Any cannabis plant starts as a seed, and the seed settles more than most buyers realise: the sex of the plant, how it reacts to light, how large it grows, and the mix of cannabinoids and terpenes it can produce. Choosing well at this stage avoids months of wasted effort later. The market has grown enormously, and https://budweedseeds.com now carries 400 strains from breeders across the industry. This guide explains the main seed types, how to read a strain description, what distinguishes a good seed from a poor one, and how to store and start them properly.
Anatomy of a Seed
A cannabis seed is a small, hard-shelled embryo enclosed in a protective coat. Viable seeds are usually brown, grey or mottled, solid to the touch and slightly glossy. Inside sits everything the plant needs to begin: a root tip, two cotyledon leaves and a reserve of nutrients to power the first days of growth.
Genetically, each seed is a one-off combination of its two parents, and that is why two seeds from the same pack can grow noticeably unalike. Breeders narrow that variation by working a line over many generations, but some spread is expected in any seed-grown crop. Clones are the only way to get exact copies; seeds exchange that certainty for vigour, a taproot and the chance of a exceptional plant.
Three Seed Types, Three Different Grows
Almost every seed on sale falls into one of three categories, and the choice between them is the most important decision a buyer makes.
- Regular seeds produce male and female plants in about equal numbers. They are preferred by breeders and by growers who want to make their own seeds, though they mean identifying and removing males before they pollinate the females.
- Feminized seeds are bred to produce female plants very nearly every time. For anyone growing for flower rather than for breeding, they remove the guesswork and the lost space of male plants.
- Autoflowering seeds contain ruderalis genetics that cause the plant to flower on age rather than on light cycle. They are smaller, faster and more tolerant of less-than-ideal conditions, typically at the cost of yield and potency.
Feminized and autoflowering are not mutually exclusive: most autoflowering seeds sold today are also feminized, and the description usually says so. Regular autoflowering seeds exist but are rare.
The Case for Feminized (and the Exceptions)
For the majority of buyers the answer is feminized. If the goal is flower, every male plant is room, light and time spent on something that will be thrown away, and a single missed male can seed an entire room. Feminized seeds sidestep that issue entirely.
Regular seeds earn their place in a few situations. Breeders need males to provide pollen. Growers who want to hunt for a mother plant from a large population frequently prefer the wider genetic spread of regular stock. And some traditional lines are only available in regular form. Outside those cases, paying for seeds that are half male is hard to justify.
Why Autos Behave Differently
Photoperiod plants remain in vegetative growth as long as they receive long days and move to flowering when the light falls to around twelve hours. That gives the grower control: vegetate for two weeks or two months, train the plant, then flip flowering when it suits the space.
Autoflowers ignore the light schedule and bloom on a timer set by genetics, typically a few weeks after sprouting. The whole cycle from seed to harvest is shorter, the plants remain small, and they can be run under continuous light from start to finish. The downside is that mistakes cannot be fixed by extending veg: a stunted autoflower stays stunted. Beginners, balcony growers and anyone with limited height tend to do well with autos; growers after maximum yield from a fixed footprint usually choose photoperiod stock.
Numbers on the Pack, Explained
A seed listing contains a lot of information into a few lines, and much of it is more useful than the strain name.
- Flowering time. For photoperiod strains this is counted from the light flip; for autos it is often given as total time from seed. Check which convention the breeder follows.
- Yield estimates. Expressed per square metre indoors or per plant outdoors, and strongly dependent on the grower. Use them to compare strains from the same breeder, not across breeders.
- Sativa, indica or hybrid. Today almost everything is a hybrid; the percentages hint at growth habit (height, internode spacing, flowering time) more than at effect.
- THC and CBD ranges. Stated figures are from the breeder’s in-house tests under controlled conditions. Treat them as a ceiling, not a promise.
Signs of a Healthy Seed
Appearance is a rough guide to viability, not a test, but a few indicators are reliable.
- Shell. A hard shell that does not crack under light finger pressure is a healthy sign; seeds that crush easily are non-viable.
- Float test. Placing seeds in water and rejecting floaters is common but crude: healthy seeds often float until the shell takes on water.
