Producing Feminized Seeds Using Colloidal Silver

Granny420

Well-Known Member
Producing Feminized Seeds Using Colloidal Silver

If you want quick information while this journal is in progress, please feel free to review the brief article I submitted: How to Use Colloidal Silver to Produce Feminized Seeds It included some images from my first positive results in using this method.

This journal will include start to finish photos of both auto-flowering AND non-auto strains.

Okay... before I even start this, I hope everyone will be understanding if I don't have a lot of time to respond in detail to comments. I love you ALL and SOOOOO appreciate 420magazine giving us this area to share with others, but I don't have much time for getting in here to document. So, my apologies from the git-go if I don't respond to each message individually, but instead group my responses to all of you. I feel bad when I can't respond to each individual... just know I LOVE YA ALL!!!

PURPOSE: My purpose of even doing another journal is to document my entire process of producing female seeds using Colloidal Silver to hopefully help others to learn how to do this... and hopefully this will be a productive venture for female seeds for me! :)

INTRO
I see this trend from seed companies to sell strictly feminized seeds, many strains with no regular seeds available. It makes me wonder if this is due to the increased cost (their profit) for feminized seeds, or if it is also because it reduces their customers from creating more seeds on their own (keeps customers coming back), or maybe it is also because most of their current customer's are preferring female seeds so they don't have to waste time/space/expense in weeding out the males.

Regardless of their reasons, I found the cost astronomical for the return. This last year, I decided to try auto-flowering strains. Auto-flowering plants can't be cloned, so what you get is what you get and they are not large producers - both combining to make seed costs per return very low when compared to non-auto plants that grow large and can be cloned repeatedly (one non-auto seed returns MUCH MORE TO UNLIMITED!).

However, auto flowering plants are SO WONDERFUL for other reasons. They are small, mainly single cola plants so they don't take up much space. They don't depend upon the light cycle - which makes them wonderful strains to add. They have also been around long enough that they have been bred to be much stronger in THC levels than early auto flowering strains - equivalent to the strongest non-auto flowering strains now-a-days.

When I figured out the differences (and that I couldn't clone the autos), I was a bit disappointed. I decided I would produce my own seeds, buying some regular seeds and pollinating with the best male. I figured out quickly that the auto strains I was most interested in didn't offer regular seeds - they offered feminized seeds only. This left me to choose one strain that offered regular seeds to be able to get a male to cross with all the different auto-flowering strains I had. Not what I preferred (wanted pure stains), but would at least get me high quality regular seeds.

I don't know about you folks, but I sure do prefer feminized seeds - even tho they cost a lot more than regular seeds. They sure do save time, expense, and much needed space in the grow room if you don't have to weed out the males.

After ordering more seeds, I got to thinking about it and decided to research how the seed growers produce female seeds. It appeared there were three main ways.
1) Stress the plant to make it grow female pollen sacs.
2) Growing past it's harvest time causing them to throw a few female pollen sacs.
3) Use Colloidal Silver to cause the plant to grow female pollen sacs.

Of those choices, it appeared CS could consistently produce female pollen sacs while the others were not at all consistent.

Below, I will copy the info from the article I posted so I don't have to repeat these instructions, they I will continue with my beginning...
-----------------BEGIN COPY---------------
HOW TO USE COLLOIDAL SILVER TO PRODUCE FEMINIZED SEEDS

A very basic description of colloidal silver and it's actions: It is a solution of pure silver particles suspended in distilled water. It is often taken orally for health benefits (easy to purchase). When used on marijuana plants, it inhibits ethylene production needed (and normally produced) by the plant to produce female flowers, thus forcing the plant to produce male pollen sacs instead. Since there are no male chromosomes, the pollen is female (listed in many places as 99.99% female) and will produce female seeds.

CAUTION: First be completely aware that any part of a plant that you spray with colloidal silver IS NOT SAFE FOR CONSUMPTION (smoking or ingesting). The pollen created is completely safe to use and all seeds created with that pollen are safe.

