With many seed banks offering thousands of different cannabis seeds, deciding which to buy can be a frustrating business. Should you go for an old classic, something you’ve tried before or take a risk with a new strain? Whatever you’re looking for, this list has been compiled to help you cut through all of the marketing talk and get straight to the good stuff.
Since 2016 I’ve worked for and alongside a number of UK seed banks, so I can provide valuable insight into which seeds to choose and which seed banks are the best.
Most of the choices here come from seed banks I’ve used personally and have featured on the best UK seeds banks post. They each offer a broad selection of varied genetics, stock the freshest seeds and have responsive customer service teams.
The best cannabis seeds for you will depend on your requirements. To make it easier to find your ideal seeds, I’ve divided this rundown into sections based on popular types and characteristics. But first a little background.
If you are interested in buying seeds that are rich in CBD check out our piece on the best UK CBD seeds.
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Contents
Buying Cannabis Seeds: The Law
The law surrounding cannabis and CBD seeds in the UK is very clear: It is legal to buy and sell them, but they are illegal to germinate. Germination is the process of introducing a seed to warmth, light and moisture to begin the growing process.
Seeds may be purchased as memorabilia, souvenirs, bird food or even fish bait. However, if you make a purchase and indicate that you intend to germinate them, then the seller is obligated to report it to the police. Equally, a seller must not indicate that seeds are being sold for the purpose of germination.
If you do intend to purchase seeds for germination, you must be aware that you may be caught and risk fines or time in prison. As you’re buying them for storage and preservation purposes, this won’t be an issue for you.
Disclaimer – To help you choose which genetic lines to preserve, our descriptions of seeds include details about necessary growing conditions and the plants they produce. This is included to inform your decision and refers only to seeds being grown in countries where germination is legal; it is not a suggestion of how they should be used.
What Should I Consider When Purchasing?
Regs
Regular seeds have a 50/50 chance of growing into male or female plants. Some become flower-bearing female plants, and some become pollen-producing males. They’re useful for breeders because they need both male and female plants to produce the next generation of seeds.
Fems
Feminised seeds are those that breeders have engineered to produce female plants 100% of the time. This means every plant is likely to grow crops of resinous flowers and growers won’t need to weed out the males.
Photoperiod
Most CBD-rich cannabis plants start to flower when the amount of direct light on them drops from around 18 hours a day to about 15 hours. They can be grown inside or outside, but they either need the correct light set-up or the right time of year to produce a crop. Photoperiod seeds often produce larger plants and can reach higher THC levels.
Autos
Autoflowering seeds produce flowers after a fixed period of growth, usually 3 to 4 weeks after germination. These seeds are commonly chosen by beginners or those who don’t have enough space for the lighting necessary for indoor photoperiod grows.
Breeders Packaging
When you’ve chosen your seeds and go to place your order, it’s a good idea to request that everything comes in its original breeder’s packaging. Then you can be sure you’ve received exactly what you’ve paid for, not all retailers will do this. If they say no, then do not purchase as you cannot be sure you are buying genuine CBD seeds.
Best Cannabis Seeds in the UK
This is broken up into a few sections.
Best cannabis seeds for large yields
High THC strains
Coffee shop classics
Easy to grow beginners strains
The best and latest strains
Best Cannabis Seeds for Large Yields
These strains have a long history of heavy yields and can produce huge, dense nugs in various environments:
Incredible Bulk Fems and Autos
Incredible Bulk by Dr Krippling Seeds
Why Buy Dr Krippling Seeds?
The result of a three-way cross of Big Bud, Super Skunk and Green Spirit, Dr Krippling’s Incredible Bulk seeds deliver record-breaking yields of oversized buds. Indoors they’ve been known to grow into plants that can reach crops of between 900-1000g per square metre. Outside they can produce anything from 800g to an astounding 1,500g per plant.
Incredible Bulk is an indica-dominant hybrid (80%/20%) with THC levels of between 20% and 24%. Although different people in different situations will get slightly varied results, Incredible Bulk consistently delivers record-breaking harvests. Dr Krippling has also bred this variety with Ruderalis genetics to produce an autoflowering version.