- Colour. Brown, tan, grey or striped seeds are usually mature. Pale green or white seeds were picked too early and rarely sprout.
- Size. Larger is not a quality marker; seed size varies by strain, and some top genetics produce small seeds.
- Surface. A faint waxy sheen is typical. Cracks, dimples or visible mould disqualify a seed.
Keeping Seeds Alive in the Drawer
Cannabis seeds stay viable for years if they are stored properly and for months if they are not. The enemies are heat, light, moisture and fluctuation.
- Keep them dry. A airtight container with a desiccant packet stops the humidity swings that trigger premature germination or mould.
- Keep them cool. A steady temperature in the fridge range slows the seed’s metabolism without damaging it; the freezer is risky unless the seeds are bone dry.
- Keep them dark. Light degrades the embryo over time, so an opaque container is better than a clear one.
- Keep them still. Shifting seeds between warm and cold repeatedly does more damage than either temperature on its own; take out the container as rarely as possible.
Cracking the Shell
Every grower has a preferred method, but the essentials are the same whichever you choose: moisture, warmth, darkness and air.
- Place the seeds in room-temperature water for no more than a day to soften the shell. Any longer and they can drown.
- Move them to a damp paper towel within a closed container, or straight into a starter pot of light, damp medium. Keep the temperature in the low-to-mid twenties Celsius.
- Leave them. Most seeds show a taproot within two to five days; some take a week or more.
- Once the taproot reaches about a centimetre long, plant it root-down, shallowly, and provide gentle light once the seedling breaks the surface.
Touch sprouted seeds as little as possible; the taproot snaps easily and a damaged one often stops the seedling for good.
Vetting the Seller
Seeds are only as good as the supplier, and the difference between a reputable seed bank and a reseller of unknown stock appears in germination rates, not on the website.
- Original packaging. Seeds should arrive in the breeder’s sealed packs, not repackaged in a plain bag.
- Storage on their end. Check how stock is kept. Seeds sitting in a warm warehouse for a year lose viability long before they reach you.
- Breeder transparency. A good seller names the breeder for every strain. Bud Weed Seeds stocks lines from Barney’s Farm, Dutch Passion and Royal Queen Seeds, among others, with the breeder shown on each product page.
- Clear policies. Shipping regions, packaging, and what the seller does when seeds fail to germinate should all be spelled out in plain language.
- Pack options. Flexible pack sizes let you to try a strain before buying in bulk; Bud Weed Seeds sells packs of 3, 5 and 10 seeds on most lines.
From Checkout to Letterbox
Bud Weed Seeds delivers to the EU, the UK and Canada. Orders are dispatched in plain packaging with no reference to the contents on the outside.
Every pack comes with a germination guarantee: if a seed fails to germinate within 14 days of arrival when germinated as described above, Bud Weed Seeds sends a replacement for it. The claim requires the order number and, in most cases, a photo.
Before You Order: The Rules
The law on cannabis seeds is separate from the law on cannabis itself, and it differs widely by country. In many European countries seeds are sold legally as souvenirs or for hemp purposes, while germinating them remains illegal. In other places both buying and growing are allowed under licence or within personal limits, and in some countries possession of seeds alone is banned.
Bud Weed Seeds does not ship to the United States, where importing of cannabis seeds is not permitted. It is the buyer’s duty to know the rules in their own country before ordering, and nothing on this page should be taken as legal advice.
Questions Growers Ask
Why did a seed fail to germinate?
The most frequent causes are too long in water, cold, a medium that is too wet or too dry, and injury to the taproot during handling. Genuinely dead seeds are rarer than mistakes in the process.
Does Bud Weed Seeds sell CBD-only strains?
Yes. The catalogue has high-CBD lines with minimal THC, marked as such on the product page, as well as balanced and THC-dominant strains.
Are autoflowering seeds weaker?
Modern autos are much closer to photoperiod strains than early ones were. Yields per plant are still smaller because the plants are smaller, but potency in good lines is similar.
Can I tell the sex of a seed by looking at it?
No. Methods based on shape, ridges or the crater at the base have no evidential basis. Only feminized breeding, or waiting for the plant to reveal preflowers, tells you the sex.