BE SAFE!!! For this reason, I highly recommend using a complete plant (small clone or plant) to produce your pollen. Separate this plant from all other plants so you do not get colloidal silver spray on any consumable plants.

What you will need:

1) Colloidal Silver (CS) Spray (at least 40 ppm and pure - not too strong either!) and a spray bottle. I purchased Bio-Silver Ultra Colloidal Silver 50 ppm online and it worked.

2) One female plant to turn male. From seed or clone doesn't matter - but it should be the best looking female with all the characteristics that matter to you, since it will be used as a parent for your seeds. This can be a small plant in a small pot.

3) One female plant to pollinate. You can pollinate just a few flowers on a branch (do not use bottom flowers because they may not produce finished seeds), an entire branch, or the entire plant.

The day before you change your light cycle to 12/12, you will begin to thoroughly mist all new growth areas with the CS spray on the plant you wish to turn male. Repeat this at least once daily until you see male pods forming (use magnifying glass to watch closely - approximately 10 to 21 days). If the plant begins developing flowers quickly (as with auto-flowering strains), spray 2 to 3 times daily (dependent upon the plant's tolerance of the solution) until you see male pollen sacs forming where female flowers were developing). Once daily is the recommendation unless otherwise needed. Be sure to store your CS in a dark place between uses as light can degrade the CS solution. AND REMEMBER TO AVOID SPRAY TOUCHING CONSUMABLE PLANTS!!!

Once you are sure male sacs are developing, separate this male plant from your females to avoid accidental pollination. I simply took my female-turned-male plant to a different room with no air movement and let it survive on window light. A closet with a CFL would do nicely too. Heat and moisture are pollen killers, so avoid hot or moist areas.

Once male sacs begin to develop on the plant, it will be a bit of time before the majority of the sacs open to release pollen. With the auto strain I did, it was about 2 weeks, but this time varies with different strains. Don't disturb this plant (no air flow) and simply wait for numerous pollen sacs to open. Even the slightest air draft carries the pollen adrift... but it also makes it so very easy to collect too! When numerous pollen sacs are open, a gentle tap makes the pollen easy to collect on any clean smooth surface like glass or a mirror. It will be slightly yellowish in color. Use immediately, or dry and freeze for later use.

Need I say it is very important to change clothes and wash yourself completely before re-entering your flowering room!!! Pollen is very small and clings to clothing, hair, etc very easily.

Now, if you prepared ahead, you will also have a female plant flowering very nicely by the time you have your pollen. Isolate the plant, or branch, and pollinate. This info isn't geared towards detailed pollination methods, so please check other sources for that information. I used a Q-tip and tapped it gently over the flowers I wanted to pollinate.

Allow the female plant (or branch) adequate time to finish producing viable seed. If you take her early, your seeds will not be viable. The time needed for viable seeds varies with different strains and can range from 3 to 6 weeks with an average of 4 to 5 weeks.

Wah-lah... you now have feminized seeds... at least that's what the info said SHOULD happen!
***************

Last... my own experience...

Before deciding to try colloidal silver, I had already purchased 10 regular (not feminized) auto-flowering seeds because I wanted to be able to have male pollen to use to create my own seeds. After planting those seeds, I got to reading about CS and decided to try this too.

Nine out of ten seeds came up. My biggest concerns were that I couldn't simply start spraying the day before light change because I didn't have feminized seeds and the strain is auto-flowering. I knew I would have to wait until the plants showed their sex and worried it wouldn't work because I couldn't start it soon enough and autoflowering plants go direct into flowering once they preflower.

I ended up with 5 females and 4 males. I watched closely for preflowers and identified the females as quickly as I could. I saved the two best males in case the CS didn't work. I did find out it is very easy to collect pollen with those first males... and I did pollinate a female just to assure I would have seeds and the CS procedure wasn't finished by the time the true males pollen was.

I took the largest and best looking female and began to spray her once daily as soon as she clearly showed preflowers. But since this is an auto flowering plant, she began to grow small hairy flowers in the first few days. I increased to spraying the new growth areas (basically small flowers beginning in all nodes) to 2 to 3 times daily for the next 10 days, but this solution is pretty hard on the plant. When I began to feel I was seeing changes (looking at thru 20x magnifying glass), I decreased to once daily again for the remainder of the 21 days it took to have this lil lady turn male.

