeds such as clones, and growers should learn the difference so they can decide on the best way to grow.
Just like with other marijuana products, you can legally buy marijuana seeds and start growing your own marijuana plants at home. However, you’ll need to know what seeds to buy, how to buy them, and how to use them. Here’s a guide to marijuana seeds to help you grow your own marijuana.
Marijuana Growing Laws in Canada
Before you start buying marijuana seeds and growing your own plants, it’s important to know about the marijuana growing laws in Canada. Along with the legalization of cannabis use in 2018, Canada now allows adults of legal age to grow their own plants. But there are still laws you need to adhere to.
You can use marijuana seeds to grow your plants as long as you’re old enough to buy and use cannabis. Each province sets its own laws, but every province has a legal age of 19 except for Quebec and Alberta, which have a legal age of 18.
It’s important to note that growing your own marijuana is still banned in some provinces. You can’t grow your own marijuana in Quebec or Manitoba. Nunavut growing laws may vary depending on the territory.
In all other provinces, you can grow up to four plants either indoors or outdoors. It’s important to keep your plants out of public sight and out of reach of children. You might require a locked room or grow space for this. You may also need a fence or enclosure when you grow outdoors. For instance, in New Brunswick, you must have a locked enclosure at least 1.52m in height when you grow outside.
The public possession limit for cannabis seeds is 30 seeds. However, you can keep as many as you want at home. You can also keep all of the marijuana you grow at home providing it is stashed away safely. For more information on Canadian cannabis laws, see the Department of Justice website.
Different Types of Marijuana Seeds
Buying marijuana seeds for the first time can be a little confusing. Not only do seeds come in various different strains, but there are also different types of marijuana seeds. You can either buy regular seeds or feminized seeds. You can also buy autoflowering seeds, either regular or feminized. Knowing the difference between these is important for growers.
When you plan to grow marijuana for personal use, you want female marijuana plants. Male plants don’t produce high levels of THC like the female ones. Regular seeds can be either male or female, but growers generally avoid these as there’s a chance you end up with very few female plants.
On the other hand, feminized seeds are enhanced to be primarily female. These are preferable for growers, as you can grow more female marijuana plants with high levels of THC and harvest them for use. Autoflowering seeds are seeds which are enhanced to grow faster. As such, autoflowering feminized seeds are often the best choice for growers.
There are other factors to consider. The cost of seeds will often vary depending on the type of seed and the strain. For instance, autoflowering seeds often cost a lot more than other kinds, and growers may simply prefer feminized seeds. You can also pick from all kinds of marijuana strains- indica, sativa or hybrid.
What are Regular Seeds?
As the name can tell you, these are the common and regular type of cannabis seeds. Regular seeds are produced naturally via pollination between a male and a female plant. Although regular seeds can be bought for a lot cheaper than other types of seeds, growers generally avoid them.
When you grow regular seeds, there’s around a 50% chance the plant will be male. The issue with this is that it’s the female plants which produce the psychoactive cannabinoids of cannabis which growers are usually interested in.
However, regular seeds do have their uses. Regular seeds can also produce female plants, and with many seeds in each packet, there’s a good chance you’ll get a mix of both. Growers usually find that females produced by regular seeds are better for creating clones, and some also believe they produce better quality marijuana.
What are Feminized Seeds?
Feminized seeds are marijuana seeds that are primed to create female plants. These are great for growers who want to produce female plants to harvest for THC-rich marijuana flower. Although you may have to pay a little more for them, the payoff is worth it for marijuana growers.
Feminized seeds are created by growers using a process where they expose female plants to colloidal silver. This causes the female plant to produce pollen, which can then be used to pollinate another female plant and produce seeds. As such, they end up with seeds that are 100% female and prime for growing marijuana.
Growing male and female marijuana plants together can result in the pollen from the males killing the buds of the females. Growers prefer feminized seeds for this reason- it gives them the assurance that they can grow high amounts of female plants and harvest them.
What are Autoflowering Seeds?
There’s also another type of seed you’ll notice when buying marijuana seeds- autoflowering seeds. Autoflowering seeds are created by crossing ruderalis genetics with the genetics of a marijuana plant. Ruderalis cannabis is a type of plant which flowers within 2 to 4 weeks. By crossing them with indica or sativa plants, you end up with a seed that produces super fast-growing marijuana.
While regular seeds and feminized seeds can often take around 3 months or more to fully grow, autoflowering seeds can grow on their own within around 10 weeks. Naturally, this makes them very attractive to growers. They’re much easier to grow and don’t take as much time. However, you will usually have to pay more for them.
