Beginner Seeds Start your hemp cultivation adventure with our easy to grow strains

EASY TO GROW STRAINS

Even the most user-friendly strains require some effort on your part but with our easy to grow strains your experience needn’t be overwhelming. Once you’ve selected your strain, you need to decide what type of seed you are going to cultivate. United Strains of America stock hundreds of the most popular strains in feminized, regular and autoflowering seed varieties (see below). 

Depending on the type of seed you choose, there are various pros and cons attached to each. Some seed types are better suited to novice growers but seed suitability depends on a variety of factors including growing space, budget, time, climate, yield expectation and environmental conditions. 

Regardless of your choice of beginner strain or seed, novice growers shopping with United Strains of America can be confident that they will be cultivating plants with stable growth patterns, high resilience against pests and mold, a hardy structure and, of course, excellent yield.

THE BENEFITS OF GROWING YOUR OWN

Okay, so you might not be one hundred percent convinced growing your own is the way to go. Our customers choose to grow for a whole variety of reasons but there are three that come up time and again: cost, quality and satisfaction. 

COST

Currently, buying bud from a store or dispensary in the USA will cost you around $10 - $15 per gram. More exotic or sought-after strains will cost you even more, anything from $18 per gram upwards. Getting your in this way can quickly make for an expensive pastime or method of medication. 

Buy a pack of seeds to grow yourself, however, and the cost savings are apparent almost immediately. Grown under optimal conditions, a pack of ten seeds has the ential to yield hundreds of grams of bud but at a fraction of the cost of buying in a store, around $100 dollars in fact. While you can expect to outlay for growing equipment right at the start, this cost will be recouped after a few successful harvests. 

QUALITY

When you’re in control of your grow, you know exactly what’s gone into it. Having purchased high quality, authentic seeds from a trusted online retailer like United Strains of America, it’s you who’s in full control of your plants from seed to harvest. What goes into the cultivation of your plants is all up to you - selecting what kind of fertilizer, pesticide, compost and nutrients is your sole responsibility and allows you to quality assure your plants every step of the way. You can’t say that for shop-bought bud!

SATISFACTION

As with any kind of growing - be it fruit, flowers or vegetables - there’s nothing to rival the feeling of rearing and growing your own. The whole experience, from start to finish, is immensely satisfying and fills growers with a sense of pride that only comes from nurturing seeds to maturity and enjoying the fruits of your labor in whatever way you enjoy the most.

Now, what’s stopping you? Let’s grow!

SELECTING THE BEST BEGINNER SEEDS

Several of the beginner strains in our seed bank can be purchased in a variety of seed types; the most common being feminized, autoflowering and regular seeds. Your choice of seed type will depend on how you want to approach your grow project and what you want to get out of it.

Feminized seeds

Feminized seeds or ‘fems’ are the most popular choice among novice and home growers. The reason for this is simple: with a feminized seed you are virtually guaranteed to germinate a feminized plant. Why is this so important? Well, it’s the females, not the males, that deliver the cannabinoid-laden bud that most growers want for smoking, consuming or application. 

Autoflowering seeds

Autos are popular with both novice and experienced growers for several reasons. First up they grow rapidly; some strains can be harvested in as few as 6-10 weeks from germination! Secondly, autos are compact in structure and height, making them perfect for growing discreetly in small spaces. Lastly, they do not conform to traditional lighting schedules and transition automatically from the vegetative to the flowering stage - this is great for novice growers as it takes a lot of the work out of tending your plants.  

Regular seeds

For novices looking to immerse themselves in the complete growing experience, regular seeds offer the opportunity for you to put in time, effort and dedication - your harvest will be all the sweeter for it! Regular seeds are the ‘purists’ of the growing world. They boast the strongest characteristics and most stable genetics of all the seed types. However, growers will need to tend their crop carefully at every stage, especially when it comes to successfully separating out male from female plants.  

HOW TO: GROWING FOR BEGINNERS

United Strains of America gets you off to a good start with high quality, authentic seeds but it’s down to you as the grower to get your seeds to germinate, grow and flower. Our beginner strains are proven to be hardier and more robust than other strains in our seedbank but harvesting your bud isn’t a foolproof exercise.  