She put up a good fight. She kept shooting out hairs everywhere and I kept spraying them, which ultimately killed them and turned those female pods into male sacs. I am not at all concerned about hermie traits because she was definitely all girl being forced to grow balls. But balls she did grow in the end! I will also say, her leaves were shriveled pretty bad and her growth was definitely stunted with this procedure - but she ended up giving me all the pollen I would ever need for this strain.

Since it worked with an auto-flowering strain, I have now taken 2 clones from each of the non-auto strains I have vegging (I prefer pure strains, not cross-strains). I will use one to create a small male and the other as a small female to flower. Won't need to put them in anything but small pots, won't take up too much room, can remove from the room easily for safe pollination... and will sure give me nice returns with pure strains seeds I can pop anytime I want!!!

I hope others find this useful too - because I am in no way a professional!! If I can do it, so can others!
-----------------------------END COPY-------------------

IMPORTANT NOTE: I did add some images of taking the pollen from the auto flowering female I described using above - it did not want to drop pollen like a regular male did, so I used a different pollen collection method. See those images and the description at the link I listed in the beginning here if you are interested. Here it is again: How to Use Colloidal Silver to Produce Feminized Seeds
--------------------------END IMPORTANT NOTE-------------

Now to continue beginning this journal...

For our use, it was recommended to use 40ppm or higher.
I found it came in extremely high doses (even up to 1000ppm).

I chose CS with 50ppm
Here is what I purchased after an amazon search for colloidal silver:
CSandSprayBottle.jpg

and a closeup of info from the bottle:
CS_OrderInfo.jpg


Before spraying each time, I shake the spray bottle to assure an even mixture of the solution - don't know if you have to or not.

CS-DarkStorage.jpg

STORAGE OF CS SOLUTION: I read light and heat degrade CS solution, so I keep my extra CS solution bottles in a cool dark place and I wrap my CS spray bottle in a black bag (and then cover it with a towel) to keep it from being exposed to light between spray treatments.

THE VICTIMS
I will be attempting to create pure and cross strain seeds. The different strains of females I will use colloidal spray on to collect these strains of female pollen include:
AUTO-FLOWERING
1) Cream Caramel
2) Widow Ryder
3) Blueberry
NON Auto-flowering
4) Aurora Indica
5) Vanilla Kush
6) Mataro Blue
7) Red Dragon
8) Pineapple Chunk
and let's just say... more - but I may end this journal before those are complete.

The non-auto varieties are currently clones which are not quite ready to begin their colloidal spray adventure. I will add them within the next few weeks.

The 3 auto-flowering began being sprayed today. These were started from seed on Oct 5th, so they are 22 days from seed inserted in soil.

With my first attempt, I had used regular auto-flowering seeds, so I didn't know what was male and what was female. I had to wait until they showed their pre-flowers to begin spraying (at 4 weeks) - and I battled an auto-flowering female already started into flowering.

THIS TIME, I have feminized seeds. I know the auto strains show their sex by the time they are around 4 weeks from seed, so I am beginning this groups CS spray treatment at just over 3 weeks. The plants are pretty small, but it doesn't take many pollen sacs to give plenty of pollen. I am seeing the tiniest growth in pre-flower areas, so I am going to start. Non-auto strains should be much easier, cuz you simply begin spraying right before changing the light cycle.

Anyhoo... here are the first three strain victims to be sacrificed in the name of future all-female generations without the expense!

BEFORE ANY SPRAYING
The auto-flowering girls I am beginning today have been under CFL lights with a 20/4 light cycle. These images are before any CS spray. I noticed the spray is very hard on the plants, so there will be major changes in their appearance as we progress.

