Does Seed Size Mean Anything?

[jawnroot]

Earlier today I was over a friend of a friend's place, and she whipped out some seeded bud. It didn't look phenomenal or anything, but the quality of the high was quite good. In fact, good enough where I asked her to save me the seeds as she was breaking it up.

So I'm taking my first good look at them now, and they're really big, almost what I'd call huge. Some of the largest I've ever come across, and easily double the size of seeds I normally get from breeders. Calling them "beans" is almost a literal truth with these.

So I guess this begs the question, what do big seeds mean? I know it's just a genetic trait of the plant they came from, but I'm curious if seed size correlates to anything in particular.

The above pic compares these big bag seeds (darker, larger, toward the bottom), to standard breeder stock (lighter, smaller, toward the top). The smallest bag seed is still double the size of the largest breeder seed. You can tell from how they're lined up that the bag seeds occupy twice the space when compared to the breeder's. For reference, the breeder seeds range in size from average to above average in size.

 

[shaunmulok]

small seed is usually a sativa large seed is indica
hope this helps

 

[guest 77721]

The seed contains stored energy for the seedling to develop it's first roots and leaves so the larger the seed, the better start the seedling has.

I've had good luck with my first packet of seeds Dutch Treat x Shiskaberry. I'd say these are "normal" sized seeds and sprout quite nicely. Recently I've aquired Atomic Thai Lights and LUI which were tiny beans and difficult to get going.

I've just crossed the LUI and TL and the seeds are a bit larger than the breeders but still smaller than normal so it definately is genetics.

Now one of my coworkers started seedlings for his garden on a sunny windowledge in his office. You can't believe how fast a pumpkin plant grows from seed and how large the cotlydon is. Definately seed size is important.

 

[lysol]

Smaller seeds pop earlier. Its funny because we popped a big huge seed from bagseed and it grew into mids, but like you said some of the breeder seeds are really small. It really depends on the breeder though, some seeds I've bought I look at and go "youre kidding me it looks like a sunflower" but then it grows into chronic anyways. Basically I would consider the only diff. to be that a big seeds needs more water to pop. I am sure a larger seed contains more mass but not sure if that means that mass means it has more food or if that gives the seed a better chance, sometimes the seeds that look like theyd be almost dead are the most lively.

 

[VirginHarvester]

small seed is usually a sativa large seed is indica
hope this helps

Hope that's true because my Wonder Haze seeds are tiny so maybe they lean to the SSH. My supposed authentic Santa Marta Colombian Gold seeds also quite tiny. Other than that I haven't noticed much diff between sativa/indica seeds.

I just hope I can get the small seeds to germs and come up and figure I'll need to be most careful with them.

 

[jawnroot]

small seed is usually a sativa large seed is indica
hope this helps

That's a good factoid to know, and was more or less what I was trying to find out. Did some poking around the net, and apparently the pure sativas (haze, etc), have tiny seeds, whereas it would seem the indicas tend to go larger. This is gravy for me, because I'm an indoor grower and super-huge, super long sativas are a no-go.

As an aside, the breeder seeds pictured with the bag seeds are Afghani#1, and are among the largest seeds I currently have in my breeder collection. So maybe these bag seeds are from a super-indica? Wishful thinking, but I hope they give me something good.

 

[B.C.]

hmm...

hmm...

I don't think that rule of thumb holds true. Sensi Seed's Hashplant are purdy small, and Spice of Life Sweet Tooth 3 & 4 are also very tiny. That's off the top of head, I'm sure there are more indica's that have small seeds. It doesn't seem to affect them from growing into nice plants though. my BC

 

[jawnroot]

I don't think that rule of thumb holds true. Sensi Seed's Hashplant are purdy small, and Spice of Life Sweet Tooth 3 & 4 are also very tiny. That's off the top of head, I'm sure there are more indica's that have small seeds. It doesn't seem to affect them from growing into nice plants though. my BC

I think it's more of a very general guideline, not so much a rule. In other words, not all average to small seeds are necessarily sativa, but most or all large seeds tend to be indica.

My own theory/hypothesis, based upon some reading and anecdotal accounts, suggests large seed is a recessive, indica trait. Which means that if a plant has any sativa in it (which, I believe, hashplant and Sweet Tooth do), that recessive trait will be overruled.

All I know for sure is that the weed I got these from was pretty damn good, especially considering it was chock full o' seed. I'm thinking if I can get bud at least that good from these seeds, I'll be doing pretty well for myself.

 

[s13sr20det]

Those are some nice lookin seeds! do you plan on doing a grow journal for them?
I love bagseed grows

peace

 

[deathtosoapbar]

Not sure about this but from observation in the past when pollinating in hydro the resulting seeds were always normal size but since ive been organic pollinating a crop seems to lead to massive healthy seeds...made some mandala#1 x nevilles haze and they were big and striped seeds...i sent some into seedbay fundraiser so maybe someone bought them...or at least someone at seedbay will have seen them...pretty big seeds

 

[guest 77721]

Did anyone notice that the top seeds are all immature. They are all light green colored and the two in the bottom right are dark but not mottled.

The above pic compares these big bag seeds (darker, larger, toward the bottom), to standard breeder stock (lighter, smaller, toward the top). The smallest bag seed is still double the size of the largest breeder seed. You can tell from how they're lined up that the bag seeds occupy twice the space, when compared to the breeder's. For reference, the breeder seeds range in size from average to above average in size.

