Creating my own strains, seed bank and brand

[CheiftainSeed]

Good afternoon 420,

I am looking for advice on and maybe a general direction into starting a seed bank locally for some around the county growers. I have been growing for a total of 3 years and I understand how breeding works and so forth. I am going to primarily focus on breeding and perhaps create me a seed bank. I would really love to go this route, and maybe it would be something worth to brand if successful. What I am looking for is some pointers some guidelines on what would help get this going and are there any road blocks anyone has hit that may steer me away from by way of your own experiences. It would be appreciated. I am not looking for grow advice, but rather something on the production and business end of cannabis seed banks... Thanks 420

 

[Chris Scorpio]

1st it's federally illegal to ship seeds

2nd your competition are breeders who have done it for years

3rd any website can lead the Feds to you, even in a legal state

4th takes years to prove a seed/strains viability is what u claim, not something you can do in a few weeks or months

Just a few things off my head. I've made a bunch of crosses, so I know the time frame personally


Maybe look into strainly to start out

 

[CheiftainSeed]

Understood... For now looking to just be a local guy... But I completely hear you out... I understand it takes some years to refine something great... So why not start now. Thanks I'll look into Strainly... Thanks for the reference... That's what I'm looking for here... Appreciated

 

[Chris Scorpio]

For sure start creating strains

I do a lot of CBD crosses, Purple strains, Sativa

It's fun for sure

One of my favorite strains I created is Blue Balls. Aka. GDP x ACDC
It's fantastic, I love GDP and the high CBD of ACDC is a great med

Good luck

 

[CheiftainSeed]

That Strainly site is definitely motivation... I got a Mendel's Wedding Punch in the haps right now... Hope to find a cross for it if I can get a decent pheno... Also when your crossing... Are you planting two different strains simultaneously in the hopes to get a good male to cross with the other strains female... And are you a pollen collector?

 

[Chris Scorpio]

That Strainly site is definitely motivation... I got a Mendel's Wedding Punch in the haps right now... Hope to find a cross for it if I can get a decent pheno... Also when your crossing... Are you planting two different strains simultaneously in the hopes to get a good male to cross with the other strains female... And are you a pollen collector?

Yes

Lol

I'll do both, and when I'm planning ahead I always save the pollen and will plan a strain or two to use it on

Finding strains you like is important, so then you have an idea of what effects, color, growth, etc you want from the crosses

 

[CheiftainSeed]

I need to look into finding some strains to cross... I got maybe 5 strains but I'm looking for something official but not so ordinary if that makes any sense... But thanks for the replies, I'm just getting my feet wet so thanks for taking it easy on me... I have grown some wonderful plants in the past just would like to have something of my own...

 

[Chris Scorpio]

I probably tested/grew 15 strains before I found a few I really liked

A few I got from a dispensary like ACDC and GDP
Once I found seeds I started tossing around the idea of breeding

It's really fun... Do it for fun and maybe it will turn into something

I have some great Purple strains I've made...just love them, and like I said the
CBD crosses too

 

[CheiftainSeed]

Thanks for the input Chris super valuable to me from your perspective... I will definitely follow suit and do some strain hunting...

 

[Dwight Monk]

Until the Feds change things up all of Chris's points are spot on, as not sure it is a wise idea (but I'm getting old and rather not go to jail, or yet anyway until I can live better there than on Social Security albeit Federal prison supposed to be more upscale ). Maybe start making them for yourself and maybe locally and take it from there, so many folks jumping on the "bandwagon" it's no longer a handful of Breeders and lots of "unstable genetics" from the bandwagon folks out there now (sometimes you can weed them out so to speak, other times you can't, depending on if you find anything of theirs online that has been grown by someone). I just have a hard time culling things, so I have done a few breeding experiments as I call them, but they mostly just ones I will grow and occasionally give away to someone else.

 

[CheiftainSeed]

Mr Monk, That's about all I want to do for now. I am nt trying to make a buck or get rich in any fashion. Growing itself has been really fun and exciting. I would like to take it to the next level and begin breeding for my own self pleasure. I have some local guys and we all just get beans online and while thats cool, none of us considered to start cross breeding. Which is what I am completely trying to focus on. What ever is created I want it to be fully documented for authenticity. Perhaps that will eventually separate me from the fakes. I realize while I get beans from who knows really where, how do we know where and how they where grown. But if I have videos, pictures and journals of a final product. I would say that would be pretty genuine.