First, Auto Blueberry at day 22 from seed in soil.
CSDay1AutoBB_22DayFromSeed.jpg


Next, Auto Cream Caramel day 22 from seed in soil...
CSDay1AutoCC_22DayFromSeed.jpg


And third, Auto Widow Ryder at day 22 from seed in soil.
CSDay1AutoWR_22DayFromSeed.jpg



WHERE TO SPRAY/AFTER SPRAYING

You spray new growth areas (don't need to spray fan leaves - it is hard on them). Below, I show images of the plants with wet spray still showing, followed by the same image with circles highlighting the areas of new growth that were sprayed.

Here is an image of the top of the plant after spraying...
CS_TopSprayedDay1_1.jpg


and then the same image, highlighting the nodes that were sprayed.
CS_TopSprayedDay1_2.jpg


Here is an image of the middle section of the plant after spraying...
CS_MiddleSprayedDay1_1.jpg


and then the same image, highlighting the nodes that were sprayed.
CS_MiddleSprayedDay1_2.jpg


As you can see, these are small plants in small pots. My goal is to show you don't have to sacrifice much space in order to produce your feminized seeds. Of course, these will be the smallest plants because they are auto-flowering plants.

The non-autos will be slightly larger, but still small. I had a problem with spider mites from cloning outside plants to continue inside. After finding Mite Rid I am now spider mite free - but they took their toll on my young clones... so it slowed them down a bit. I will add them as they are ready.

So to end this beginning entry, I will add one last pic of these plants added into the flowering room. They will stay here until they grow some female balls!
FitInEdgeOfGroupEasy.jpg


:love::love::love::love::love:LUVIES TO ALL!!!:love::love::love::love::love:

PS WARNING!!: Came back to add that I hope everyone realizes there are precautions to take to assure you do NOT get colloidal silver spray on ANY PLANTS YOU WILL CONSUME!!! READ ALL MATERIAL IN THIS MESSAGE BEFORE USING COLLOIDAL SILVER TO SPRAY YOUR PLANTS!!!!
 
Subbed, rated, and waiting!!! Grow GIIIIIRRRRLL!!!:circle-of-love:

:love::love::love::love::love:GT:love::love::love::love::love:

:thanks: Honey!! I see you supporting everyone... everywhere!!! I am so glad I won't be alone here!!! I wouldn't even be doing a journal except I really want to learn how to do feminized seeds and feel a journal like this might be helpful to others (IF IT'S SUCCESSFUL!!).

:circle-of-love:LOVIES!!!:circle-of-love:
 
You know I'm in for the ride!:adore:

Dang list of "I want" is growing each day.
:love::love::love::love::love:SISCO:love::love::love::love::love:

:thanks: Honey!!

I just got done checkin' up on you before coming in here to add another plant. Your girls look DEVINE!!!!:thumb:

:circle-of-love:LOVIES!!!:circle-of-love:
 
IMPORTANT NOTE: Any plants you use colloidal spray on will pretty much be "delayed" in their natural process by having to change in this process. Thus, the timing of the female you are going to seed is also something important to consider.

Example: My first auto-flowering plant that I turned took almost 3 weeks just to turn and then another 2 to 3 weeks to produce viable pollen. By this time, the other 4 females started at the same time as the one I turned with CS were:
*1 harvested (and NEEDED harvest) 2 days ago (odd plant, no pollination).
*1 harvested yesterday (pollinated with regular male pollen on 9/17)
*1 pollinated at the same time with regular male pollen is still green and growing good - won't harvest until is dying on own for viable seeds.
*and the last 1 was slower to take off but it was flowering quite well (pics in the other article I did) when I pollinated it with my first feminized pollen on 10/19 and 10/21. I really needed to get this one pollinated and am still hoping it will have time to make viable seed. If not, I froze the feminized pollen and will hopefully have a ton of regular seeds I can use for the pure strain (auto Blue Himalaya)

I did start all the auto seeds I am experimenting with here in this journal at the same time, so the timing may be a problem for me with them. I did buy feminized seeds, so I didn't have to wait to SEE what the auto plant's sex is before beginning spraying. I am hoping by starting the CS treatment earlier (by a week) on these plants, they will turn easier. From what I read, it should take around 10 days and up to 14 days of spraying once daily for them to turn (and then you stop spraying). The first plant I did (an auto plant from regular seed) was very much shooting out flowers when I began and took 22 days to turn enough that I could see with a magnifying glass that it had turned.

