# Seed run

> A seed run is a dedicated grow in which selected parents are crossed to produce a batch of seed, as opposed to growing for flower.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/seed-run.html
- Also written: seed runs, seed production run, making seeds, seed batch, seed lot
- Glossary category: Genetics and breeding · Evidence: Grower practice
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

A seed run is a grow, or part of one, dedicated to producing seed: chosen parents are flowered together or hand-pollinated, and the plants are run until seed matures. The resulting batch is a seed lot, and every seed in it should share documented parents.

## In practice

A clean seed run needs isolation (no stray pollen), labelled branches or plants, and patience: seeds generally need several weeks after pollination to mature and darken, and should be harvested from dry, intact [calyxes](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/calyx.md). After harvest, a good breeder dries the seed, records yield and [germination](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/germination.md) rate, and only then calls it a release candidate.

The seed run is only the first half. Seed from an untested cross is a hypothesis. Tester grows show what it produces: uniformity, vigour, [chemotype](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/chemotype.md), and [herm rate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/herm-threshold.md). GenetixBay's featured lines need a 10-plant screening grow with zero [herms](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/hermaphrodite.md), and only about 150 or more pooled community plants can earn "Verified under 2% herm rate" (see [herm threshold](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/herm-threshold.md)).

## Don't confuse with

- **Pollen chucking**: making seed without selected parents, testing or records.
- **Seed lot**: the batch from one seed run; a seed run can produce several lots from different crosses.
- **Germination test**: a quality check on a seed lot, not the run itself.

## Related terms

[Pollination](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pollination.md), [Cross](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cross.md), [Test grow](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/test-grow.md), [Male selection](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/male-selection.md), [Pollen](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pollen.md)

## Read more

- [Pollination and seed production, step by step](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/breeding/pollination-seed-production.md)
- [Seed germination testing and quality control for breeders](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/breeding/seed-germination-testing-qc.md)

## Sources

1. Allard RW. 1999. Principles of Plant Breeding, 2nd edition. John Wiley & Sons, New York. ISBN 978-0-471-02309-0