The ongoing cannabis revolution has put the legalization of marijuana on the map for all to see. At the time of this writing, recreational cannabis has been legalized in 19 states as well as Washington D.C. and Guam, with other states getting involved on the medicinal side of things. According to a report by Fortune Business Insights, the global cannabis market size in 2020 was already worth more than $20.47 billion.

Business owners looking to take advantage of the push to normalize cannabis can do so by carrying top-quality marijuana seeds for their shoppers to work with. While we tend to think of marijuana seeds as interchangeable, there are actually unique seeds and variations that you will want to carry to make sure you have the best inventory possible.

Today, we are going to explore cannabis seeds, marijuana types, and the unique effects that they share. By the end of our conversation, you should have a steady grasp on what seeds you should sell and why.  

Understanding Cannabis Seeds

Open up a cannabis seed bank and you will want to make sure that you have a wide inventory of products. While all cannabis seeds provide the potential to produce a cannabis plant, they do so in different ways and with different potential outcomes. By diversifying your store’s inventory, you can better serve the growers in your area while ensuring your business gets the attention that it deserves.

Before you can stock your shelves with high-quality cannabis seeds, let’s first go over the core types of marijuana seeds that are out there.

Regular

Regular cannabis seeds offer potentially both a male and female plant, a result you won’t know until the plant begins to flower. If your goal is to provide customers with affordable seeds that offer quality buds, you’ll have to let them know to watch for the gender of their plant. 

Regular seeds are ideal for individuals looking to save a couple of bucks, but growers will find that they are spending extra resources watching for the gender of their plant. Segregating male plants is imperative outside of robust breeding programs.

Key Advantages For Customers

• Pure Seeds / Unaltered Genetics
• Can Produce Both Genders
• Male Plants Can Be Used To Breed

Feminized

Growers looking to acquire consistent female seed production will want to opt for feminized cannabis seeds. You can meet the needs of your shoppers by offering feminized seeds so that they can ensure full utilization of their growing resources every single time. 

Feminized cannabis seeds essentially simplify things for your customers. When growing with feminized seeds, you have a reduced chance of running into male plants during the flowering stage. This saves your customers time and money as well as resource utilization.

Key Advantages For Customers

• Feminized Seeds Produce Consumer-Friendly Weed Products
• Optimize Your Growing Resources
• Avoid Male Plants During the Flowering Stage 

Autoflowers

Seed shops can meet the needs of their growers by offering first-timer-friendly options, such as auto-flower seeds. Auto-flowering seeds are an ideal choice for newcomers to the growing field because they provide a more relaxed process due to the automatic flowering nature of the seed.

Autoflowering seeds originally began as Cannabis Ruderalis plants, a species pulled from Russia. The Cannabis Ruderalis has adapted to short summers and low levels of light, causing it to flower faster. Nowadays, your customers can enjoy resilient and robust genetics from autoflowering plants without having to worry about flipping their lights or changing their feeding schedule.  

Key Advantages For Customers

• Automatically Flower Without Switching Lights
• Robust Genetics Defend Against Pests / Disease
• Grow Faster

Understanding Cannabis Types

There are two primary categories used to divide cannabis: sativa and indica. While these broader categories are easy to understand, they don’t tell the entire story.

Indica

Indica plants tend to be short and squat and are often associated with relaxation and a more pronounced body high. As a general stereotype, classifying an Indica strain as a relaxing experience can be accurate, but this isn’t always the case. 

Origin: India / Nepal / Pakistan / Afghanistan

Body: Short & Bushy

Popular Strains: Northern Lights, Bubba Kush, Grandaddy Purple.

Sativa

Tall and thin with finger-like leaves, sativa strains first originated from regions nearest to the equator. Most people associate the sativa flower with a great experience that is uplifting, energizing and even clear-headed. Sativa strains are often turned to for mood-boosting effects.

Origin: South America

Body: Tall and Thin

Popular Strains: Jack Herer, Green Crack, Durban Poison.

Hybrid

Hybridized cannabis strains have become the norm over the years as more and more sativa/indica crosses find their way to the market. Growers looking for hybridized seeds will often enjoy strains that offer the best of both worlds with varying effects, depending on the parents.

Curating a large inventory of hybrid seeds can be a great way to make sure that your customers receive the strains they need for the goals that they are looking to accomplish.

Popular Strains: Gorilla Glue #4, OG Kush, Girl Scout Cookies.

CBD

Exclusively bred to produce high levels of cannabidiol, CBD-rich seeds aim to provide your customers with CBD-rich plants that are generally favored for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits. Cannabidiol is a compound that is actively being researched for its efficacy in treating a slew of conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and even inflammation.

 Origin: Bred By Growers

Popular Strains: ACDC, Harlequin, Sweet and Sour Widow

Creating a Diverse Inventory

If you are looking to meet the needs of a diverse pool of shoppers and growers, you can do better by providing seeds of every variety.

Seeds you should carry to provide a full menu of CBD strain options.

• CBD Feminized – Feminized CBD seeds ensure the production of female, bud-bearing plants.
• CBD Regular – Regular seeds offer a 50/50 chance of producing male or female genetics.
• CBD Autoflowers – Autoflowering strains give your shoppers an expedited growing process without the need to flip their lights or change their feeding schedule to induce flowering.

Seeds you should carry to provide a full menu of Indica strain options.

• Indica Feminized – Take the guesswork out of growing by utilizing feminized seeds. Growers won’t need to purchase as many seeds due to a reduction in the appearance of male plants.  
• Indica Regular – Customers should be advised to buy two regular seeds for every single female plant they hope to produce. Careful attention should be paid during the flowering process so as to remove any potential male plants.
• Indica Autoflowers – Customers looking for a quick and slightly simplified growing process will prefer autoflowering indica seeds. 

Seeds you should carry to provide a full menu of sativa options.

• Sativa Feminized – Feminized sativa strains reduce the presence of male plants and should be utilized to allow maximum uptake of resources.
• Sativa Regular – Regular seeds are an affordable option and ideal for growers that are also interested in breeding their own genetics.
• Sativa Autoflowers – More expensive than regular seeds, autoflowers keep the process moving without worry.

Seeds you should carry for hybrid growers to work with.

• Hybrid Feminized – As with other classifications, feminized hybrid seeds will generate more female plants than male plants.
• Hybrid Regular – Regular hybrid seeds offer mixed genetics that ends up displaying both sativa and indica effects. 
• Hybrid Autoflowers – Autoflowers will keep the process moving while ensuring a simple transition from veg to flower.

To meet the needs of a diverse range of growers, cannabis shops today can focus on carrying a broad menu of seed selections. Understanding which seeds are available and what their benefits are will give your customers the education they need to make better choices that result in better crops.