 

[lordbudly]

size is dictated by calyx size and maturity, i dont know if this has any merit but ive read some breeders pollinate less parts of the plant and more plants, because it leads to bigger healthier seeds then a plant trying to make all those beans mature

 

[jawnroot]

s13sr20det: I do indeed plan on doing a log. The only problem is, I'm going to be moving soon, and don't know all the details of my new pad yet. So before any growing gets done, I have to get that whole situ mapped out, to see whether or not growing will be a feasible possibility. Either way, it'll be at least four months before I can get a start to finish log up. If I remember, I'll drop you a PM when/if I get it posted.

These seeds show some serious promise though, and I'm eager to grow them out. I smoked some of the weed these guys came from earlier today, paying careful attention this time to the quality of the high, etc. I mean I'm talking the tiniest pinch of bud, enough for two or three good hits. Definite creeper, but I was stoned to the bone after about 20 minutes. The smoke is on par with any seedless headies, and it's literally full of seeds. So yeah, these are getting grown out for sure -- sooner or later (hopefully sooner).

Growing bagseed is always such an exciting proposition. I'm not talking mexi brick, but those rare seeds you pull from a bag of good bud. And for me, the shit has to be totally seeded for the seeds to be a contestant for growing. Cause in my eyes, those "one in a pound" seeds are most likely the result of a hermi-cross. But when you find a bag that's completely seeded, it's almost guaranteed that the progeny came from a male-female cross. Going one step further, if the weed you got them from turns out to be good, while still being fully seeded, then you've got yourself some serious testing stock. I can probably count on one hand how many times I've come across bag seed that meets all these criteria, and this latest batch certainly does. I'm pretty pumped to try them out (if I haven't said that ten times already :wink.

redgreenry: I think you need to adjust your monitor. The seeds at the top (both on my screen, and in real life) range in color from medium-dark brown, to light gray. I've been doing this for a long time, and can tell just by looking at them that they're all viable. And what's more, those are breeder's seeds, still sealed in the breeder pack, which were purchased less than two months ago, and refrigerated since new.

One thing to bear in mind: fresh seeds have a dark coating on them, like a thin skin. It's analogous in some ways to the brown, papery stuff that's on peanuts. In the second big bag seed from the left in the first picture, you can see that brown coating beginning to flake off, revealing the uniformly light-gray seed beneath (which, I should note, has no mottling). In my experience, most or all breeder stock has had that papery coating removed, probably as a result of sorting and packing.

Immature seeds are generally a very, very light tan (almost white), or green. The Afghani#1s you're referring to are neither. The best test of viability, in my experience, is to get the seed between your thumb and index finger, and squeeze hard. If the seed collapses, it's crap. If it doesn't, it's probably good.

I've gotten seeds from breeders that looked completely immature, but they passed the squeeze test, and subsequently went on to germinate. Indeed, if time and experience has taught me anything, it's that you can't (in general) look at a seed, and predict it's ability to germinate. I've heard the color thing, I've heard the stripes thing, the mottled thing, the "if it floats it's bad" thing, and without a doubt, nine times out of ten those predictors are wrong. I've looked at seeds that appeared so immature that it felt like a waste of time to squeeze test them. But I did, they passed, and subsequently grew.

So by the by, do a squeeze test on questionable stock, and if it passes I'd give it a 95% chance of germinating, provided you have shit together on your end.

 

[Johnnyseed]

I wonder if the size has something to do with where The Plant Is From. If sativas have smaller seeds im assuming that they're that size because the efficient weather they get. And indicas grow in more strenuous weather so they need to be bigger to survive??

Just a hunch

 

[bottomland]

fresher seeds r bigger.

 

[angelgoob]

Think of it as a reserve that lasts longer enough to get to flower. And think about how bigger seeds are indica and little ones sativa.

Do sativas have to fight past other plants? No they're fine on their own in certain spots in their region. Plently of spot for them.

Now and indica. that's colder weather. they need to mature faster. have you ever thought it was holding the power in case it's roots got locked up or cold? They - since they are closer to flower than sativa...uh...they figured out how to get roots set and enough light gatherers.

To test this you could put them both in sand and let them die and see who wins.
Over time they'd learn to make bigger seeds if you just barely let them run out of energy then re-nuted them.

Then the time to flowering will shorten or can shorten.

 

[sourpuss]

fresher seeds r bigger.

 

[angelgoob]

bigga boiiiiii!

Yeah, they're mature.

Now how to inject with chemicals that make them big.

Did you know deep red or IR or something can make bigger seeds? Just have a good source of light.

 

[Kankakee]

small seed is usually a sativa large seed is indica
hope this helps

this is correct MOST of the time.

my hemp fiber seeds ( sativa L ) are very, very small almost black but mottled but most plant will reach 13, 15ft. i also have seen thai seeds that are very large and grey.

 

[Natural high]

Seed size means very little in the overall scheme of things. It is mostly genetic and as long as they are mature and still viable they can make great plants. In a batch of seed the biggest might be the dud and the little runt the future elite clone only. It is much more important to concentrate on giving a plant optimal conditions to thrive than worrying about which seed is the biggest or has the coolest designs on it..