Existential panic and seed economics

[sombro]

I've just got a new catalogue from the growshop because I'm thinking about what to plant next year, there are 16 different seedbanks represented and I'm starting to feel like I'm back in the 80's staring blankly in the video rental shop. Too much choice is not a good thing.

Can anyone advise on an easy to grow, low odour outdoor strain? The price is not really important.

And on the subject of pricing , does anyone have any insight as to how the prices are fixed? Mexican sativa (sensi seeds) is the highest priced seed in the whole book, i've seen no talk of it on here, is it really the best strain? Why are somes seeds very very cheap and others really expensive? I understand basic market forces of supply and demand and that seed producers have had to recoup the cost of the research they have done to produce their own strains. This however does not explain why Sensi's Jack Herer (for example) is over seven times the price of Nirvana's.

Peace

 

[Hick]

"MHO"...the seedbanks are ripping everyone off in one way or another. It is a dirty, cut-throat, back stabbing business. Though they do provide a service, possibly even a somewhat risky service, the prices are ludicrous IMHO. On one hand you have "Breeders packs" (seeds directly from the origonator/breeder) that can cost in excess of $10 p/seed.
Not bad, considering the return on a single well grown plant could be 8 oz. let's say. But let us look at the number of seeds from even a single plant, how many do you suppose?...1,000?...10,000? at $10 each!!! I doubt "Breeders" with large facilities to accomodate a well formed breeding project, would pollinate only 1 plant. Considering several 'need' to be grown in order to establish stability, ect. I realize that it sometimes takes years to stabalize and establish a new strain, with a fair amount of cost, time, dedication and personal sacrifice. I don't]/i] have a problem with that being compensated with a "reasonable" profit margin. I just don't feel that $10+ p/seed is "reasonable".

Then you have the banks that promote and sell "knockoffs", F2's of someone elses work. Thes guys usually charge as little as 10% of the price of a "Breeders pack" of the identical strain. They can afford to. "They" never went through the selection, stabilization, hit'n miss, process of creating a strain. It's as simple as growing out a P1 male and female, and letting them do the "dirty deed". Do the math yourself on this one. 1 pollinated female plant, a few thousand seeds @ $1.50-$3.00 ea.

On to the banks that sell nothing but F1 hybrids. I call these guys "seed makers". Anyone can create seeds by crossing two unrelated plants and have great results, simply due to "hybrid" vigor. Usually in the case of F1 hybrids, all the plants will grow pretty similar with similar characteristics. Due to the hybrid vigor, they usually grow fast and produce well. BUT...make yourself some seeds from them and see where it goes. Usually you wind up with phenos all over the board. As f2's will often express charcteristics and recessive traits neither of the parent plants exhibited, no matter how selective you were in the first cross. These usually run beween $2.50-as much as $7.50 per seed.

Maybe, I shouldn't be "bustin'" on the seedbanks themselves. They are only distorting/manipulating/utilizing the "black market" that the oppressive laws create.