Every once in a while, someone breaks up a bud and finds a seed. It is a fair question: can you plant it? Often you can, but there are a few things worth knowing before you spend months on it.
Why there is a seed in your flower
Most cannabis sold today comes from female plants grown without any pollen around, which is why the buds are seedless. A seed means that plant was pollinated. Sometimes a stray male is the cause, but often it is a female plant that became stressed and grew a few male flowers of its own. Growers call that a hermaphrodite, or hermie.
That matters for you, because a seed from a hermaphrodite can grow into a plant that does the same thing. You might get a great plant, or one that pollinates itself and fills its own buds with seeds.
How to tell if the seed is any good
- Color: a mature seed is usually dark brown or gray, often with darker stripes or spots. Pale green or white seeds are usually immature and unlikely to sprout.
- Firmness: a good seed is hard. If it crushes easily between your fingers, it will not grow.
- Size: plump, fully formed seeds have the best chance.
How to sprout it
The simplest way is the paper towel method. Place the seed between damp (not soaking) paper towels, put them on a plate, cover with a second plate and keep it somewhere warm and dark. Check daily. Most viable seeds crack and show a small white root within a few days to a week. Once the root is about a quarter to half an inch long, plant it root down just under the surface of a small pot of soil.
What the law says in New Mexico
Adults 21 and over in New Mexico can grow cannabis at home for personal use: up to six mature plants per person and no more than twelve per household. Keep plants out of public view and away from anyone under 21. Our possession limits guide covers the details.
A more predictable start
A mystery seed is a fun experiment, but you will not know the strain or its quirks. If you want to know what you are growing, start from stable genetics. Our own growers raise every jar of HDR Flower in our indoor hydroponic grow, and you can see it in our Indoor Grow posts. Have questions about a strain? Ask our budtenders at Alameda, Coors and Pan Am in Albuquerque, plus Bernalillo, Santa Fe and Hobbs.
