If you’ve recently acquired some bag seeds, you probably have some questions about what to do with them.
In this article, I’m going to cover what bag seeds are, the pros and cons of using them, and what you can expect to happen if you grow them.
What Are Bag Seeds?
Bag seeds are simply seeds that you find. They could be at the bottom of a bag of weed, or from plants a plant you have grown. They are usually produced by plants that were accidentally pollinated, or by plants that were stressed and turned into hermies (both male and female)
Pros and cons of using bag seeds
Let’s look at some of the main pros and cons of using bag seeds.
Pros of bagseeds
✅ Basically free – cannabis seeds are expensive, so growing free seeds that you find in a bag of weed can potentially save you money (if they turn out to be females that produce bud)
✅ Mystery/surprise – many growers like growing bag seeds because there is a lottery element that makes it exciting. With bag seeds, you simply never know if you’re going to going to get a high-quality yield or end up with a grow room full of hermies that don’t produce anything.
✅ Easy to find – bag seeds are very easy to come by. If you buy or grow weed regularly, you probably come across them all the time.
✅ Can produce excellent results – It’s pretty rare, but if your seed came from high-quality genetics, then you could end up with some really good bud.
Cons of using bag seeds
❌ Time & money wasting – To find out if your bag seeds are female, you will usually have to wait 4-6 weeks. If all of your plants are male (or hermies) then you could be left frustrated at having wasted so much time, not to mention the potential money you spent on energy bills.
❌ Lower germination rates – bag seeds typically have very poor germination rates due to being improperly stored.
❌ Poor quality bud – even if you’re sure that your bag seeds come from high-quality genetics, bag seeds are very unpredictable, and often produce small, weak yields.
Will Bag Seeds Grow?
As long as your bag seeds are still viable, then they should still grow.
However, bag seeds are notorious for having poor germination rates due to being stored incorrectly.
Many growers have successfully grown bag seeds and are happy with their results. It really all comes down to the quality of bud that you’re seed came from.
Here’s what one grower on Reddit said about growing bag seeds:
I’m at 100% female with about 6 different bag seed strains from girl scout cookies, congo to different kush varieties over the past few years. They’re not always as good as the parent like my goddess green kush strain ended up tasting completely different and the girl scout tends to grow smaller bud compared to the F1 genetics, no matter what I try on it. Still the quality of the bud is top notch. Like you said though, it’s great practice without losing good seeds. Eventually you do want to branch out and try different strains if only to keep learning.
Irn2grow (Reddit)
I’d highly recommend that you inspect each seed carefully before trying to germinate them. You’re looking for a nice brown color with slightly darker ‘tiger stripes’ and a seed that won’t crush easily if you squeeze it between your fingers.
Are Bag Seeds Worth Growing?
Whether bag seeds are worth growing really comes down to personal preference.
If you are a new grower, bag seeds can be a great way of practicing without sacrificing good quality (and expensive) seeds.
You can also strike lucky with bag seeds and get some incredible results. I spoke to a grower once that told me a bag seed produced one of his best strains ever.
In my opinion, spending the time, energy, and money on potentially growing a crop full of males and hermies is simply not worth it.
I’d prefer to maximize my yields and potency by buying top-quality seeds.
2 Real Life Bag Seed Grows Examples
First Ever Grow (6 bag seeds)
This guy grew some bag seeds for his first-ever grow.
He calls bag seeds “lucky packet” seed “as you never know what you’ll get.
He germinated 6 of them in an egg box and used regular compost soil from the garden.
After only 4 of them sprouted, he moved them into slightly larger pots, and then transplanted them again into 10-liter pots (2 gallons) and filled them with potting soil he purchased from the garden center.
Although the plants grew steadily, he ran into just about every beginner issue:
1. Overwatering
2. Nutrient deficiencies
3. Nutrient burn
4. Light burn and heat stress
5. Stretching
Once the plants started to reveal their gender, he quickly realized that he had 2 males, which he removed from the tent.