 

[Chris Scorpio]

The strain will speak for itself usually

Back it with lab tests

Dialed

 

[Dwight Monk]

I started with the experiments when I popped two seeds of one Strain and only one lived and it was a boy, but I had an extra Clone of something else and as I had a small cabinet in the house I could do it in there w/o messing with the ones I have in the shed. And it kind of went from there, on my 3rd experiment currently, not counting the Hermie I caught too late and just running with currently just because but I have a hard time culling things like I said

 

[CheiftainSeed]

I'm low key hoping I get a male with female of the same strain just to produce some seed... Perhaps I can use those beans to get the best pheno to use as a cross... Feels a bit different to grow for genetics rather than yield... Although I plan on getting the best yeilds possible...

 

[Jackalope]

Hopes and Dreams! got to love them LMAO. You have heard a few reasons that shoot down the whole seed bank thing. They are all true lol. Also, Sounds like you want to be a breeder not a seed bank. Seed banks are like a Walmart for seeds. Breeders breed strains.

Ok with that said. Here are a few suggestions. No matter what you are breeding knowing that strain is the key. Knowing what you want and like is next. Out of all the strains I have grown over the last 30 years I have found a few I really liked. Only a couple that I really want to breed with. It helps to be passionate about the strain you plan to breed. If you are not convinced it is not the best weed in the world your not going to be able to convince others to grow it.

As with any business out there. You have to stand out. That is hard to do in this day in age where there are literary 1000's. All the stable strains have been crossed and recrossed so many times there is no need to do it. Those same crosses have been named and renamed so many things it is a blur these days. The world does not need another company doing the same thing.

Last and most important. Breed one strain first. If you really want to be noticed then make 1 killer strain everyone you know brags about. From there you may be able to convince people to buy hybrids of it. In the end it will probably cost more to get started than you will ever make money wise. The chances of selling enough seeds to make a profit is very slim. To many well known companies out there. So if you want to get rich try something else. If you just want a chance fame and glory then find a punch you in the face strong strain and go from there. Good luck

 

[CheiftainSeed]

Thank you very much for that and than you for stopping in. I know I won't get rich and I know I will more than likely invest more than I will return... It is usually that way with all my ideas and that's fine. I am not looking to go nationwide... I am not looking to gain a rep in the cannabis business... I am trying to take it further for my local growers... We are in Arizona... It hot here its only medically legal here and many people have never thought to grow... I am doing this for my state... My region and neighborhood... Eventually we will be fully legal... And I would like to be one of the guys in the town that actually know what they are doing. This will encourage and help others around me to do the same... I would like to breed and have my own signature... I also would like to have a seed stock if you would... I want to promote authenticity for my section of the community... I really appreciate you stopping by... Thanks again

 

[Jackalope]

Here is the suggested way my mentor gave me for make seeds like you explained. It works great for what you are talking about. Not the one most people want to do but it is the best way to save all the genetics within a strain. It also works very well for people that don't have a lot of experience. You don't have to pick the best plants because they all are used.

Start the whole pack of seeds. At least if it is a 10 pack. 2 packs if they are 5 packs. After they are vegged flower them all together. When they start to flower, pollinate all the females with all the males. This keeps all the genetics in the loop. What the strain is supposed to be is still represented in the seeds. If you cross just one male and female you are only going to get the characteristics of the 2 parents.

This is the best way to make 1000 Blue Dream seeds out of 10.

 

[CheiftainSeed]

Now see I don't have a mentor at all so I love you for that knowledge... Makes sense... And that will sustain a seed bank per se. I know I'm a nobody in growing and I may not be very articulate personality wise but that is the bit of hidden knowledge I'm looking for... I was a kid when my uncle was stealth growing in Washington State and Im not a noob grower but breeding is singing I've never done... I accidentally got a hermie OG18 and it seeded my entire closet... That's about all I got lol... I am going to take that info in stride thank you brother...

 

[Jackalope]

No problem. As long as you throw that hermie out LMAO.

Only problem is the weed you harvest is always full of seeds. It smokes but if it was done right there is no room for weed when the buds are full of seeds. Whats left over can be used to make shatter or butter. Plus don't spend time copying crap strains. Get the best seeds from the best breeders you can afford.