Every new cannabis grower faces a dilemma as they begin their cultivation. They have made a space for their grow room, invested cash in their set up and equipment and are now all ready to grow. As they begin to search for something to put in their pots they are bombarded with advertisements for cheap cannabis seeds. It seems like a no brainer - after all why would anyone pay more for fewer seeds when there are companies out there selling more seeds for less – a seed’s a seed yeah?
STOP! There’s an old saying, ‘if something is too good to be true then it probably isn’t’... and in the same way, if something is too cheap to be true then it probably isn’t. We have all bought things that were cheap only to have them break or not work as they should (which reminds us of another saying – ‘buy cheap, buy twice’!).
Cheap Cannabis Seeds at the Root of Your Grow Problems?
Well the same thing is true with cheap cannabis seeds. Yes, they may all look the same from the outside, but it’s what’s inside that really counts. Unfortunately, there’s no way that you can see what’s inside until those cheap cannabis seeds have sprouted and developed into plants. Way too often we hear stories from people who have wasted months nurturing plants that have underperformed, display wildly different growth patterns and yield dismally. They assume that there’s something wrong with their set up or nutrient doses, when the problem lies with the seed.
In recent years, the cannabis industry has exploded due to legalization and increased toleration of cannabis in countries around the globe. At the same time the cannabis loving community has become much better informed thanks to the knowledge shared online, improved performance and cheaper costs of equipment such as LEDs, and the realization that home growing is much healthier than buying from the black market.
Unfortunately, along with positive innovations, the expansion of the industry has seen the arrival of rogue operators chasing a quick and easy buck. One of the disadvantages of the internet is the lack of quality filter; it’s easy to make big claims, especially if they are wrapped up in shiny marketing packaging. The source behind ‘too good to be true’ deals on cannabis seeds is often in-bulk seeds. Rogue operators will simply buy up generic cheap seeds from a wholesaler, repackage them, invent wild claims about their performance and sell them at huge profit. So, for example, a generic Kush seed will be repackaged as something like ‘Greatest Ever Big Bad OG Kush (with extra nuggets!)’.
Cannabis Seeds: Do Your Research
The truth is that if you want a cannabis seed that is going to produce quality plants then you need to pay a little more up front in order to maximize your rewards at harvest time. Do your research and buy from a credible source. Established seed companies have history and their claims are backed up by reviews, awards and inclusion in reputable seed shops, such as Amsterdam Seed Center.
The best cannabis seeds are the result of extensive development and testing and breeding a new strain is a process that can take one to two years. One of the best ways to spot a cheap seeds scam is when a new company is offering a version of the latest popular marijuana strain within months of its release. Aside from false claims applied to in-bulk wholesale seeds, counterfeit strains are also an increasing issue for consumers. Last year Blue Dream was the most counterfeited cannabis strain in the USA. Why? The answer is kind of obvious. It’s just too easy to simply give a seed a popular name.
True, every cannabis plant that is grown from seed will show slight differences. A whole host of factors will influence how your final plant will finish, from different phenotypes, to the unique conditions that are unique to your individual grow (indoor, outdoor, soil composition, temperature etc). However, cannabis seeds that come from a genuine source, with provenance, are your best guarantee for healthy plants that will perform as their descriptions say they will.
