So you found some seeds in a bag of cannabis you like, and now you have some questions: Will bag seeds even grow? Will they grow the same plants? Should you grow them?
These quandaries will arise when you find “bag seeds” in your weed for the first time. So, are bag seeds worth growing, or should you buy quality purebred cannabis seeds from a reputable vendor like our seed store (IMHO)? One that comes with a germination guarantee to boot.
Are bag seeds worth growing?
Bag seeds’ main problem is that there is no certainty about what you will end up with, even if you cultivated the flowers that produced the seeds. Do you really want to spend several months of effort only to end up with some flowers that may be unsatisfactory?
The short answer is that you should always use proven reliable genetics (quality seeds) when growing cannabis for personal use, especially if growing at scale.
When working with plant genetics, knowing what you can rely on is important, especially if you’re new to growing. When you produce buds that don’t meet your expectations, it is disheartening and can even make you want to quit growing.
The last thing any cultivator wants is a plant that grows in ways you didn’t anticipate. The unstable genetics you often get with unproven bag seeds can cause this.
That doesn’t mean you can’t grow bag seeds. If you’re curious or haven’t grown marijuana plants from seed, you might consider using the free seeds you now have. If you decide to grow them, take a minimalist approach: Don’t grow more than a few at a time, no more than you can reasonably handle at once. This is especially true if you have other plants growing alongside them.
Don’t want to leave it up to fate with bag seeds, but want to get some practice swings in with proper genetics? Check out our seed deals!
Are bag seeds feminized?
With bag seeds, you can never guarantee what you’ll end up with. They could be from the same plant as the flower you found the seeds in or from an entirely different plant.
If the seeds in your bag result from a female plant that self-pollinated during flowering, then there is a high probability that they will be female seeds.
Feminized seeds are created when photoperiod female plants are stress-induced using one of several methods. This causes the female flowers to produce male flower sacs with female pollen in them.
That pollen then fertilizes a female plant, guaranteeing the offspring to be at least 99% female.
But do you really want to take the risk that the bag seeds grow a feminized plant? It might be a male plant, which you’ll then have to remove.
For a seamless growing experience, check out our top selection of the best feminized strains to grow in 2023 and beyond.
Can bag seeds be autoflower?
Again, with bag seeds, there is no way to be sure what they are. However, bag seeds can be autoflower if they result from the pollination of an autoflower female plant by any male cannabis plant, either autoflower or photoperiod. This likely happens when growing autoflower crops from seed and not finding and removing all the male plants before they finish flowering.
If you like the idea of growing plants that flower automatically, look for quality autoflower genetics in our online seed store.
Risks of growing bag seeds
Bag seeds are an unknown and a roll of the dice. As such, you should never risk the safety of your grow by choosing to rely on them. Don’t bet the farm on a bag seed, even if it winked at you.
While bag seeds may be as potent as their parent plants, they are generally regarded as being accidental or unintended.
Remember,
Bag seeds may be male. There should be NO male plants grown among females for quality flower production. Quality flower cultivated indoors under ideal conditions is seedless (sinsemilla).
Bag seeds may be prone to producing unstable plants or growing in an unpredictable pattern, which may cause more work and take extra time to manage.
Bag seeds may not germinate properly or grow if crushed inside the flowers or if they have aged and oxidized from not being stored properly.
Getting your garden off to a good start is of paramount importance. Don’t make things more difficult by using a large quantity of unknown or inferior seeds.
Are bag seeds often hermie?
Randomly found seeds in your weed may have been produced by unstable genetics, which will pass on that instability to the resulting plant. An example of unstable genetics is when your bag seeds hermies, where the female flower unintentionally produces male flower parts. The word hermie is short for hermaphrodite (having both male and female sex organs).
Purposeful seed makers look to ”breed out” instabilities through refined, uniform breeding practices. These steps produce seeds that yield stable and predictable results even under stressful or imperfect conditions.
But aren’t the classics like OG Kush bag seeds?
You probably read or heard many stories about classic phenotypes originating from bag seeds. Sure, that might be true. But then again, there are many unsubstantiated myths about old-school strains, most of which can never be truly verified.
On top of that, this was back when new crosses were much rarer than they are now.
Nowadays, with so many new hybrid strains coming out almost monthly, there’s a very small chance you’ll strike gold and be the proud creator of a new genetic line no one has ever seen before or can compete with the handcrafted and stable genetics you find on the top shelf of your dispensary.
OG Kush is a legendary strain, so if you’re looking for this classic, check out our feminized version at ILGM. BUY OG KUSH SEEDS
Bag seeds vs. bought seeds
Using bag seeds for your grow in anything other than an experimental capacity would be a mistake since you can’t blindly rely on them to produce quality plants or predictable results.
Seeds bought from quality breeders and online stores are refined to give you that predictability and make producing high-quality flower easier to accomplish.
That is what you’re paying for when you purchase quality seeds. At ILGM, you also get a “germination guarantee,” which means we’ll replace all the seeds that didn’t pop.
Bag seeds have their place
My first cultivation attempts in the early 1990s were from bag seeds. They were more prevalent back then since most legacy cannabis was sun-grown. This was just before the indoor growing revolution.
Growing cannabis from seeds is the best way to get to know the plant and its growth patterns and habits, especially if you’re new to growing. There is more to pay attention to with seedlings, so it is also more challenging than growing from clones.
Seeds can produce multiple phenotypes with different growth rates, patterns, and characteristics – all of which may need further refining.
However, all of that attention is worth it. The first-hand observations made in your garden will make you a better cultivator. Daily field observations of cultivar growth patterns are a cultivator’s best source of real-time reliable data for comparative analysis, evaluation, and problem-solving in your cannabis grow.
There are many ways to secure marijuana seeds. Understanding your seed options is particularly important today as more types of genetics and seeds are available, such as feminized, autoflower, and fast-flowering seeds. Be sure to check out the amazing selection of these seeds in our online seed bank.
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