Cannabis seeds  come in all shapes and sizes, from tall, stretchy sativas to compact, bushy indicas, hybrids and autoflowering varieties. Some produce uplifting, energetic highs, while others relax and soothe. Some offer flavours of fruit and candy, whilst others are earthy and floral. There’s so much to choose from that picking the right strain can be overwhelming.

The choice of cultivars for a particular purpose or medicinal use is mainly determined by the level of psychoactive (tetrahydrocannabinol) and non-psychoactive cannabinoid compounds, known as phytochemicals. These can be found in all members of the C. sativa L. family, however, the plants cultivated for fibre-type hemp tend to have low levels of these phytochemicals, whereas those cultivated for recreational and medicinal purposes have higher levels.

From Seed to Harvest: Navigating the Diversity of Cannabis Seeds for Optimal Growth

Seeds are the building blocks of any cannabis plant and are an essential part of the growers toolkit. Seeds contain the complete genetic code of the parent plant and are therefore a vital part of any strains genetic history. Seeds are also a useful tool for genetic selection as they can be used to create clones, which will then grow as the original parent plant, preserving the desired phenotype.

There are three main types of cannibis seed available to the grower: regular, feminized and autoflowering. Each type has its own benefits and is suited to different growing environments, however, there are some general quality criteria that can be used to evaluate a seed’s potential as a grower’s next plant.