Help navigating seed types and banks - so much has changed

[olday]

After taking a decade off, deciding on some genetics and how to get them has become a little overwhelming

Previously I felt lucky to pull whatever poly pollen chucker I could get from fellow posters and/or find something on heaven’s stairway / hemp depot. As crazy as the selection was then, I was happy with whatever and could still made somewhat informed decisions.

So here are a few of the questions, and my goals aren’t yield or flowering time, I just want to grow the best I can and now that it’s legal I’d like to make better choices. I’ve got all the time in the world so long flowering hazes that don’t crack their branches are totally fine.

Feminized vs regular - I know all about picking out males/taking clines etc... but feminized used to imply maybe less quality or likelihood to hermi- now I’m wondering if I would have better luck getting better expressions with those not what I’m looking for as my head stash? Not sure what is the difference between s1 and feminized but if there is anything there that impacts it I’m open.

Seed banks and huge variations in prices - looking at places like Sensi I don’t remember such huge price differences between jack/ed strains and their other gear, sometimes literally 10x the cost - is more always better and what is reasonable for well bread amazing genetics. I’m fine with buying good seeds like I’m fine with spending hard earned money on a good dinner.... if it’s worth it though because it sucks when it isn’t

What seed banks are “always solid” - there are so many new ones that digging through seed banks is as long of a chore much less digging through the endless varieties of crosses. I can’t even narrow things down.

Cuts - IL med patients can now grow, but I can’t seem to find a reasonable/ legalish way to get known good cuts.

Longevity - I know the answer is to just try and pop them but I do have a pretty good variety pack from the community, but they have been sitting (in good conditions) for like 10 years - if they pop (have you popped sess this old) does the age somehow degrade the finished plants quality? I’ve got some LUI and NL5 and other crosses that I’d like to grow out but again, time lost when I’m starting at zero is worse than growing a “meh” when you have lots of other choices at hand.

Thanks in advance
O

 

[NEED 4 SEED]

Hello olday, you can't generalize on feminized seeds being hermie prone, you need to do your internet research on every single strain you want to grow to get a better view. S1 seeds are feminized but not two different strains or plants crossed with each other but one single plant crossed with a clone of itself.

Regarding seed banks, I can vote for the ones I had good contact with. Those are Hemp Depot, Attitude Seeds, Real Gorilla Seeds, Greenpoint Seeds, Seedbay, SeedsHereNow, Cannapot, Linda Seeds and a few more I can't remember atm. I'm sure others will chime in. Also a few breeders with direct marketing like Sensi and Green House Seeds are worth mentioning, although never forget researching the strains before buying. No generalizing possible here. I would stay away from the super expensive strains atm. They most probably don't hold their promise. I've had more luck with the cheap skunk strains from Sensi than with their expensive stuff. Many good strains available today for good prices.

Your old seeds may pop ok when they were stored cool all the time. And when they make it through the seedling stage there's no reason they shouldn't develop into nice and happy plants.
I've popped old seeds like this but some do good and some don't. It's a bit of a gamble. If you pop a too small amount, not enough will pop, probably and you will lose a bit of time. If you pop more, you could get too many for your room. So fresh seeds are always the better option regarding reliability.
I'm sure you will find all the answers to your questions here on Icmag, if you dig deep enough and ask the right questions.
Good luck!

 

[Im'One]

Ok my opinions are just that and I don't claim to know everything...so here goes.
I have had good luck with new seedbanks and there are new ones all the time. I prefer someone who will answer emails, and some will actually call and discuss your order. I have not always had that experience with the 'big guys'
You may be sitting in some gems and not know it. I would love to hear about what you have and see a grow diary of the older strains.
Need for seed is correct, it's hard to know the true value I some strains you might get an outstanding plant from a $3.00 seed or get a clunker from a $10 seed.
The hermied plants in my experience were Landrace and did not enjoy growing indoors.
I prefer to stick with photoperiod and regular seeds, but it's a pain to grow a plan out and find it's a male especially a hybrid you don't intend to breed. The fems I have grown have not hermied and it was nice to know I wasn't risking males that would just be thrown out. I now have a great bubba hashplant from ACE that will be a mother to clones soon.
This is ideal because I grew her, smoked her, re vegged and now I can make duplicates. I know her growth patterns, preferences and thc!level going in.

 

[olday]

Hello olday, you can't generalize on feminized seeds being hermie prone, you need to do your internet research on every single strain you want to grow to get a better view. S1 seeds are feminized but not two different strains or plants crossed with each other but one single plant crossed with a clone of itself.

Regarding seed banks, I can vote for the ones I had good contact with. Those are Hemp Depot, Attitude Seeds, Real Gorilla Seeds, Greenpoint Seeds, Seedbay, SeedsHereNow, Cannapot, Linda Seeds and a few more I can't remember atm. I'm sure others will chime in. Also a few breeders with direct marketing like Sensi and Green House Seeds are worth mentioning, although never forget researching the strains before buying. No generalizing possible here. I would stay away from the super expensive strains atm. They most probably don't hold their promise. I've had more luck with the cheap skunk strains from Sensi than with their expensive stuff. Many good strains available today for good prices.

Your old seeds may pop ok when they were stored cool all the time. And when they make it through the seedling stage there's no reason they shouldn't develop into nice and happy plants.
I've popped old seeds like this but some do good and some don't. It's a bit of a gamble. If you pop a too small amount, not enough will pop, probably and you will lose a bit of time. If you pop more, you could get too many for your room. So fresh seeds are always the better option regarding reliability.
I'm sure you will find all the answers to your questions here on Icmag, if you dig deep enough and ask the right questions.
Good luck!

Thank you and very helpful. I’m digging into my old seed stash and will post if you are interested

 

[olday]

Ok my opinions are just that and I don't claim to know everything...so here goes.
I have had good luck with new seedbanks and there are new ones all the time. I prefer someone who will answer emails, and some will actually call and discuss your order. I have not always had that experience with the 'big guys'
You may be sitting in some gems and not know it. I would love to hear about what you have and see a grow diary of the older strains.
Need for seed is correct, it's hard to know the true value I some strains you might get an outstanding plant from a $3.00 seed or get a clunker from a $10 seed.
The hermied plants in my experience were Landrace and did not enjoy growing indoors.
I prefer to stick with photoperiod and regular seeds, but it's a pain to grow a plan out and find it's a male especially a hybrid you don't intend to breed. The fems I have grown have not hermied and it was nice to know I wasn't risking males that would just be thrown out. I now have a great bubba hashplant from ACE that will be a mother to clones soon.
This is ideal because I grew her, smoked her, re vegged and now I can make duplicates. I know her growth patterns, preferences and thc!level going in.

Thank you - I’ve started digging into some of the new seed banks that I’ve come across from some podcasts (I’m sure sponsored but still well reviewed) and have been following a few breeder/tester insta threads as well.

The sound byte that kind of stuck out to me was that “currently strains are also fashion, it doesn’t always matter how they stack up for potency/taste/growth, but what people are looking to buy that is trending” - I didn’t think of it that way and that isn’t what is important to me, but it has helped with narrowing things down as well

 

[NEED 4 SEED]

Thank you and very helpful. I’m digging into my old seed stash and will post if you are interested

Always interested.