1. What this site is — and what it isn't

Top10Seeds is a ranking hub for cannabis genetics. We publish numbered lists of strains in categories that actually matter to growers: potency, yield, outdoor resilience, autoflowers and beginner-friendliness. Each list explains its own method, and each strain entry traces back to the breeder's own product data.

Top10Seeds itself doesn't sell anything: no stock, no payments, no shipping. Every "Buy" button leads to the relevant strain page on one of three seed banks — Rocket Seeds, Mary Jane's Garden or Sonoma Seeds — which are operated by the same team that publishes this site. That relationship is set out in full in section 8.

2. Who compiles the ratings

Top10Seeds is run by a small editorial team with hands-on growing experience across indoor, greenhouse and outdoor setups. Rankings are compiled by comparing breeder specifications against documented grower results, then reviewed as a group before publication. Where we lack direct experience with a specific cultivar, we say so in the listing rather than implying first-hand testing.

3. The five criteria we score on

Every strain on the site is assessed against the same five dimensions. Not every list weights them equally — that's the subject of the next section — but the underlying data is always the same five things.

We deliberately do not score bag appeal, flavour preference or effect intensity. Those are subjective, and a list built on them is a list of one person's taste rather than a usable comparison.

4. How weighting works

This is the part most ranking sites hide. Each of our lists publishes its own weighting at the top of the page, and it changes depending on what the list is for. A potency list that weighted yield equally would be a worse potency list.

Within a list, ties are broken by the criterion that matters most to a grower in that category. On the outdoor list, for example, a September finisher will rank above a slightly heavier October strain — because a plant that rots before harvest has a yield of zero.

5. Where the numbers come from

Every THC figure, yield range, flowering time and difficulty rating on this site is taken from the breeder's own published specification table for that specific product. We don't estimate, interpolate or average across sources.

• Ranges stay ranges. If a breeder publishes "23–30% THC", we show the whole range and tell you the low end is the realistic home-grow figure.
• Ounces are converted, not invented. Where a vendor quotes ounces, we convert at 1 oz = 28.35 g and show the original figure in the strain card so you can check the maths.
• Conflicts are flagged. When a breeder's marketing copy and spec table disagree — a common one is "6 weeks" in the description against "8–10 weeks" in the table — we note the discrepancy in the listing rather than picking whichever sounds better.
• Missing data is stated. If a breeder doesn't publish a yield figure, the table says "not published". We don't fill the gap.

6. How independence works here

The three seed banks we link to — Rocket Seeds, Mary Jane's Garden and Sonoma Seeds — are run by the same team that publishes these rankings. We state that plainly rather than bury it, because you should know who is behind a list before you trust it.

What the stores cannot buy:

• A position in any ranking
• Removal of a negative note or a flagged discrepancy
• A "Best" or "Editor's Choice" label
• Coverage of a strain we wouldn't otherwise include

What "independence" means in practice: editorial decisions are made on published specifications alone. Stock levels, store priorities and promotions don't move a strain up or down a list. A strain keeps its place after it sells out, and a new release only gets a card if its numbers earn one.

7. How often lists change

Rankings are living documents, not one-time articles. A list is re-reviewed when any of the following happens:

• A breeder updates their specification or discontinues a cultivar
• A store stops stocking a strain on the list
• Consistent grower reports contradict the published spec
• A new release genuinely outperforms something already ranked
• Six months pass since the last review, whichever comes first

The "last updated" date on each list reflects the most recent substantive edit — not a cosmetic change. If nothing has changed, the date doesn't move.

8. Who publishes this site

9. Corrections

We get things wrong. Breeders change specs, we misread a table, or a strain gets reformulated under the same name. If you spot an error:

• Tell us which strain, which list, and what the correct figure is
• If you have a source — the breeder's page, a lab result, a grow log — include it
• We'll correct the page and note the change in the update log

Corrections are published whether or not they help a store. That's the point of having the policy written down.