hello
seeds are expensive so would like to grow my own.
growing indoor.
QUESTION: how to tell when seeds are fully mature/able to germinate in a growing plant so as to then harvest them?
i sample buds every few days, those that are small/green/soft are obviously not ready.
there are some that are darker and have a hard shell, but other than trying to germinate them, i am wondering how to tell if they are viable for future crops.
i will still consume the buds after removing the seeds. yes, the potency is not as much as nonpollenated buds, but is effective, just takes more.
I made fem seeds from a couple autos I grew last round and my Critical mass had lots of green seeds on the lower branches. I am doing an experiment right now with some of the harder larger green seeds to see if they will germinate. I started them yesterday. Checked today and some have started to darken in the paper towel. Nothing cracked yet but I will give them 4-5 days to see what happens.
The seeds will be fully mature when the bud is finished @jwm. If they’re pale looking, they’re probably but not always not viable seeds from my experience. If they have a dark look, they’re ready to germinate
Just let them ride until the buds are done. Not all seeds have the prominent tiger striping, nor do all seeds end up really big. If you take a seed and squeeze it between your thumb and pointer, it should be hard… an immature or bad one will just crush between your finger. They shouldn’t end up green though.
I apologize, but I forgot to answer your original question. I purchased my silver thiosulfate on Amazon and it came with instructions to let the buds mature at least 1 to 2 weeks past their normal Harvest. All of my green seeds Came From Below the canopy. Everything on the top was nice and brown and mature.
If you want the best chances possible for as many seeds as possible, I’d tack on an entire month after the flowering period is over. The breeders I’ve worked with do seed runs for a minimum of 12 weeks to allow time for all the seeds to develop.
Seeds are relatively inexpensive when compared to the cost of running a grow from start to finish. If you want to not spend money on seeds cloning is much more viable solution than breeding.
I have been playing around with seeds for about 15 years now. Indoor, 8 weeks minimum or most will be pale and crush under press test. Outdoor, I find they ripen SO MUCH faster. Closer to 3-4 weeks. My theory is outdoor they sense the end is coming and put 100% energy to seed ripe. Like the leaves all defoliate and the plant looks like s***, but they ripen fast. I will often pollinate sacrificial clones indoor and then throw them outside in the hoop house to ripen as I start another pollen project inside right after.
If I was doing it to maximize seeds then let the plant finish or go over 12 weeks like @CatDadPower said.
Also, @Caligurl has the most important point, I could not agree more. If they crush under medium to hard pressure from your fingers they were/are not ripe. And color and size of seed mean nothing. They are often all dark grey or green off the whole plant. Also, tiger striping will often rub off in fresh harvested seeds while seed mining. Like wet paint.
I like to pollinate young seedlings while sexing young plants. They reveg fast while small in 4” pots. Then harvest the seeds and spring plant the keepers as the “new veg growth” foxtails out of the seeded buds. Then you have the next crops seeds in hand before you even grow the parents out to harvest. My routine is for outdoor harvests, but Indoors this would be easy to do w 2 tents.
Completing my first year indoor growing for learning. Seeds was not part of the original plan, but required learning and awesome assistance provided NK!/SG forum friends. Seeds, and pollenating accomplished.
Disney in June, Family and wedding all summer. Sitting on my sack of seeds and the latest ILGM purchase for the fall indoor grow. Current garden has terminal date and cure before 5/20/23.
Cant wait. ILGM MauiWaui, GoldLeaf and my boys contrbuted to the party, still.Still seed mining, but it is a labor of love. Can’t even give away any, till after I mine once, for seeds and kief.
Unless some forum friends stop bye and they get to taste the best, for professional opinions and advice.
Grow on, best growing to all.
@DEEPDIVERDAVE, We should get together soon and trade seeds for real. I would love to try your stuff to breed with. More genetic diversity is a good thing. The seeds get me more excited than buds to be honest.
I would love you to help me pheno hunt my jillybean x blueberry stuff for mold resistance. I think these are going to be special for mold resistance rainy buds. And anything else you would want. When this current batch of seeds get harvest I am sending a gift pack to freebirdmike too.
Also, what apples and grapes do you do? I got a baby graft vine this year, grapes are new to me. But I have quite a collection of apples. I am a damn good grafter if you ever wanted to top work new varieties to your old trees.
If you go to growingfruit.org we can private message there. You won’t be able to message until you reply to a couple threads and are active 48 hours is the routine I believe… don’t mention cannabis there. All the mods HATE weed.
Apples last year too cold, this year unknown.
Building natural fence wall for yard.
Blackberry plants transplanted from undesired location of annual growing.
Small Lilac transplants look to have been rabbit food.
Larger bushes just relocated, buds too high for rabbits, not deer.
Wanting to splice Granny Sm apples with Galas, both growing in my yard.
Tulips look like 4-20 if not froze, again.
Rich with Red Hot Pokers (tthose that survived the 2021 Xmas PNW snow-freeze.
No truer words written. Seeds, like children, offer no guarentee, but shure cost plenty of time, strees, and worry. Cost of growing your own seeds will cost you a grow cycle. My bet.
Seeds plenty while valuable, cost more because YOU must destroy the bud to recover the seeds.
Plants grow badly when with seed, IME/O. But seeds are insurance for fun, like condoms, well worth the price.
Mason Bees thread. I have “rented” from RMB.com and purchased Mason Bees from CrownB.
My contribution to the yard, my outdoor oasis or mirage.
Rental program good for environment. Used the bee release for teaching some home schooled kids, cool.
Nobody got stung, even better.
DDD51
okay.
sampled seeds are showing tiger stripes. big, hard, “heavy”.
will sequentially harvest a few buds every other day.
growing nyc diesel, very tall. been trimming off yellow leaves and drying them and they definitely have power !
all the articles i have read is that leaves and seeded buds will be weak.
nevertheless, 3 bowls will put me on cloud 9.
its been decades since i partook, but MJ is now legal in my state.
so if what i am partaking is doing the trick for me, i am cautious about consuming unseeded buds in plants whose genetics have been perfected over 30 years!
anyway, my single crop has a street value more than what is spent setting up.
just to be clear, exclusively for my personal consumption. selling still a legal no no.
I have heard that as well but I got some “ruined” buds from a friend that were loaded with seeds and the smoke was very potent. The seeds produce good, “fruity”, purplish buds and have been auto/female every time. I have about a dozen seeds remaining.
Congrats! My state will probably be the very last one to legalize.
It ain’t like our Daddy’s weed.
Same situation. I have been getting “Free” weed for about a year now considering overhead vs value. Even invested in a new (too) large tent and considering new lights and fresh seeds soon.
So far I got one seed to pop out of the green seeds I’m trying to sprout. I accidentally broke the shells on two after they soaked for 2 days just checking to see how hard they were so I gave up hope on them, but I still have two more I’m going to leave in there for a few more days. First one to pop I dropped in soil tonight.
I have a bubblegum auto flower on week 12 and does not look ready for harvest. Company says 8-10 weeks but I believe they need more time! Any help would be appreciated.
My state will probably be the very last one to legalize. 
