As more and more states pass laws legalizing cannabis, more people across the United States are looking to buy cannabis seeds in order to grow their own plants at home. That’s because most of the states that have legalized cannabis for recreational use and medical use have also legalized growing plants in a private residence, as long as there is no access to the plants by those under 21 years of age.
If you’re searching for the best cannabis seeds to buy in the US, and you’ve never had to purchase cannabis seeds before, it can be a little confusing. There are a lot of different strains and types of cannabis seeds available in the United States and, with those strains, come different levels of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis. There’s a lot more to know also, such as the 3 different types of cannabis seeds, where to purchase them and how to know if you’re purchasing quality seeds.
This article will give you all of that information and more, so that you can grow your own cannabis at home. So sit back, relax and read on to find out All You Need to Know About Buying Cannabis Seeds in the USA. Enjoy.
Are Cannabis Seeds Legal to Purchase?
This is the first factor that you need to keep in mind if you want to purchase cannabis seeds for home growing. The fact is, like cannabis itself, plus cannabis flowers, edibles and concentrates, cannabis seeds are still illegal in many parts of the United States and so can’t be sold there (at least legally).
If you’re lucky enough to reside in a state where cannabis is legal for adult recreational use, cannabis seeds will be legal there as well. You’ll be able to purchase them from a source in your state, and also be able to produce them and sell them to others who reside in your state. The same goes for states where medical cannabis is legal, although in those states you’ll only be able to purchase them from a state-certified seller and not produce or sell them yourself.
What About Seed Banks Outside of the United States?
While there are most definitely cannabis seed sources and seed banks outside the US, and they will sell them and send them to you, if United States Customs officers find them they will seize them. The same goes for bringing in the cannabis seeds yourself. If US Customs sniffs them out (so to speak) they’ll seize them and your seeds will be destroyed.
There’s no penalty for this and sometimes they will make it through and get delivered to your door, but if they are seized you might lose your money. In short, it’s a bit of a risk to buy cannabis seeds from outside the US and, for that reason, buying them in the US (if you live in the US, of course) is a moderately safer choice.
So Where Can I Buy Cannabis Seeds in the USA?
As we mentioned earlier, in states where cannabis has been legalized for medical or recreational use you can buy seeds and, in those states, you’ll find cannabis dispensaries and cannabis seed banks that will sell you a wide variety of cannabis seeds to grow your own plants.
There are also online cannabis seed stores where you can purchase your cannabis seeds and other cannabis-related products for medical and recreational use. Finding a reputable cannabis seed dealer will take a little bit of time and effort but, when you’re done and have a great source, the time and energy will have been well worth it. Speaking of which…
How To Research Online Cannabis Sellers
Before growing your own cannabis plants from seeds you’ll want to spend a little bit of time researching things like which seller is best, what strain (or strains) of cannabis you want, comparing prices and delivery charges and so forth.
One of the biggest challenges you’ll face when doing your research is that, since the United States still prohibits cannabis at the federal level, finding correct (or any) information about cannabis seed breeders and cannabis seed banks can be difficult at best.
As with anything you want to purchase online, you should ask around to any friends or associates who have purchased cannabis seeds online to see what their experience was and who they purchased from. Next, you should do your due diligence and check out as many seed banks and seed breeders as possible, so that you have all the information you need to compare and contrast their services, selection and prices.
When possible, it’s a great idea to check out any online reviews that breeders and seed banks have also, as this ‘social proof’ is sometimes very valuable and can lead you in the right direction (or prevent you from buying from a disreputable breeder or seed bank).
Find Some Online Cannabis Grower Journals
As with many other types of plants and flowers, there are many ‘grower journals’ online where the entire cannabis growing process is shown and recorded, detailing the entire process from seed to plant to harvesting. The best thing about these types of online journals is that you’ll get a lot of insight into the cannabis growing process as well as the specific cannabis strain that’s being grown. It’s kind of like a step-by-step instruction guide with pictures!
You’ll also see the actual results, with notes and photos that can give you a lot of insight and advice about how to grow your own cannabis plants from seeds. A lot of these growers will also answer your questions and give advice, which is great because it’s free advice and can be very helpful indeed, especially for a first-time grower. One great idea is to purchase a small amount of the seeds, plant them, bring them to flower and see what kind of results you get. If you’re pleased, awesome. If not, you haven’t wasted a lot of time and energy on results you don’t enjoy.
Should you Shop for Cannabis Seeds at a Dispensary?
At the time of this writing more than half of the United States still don’t have legal cannabis, unfortunately. If yours does, great, you can wander in, take a look around, ask questions and walk out with some fantastic cannabis seeds. Sometimes.
See, most of the people that work in cannabis dispensaries know a lot about the cannabis they sell, as well as the other products like edibles, flowers, devices and so forth. But, when it comes to the seeds, most don’t really know all that much and that leaves you on your own trying to figure out what’s best.