You can buy either autoflowering regular seeds or autoflowering feminized seeds. As you’d imagine, autoflowering feminized seeds are the best choice for growers. These can give you female plants that are ready for harvest within around 10 weeks.
Where to Buy Marijuana Seeds
Marijuana seeds are now legally available to buy all across Canada. However, you’ll usually find seeds sold separately from marijuana stores and dispensaries. The best way to get marijuana seeds is from a seed bank. These are stores which sell a wide variety of seeds.
You might have a seed bank close to you, but it’s easy to find seed banks that sell online. Using online seed banks allows you to browse a wide range of seeds on offer and pick out the ones you want. You usually buy seeds in packs of around 3-10, and the price varies depending on the type of seed and the strain.
What are Clones?
Using marijuana seeds isn’t the only way to grow your own weed. You can also use clones of marijuana plants. Clones are cuttings of mature cannabis plants. You can actually take a cutting from another marijuana plant and replant it in order to grow more. For some breeders, this is a more cost-effective way to keep growing marijuana.
There are a few drawbacks to using clones. Fresh cuts are sensitive- they need a lot of care and need to be replanted very carefully. If you don’t take precautions, you may end up with an unhealthy clone that’s prone to damage or doesn’t grow well.
You can take cuttings from your own plants or someone else’s with permission. You can also order clones for delivery, although this is a risky method as clones can often weaken or die when being delivered. Clones can be beneficial as they’ll cut around a month of growing time over growing seeds from scratch. However, they’re more difficult to grow and many growers, especially beginner growers, prefer to stick to seeds.
How to Germinate Marijuana Seeds
It’s best to germinate your marijuana seeds before you plant them. Germinating refers to the process used to make a seed sprout a root and start developing. Germinating your seeds will usually result in your plants growing much more successfully.
There are many different methods you can use to germinate your seeds. One of the easiest and most common is to place your seeds on a damp kitchen towel, spaced apart, and put another damp kitchen towel on top of them. Make sure the towels are damp and not wet through. Once the small root tips of your seeds reach around 2–3mm, they’re ready to plant into your soil.
You can also germinate your seeds directly in the soil if you prefer. Put your soil in a pot and soak the soil in water. You can now dig a hole of around 10-15mm and plant your seed in it. Cover the holes lightly and put the pot in an area that’s around 70–77°F in temperature. Your seeds should begin to sprout within around 4-10 days. You can then transfer the soil into a larger pot or wherever you plan to grow.
How to Grow Marijuana Seeds
There are many different methods for growing marijuana. You may want to grow indoors or outdoors, but you’ll need a designated growing space that’s out of reach of children and out of public sight.
After you germinate your seeds, you can apply them to a pot or container of soil. If you plan to grow outdoors, put your plants in an area where they can get at least six hours of sunlight a day. You’ll also want to keep the soil moist- check around an inch into the soil with your finger to check it is still moist. If the soil dries up, you can add more water. You should also apply nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous, and calcium. You can add these to your water or use nutrient-enriched super soil.
If you grow indoors, you’ll want a growing space where you can control both the light and temperature. Some growers buy readymade grow boxes or grow tents to make this easier. You’ll want to give your plants around 18 hours of light per day at a temperature of 70-75°F for the first four to six weeks. Once they start to flower, cut this down to 12 hours of light and temperatures of around 65-70°F.
Growing outdoors is much easier for beginners, but growing indoors often gives you more control and is better in fall and winter where there isn’t much sunlight. There are many online resources to help you with growing your own weed.
How Long Do Marijuana Seeds Take to Grow?
How long your seeds take to grow into fully developed marijuana plants depends on a few factors. Usually, growing a marijuana plant until it’s ready for harvest takes around 3-6 months. However, it can depend on the type of seed, the strain, and growing methods.
The fastest way to grow plants is with autoflowering seeds. These can fully grow within around 8-10 weeks. Growing indoors often also results in faster growth as you can control the light levels and the temperature of the plants.
Growing faster isn’t necessarily better. You may want to give your plants ample time to grow and develop for better weed. Whichever way, expect to spend at least around ten weeks to three months on growing your plants from seed to harvest.
Conclusion
Marijuana seeds come in various different types, and you can buy seeds for all of your favorite marijuana strains to grow them straight from home. You can find seeds in a seed bank or buy them online. Make sure you germinate your seeds and take care during the growing process to ensure you end up with quality marijuana. Although it takes time, growing is worth it when you harvest the finished product.
