Bag Seed Dreaming

[Mollisol]

Hi. All.

How many of your first grows were from bag seed? Success? Failure? Somewhere in between? What's your bag seed story?

My first few grows were from bag seed. I was able to make it to harvest. Buds were small and airy. potency C+ . And had a bunch of total failures before i could do that.

However because the garbage weed I was buying was full of seeds I had a ton of practice germinating and tending to seedlings. Grew some big beautiful males. Before i understood how to sex them. And learned how to improvise with CFLs, because I was pretty broke at that time. It was super fun and I was hooked immediately.

[crucialbunny]

I cut my teeth on bag seed in the 70's 80's because it was basically all you could get. Then one day someone I know asked me if I had heard of a type of weed called Indica. I hadn't and he gave me a single seed and luckily it was a female. My growing world changed that day. It was another 10 years or so before I came across Indica seeds again but it was just about that time that Skunk was widely available and that was my primary crop. There are a number of seed companies out there professing to have Skunk but nothing I have seen can hold a candle to that 80's stuff. I still every season grow at least one bag seed plant just to remind me of my roots. Last season's bagger gave me what my best guess was Durban Poison and it produced some quality bud. I have had a jar of bag seed for nearly 7 years that still provides viable seeds but the germination rate is getting less and less each year.

[Bluey]

I grew skunk in the late 80's early 90's.

It caused nervous reactions in me...uncontrollable knee and should shakes, a panic attack one night, it was scary as fuck and it's the only one I've ever experienced in my life too. Generally just completely fucked me up...no way could I operate machinary on it abd typically it completely roped me off...I didnt enjoy any of it...I had too much.

Bag seed was often grown outdoors. Often pretty good but more subject to outdoor climate yield/quality issues

[SoOrbudgal]

Well i grew many a male in my parents backyard and when i left home still kept smoking male plants. Early 70's only bagseed i don't think i ever knew what a female looked like honestly. I should of paid more attention to my cousins grow as i know they had female plants. But rarely do i find seeds much anymore in dispensary weed but i do have a small collection of indica hybreds which i'm growing 2 of this summer. They are less than 8yrs old i think and both have germinated. No clue yet if male i'm hoping not cause when i do buy generally it's pretty good weed LOL

[Rwise]

I remember trying to smoke a male plant, and the headache that resulted from it.

[bboyfromwayback]

The first bag of weed I ever bought was off my buddies older brother. He sold us a bag of dry leaves pretty much. I’ll never forget his laugh as they drove off 😂

[SoOrbudgal]

Horrible head ache weed and leaf.

[Smokesteve]

I bought some Nirvana genetics for my first grow I also popped a bag seed from the early 2000s at the same time. The bag seed hermied at day 33 of 12/12 killed it. On my second run again with Nirvana and another bag seed from the same batch as round 1. Just to see if it would herm again. The structure was so incredible. Second time around it hermied on day 32 of 12/12. So I only use tested quality fems from then on. Lesson learned.

[90Gizmo]

I tried to grow bag seed in the basement once in the 70's and once in early 80's. Both times I got spindly plants with a few nodes maybe a foot or so high before they died. I figured it was lack of light but never tried outdoor grow and didn't try again until last year with some purpose-built equipment and commercial seeds.

[SoOrbudgal]

Well i got it marked so i'll keep it till with the other outdoor fems i purchased. I got some blueberry 2 plants unsexed and that unknown bagseed plus 6 photo fems. Those unknowns can hangout with the sunshine till they show m or f or hermie .

[bboyfromwayback]

I grew from bag seed for years and never had any issues. Of course seed companies will tell you different, so will grow sites affiliated with such companies so they don’t mess up their freebies but you CAN grow good smoke from bag seed. Only grow seeds from good smoke and make sure to get all the males out soon as you see signs.

[DW2]

Howdy Mollisol, in a word, ALL of my grows have been from 'bag seed'. As I gather more knowledge and experience, the 'smoke' gets better. I also get the new seeds by 'stressing' the female plants into producing 'nanners' and making seeds. I don't get buds as pretty as others, but the yields and quality of the have been sufficient for me.

[Franklin]

I exclusively grew bag seed in the early '90s using shop lights in a closet with aluminum foil on cardboard boxes. The weed could be so varied, and most of the bags I pulled it from were probably Mexican brickweed. I remember one plant produced really amazing tight thick colas that just smelled so wonderful, but hardly got you high at all. And another plant grew these really airy popcorn terrible looking buds with no smell that no one wanted to smoke until you tried them and they were amazing and got you so baked. I love how looks can be deceiving. I did enjoy the variety and surprise but definitely prefer the genetics and predictability of today.

[Mollisol]

I had some that smelled like rotting flesh crossed with lylock and wildflowers. I know that makes no sense. That's how I remember it. I wonder if it was bud rot and I just didn't know anybetter

[Rwise]

I started in the 70's with seeds from the bags of weed imported from all over the world. Yes some of it was brickweed from down south, 4 strains the first year 3 more the next all grown gorilla style and allowed to cross. Kept planting my own seed and the tall tales came out. Things like after 5 years all you'll have is hemp! This of course is not true, after 7 years I did a genetic mutation on it, and in 2 years did it again. It grew faster than anything I have seen, you could hide a top in your hand and watch it grow out. We luvingly called it Tulsa Tops! Unfortunately at about 17 years a thief found where my seed patch was and stole it, no more Tulsa Tops!
I still grow regs, in with some fems, and I still do crosses. I look at the new F1s and if I like I get the parents and do the cross myself (I get all 3 tasty buds), like BB3xGG4 is a nice cross.

[SoOrbudgal]

Excellent crosses

[Ckbrew]

First grow was from bag seed. Didn't know much of anything about growing. Figured it out after they sprouted. It started as a bet/dare with my son during the pandemic. Dropped 30 beans figuring that about 50% would be male. Turned out they were all feminized and they all came up. It was a jungle here inside and out. There were so many plants, I had opportunity to experiment on them with out being concerned about an end product. It was a wild year. With that and the help of GWE and the helpful members, I was able to figure out what needed to be done for a successful harvest.

[homegrown]

I have 2 bag seed contestants on the go right now. Seeds are at least 5 years old, from some weed i ordered online from BC. One Sour Diesel and one Gusher..im giving them away so somebody else can deal with them..lol

[Pyrokill]

My friend and I used to sit on the front porch and toss the seeds into the flower bed. One time we looked down weeks later and there were 14 sprouts. I saved as many as I could and I ended up with 3 good ones. Grew them in the back of a truck bed in the back horse pasture. One day I went back there and the horses sheared off the tops. I still ended up with a good amount but I remember harvesting early. The taste was there but not the rest. Ah to be young again.

[Ironicpastry]

All I’ve ever grown is bag seed. I’m by no means an expert and they have turned out alright. You’ll get your share of males and herms. They make for a good way to practice growing without the cost of high quality seeds. Here is a photo of a bag seed I grew shortly after switching to flower.

[Bluey]

Having grown outdoors for years and pollinated a number of females I just can't justify the cost of seed purchases. It requires a tiny amount of work until harvest time. Admittedly most seem feminised which is a bit of work that I've never had to bother with but still...the cost is very very high for what they are. Buying any other seeds is well under 5% of the cost of what companies are asking for cannabis which I can't see the justification for.

I suspect the cost will come down substantially moving forwards, just as the cost of purchasing cannabis via a dispensary has come down heaps.