One thing you might want to do before you go to purchase cannabis seeds at a dispensary is to call ahead and ask questions. If you find someone at your local dispensary who seems to know a lot about cannabis seeds you’re golden. If you don’t you should keep calling or, better still, buy cannabis seeds online.
How To Know if the Cannabis Seeds You’re Purchasing in the US are the Best Quality
Just as there are, for example, a wide variety of different tomatoes, the variety of different cannabis plants, and thus cannabis seeds, is astounding. The big difference between tomatoes and cannabis however is that cannabis growers and cannabis seed banks are constantly crossing one type of cannabis with another, producing seeds that are much different from the parent plant.
Even more interesting is that the best seed banks follow the exact origin of the seeds they produce, making sure that their home/marijuana-seeds-sale-farmers-lab-seeds/home/marijuana-seeds-sale-farmers-lab-seeds/genetics-certified/genetics are ‘stable’. This is in direct contrast to some cannabis seed growers who don’t follow the seed’s origin and thus produce cannabis seeds that have ‘unstable’ home/marijuana-seeds-sale-farmers-lab-seeds/home/marijuana-seeds-sale-farmers-lab-seeds/genetics-certified/genetics.
For example, some cannabis seed breeders might cross a male cannabis seed with a female and call the resulting new strain a ‘hybrid’ when, in fact, it’s anyone’s guess what the properties of that new seed will be like, or if they will deliver the desired results. On the other hand, a cannabis seed breeder who’s experienced will ‘back cross’ their seeds several times. This stabilizes the genetic makeup of the seed and, more importantly, ensures that the plants grown from their seeds deliver the consistent results that their customers are looking for.
In short, when buying cannabis seeds online in the USA, one of the questions you should ask of every seed bank or seed breeder you talk with is to see the history of the seeds you’re planning to purchase. If you can’t, the results you get might not be what you’re looking for and, in some cases, might be very far from what you desire.
What Are the Different Types of Cannabis Seeds?
If you haven’t guessed by now, not all cannabis seeds are alike. In fact, there are three different types of cannabis seeds, including regular cannabis seeds, autoflower cannabis seeds and feminized cannabis seeds.
Regular Cannabis Seeds
Regular cannabis seeds, which are sold by many breeders and cultivators, contain a mix of male and female seeds. It’s easier for them and, more importantly, regular seeds haven’t been inbred and crossed as much as feminized and autoflower seeds and so the results are pretty much standardized.
Note that, if you purchase regular cannabis seeds, you’ll need to keep an eye on them when they flower and discard the male plants. That’s because male plants don’t produce buds and, even worse, they will pollinate female plants and so the resulting buds from the female plants will have seeds. Possibly a lot of seeds. (And unless you’re a glutton for punishment, you don’t want seeds in your cannabis.)
Autoflower Cannabis Seeds
While typically a bit less potent than the regular and feminized cannabis seeds, autoflower seeds have a shorter growing time before they’re ready to harvest, as short as 2.5 to 3 months. They also go from vegetative to flowering automatically as they age and so are great for those who want to grow cannabis but not be consumed by the process.
Feminized Cannabis Seeds
We talked about how, with regular seeds, the males need to be culled so that the females don’t make seeds. The best thing about feminized seeds is that you don’t need to worry about males because all the seeds are female and will grow buds automatically when the time is right. Another great reason to buy feminized cannabis seeds in the USA is that there’s no risk you’ll miss a male plant. One single male cannabis plant can pollinate an entire crop and cause the females to focus on making seeds rather than making buds, and nobody wants that to happen if they’re growing cannabis for their own, personal use.
What is the Average Cost of Cannabis Seeds?
This is a difficult question to answer only because there are so many different types of cannabis seeds you can purchase. For example, a package of regular cannabis seeds with about a dozen seeds will sell for about $40.00, while a pack of top-end genetic seeds might sell for as much as $500.00. Also, since more work was put into creating and growing them, feminized and autoflower seeds will usually cost more than regular cannabis seeds. Your best bet is to shop around and check out a few seed banks before purchasing.
A Quick Note about How Many Cannabis Seeds to Purchase
A good rule-of-thumb when purchasing cannabis seeds in the USA is that you should buy 3X the number of seeds as the number of plants you would like. For example, if you want 6 plants (the max in many states), you should purchase 24 seeds. The reasons are that some won’t germinate (grow) and some will turn out to be males (unless you purchase feminized cannabis seeds).
If you buy feminized cannabis seeds you only need to buy 2X the number of seeds. Also, always make sure to only grow as many plants as your state allows so you don’t run afoul of Johnny Law.
In Conclusion
If growing your own cannabis plants is your plan, follow the tips we’ve given on how to purchase cannabis seeds and you’ll be off to a great start! We hope you enjoyed this article and that it answered All You Need to Know About Buying Cannabis Seeds in the USA. If you have more, need advice or want to purchase cannabis seeds, please leave a message in the space provided, and best of luck growing your own cannabis plants from seeds!