Ever wondered how all these award-winning, ultimately awesome hybrid marijuana strains are made?
It may seem like a complicated sky-rocket operation.
However, the process is actually very easy to grasp, although not that effortless to put into practice. And especially if you are just a newbie to marijuana cultivation.
Below, we are revealing how to grow hybrid weed successfully.
Yes, you can cross those two fantastic favorite strains of yours.
But first, you must equip with some patience and, of course, the right attitude by following the expert tips we will provide in this article.
Are you ready to bring your cannabis cultivation to another level? Great, because so are we!
How to Grow Hybrid Weed: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners
How are Hybrid Strains Born?
Hybrid cannabis strains are created by merging the genetics of two parent strains.
The parent strains can be both Indica and/or Sativa cannabis varieties.
For example, different Indica strains will produce a different effect after consuming the green medication.
Thus, you can get the best of both worlds by cross-breeding their genetic inheritance, and end up with a new type of Indica, which will be a hybrid, even though it will not show mixed traits between an Indica and Sativa.
On the other hand, some of the most popular hybrids nowadays are created by cross-breeding the genetics of an Indica and Sativa cannabis variety.
As a result, you get a new strain, which carries a different ratio of the Sativa-Indica genetic inheritance.
Let’s take, for example, Pineapple Express.
This notorious strain was born after the breeders crossedTrainwreck with Hawaiian. Finally, they cultivated the well-known Pineapple Express, bearing a 60% Sativa to 40% Indica traits.
Sounds pretty straightforward, right?
But what do you have to do if you want to create your own hybrid weed?
How to Make a Hybrid Marijuana Strain
First off, you need to germinate and plant the seeds you want to breed.
It is crucial to choose your parent seeds from a reputable seed bank, where you can find purebred cannabis varieties.
Purebred cannabis strains will have a strict and specific genetic inheritance, which is fully described by the breeders.
Thus, you will know what to expect when breeding your own hybrids, and you will rely on authentic genetic inheritance.
If you go for crossbreeding just about any seed which falls behind after a smoking an awesome bud, you stand a greater chance of ending up with totally unpredictable genetics.
Nevertheless, there is also a bigger possibility to grow hermaphrodite marijuana plants.
Yes, marijuana plants are not only males or females; there are also hermaphrodites, which show mixed traits.
You don’t need hermaphrodites, though, as they won’t help you out on your way to creating hybrid weed.
Another crucial factor to keep in mind and avoid hermaphroditism is to provide your parent marijuana plants with a consistent growing environment.
That means taking care of the most suitable humidity levels, temperature levels, watering schedule, etc.
That’s one more reason why breeding your own hybrids is not quite suitable for beginner marijuana growers.
You really need to have some practice with cannabis cultivation. Personally, I started my first attempts with homegrown hybrids after my 5th successful marijuana growing.
Then again, your choice of suitable marijuana parent seeds will play a crucial role in determining the success of your efforts.
For providing the best growing conditions, you need to have an excellent outlook on the growing demands of your strains.
That is easy to achieve when you have quality bred marijuana seeds. They will come with a full description of the best growing conditions for your green beauties to thrive (and to produce healthier, better hybrid seeds after pollination).
In order to pollinate your parent marijuana plants, you also need to grow both a female and a male plant.
Let’s say you want to cross-breed an OG Kush and an Afghani, as to create your own version of Afghani Kush. For this purpose, you need a female OG Kush plant and a male Afghani plant (or vice versa).
Next, you have to isolate these two parent plants from your marijuana garden or grow room. You will have to dedicate another growing space for your chosen parent strains to breed.
Once the male marijuana plant pollinated the female marijuana plant, you will get your first hybrid weed seeds upon harvesting (it takes only a few weeks before the seed pods of your females open).
Advanced breeders often simply collect the pollen from the male, and keep it refrigerated if needed until it’s time to hand-pollinate the females.
So far, so good.
But if the process of marijuana hybridization is that simple, why don’t we all just start creating our premium hybrid cannabis plants?
Actually, the process of hybridization does not end with the first hybrid seeds harvest you get.
These seeds will carry mixed genetics between your 2 parent strains, but their genetics won’t be transferred equally. In simple words, you won’t really get what you are looking for.
Some seeds will give birth to marijuana plants which will show, for example, 30% of the first parent’s genetics, and 70% of the second parent plant’s genetics.
Others will show up a different ratio, for example, 15% to 85% genetic inheritance from their Mother and Father marijuana strains.
And so, you will need to refine the genetics in order to end up with a reliable hybrid strain.
Thus, you will have to repeat the process of cross-breeding the newly born marijuana plants by your first hybrid seeds for a few generations of marijuana plants.
Ultimately, this process can take years.
That’s especially if you don’t have a reliable indoor marijuana growing setup which will allow you to grow your plants all-year-round, shortening the waiting period between growing your hybrid crops.
But above all, if you truly want to learn how to grow hybrid weed, nothing stands between you and your dream but solely your determination and commitment. Wish you a happy and successful marijuanaventure, bud buddies!