Initially produced in the early seventies, Industrial Plant seeds from Dinafem have lent their high-yielding genetics to many modern classics, yet they’re still a contender for big harvests. Best suited to being grown indoors under lights, Industrial Plant results from the combination of East Indian Afghan genetics with those from a Thai Sativa.
Outdoors, they can grow large with yields of up to 1300g per plant. Indoors they may reach harvests of 625g per square metre. However, the THC levels don’t quite match those of the Incredible Bulk and max at about 14%.
Created from a cross of Dutch Passion’s The Ultimate and an AutoMazar, AutoUltimate gives heavy cropping feminized genetics the autoflower treatment. Autoflower seeds don’t often produce plants that can match photoperiod varieties for size and yield, but the Ultimate Auto gets closer than most.
They’re well suited to beginners, but some growers have found that it needs a little attention to prevent them from getting too big. These seeds produce plants that develop lots of long, heavy, high THC buds that can reach yields of 600g or even 1000g per square metre in the right hands.
Sometimes it’s not the quantity but the potency that counts. These seeds produce strains with exceptionally high levels of THC:
Godfather OG Feminised Seeds
Godfather OG - WeedSeedsExpress
Why Buy Godfather OG Seeds?
Slightly Indica dominant, Godfather OG seeds produce a hybrid that can reach a jaw-dropping THC level of 34%. This strain was created when the California Herbal Remedies team decided to cross OG Kush and Alpha OG. The result was something extraordinary. Whilst the buds only reache 0.8% CBD, these seeds turn it up to 11 and leave you nowhere to hide when it comes to potency.
With Godfather OG even beginners have found themselves with harvests of between 350g and 650g per square metre. These seeds are well suited to any environment and have demonstrated excellent resistance to mould and fungal disease.
Green Gelato seeds can produce plants that reach 27% THC. They’re not too shabby in the yield department either and 700g per square metre is possible with some careful treatment.
When grown outdoors, they may even reach 800g per plant when they’re ready to harvest in October. Given enough room, these seeds can produce plants up to 2m tall, but methods like Topping, FIMMING or SCROGING are recommended to keep them under control and produce the best results
Gorilla Cookies seeds produce a great all-round autoflower with THC levels of up to 27% and yields that can reach 600g per square metre. They grow into resilient plants and work well in different climates. The plants don’t often grow beyond 1m tall and the heavily laden branches are likely to need some support to prevent the heavy buds from causing damage.
These seeds come from a cross between the offspring of Gorilla Glue and Girl Scout Cookies, with a Ruderalis. Although you could consider this to be a beginner’s strain, it takes some careful pruning for these seeds to reach their full potential.
Some cannabis strains have been around for decades and are just as good now as they were when they were first bred. These classic seeds usually produce plants that combine mouth watering flavour with unbeatable potency.
Cheese Feminised & Autos
Cheese by Big Buddha Seeds
Why by Cheese Seeds?
Cheese cannabis seeds’ legend began in 1988-89 when a unique phenotype of Skunk No1 was grown in the UK. It stood out for its cheesy smell and large buds and was soon cloned to preserve its genetics. It became hugely popular with clones spreading throughout the UK and the world in the nineties.
Just outside Luton, the Exodus community spread the strain still further when they passed clones out to their friends and associates. Now, there are numerous varieties, each with its own story as to how they spawned from the original clone. With these seeds, you can preserve that cheese smell and unique set of flavours synonymous with the UK cannabis culture of the 80s and 90s.
Blue Cheese seeds are a twist on the classic Cheese with the addition of genetics from the hybrid Blueberry line. The result was something that became almost as iconic as the original. The combination of the sharp cheesiness with the much sweeter berry flavours of Blueberry created nugs with an unforgettably complex yet satisfying taste.
Some claim that this is the most memorable of all the Cheese hybrids. The buds can reach THC levels of 20% and the sweet aroma is something truly special.
