Is There Any Difference Between Cannabis Seeds?

If you got a selection of cannabis seeds and put them all in a row, could you tell which one was White Widow and which one was Afghan Kush? Your likely answer is…probably not. The thing is that until a cannabis seed is actually germinated and grow into an actual cannabis plant, you will find it very hard to tell the difference between them. While this is unfortunately illegal in most countries, it is still the only way to really tell them apart. For this reason, as a cannabis seed collector, you will have to trust the place where you buy them from to send you what you ask for.

So if you could tell your cannabis seeds apart, what would the differences be that you could use to tell them apart?

Strains

The main way to tell one type of cannabis apart from another is by the way it looks when it is fully grown. There are two major types of cannabis plant: sativa and indica. Sativa cannabis seeds, when they are in their plant form, will be tall and gangly or big and round like a bush; indica seeds will look generally quite small when they are in their fully grown form. Strains are generally a mixture of the two though so by finding out what strain your seeds are from, you will be able to tell what attributes your seed should have. This will be hard to test though unless you live in a country where it is legal to grow cannabis.

Trust you breeder

One way to tell your cannabis seeds apart without having to grow them is to rely on your breeder. There are hundreds of breeders around the world who all have their own branding. You will have to trust your breeder again but they will offer you a neatly packaged seed with a clear label so you know what you have bought. There are in fact some seed breeders who paint their seeds so that you can tell them apart. These breeders can also provide an extensive range of rare strains and feminized seeds.

Pretend you're a journalist

If you don't trust breeders online to send you what you ask for, you could pose as a journalist and ask to be sent certain strains. This way it will be in the breeders' best interests to give you what you want, otherwise they risk you giving them a bad write up, and in the world of cannabis seeds reputation is everything.

Sam Qam is a cannabis seed breeder. He has been buying and selling cannabis seeds since the '60s and is very excited about the recent scientific advances in feminized seeds.