What Do Cannabis Seeds Look Like?

The visual traits of cannabis seeds is a topic that raises many questions amongst growers. We regularly get asked about how cannabis seeds should appear, with regards to their size, shape and colour, as these factors are believed to be strongly related to seed quality. In this article we take a comprehensive look at the primary physical characteristics of cannabis seeds in order to clarify any concerns that you may have.

This post has been created to answer all the key questions that we frequently get asked by customers and growers about the physical traits of our primary product: premium-quality cannabis seeds.

Our 15 years in the business have given us great knowledge as well as a broad perspective on this subject, so it is an honour for us to be capable to share our knowledge with all of you in the cannabis world.

The size of cannabis seeds

As the majority of the cannabis strains that are presently on the marketplace are polyhybrids, the size of the seeds can fluctuate depending on their genetic line.

Some clients, for instance, reach out to us to inform us that they have purchased Critical + seeds and https://nativesusa.com/ (nativesusa.com) they feel they look too tiny. But this is a standard feature of this variety: we've seen countless of Critical + seeds and we can attest that they are naturally smaller than others. It is thus incorrect to believe that this is an indication of poor quality.

If, on the contrary, the seeds look too big, this may be caused by a shortage of macronutrients during the crop's growth cycle. As any grower with adequate experience will understand, calcium deficiencies are fixed by adding calcium and mg, a mixture that helps reestablishing the ideal nutritional balance of plants.

So in this case, a rise in dimensions could be a clear indicator of this supplementation of calcium and magnesium, which is done in order to alleviate that macronutrient shortage during growth. This has no effect on the plant's potential for germination, growth, flowering, or yield, nor on the development of the organoleptic qualities of the buds (aroma, flavour and effect).

So we can openly say that this difference is simply aesthetic. If we take the case of a Moby Dick seed, its size 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 living beings, cannabis seeds are also biologically different amongst themselves.

The form of cannabis seeds

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

In some instances their shape is more elongated; whereas in others one of the ends can be rounded whilst the other is more pointy. But this is no reason for concern: as with dimensions, these slight differences in the contour of the seeds are simply visual and have no relation to do with quality.

Related post: The most frequent mistakes when germinating cannabis seeds

The colour of cannabis seeds

Although it is correct that ripe cannabis seeds typically to have a dark shell that can go from brown to black, with stripes that look like tiger stripes, this cannot be regarded as a quality marker by itself.

Yet once more, this is a deceptive physical attribute that does not assure the germination potential or overall qualities of an individual seed. A top-grade strain can also be light or dark gray in colour.

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

Critical + is a good example that colour, opposite to what many cultivators believe, is not necessarily a quality marker: these unquestionably high-quality seeds display a distinctly light grey, almost white-ish grey, to a medium grey colour.

However, a green-tinted colour is an obvious sign of underdevelopment, which means that the seed has not developed fully or it has not received all the required resources to attain full maturity. In this specific case, if you purchase seeds with this color you need to contact your supplier right away and try to have them exchanged.

If this occurs to you with one of our seeds, don't delay to contact us directly. Send us a couple of pictures so we can examine them out, and our support team will substitute them as quickly as possible.

Another aspect that can be confusing is the fact that a ripe, freshly-harvested cannabis seed has a brighter and darker color than after it's been stored for one to two months.

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

The same thing happens with cannabis seeds: the storage and the various stages before they're marketed can entail light and humidity changes, as well as a little of oxidation, which may slightly affect the color of the shell but definitely has no impact on the end product. Once again, this is simply an aesthetic effect.

We trust that this article has provided you with some valuable information about the physical features of your cannabis seeds to help you interpret them more objectively before starting their germination and cultivation.