After a while, he realized that one of the two remaining plants was a hermie (both male and female) and was producing lots of pollen sacks, so he removed it from the tent.
He was then left with one female plant that went into flowering which produced a very reduced yield, mostly likely due to the fact it has been pollinated by the males in the tent.
10 random bag seeds, 3 successful Autos
This guy found 10 unknown bag seeds in an old camera case. He germinated all 10 but only 3 sprouted.
The 3 seeds grew extremely fast and it quickly became clear that they were autos. He employed some wire training on the stems to create a few more bud sites and increase yield.
In the end, the 3 bag seed autos managed to produce around 2 ounces combined. One of the plants produced a tiny yield, with the other two making up the bulk of the harvest.
Are All Bag Seeds Hermies?
The short answer is no, not every bag seed will be a Hermaphrodite (Hermie) Every set of bag seeds is different and will therefore have different outcomes depending on where they came from, their genetics, and how well they were stored.
However, based on my own experience and looking through grower forums, it’s likely that most bag seeds will ultimately be male or end up hermies.
…Or at least display some strange Hermie traits.
This is because most bag seeds are the result of a stressed female plant that self-pollinated due to grower error.
Are Bag Seeds Female?
There’s no way to tell if your bag seeds are female until you start growing them.
They will reveal their sex after about 6 weeks.
Many bag seeds show signs of being female early on, only to switch sex and become hermies (much to the grower’s frustration)
Your best chance of getting a female bag seed is if it came from a stressed female plant that was grown indoors and only produced a few male leaves.
However, even these seeds will tend to have Hermie tendencies.
Can Bag Seeds Be Autoflower?
Bag seeds can be Autoflower as long as both its parent were Autoflowers, too. If the seed came from a Photoperiod/Autoflower cross, then it only has a 25% chance of being an Autoflower and a 75% chance of being a Photoperiod.
How long do bag seeds last?
How long your bag seeds will last depends on their genetics and how well they have been stored.
If your seeds have been stored in an air-tight tight container and placed in a cool, dark location, then you can expect your seeds to last for up to 5 years.
However, if your seeds have been improperly stored, then they might only last for 6 months. It’s always wise to thoroughly inspect your seeds before germination to ensure you don’t end up wasting your time.
How do you know if bag seeds are good?
Healthy bag seeds will be different shades of brown and often have ‘tiger stipes’. If the seed looks like it has some green on it, then it’s unlikely to be viable.
You can also test whether the seed is viable by placing it in a cup of water. If the seed sinks to the bottom of the glass you should be good to go, but if it floats it’s probably a dud.
How to grow bag seeds
Bag seeds should be grown and treated just like any other cannabis seed. Check out my article on how to grow weed indoors.
However, there here are a few tips for your bag seed grow to maximize your chance of success.
- Store them properly – Before growing, make sure that you are storing your seeds properly in an air-tight container and in a cool and dark location. Your fridge is the ideal location.
- Test the seeds before growing – always test your seeds before growing. Inspect the color to make sure that it’s a healthy brown shade. Pinch the seed between your fingers (if should be flexible and not brittle), and finally test the seed in a glass of water. If it’s viable it should sink to the bottom.
- Use small cups for seedlings – Bag seeds have a poor germination rate, so avoid planting your seeds directly into large containers of soil. Germinate them first using the paper towel method, then put them into small plastic cups.
- Don’t use expensive soil – there’s no point in using high-quality soil like FoxFarms for bag seeds, as it’s highly likely that you will have to throw some of it away. Just use standard potting soil.
- Keep a close eye on gender – Your plants should start to reveal their sex after about 6 weeks. Make sure you get rid of any male plants or Hermaphrodite plants as soon as possible to prevent them from pollinating any remaining females.
Conclusion
Many people love growing bag seeds due to the lottery of not knowing what you’re going to get.
In my opinion, it’s better to spend $10 on a high-quality seed that you know is going to be female and produce the goods.
Have you grown bag seeds? What were your results like?
Let me know in the comments
James.
Originally posted 2022-11-02 17:11:01.
James Alexander