Making your own weed strain isn’t as difficult as you may think. Have you ever wondered what your ideal weed strain would be? What flavors or effects would you like? What would you name it? Keep those answers in mind while we tell you how to make your own weed strain that you smoke from your bong in no time.
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How do you Make Your Own Strain of Weed?
The first step in making your own strain of weed is figuring out what type of weed you want.
Think about what effects you’d like to feel, and then seek out seeds or plants with those characteristics.
Brandon Dorsky, Esq. Cannabis Intellectual Property Expert and CEO of Fruit Slabs tells us, “Selecting parents with the cannabinoid and terpene profiles you want to manipulate is a critical first step. The plant’s expression will be influenced by environmental factors, and manipulation of environmental factors can influence cannabis’ growth and the consistency and quality of the end of flower.”
Therefore, if you’re looking for pain relief, you can look into getting plants with terpenes, such as pinene, that are ideal for relieving pain.
As Dorsky reminds us, plants inherit the genes and traits of their parents, just like humans do.
“Parent strain selection will be influenced by what traits you are breeding for in a new strain. If the desire is to breed a higher potency strain, or a strain that has elevated terpenoid content, selecting parents that are higher in potency or have a higher concentration of desirable terpenes would be important. If the desire is to breed a strain for yield, [then] selecting parents that yield more cannabis per harvest or have a shorter life cycle would be desirable.”
You can either get seeds or clones from licensed retailers or producers. You can sometimes get them from recreational growers who are legally growing them. More on the legal aspect later.
How to Get Started
Once you know what kind of weed plant you want, it’s time to get to work.
We’ve already covered how to germinate weed seeds and even provided some videos to guide you better.
However, to summarize, in this stage, you must pay special attention to the light, temperature, humidity, and water levels. It may be easier for you to get a germination station, but you can achieve your goals with a moist napkin and other inexpensive materials.
You can ask your local cannabis shop for advice. However, you may want to opt for auto-flowering seeds with the properties you’d like. Autoflowering seeds will give you results quicker than traditional seeds.
You can experiment with other seeds and conditions for optimal weed strain. Don’t be discouraged if your weed isn’t up to your standards the first time; planting your own weed strain can be a learning curve.
Once you get fully grown plants, you can cross-breed them. The next section can help you with that.
How to Make Your Own Weed Strain Using Other Weed Plants
Another way you can create your own weed strain is by using other fully grown weed plants and some supplies.
According to Kåre Claesson, Co-Founder of The Cones Factory, you’ll need:
- a male plant
- a female plant
- paper bags
- trimming scissors
- string or elastic
- patience
Claesson recommends following these steps to create your own weed strain.
Step 1: Selection
Select a male plant and wait for the male plant to produce flowers. Once it does, choose one branch and secure the open pollen pods with a small paper bag. Wrap your string or elastic around the pods to collect the pollen in your bag. Leave the bag on the branch for several days.
Step 2: Collect Pollen
Now it’s time to collect your pollen! Gently shake the branch in the bag to gather the excess pollen. Remove the bag. Most female plants are ready for fertilization 3 to 4 weeks after they produce their first white fuzzy pistils. If your female plants aren’t ready, you can store your pollen in the freezer for several months.
Step 3: Fertilization
Now that your female plant is ready for fertilization place the bag with pollen over a female branch. Shake the bag to allow the pollen to fall onto the female plant. Leave the bag as is on the branch for two to three days.
Step 4: Wait
After you remove the bag, you only need a little patience. Wait for three to six weeks for your seeds to appear. Remove the seeds when they split open from their pod or when you hear them rattling inside.
Step 5: Store
Store your new seeds in a cold, dry place for several months (fresh seeds aren’t likely to germinate). After they’ve settled, it’s time to plant them in the ground and wait for your new, magical strain to emerge.
Is Making My Own Strain Legal?
Naturally, you’re wondering whether or not it’s legal to make your own strain.
Check the laws in your state or country to be sure.
We spoke to Dorsky, who told us, “Laws vary from state to state, and the breeding of cannabis may or may not require licensure depending on your jurisdiction, and different jurisdictions have limitations on the numbers of plants one can legally possess with or without a license. The limitations on plant possession can impact how one goes about their breeding process(es).
US News says that in Colorado, adults are allowed to have four marijuana plants; however, each residence can only have 12, regardless of how many people live there, while in Washington, recreational users can’t grow weed at all.
In addition, he said if you’re interested in creating your own strain, you should also consider the legal rights you’re potentially creating and the possibility of infringing on other’s rights or exceeding the scope of their rights.
“Possessing the right(s) to the bred strain, or only having limited rights, may influence how you can or cannot use the strain in the future.”
If you’re in the clear, Dorsky explains that creating your own strain can be an economic opportunity for you. That’s because of creating potential intellectual property rights, including plant and/or utility patents, and developing potential trademarks and/or trade secrets.
Dorsky also says, “In addition to newly created plants being eligible for plant patents in certain circumstances, there are breeding methodologies or practices that may be protected by existing utility patents or protectable if they qualify as new, novel and patentable.”
Finally, Dorsky says that as a breeder, you should pay attention to other laws about nuisance, trespass, and other property-related rights and factors.
We encourage you to seek legal advice.
Takeaway
Wondering how to make your own weed strain? You first need to figure out if it’s legal or not to grow weed. Once you’ve gotten the green light, you should consider what kind of effects or experience you’d like. You can check out local breeders or shops to get weed plants or seeds to help you achieve your desired outcome. Finally, it’s time to get to work creating your perfect strain. Don’t be discouraged; creating a strain you love can take a while.
