With laws in Canada allowing adults of legal age to grow up to four marijuana plants, you might want to try growing marijuana at home. Although the process can take a few months and often requires some effort and investment, you can end up with a huge yield of homegrown cannabis to use in whatever way you want. It’s important to know the laws around growing before you start. However, before anything, you’re going to need some cannabis seeds.
Cannabis seeds come in many different forms. Different strains grow in different ways, and there are also different kinds of seeds such as regular, feminized, and autoflowering. It helps to know the difference between seeds so you know what to expect when you grow cannabis plants. There are also a few things you need to know about the growing process.
You can legally buy marijuana seeds in Canada to use how you wish. However, like with other marijuana products, there are certain limitations. Another option is to use clones- cuttings of other cannabis plants which can grow into new plants. However, most beginner users prefer to use seeds to start their home growing projects. Here’s an intro guide to the marijuana seed covering everything you need to know about buying and using cannabis seeds.
Why Should You Use Cannabis Seeds?
If you’re planning to grow marijuana at home, buying cannabis seeds is the most popular option. There are all kinds of seeds out there and you can easily find them online, in seed banks, and even in some cannabis stores. Buying seeds is a good way to get the kind of cannabis plant you want, especially with so many different strains and types available.
When you buy seeds, you can select from a wide range of your favorite cannabis strains. Choosing between indica, sativa or hybrid plants will determine how your plants grow and the kind of effects the resulting flower will give you. You can also choose between different types of seeds- regular, feminized, and autoflowering, each of which can also determine the way your plants will grow.
The other option is using clones. These are cuttings of cannabis plants that you can replant to grow the same plant. The advantage of these is that you know exactly what kind of plant you’ll get and can safely predict how it’ll grow and how much it’ll yield. However, clones can only be taken before a certain point during the growing period. They can also be fragile and finding a cutting of the exact plant you want can be difficult.
There are some hassles to using cannabis seeds. For one, you have to give them special care during the early stages to get them to sprout and grow. You also won’t know exactly how your plants will end up and how big your yields will be until they’re fully grown. However, buying the right seeds and knowing how to treat them will help significantly.
Growing Indica Seeds
One of the first choices you’ll need to consider when buying cannabis seeds is which strain of cannabis you want to grow. You can grow all of the same strains you’d usually buy in the form of weed. That means you’ll be able to find your favorite types of cannabis and grow them right from home.
Indica seeds are a good option for those who want strong relaxing and pain-relieving effects. Growing indica plants is usually faster than growing sativa plants. They’re also shorter and bushier than sativa plants, which makes them ideal for indoor growers- especially as you can control the conditions to make them grow even faster.
Indica strains are ideal for users who want a more body-focused high. They’re known for delivering soothing tingles across your body, helping to relieve pain and inflammation. They can also relax your mind and relieve you of stress and anxiety, as well as making it much easier to sleep.
Growing Sativa Seeds
Sativa seeds are better for users who want stimulating effects. Sativa plants generally take a bit longer to grow than indica plants and often have lower yields. However, they’re still worth it for users who want sativa effects from the weed they grow. Sativa plants are longer and thinner than indica plants and they can often be grown outdoors without much effort. However, you can also grow them indoors if you have enough space.
The weed you grow from sativa plants will likely give you more head-focused effects. Sativa strains are known for boosting your mood, heightening your senses, and making you more mentally focused and creative. They’re especially useful for counteracting mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and chronic stress. They can also help counteract fatigue and still give you some soothing physical effects.
Growing Hybrid Seeds
Hybrid seeds are an excellent option as they combine the qualities of both sativa and indica strains. The plants can differ significantly in how they grow- some might have the fast growing times of indica strains but be longer and thinner like sativa strains, for example.
It’s best to research the specific strain you’re growing if you’re growing hybrid plants. Since they can differ in how they grow, knowing what to expect can influence whether you grow them indoors or outdoors.
Hybrid strains also give you a great balance of effects. They can lean more towards indica or sativa genetics, but will often give you both a strong body and head high. They’re also great for medical users as they can help significantly with both physical and mental symptoms.
How To Choose The Type Of Cannabis Seed
Choosing which kind of strain to go isn’t the only choice you need to make when growing cannabis. There are also different types of seeds. You’ll notice that seeds are often categorized into regular seeds, feminized seeds, and autoflowering seeds which can be regular or feminized.
Regular seeds are cheap and common to find, but they’re also the worst for marijuana growers. The problem with regular seeds is that they can be either male or female. Male cannabis plants don’t flower and won’t produce THC, making them useless for growers who want to grow marijuana. Female plants are what you need for growing marijuana, but you won’t know how many female seeds you get in a pack of regular seeds until they’re fully grown.