If you want to give your seeds the best chance, here’s how to get started:

1. Select a strain that suits your growing area 

Before starting, research your strains and select one that suits both your growing area and environment. For example, if you plan to grow outdoors, avoid strains better suited to indoor growing - you will have little influence over the climatic conditions. Growing indoors? Check out and cost up any specialist equipment you need well in advance. 

2. Prepare your your grow space

When preparing your indoor or outdoor growing area, ensure your plants have access to the following as a minimum: 

1. A source of fresh water 
2. Suitable lighting
3. Effective ventilation  
4. Appropriate temperature and humidity 

3. Choose your growing style and consumables

This will be dictated mainly by your growing space and your preferred approach to growing. For example, growing in compost is beginner-friendly and easy on your wallet. You can grow indoors or outdoors with compost but yields can be less and plants can be more prone to pests and disease. Hydroponics, on the other hand, cost more to set-up and can be trickier for newbies to get right. However, growth can be faster and yields can be better. It’s all down to the individual grower. 

4. Apply training methods

Whatever style of growing you go for, it’s not as simple as ‘sow and go’. Your plants will need constant attention and monitoring, they may even need a helping hand to get the best out of them. 

Training methods are a proven way to improve the performance of your plants. Methods range from simple pruning techniques, right through to careful manipulation of the plant’s structure. Other beginner-friendly methods include:

LOW-STRESS TRAINING (LST) - changes the structure of the plant by bending and tying down the branches.

TOPPING - promotes multiple cola growth by cutting off the node on the plant's main cola, then splitting the stem into two.

SCREEN OF GREEN (ScrOG) - limits the height of the plant while increasing its size and increasing the size of the yield.

SEA OF GREEN (SOG) - maximize yield in a limited space by growing many small plants instead of a few full-size plants.

FIMing - similar to topping but less stressful, this method involves shaving off the top of the plant instead of completely removing it. Doing so encourages the growth of four colas instead of one.

5. Germinate your seeds

Now your preparations are complete, it’s time to germinate the seeds. Sowing a high-quality seed like those stocked in our seed bank is a great starting point but there are still several things you need to do to give them the best chance of growing to fruition. 

Of course, how many seeds you plant will depend on how much space you have. A good rule of thumb is this: if growing from regular seeds assume half will be discarded as males and sow double the amount. If growing autos or fems, add a couple of extra seeds into your grow to allow for mistakes or failures.

All seeds need water, air and heat to germinate successfully. Additionally, there are several proven methods for germinating your seeds that you might like to try. These are: 

• Planting directly in the soil
• Utilizing a germination station
• Using a moist paper towel
• Soaking seeds overnight
• Starting with Rockwool cubes or seedling plugs

6. Nutrients for your plants

There are several nutrients considered essential for strong and healthy growth in your plants. These are: Nitrogen (N); Phosphorus (P); and assium (K). In addition, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron and Copper are required in smaller amounts. The precise amount your plants need will depend on their stage of their development. 

7. Decide when to harvest

A crucial and exciting moment in your grow! Choosing the right moment to harvest can be the difference between harvesting really ent bud (with higher levels) or something less psychoactive (but with greater content). 

You will need to examine the flowering colas closely to determine when the time is right. Look for the following: 

• 50% - 70% of the pistils (hairs) have darkened and the trichomes (sticky resin crystals) appear milky - content is at its strongest;
• 70% - 90% of the pistils have darkened and the trichomes have mellowed to an amber shade - now the buds contain more relaxing than .

8. Aftercare

Once you’ve harvested your plants of their tasty treasure, there’s still plenty of work to do. Correctly drying and curing your bud preserves both the taste and quality of your .  

Here's how:

1. Carefully trim the colas before drying 

2. Designate a drying area where conditions can be controlled. As a minimum, it should:

• Be slessly clean
• Have fans or heaters (season dependent) 
• Have a dehumidifier
• Contain a monitoring tool
• The temperature must be set to 70°F
• Relative humidity (RH) level should be around 50%
• The room should be darkened with no moisture leaks

3. Hang the colas on drying racks or on wire mesh and spread out evenly. Do not rush the drying process or expose the buds to too much heat.

4. Check the buds every few days and continue the drying process until your colas pass the ‘Snap Test’.

5. Place the buds in jars and fill each one to approximately three quarters full. Store in a curing environment with a 70°F temperature and 60% RH level.

6. Enjoy!