What Weed Seeds Look Like & What Their Appearance Can Tell You

What do weed seeds look like? How do you identify healthy weed seeds from low-quality ones? Many ask these essential questions before growing weed, as adequate knowledge can mean the difference between success and failure.

Cannabis cultivation requires effective strategies and the right atmospheric conditions, but these factors aren’t enough. Without quality seeds, your growing attempt could be an exercise in futility. It’s crucial to know how healthy cannabis seeds look to get the right results. 

Join us as we introduce you to the characteristics and visual appearance of weed seeds. We also explore the traits of viable genetics, the various types, and the contrast between male and female plants.

Let’s begin.

Weed seeds characteristics

A weed seed is easily recognizable from its outward appearance. It has a specific color, peel, shape, size, and weight. Let’s give you a quick rundown of these traits.

Size and weight

The first step in knowing what marijuana seeds look like is understanding the details of their size and weight.

A marijuana seed’s characteristics vary depending on genetics. It ranges from slightly bigger than a tomato seed to the size of a small pea.

It’s not unusual to notice slight size and weight dissimilarities among seeds of the same strain. These differences are only visual impressions. They don’t affect the weed plant’s size, potency, or growth potential.

Color

Different weed colors depend on the growth stage, temperature, nutrient and pH level, trichomes, and genetics. Before germination, most strains feature white or dark seeds.

Darker ones may be black, brown, or gray, while those with lighter hues tend to be white, green, or yellow. Some come with tiger stripes, which give them a distinct visual appeal and indicate maturity.

The effect of cannabis seed colors on the plant’s potency and growth potential is a subject of interesting debates, theories, and conversations.

While some think colors define quality, they’re essentially just cosmetic differences. The genetic component of a seed determines its potency, potential yield, and plant size. The only exception is a greenish hue, which is a sign of immaturity.

Shape

The shape is another way to understand what marijuana seeds look like on the plant. Most have a round, oval, or symmetrical shape, resembling a teardrop. It’s best to avoid flat or disfigured shells, as they indicate poor health.

Seeds from the same strain or batch may not have a uniform shape, as some may be more pointy, linear, or round. These variations aren’t enough to cause a difference in quality. 

Peel

You can tell if a weed seed is good or bad from the hardness of its skin. Healthy and viable ones have smooth, firm peels with no cracks. 

What are the main types of weed seeds?

The different types of cannabis seeds include feminized, regular, and autoflowering variants. It’s hard to tell these apart before they start growing. Due to this, it’s best to avoid keeping them in the same location to prevent mixing them up.

Feminized seeds

Growers germinate feminized weed seeds to produce only female plants. They optimize nutrient supply and grow seedless, nug-bearing crops, leading to higher yields and potent buds.

Feminized seeds are the primary choice of commercial cultivators. They possess the same physical characteristics as other types.

Regular seeds

Regular seeds have an all-natural genetic makeup. No one has altered them, so they produce both female and male plants. Seasoned growers often use them for breeding new strains.

What do marijuana seeds look like when they’re regular? Like others, you can’t identify them by appearance until they grow.

Autoflower seeds

Autoflower cannabis seeds are an excellent choice for growers who prefer quick and easy harvests. The key strength of autos is their ability to flower automatically once they reach a certain age.

They don’t require light cycle adjustments, making them a recommended option for less experienced growers. They’re also typically more resistant to pests and temperature fluctuations.

Male vs. female weed seeds

Weed seeds can grow into female, male, or hermaphrodite plants. The sex isn’t usually difficult to identify, since only females can produce nugs.

This situation leads us to the all-important question: what do weed seeds look like when they’re male or female? 

Learning how to identify male and female weed seeds may be tricky, as they share the same physical characteristics.

You must wait until they start maturing in the flowering stage to distinguish them by gender if you don’t know beforehand. The only alternative is science-based methods where labs can help sex the plants immediately post-germination.

How to identify bad cannabis seeds

What do cannabis seeds look like when they’re of poor quality? It’s challenging for many growers to determine, since visual impression rarely reveals everything about the undeveloped plant embryo.

Here are some tips to know what weed looks like and how it behaves when the seeds are low-quality:

• Coloration: While color isn’t a reliable determinant, there are a few exceptions. One is immaturity, which causes the weed seed to display a greenish shade. Another is distinctly pale coloration, indicating it’s either sick or old.

• Cracks: Healthy marijuana seeds look firm and have no cracks. If you notice fissures, that’s a telltale sign of poor quality, bad genetics, or old age.

• The touch test: Using linen gloves, put the marijuana seeds between your fingers and gently apply pressure. If it cracks easily, it isn’t of good quality or fresh. The peel should be hard and smooth, not susceptible to force.

• The float test: Fill a glass with distilled water and put your cannabis seeds inside, then check them an hour later. The ones that sink are viable for germination, while those that float are unhealthy. This test requires you to germinate the good ones straight away.

• The germination test: While some growers use this method to test for bad seeds, we don’t recommend it. It requires germinating them and waiting to see their quality to know if you have viable ones.

Buy high-quality and healthy-looking weed seeds

Save yourself the stress of over-analyzing the appearance of your weed seeds by buying them from a reputable seed bank. At Homegrown Cannabis Co., we have a track record of quality products and premium service.

Browse our robust collection of feminized, autoflowering, and regular seeds in various strains. We stock healthy, viable, and genetically sound weed seeds that produce top-shelf nugs.

We tick all the boxes, from responsive customer support to regular promotions and durable packaging. With us, you don’t need to worry about what cannabis seeds look like, because you’re guaranteed the best.

FAQs

Do you have more queries about the visual appearance of cannabis seeds? Below, we answer some of the most commonly asked questions.

Can you tell a strain by looking at the seed?

It’s challenging to tell a strain of cannabis by seed. Botanists look at other parts of the plant, like height variations, leaf shape, and branching patterns, to distinguish between them.

What seeds look like weed seeds?

What weed seeds look like differs from the visual appearance of other plant seeds. While some may share a few features with weed seeds, they typically have more contrasting traits.

Are weed seeds hard?

The shell of a quality cannabis seed is hard, firm, and smooth. Weak and easily crushable ones may indicate sickness or old age.

What do tiger stripes on weed seeds mean?

Tiger stripes on marijuana seeds are usually indicators of maturity and quality. It means they’re healthy and genetically fit for germination.

Do weed seeds pop?

High-quality and healthy cannabis seeds pop after proper germination. Our cannabis seeds typically sprout taproots in 24–120 hours.