Also... I wasn't going to do an Auto Kush because I had two seeds and one came up timely while the other was my first seed ever to rise out of the soil BACKWARDS. It was delayed a week on sprouting and when it rose out of the ground, it curled and the top stem started dying... when I looked close, I could see the real top was still in the ground. So, I gently dug it up and stuck the dying end in the ground. This small plant is now getting it's second set of leaves (still slowed tho), so I believe it will be just fine... and considering the above information, this will work out just fine.

So... here are a couple pics of the 4th pure auto flowering strain I will be doing - Auto Kush. It is on day 23 from seed planted in soil. I did not take pictures after spraying - I will hope everyone understood that from my intro pics.
CSDay1AutoK_23DayFromSeed1.jpg


CSDay1AutoK_23DayFromSeed2.jpg


That will be all of the auto-flowering strains used in this journal.

I have 5 (NOT auto) strains I will also be including in here. These are all started from clones. The nice things about doing this with regular (non-auto) plants is that I can control the timing much better. I have 2 clones that are within a few days of starting CS treatment and the other 3 will be about a week behind them.

The female clones I intend to pollinate for seed are also in the veg room. I will keep them there for 2 weeks AFTER removing the female clones to be treated with CS. By doing this, the timing should be right on target for pollination.

I sure did ramble there - hope it made sense on the points I was trying to make! Outta here for today!
 
CORRECTED LIST OF WHAT WILL BE GROWN HERE

THE VICTIMS

I will be attempting to create pure and cross strain seeds. The different strains of females I will use colloidal spray on to collect these strains of female pollen include:
AUTO-FLOWERING (all started in CS treatment now)
1) Cream Caramel
2) Widow Ryder
3) Blueberry
4) Kush
NON Auto-flowering (clones of all preparing to begin in the next week)
5) Ladyburn
6) Vanilla Kush
7) Mataro Blue
8) Red Dragon
9) Pineapple Chunk
But before next spring hits, I will also be doing Trainwreck (have a single plant in early veg), Aurora Indica (clones just started), and Violator Kush (clones just started), Afghan Kush Special, Masterkush, Papaya, Rocklock, Confidential Cheese, and a few more!! I don't know that I will document any more than what is listed above tho.
 
We all need support, ALL the time. I do my best. CS is fullproof according to my buddies, thats their preferred method. I go the natural way and considered pro by many friends, they get most all seeds from me.
GT
 
CAUTION: First be completely aware that any part of a plant that you spray with colloidal silver IS NOT SAFE FOR CONSUMPTION (smoking or ingesting).

I know that a buildup of silver in the body is not a good thing - and that it is cumulative. But do you have any information on how much silver would actually enter the body via eating or smoking buds from a treated plant? Does the silver that is absorbed into the plant stay in it, or might some of it be excreted by the roots as waste? Or might it remain, but be moved into the leaves and concentrate there? I know that some people who don't know any better actually consume CS products, lol (something I don't recommend). In today's world of toxic ground, toxic water, toxic air - even toxins in foods - I agree that ingesting substances that aren't actually required by the body is a bonehead move in the first place; I'm just wondering how much is likely to enter the body via consumption/smoking, if it's measurable, etc.

Also, have you done any comparisons between CS and STS (silver thiosulfate) in order to see which works better or which is cheaper per use? Or GA (gibberellic acid)?
 
I know that a buildup of silver in the body is not a good thing - and that it is cumulative. But do you have any information on how much silver would actually enter the body via eating or smoking buds from a treated plant? Does the silver that is absorbed into the plant stay in it, or might some of it be excreted by the roots as waste? Or might it remain, but be moved into the leaves and concentrate there? I know that some people who don't know any better actually consume CS products, lol (something I don't recommend). In today's world of toxic ground, toxic water, toxic air - even toxins in foods - I agree that ingesting substances that aren't actually required by the body is a bonehead move in the first place; I'm just wondering how much is likely to enter the body via consumption/smoking, if it's measurable, etc.

