Back years ago it was super hard to get your hands on some good cannabis seeds. Sure you could get seeds from your buddy or friends but were they any good and most of the time they were not what were described by your buddy. Also cannabis seeds were just as illegal as cannabis itself, and could land you in jail. We currently only know of two people in Canada that were charged with seed sales. We are not aware of anyone in the United States that has ever been prosecuted for cannabis seed sales.
Why were cannabis seeds so expensive in the past?
Since cannabis was illegal this would drive up the cost of cannabis buds themselves as well as the cannabis seeds. High priced cannabis seeds were the norm for most people. It was not unheard of for growers paying hundreds of dollars for just a few cannabis seeds. Female cannabis seeds could really put a dent in your wallet or purse. Of course with more risks came more costs for your seeds. Your high priced cannabis seeds could be found and taken in the mail even shipping in the same country. Seed sellers were taking big chances sending their seeds to other vendors. This really drove up the cost of great cannabis seeds.
Why are some Seedbanks still charging so much for Cannabis Seeds?
Many cannabis growers in the market today, were trained on high priced cannabis seeds, and still believe that because they are paying hundreds of dollars for seeds they are getting the latest and greatest cannabis strains on the market today. In today’s world this is (most of the time) not the case anymore. The costs of shipping, producing, and breeding high priced cannabis seeds has come down greatly over the last number of years.
Breeders can now use better technologies to control their growing spaces, and lighting that is far cheaper to run such as LED’s in the past. This should bring down the cost of cannabis seeds. Many cannabis breeders keep their prices very high to give new and some old growers the illusion that they are getting something that is so much better when in reality if they shop around they can find the same genetics at a fraction of the cost.
High Priced Cannabis Seed Growers would be better of buying more lower priced seeds
Finding any amazing cannabis plant is about selection and not high priced cannabis seeds. Buying 3 seeds at $150 dollars is way higher risk then buying 15 of those seeds for half the price. Common sense would say that you have a way better chance of finding a keeper mom out of those 15 seeds then 3 high priced cannabis seeds. With cannabis becoming legal in more places and more growers that can grow quality cannabis, these days cannabis seeds are becoming much easier to get and better quality when you get them. Sure you still have plant counts however, they are getting high in most places, and even higher (no pun intended) for medical cannabis growers.
We believe that growers would be better off doing a pheno hunt from more lower priced cannabis seeds than to pay hundreds of dollars for the new “in strain” on the market today.
How to do a Pheno Hunt with Lower Priced Cannabis Seeds?
Start by finding a lower cost seed vendor with good reviews. Your best bet would be to find a seedbank or a seed breeder that has quality genetics that are reasonably priced for ten seeds female or regular cannabis seeds are fine. Next read this article on how to find a great mother cannabis plant. This article will help you grow, and select the best plant out of all the cheaper seeds that were grown to use as a clone mother.
Sure you could do this with high priced cannabis seeds and hopefully more stable genetics. However this could end up costing the grower two to three times as much money as buying more cheaper cannabis seeds of the same strain.
Are Lower Priced Cannabis Seeds as Good at High Priced Cannabis Seeds?
Many years ago it was much harder to grow many cannabis plants for a pheno hunt to find the best cannabis seeds genetics. This was because the more plants one would grow the more prison time the grower would receive if caught and convicted. In most places this isn’t so much the case these days, as it was in the past. Many more people can grow many more plants, and the same goes for the best cannabis breeders. This can also help private breeders as well with selecting and creating high quality cannabis plants.
With all these things going for seed quality, it should account for better cannabis seeds on the market today, and at a much lower price.
Should Growers Pay more for Cannabis Seeds in 2023?
This really comes down to the grower. If there is a strain that they would really like to grow, and they are unable to find it anywhere at a decent price point then the grower may have to pay more for those seeds. However we recommend shopping around for that strain with so many seedbanks and in the market today, typically growers can find the strain they are looking for at a much lower price. This way you can afford more seeds at the same cost and have more plants to select from for your mother cannabis plant.
