Plant DNA Testing For Cannabis, Hemp & More
EZ-XY Works With
- Cannabis (including hemp)
- Fig Tree (Ficus caricus)
- Asparagus
- Borojo (coming soon)
- Long beans (P. longum, coming soon)
- Squash (coming soon)
Sex Plants in Just 7 Days
You no longer have to wait for a plant to mature to identify their sex. By testing the sex of your plant using EZ-XY Plant DNA Sex Test Kits, you maximize your grow’s potential by culling males before they eat into your yields or pollinate your crops, while avoiding the extra costs of nutrients, space, and labor required to care for male plants you eventually have to cull.
About Us
Farmer Freeman was founded in Washington, D.C. in 2015 to support home growers around the world take advantage of the legal right to grow your own, and get the most out of your efforts with minimal guesswork.
All Growers benefit from access to lab testing.
We offer direct-to-consumer plant DNA testing using state-of-the-art qPCR technologies to help commercial and home growers optimize their cultivation efforts to maximize their yields.
Farmer Freeman actively supports the legalization of home grow, the decriminalization of cannabis, and the safe return of individuals impacted by the war on drugs.
We aim to contribute to a fair and just society that treats cannabis like any other good or service by providing top-tier support for the global community of growers.
Genetic Testing for All Growers
Farmer Freeman’s mission is to make fast, accurate lab testing accessible and affordable for growers of all shapes and sizes. Our testing process delivers results with over 99.5% accuracy in as little as 2 Business Days.
Whether you’re a hobby grower with a single tent or a commercial operator with multiple facilities, we have tests to fit your needs. Choose from one of our standard kit options, or reach out to inquire about bulk and commercial orders for as low as $8 per sample.
Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
Payments
How do I place an order?
The best way is to visit our Shop page and select the test(s) you wish to order, then visit each test’s page and add the desired quantity to your cart.
When you are ready to complete your order, click to proceed to checkout. From there, follow the instructions to make your purchase.
Where can I input a promo code?
If you have a promo code, you can enter it on the cart or checkout page. When you are done adding the tests, go to checkout.
Below the total, you will see a line that says ‘Have a promo coupon? Redeem your coupon.’ Click this option and add the code.
How do I pay?
Farmer Freeman accepts credit, debit, Cash App, Venmo, or cryptocurrency, check, and money order.
For credit and debit transactions, you can pay directly on our website.
For all other methods, we will email you payment instructions to complete your order (typically within 1-2 business days of the order being received).
Do you offer bulk purchases or commercial rates?
Yes! Farmer Freeman is happy to work with growers of all sizes to supply tests for your needs, including offering bulk rates for commercial orders.
To place a commercial order or inquire about bulk testing, please reach out using our Contact page and a member of our team will contact you to discuss.
Shipping
What are my shipping options?
Farmer Freeman offers a variety of shipping options to choose from at checkout to fit your needs and schedule, including:
USPS:
- Ground Advantage 1-Way
- Ground Advantage 2-Way
- Priority 1-Way
- Priority 2-Way
- Priority Express 1-Way
- Priority Express 2-Way
- First Class UK+Canada 1-Way
FedEx
- Various Options
International Customers: Please reach out if you need other shipping quotes.
What are “2-Way” shipping options?
In addition to expedited shipping options, we also offer 2-way shipping that includes sample submission postage.
- 1-Way shipping is the postage to ship your tests to you from the Farmer Freeman Lab.
- 2-Way shipping is the postage to ship your tests to you from the lab, as well as the postage for you to ship your samples back to the lab to get results.
Please note: You must select 2-way shipping at checkout to receive a postage label for your sample submission.
If a 1-way option is selected at checkout, you will not receive a return label for submitting samples and will be responsible for purchasing this from the shipping carrier of your choosing.
Should I request Signature Confirmation for my shipment?
Please DO NOT select ‘Signature Required’ as we may not be able to sign during the time of arrival. If this is selected, results may be delayed.
What should I do if my samples are stuck in transit or held by the shipping provider?
While we do everything in our power to streamline the testing and submission processes, shipping services are largely out of our control.
Since 2020, many shipments have been experiencing delays and the estimated shipping times of arrival are no longer guaranteed by most carriers.
If your samples do not arrive within the estimated time window, we recommend trying to get a refund for the shipping cost with the service provider.
The 2-Week Rule
We typically consider samples as ‘lost’ after 2 weeks from the date it was sent out.
If it has been less than 2 weeks, we will wait a few extra days for the samples to arrive. If it has been more than 2 weeks, we can issue replacements or guide you through submitting samples using your own materials.
