How Do Cannabis Seeds Look Like?

The appearance of cannabis seeds is a subject that raises several questions amongst growers. We often get asked about the manner cannabis seeds should look, with regards to their dimensions, shape and color, as these parameters are believed to be closely related to seed quality. In this post we take a detailed look at the key physical characteristics of cannabis seeds in order to clarify any concerns that you may have.

This article has been conceived to answer all the key questions that we regularly get asked by customers and growers concerning the physical traits of our primary product: premium-quality cannabis seeds.

Our 15 years in the field have given us great knowledge as well as an extensive perspective on this matter, so it is a privilege for us to be able to share our expertise with all of you in the cannabis world.

The dimensions of cannabis seeds

As most of the cannabis cultivars that are presently on the market are polyhybrids, the size of the seeds can fluctuate depending on their hereditary line.

Some customers, for instance, reach out to us to tell us that they have purchased Critical + seeds and they believe they look too small. But this is a normal feature of this variety: we've seen millions of Critical + seeds and we can confirm that they are naturally smaller than others. It is hence incorrect to believe that this is a sign of poor quality.

If, on the contrary, the seeds appear too big, this may be triggered by a lack of macronutrients during the plant's growth cycle. As any grower with some experience will know, calcium deficiencies are corrected by adding calcium and magnesium, a mixture that helps reestablishing the ideal nutritional balance of plants.

So in this situation, a rise in dimensions could be a clear indicator of this addition of calcium and magnesium, https://nativesusa.com/ (nativesusa.com) which is done in order to remedy that macronutrient shortage during growth. This has no effect on the crop's potential for germination, growth, flowering, or harvest, nor on the formation of the organoleptic characteristics of the buds (scent, flavour and effect).

So we can openly say that this variation is simply cosmetic. If we take the example of a Moby Dick seed, its dimensions will most probably be bigger than those of Critical +, although you can also encounter slight variations between seeds from the identical strain. Don't overlook that, as with all biological beings, cannabis seeds are also genetically different amongst themselves.

The structure of cannabis seeds

Cannabis seeds can also show slight changes at structural level. It's perfectly normal to discover minor differences in the elliptical shape of seeds from the identical batch.

In some cases their shape is more elongated; whereas in others one of the ends can be rounded whilst the other is more tapered. But this is no cause for concern: as with size, these slight differences in the outline of the seeds are merely visual and have no relation to do with quality.

Related post: The most frequent mistakes when sprouting cannabis seeds

The colour of cannabis seeds

Although it is true that ripe cannabis seeds typically to have a dark shell that can go from brown to black, with stripes that look like zebra stripes, this cannot be viewed as a quality indicator by itself.

Yet once more, this is a deceptive physical attribute that does not guarantee the germination potential or overall traits of an individual seed. A high-quality strain can also be light or dark grey in colour.

Let's take the example of Critical + again, one of our long-time bestsellers that has had outstanding success across the world thanks to its remarkable scent, flavour, effect, and production capacity.

Critical + is a clear example that colour, opposite to what many growers believe, is not always a direct quality marker: these undeniably high-quality seeds exhibit a distinctly pale grey, almost whitish grey, to a medium grey colour.

However, a green-tinted colour is an obvious sign of immaturity, which means that the seed hasn't developed fully or it hasn't received all the needed resources to attain full maturity. In this specific case, if you purchase seeds with this color you need to contact your supplier immediately and try to have them substituted.

If this occurs to you with one of our seeds, don't hesitate to contact us immediately. Send us a few of pictures so we can examine them out, and our customer service team will replace them as quickly as possible.

Another factor that can be misleading is the fact that a mature, freshly-harvested cannabis seed has a more vibrant and darker colour than after it's been stored for 1 to 2 months.

This could be compared to a newborn whose physical look quickly evolves during their first few weeks of life in order to adapt to the completely new outside environment.

The identical thing happens with cannabis seeds: the storage and the different stages before they're commercialised can entail light and humidity fluctuations, as well as a little of oxidation, which may somewhat affect the colour of the shell but certainly has no impact on the final product. Once again, this is simply a visual effect.

We hope that this post has provided you with some helpful information about the physical traits of your cannabis seeds to assist you interpret them more accurately before starting their germination and cultivation.