Named for the plant’s sparkling star-like trichomes and the euphoric effects of its buds, Stardawg Auto seeds have everything you need for a trip to space. They’re an indica/sativa/ruderalis hybrid whose parents were Chemdawg 4 and Tres Dawg.
When the plant’s flower, they produce a unique scent of pine and citrus that comes from large, light green buds. The THC levels can get to around 22%, which is tamed slightly with 1% CBD. These seeds grow well indoors and outdoors; they likely won’t grow more than 120cm but need enough space for their bushy shape to fill out sideways.
Created by Sensi Seeds, Skunk #1 seeds changed cannabis forever. The plant’s distinctive smell, uniform THC-rich buds and fast flowering meant that more people could access the highest of highs. Its influence on modern cannabis is incredible and there are few hybrids from recent years that don’t feature Skunk genetics somewhere in their ancestry.
However, it’s still a contender and is just as impressive today as it ever has been. These seeds grow to be large, dark green Indica dominant plants capable of producing heavy yields.
While some cannabis seeds require expert guidance, others perform beautifully with little intervention. Should cannabis be legalised in the UK, or you live somewhere where growing is permitted, you’ll find that even novices will struggle to mess up these easy-going strains:
Northern Lights Fems & Autos
Northern Lights by Royal Queen Seeds
Why Buy Norther Lights Seeds?
Popular worldwide, Northern Lights from Royal Queen Seeds is thought to have originated from West America. It’s predominantly indica, but the seeds can produce plants that display several sativa characteristics. These are feminised seeds, but they’re also available as an autoflowering variety.
They produce plants that get to about 1.2m indoors but can reach 2m if they have enough space outside. The buds develop on a huge single central cola, creating an imposing sight. Although these seeds do well in most environments, they can really stretch out and grow into huge tree-like structures in warmer climates.
Capable of producing plants with stunning purple flowers, Purple Kush seeds are beginners’ dreams. With minimal effort, they grow plants that are everything you could want from a cannabis variety; striking purple appearance, fresh, herby scent, high yields and THC-rich buds that produce a powerful relaxing stoned effect.
Ideal indoors or outdoors they produce large plants that can reach up to 2m. The flowering period is eight weeks and the result is so spectacular that you’ll even find the experts buying these seeds just for those beautiful buds.
Available as both feminised and auto seeds, Girl Scout Cookies is another variety that makes novice growers feel like pros. A cross between OG Kush and a South African land race, Girl Scout Cookies produces its buds around a single giant cola.
Named for its sweet, earthy cookie dough scent, this is a resinous beauty with THC levels that reach as high as 21%. It’s particularly resilient and will do well even in restricted spaces.
New varieties come into favour all the time, the latest big names include:
Giant Skittlez Feminised
Giat Skittlez by Mega Buds
This is a remarkable update of a classic; these seeds produce plants that deliver all the candy flavours of the original Skittlez but with super-sized yields. By crossing it with the well-known Critical Mass, Mega Buds were able to boost the harvest but still keep all of its original features. Skittlez was a multiple cup winner and well deserving of its second life in the ‘big’ leagues.
The plants develop in a typical indica structure, but its many branches soon become huge stacks of massive purple-shaded buds. They’re also THC-rich with levels that can get to 25% and produce an uplifting yet relaxing high.
Sherblato feminised seeds produce a pungent indica dominant hybrid with sweet and sour skunk scented buds. It features THC levels of 20% and its CBD can reach 5%. The medium-sized plants are a magnificent sight and can develop shades of green, purple and orange. Colours and sweet yet complex flavours are a legacy of its parents, Sunset Gelato and Gelato.
This is a modern take on the older candy and cookie strains and demonstrates that cannabis genetics still have plenty to offer.
Wedding Cake from Barney’s farm is available as feminised or auto seeds. It’s another indica-dominant hybrid whose plants produce buds of marvellous flavour and aroma. Its name comes from a combination of the solid, colourful buds and the richly spiced, slightly sweet flavour.
As with any wedding cake, bigger is often better and you won’t be disappointed here, these beauties yield between 500 and 600g per square metre. These seeds have already become a milestone in the history of cannabis strains and herald many new exciting developments to come.
