Advantages & Disadvantages of Non Feminized Hemp Seeds

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There disagreement  in the hemp industry about  the subject of ‘feminized’ seed.  In order to product cannabis oil you need the female plant to produce flower, biomass and oil at peak levels. 

‘Feminized’ seeds were designed to eliminate the growth of male plants and to eliminate the process of removing males from a crop before pollination can occur.

Here's a brief overview of the advantages and disadvantages:
 

Advantages of feminized seed

• Feminized seed produce primarily female plants.

• Less male plants means less males to remove.
   

Disadvantages of feminized seed

• Feminized seed produces primarily female plants.

• Feminized seeds are much more expensive than natural seeds.  

• Feminized seeds are capable of producing males, so you have still have to be on top of removing the males.   It can takes one male to ruin your crop.

• The lack of males in the field can cause confusion among the females and some may transform into a hermaphrodite and release pollen.

• Farmers are unable to grow their own seeds from their crops and therefore must repurchase seed annually increasing his annual crop costs.

• No one knows yet about the genetic implications of colloidal silver and other silver-based feminizing agents when applied to the seed producing plants.

• There are low quality seeds being sold as feminized but are in fact producing large percentages of male plants.
   

Advantages of Unfeminized/Natural hemp seed

• Lower costs (2-10 times cheaper in many cases). 

• No chemicals  

• Farmers can produce their own seed year after year.

• Female plants are healthier and more robust in the presence of male hemp plants during vegetative growth.

• Natural hemp plants can climatize significantly in one to two generations.
   

Disadvantages of Non feminized/natural hemp seeds

• Large numbers of males must be removed before pollination occurs.

• With non-feminized seeds gender has not been separated so it’s not as simple to tell if they will turn out to be male or female until the early flowering stage.

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