Feminized seeds are a good solution to this problem. These are seeds that have been enhanced to produce female cannabis plants. As such, growers often use these to ensure they grow plants full of THC-packed marijuana. They’re a little more expensive than regular seeds, but they’re the ideal option for growers looking to grow and harvest weed.
Autoflowering seeds can be regular or feminized. The difference is that these seeds are made by crossing regular or feminized seeds with ruderalis seeds. These seeds retain the properties of the original seeds but also inherit the extra-fast growing times of ruderalis plants. As such, autoflowering plants grow much faster than other seeds and can sometimes be ready to harvest in as little as two months.
Many growers choose autoflowering feminized seeds for fast-growing marijuana plants. However, plain feminized seeds are also a good choice as they’re known to produce higher-quality yields than autoflowering seeds.
Where Can You Buy Cannabis Seeds?
You can now buy cannabis seeds in many places in Canada. One option is to buy cannabis seeds from a seed bank. Seed banks usually offer a huge selection of different types and strains of seeds, making them ideal for getting the seeds you need. Many seed banks also sell online, making it easy and convenient to get the products you need.
Another option is to buy from cannabis stores. There are now many physical cannabis stores in Canada that sell all kinds of marijuana products. While you might not find seeds in all of these, they are available in many.
Some online cannabis stores also sell cannabis seeds. While they’re less commonly sold than products like cannabis flower, concentrates, and edibles, you can still find them occasionally. You may want to search online for seeds if you’re looking for a particular type or strain of seed.
Laws and Possession Limits For Cannabis Seeds
Although Canada cannabis laws state that adults in Canada can grow up to four active marijuana plants indoors or outdoors, there are some restrictions. Growing marijuana is still illegal in some provinces while others have specific rules on growing. There are also possession limits to how many seeds you can possess.
If you live in Montreal or Manitoba, you won’t be able to grow marijuana. These provinces restrict growing marijuana both indoors and outdoors for everyone except licensed businesses. Users in these provinces will have to stick to simply buying marijuana. Nunavut also has unique growing laws and residents may or may not be able to grow depending on their local laws.
In every other province and territory, you can grow up to four marijuana plants at a time either indoors or outdoors. Landlords can restrict growing on their property, so if you rent, you may still be restricted from growing. You must be at least 19 to buy seeds and grow marijuana in most provinces. Residents of Alberta can buy, use and grow marijuana from the age of 18.
Indoor growers should keep their plants in a safe space out of the reach of children. If you grow outdoors, you should put some fencing or an enclosure around your plants to keep pests and animals out. New Brunswick laws state that you must use an enclosure around 1.52 meters high. Marijuana plants must also be kept out of public sight, which means you should grow in a backyard.
Canada possession laws state that you can possess up to 30 cannabis plant seeds. However, you can keep as much as you want at home which means you won’t have to worry if you have seeds delivered to you. You can also keep all of the marijuana you harvest from your plants- just stash it away safely.
Germinating Cannabis Seeds
Before you start growing cannabis, you should germinate your seeds. Germination is when your seeds begin to grow, and there are a few methods you can use to germinate your seeds before you plant them. This will generally result in a much more successful grow.
The most common method of germinating seeds involves just a few basic household items- some paper towels, a couple of dishes, and some water. Soak around four sheets of your paper towels in water and put two on a dish. Spread your seeds out on the paper towel and put the other two on top. Now, put your other dish over the top.
Leave your plates out somewhere warm and check on your seeds every couple of days. Some will germinate faster than others, and you’ll know when you see a small stem known as a tap root sprouting out of the seed. Be extra careful with handling your germinated seeds- they need to be kept sterile to avoid damage.
Once your seeds have germinated, you can transplant them into your soil. It’s best to use small plant pots with loose soil and make a hole about a quarter-inch deep. Water your plants carefully so as not to soak them- it’s best to use a spray bottle in the early stages. Keep your plants in a warm area of around 70–77°F. After around 4-10 days, you’ll notice your seeds sprouting and you can transfer them to larger pots or ground soil to continue growing.
Conclusion
Cannabis seeds come in all kinds of varieties, but growers usually opt for feminized or autoflowering feminized seeds of whichever cannabis strains they want. Germinate your seeds first and you’ll be on your way to a successful home grow.
Cannabis plants can take anywhere from 2-6 months depending on the seed, the strain, and your growing conditions. However, at the end of it all, you’ll have a yield of great homegrown marijuana to use however you want. Plus, if growing your marijuana is taking too long, you can always buy weed and all kinds of other marijuana products at BudExpressNow.ca.