Also, have you done any comparisons between CS and STS (silver thiosulfate) in order to see which works better or which is cheaper per use? Or GA (gibberellic acid)?

Since CS is an ingestible product, as a dietary suppliment, I would think it may be ok to eat...But I know that a bi-product of smelting copper is cyanide, and through my experience in glass blowing I know that a technique called "fuming", whereby an artist "burns" metals such as gold, SILVER and the like, cause very nasty and toxic fumes.....So I could see how smoking or vaping product with CS may be ill advised....
 
We all need support, ALL the time. I do my best. CS is fullproof according to my buddies, thats their preferred method. I go the natural way and considered pro by many friends, they get most all seeds from me.
GT

:love::love::love::love::love:GT:love::love::love::love::love:
Hi Honey!! The folks who wrote what I researched sure did make it sound foolproof too. My first seeds from auto Blue Himalaya male/female pollination (natural) are finally finished, so I'm gonna pop a few of them this week to see if I really made seed!!! LOL!

Question, GT... How do you know when you can harvest the seed? I mean, I know the approximate length of times that are stated... but my plants seem to have a mind of there own. The tallest of the two auto BH I pollinated (on the same date) with regular male seed started fast and finished fast (was dying at 5 weeks and 4 days after pollination), and the other of the two is still going strong and just beginning to show signs of aging (6 weeks and 2 days after pollination). I'm kindda thinking I'll just leave them at least 6 weeks after pollination, or, until they die??? I don't know if auto strains finish seeds faster, slower, or what??? Any advice, honey?

:circle-of-love:LUVIES!!!:circle-of-love:
 
I know that a buildup of silver in the body is not a good thing - and that it is cumulative. But do you have any information on how much silver would actually enter the body via eating or smoking buds from a treated plant? Does the silver that is absorbed into the plant stay in it, or might some of it be excreted by the roots as waste? Or might it remain, but be moved into the leaves and concentrate there? I know that some people who don't know any better actually consume CS products, lol (something I don't recommend). In today's world of toxic ground, toxic water, toxic air - even toxins in foods - I agree that ingesting substances that aren't actually required by the body is a bonehead move in the first place; I'm just wondering how much is likely to enter the body via consumption/smoking, if it's measurable, etc.

Also, have you done any comparisons between CS and STS (silver thiosulfate) in order to see which works better or which is cheaper per use? Or GA (gibberellic acid)?

:welcome: :love::love::love::love::love:TorturedSoul:love::love::love::love::love:

Hi Honey! I researched how to produce feminized mj seeds - but am in no way an expert on the effects of colloidal silver on the body. In the research it strongly warned of consuming (smoking or ingestion) the treated plants and that is sure good enough for me. It IS produced specifically for ingestion as an oral supplement... but as Quixilvir said...

Since CS is an ingestible product, as a dietary suppliment, I would think it may be ok to eat...But I know that a bi-product of smelting copper is cyanide, and through my experience in glass blowing I know that a technique called "fuming", whereby an artist "burns" metals such as gold, SILVER and the like, cause very nasty and toxic fumes.....So I could see how smoking or vaping product with CS may be ill advised....

:thanks: Quixilvir Honey!!!!!

I hadn't even thought of the burnt fumes - great point! I just read not to, and trusted the sources had their reasons why!

Granny, THANKS to you for journaling this! I'm subbed too, and +reps for the unique thread! I'll be here learning with you!:nomo:

:love::love::love::love::love:Quixilvir:love::love::love::love::love:

I'm so glad to have such wonderful company!!! I hope I don't make an ass outta myself and screw it all up!!! LOL! The first one I did just wasn't that hard... so hopefully if I try enough strains and plants, something's got to work right! :high-five:

I'll be back tomorrow to give some updates!

:circle-of-love:LUVIES TO ALL!!:circle-of-love:
 
I like to wait until I see the seeds wanting to start falling out of the pods, or the very short period before when the pods crack open. This will give you almost 100% viablility and maturity.
GT
 
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