What Should Cannabis Seeds Look Like?

The look of cannabis seeds is a topic that raises numerous questions amongst growers. We frequently get asked about how cannabis seeds should look, with regards to their dimensions, shape and appearance, as these factors are believed to be closely related to seed grade. In this article we take a detailed look at the primary physical characteristics of cannabis seeds in order to clarify any concerns that you may have.

This article has been created to answer all the main questions that we regularly get asked by customers and growers concerning the physical traits of our main product: top-grade cannabis seeds.

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

The dimensions of cannabis seeds

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

Some customers, for instance, contact us to inform us that they have acquired Critical + seeds and they think they look too tiny. But this is a standard feature of this strain: we’ve seen millions of Critical + seeds and we can confirm that they are inherently smaller than others. It is thus incorrect to think that this is an indication of poor quality.

If, on the contrary, the seeds look too big, this may be triggered by a shortage of macronutrients during the crop’s growth cycle. As any grower with certain experience will know, calcium deficiencies are corrected by adding calcium and mg, a combination that assists in reestablishing the optimal nutritional balance of plants.

So in this instance, 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 impact on the plant’s potential for sprouting, growth, flowering, or yield, nor on the development of the organoleptic qualities of the buds (scent, flavour and effect).

So we can confidently say that this difference is simply visual. If we take the case of a Moby Dick seed, its size will most likely be bigger than those of Critical +, although you can also find slight variations between seeds from the same strain. Don’t overlook that, as with all biological beings, cannabis seeds are also biologically different amongst themselves.

The shape of cannabis seeds

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

In some situations 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 reason for concern: as with size, these slight differences in the contour of the seeds are purely visual and have nothing 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 darker shell that can go from brown to black, with stripes that look like tiger stripes, this cannot be regarded as a quality indicator by itself.

Yet again, this is a deceptive physical attribute that does not ensure the germination capacity or overall qualities of a seed. A top-grade strain can also be pale or dark gray 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 outstanding scent, flavour, effect, and production capacity.

Critical + is a clear example that colour, contrary to what many cultivators believe, is not always a quality indicator: these undeniably high-quality seeds exhibit a distinctly pale grey, almost white-ish grey, https://nativesusa.com/ – nativesusa.com, to a medium grey colour.

However, a greenish colour is an obvious sign of immaturity, which means that the seed has not developed fully or it has not received all the necessary resources to attain full maturity. In this specific case, if you acquire seeds with this colour you need to contact your supplier immediately and try to have them exchanged.

If this happens to you with one of our seeds, don’t delay to contact us directly. Send us a few of pictures so we can check them out, and our customer service team will substitute them as quickly as possible.

Another element that can be misleading is the fact that a ripe, freshly-harvested cannabis seed has a brighter and darker colour than after it’s been stored for 1 to 2 months.

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

The identical thing happens with cannabis seeds: the packaging and the different stages before they’re marketed can entail lighting and humidity fluctuations, as well as a bit of oxidation, which may slightly affect the color of the shell but definitely has no impact on the final product. Once again, this is just an aesthetic effect.

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