My tracing shows delivered but I did not receive a confirmation email from the lab?
Don’t worry! While we do our best to ensure all submissions receive confirmation of delivery, occasionally emails bounce back or have typos and are undeliverable.
If your tracking is showing that your samples were delivered and you did not receive a confirmation email, reach out to us using our Contact page and someone from our staff will confirm whether your samples were received.
Sample Submissions
How do I collect samples for testing?
Place a 1/2-1 inch cut of a healthy leaf tip (dry, free of dirt, before any sprays) into the testing envelope.
Please do not include more than the requested amount of the sample.
If a whole leaf or multiple leaves are sent, they may not dry in time, which will cause a delay in the results.
How early can I take samples for testing?
We recommend growers take samples ~7-10 days from germination.
Once your seedling starts producing serrated leaves (pairs of leaves after the first set of smooth cotyledons), you may take your sample.
Be mindful that you are removing a “solar panel” for your baby plant, and ensure it has enough leaf surface area to survive the recovery.
We encourage submitting samples as early as possible to minimize wasted resources and time spent caring for male plants.
What if my samples have been sprayed?
Regardless of the source, chemical contamination on the leaves may negatively affect the test. But it’s not the end of the world.
To account for this, our lab technicians must run alternative methods that take an extra few days to ensure the accuracy of results.
If you are unsure whether your plants have been sprayed, please try to collect leaf tips and/or samples from new growth whenever possible.
You may also clean the samples with distilled/pure water prior to submission but please pat dry before placing in the envelope to avoid excess moisture (and the molds and mildews that can be caused by it).
Clearly indicate any samples that may have been sprayed.
For the best possible experience, we highly recommend submitting samples before they are sprayed.
What are smash cards?
Smash cards are an optional step in the sample collection process that retains DNA information from a plant tissue sample without sending in the plant tissue sample itself.
Most EZ-XY customers submit a 1/2-1 inch cut of a healthy leaf tip or similar plant tissue. Alternatively, special collection papers known as “smash cards” may be used instead of testing the leaf sample directly.
To use the smash cards, a piece of plant material is smashed into the paper, transferring the DNA.
Excess leaf and plant material is then scraped off and discarded. This allows for only the DNA to be submitted to the lab.
Smash cards are useful if you cannot or do not want to submit plant materials (ie. International Orders).
Smash cards require more work to process in the lab, therefore there is a small additional cost for testing.
Tips for Successful Smash Card Collection:
- Make sure the leaf is healthy and isn’t too dry. If you have watered the plant recently, the leaf should produce an appropriate amount of juice.
- Try rolling the leaf into a ball before smashing against the card.
- If you have smashed the sample into the card correctly, juice from the leaf will have sunk through the card and be visible on the back.
- Make sure to clean all your materials and use the plastic cover slip over the leaf to prevent contamination.
How do I seal the envelopes?
Each envelope is lightly sealed in your kit with a small green circle sticker.
Gently peel this sticker when opening and place sample inside. Then, using that same green sticker, press down firmly to seal the envelope.
Please do not use saliva, water, glue, tape or any other materials to seal the envelopes as these can contaminate your sample and require additional screening and/or affect results.
Can I place the samples in extra wrapping/plastic bags?
While we understand the temptation to seal your samples in an airtight container such as a plastic or vacuum-sealed bag, please do not do this.
Samples should not be wrapped in plastic or in an airtight package.
The included paper envelopes are designed to store and dry the sample adequately, preventing rot and protecting the DNA for analysis.
Do I need to submit all the samples at once?
Samples do not need to be returned all at once.
You may return samples and receive results in any increment you like.
If you order 10 test kits, but only end up using 5, you can send those in and save the remaining 5 for later.
Do sample kits expire?
No. Farmer Freeman will honor all sample kits purchased so long as they are not marked VOID or UNPAID.
We understand that you may not use every kit at once, or that you may want to order a larger amount of kits than needed to secure the best pricing. Our lab will honor sample kits regardless of age.
My sample kits say VOID or UNPAID, can I still use them?
We accept all unused sample kits, including those marked VOID or UNPAID.
However, samples received that are marked VOID or UNPAID, will require payment before results are sent. An invoice will be sent to the original email address used to purchase kits whenever possible.
To ensure timely results and confirm delivery of your samples, especially if they are marked VOID or UNPAID, please reach out using our Contact page and give us a head’s up so we know they’re coming and who to send the invoice to.
Results
How will I get my results?
Results will be emailed 1-2 business days after the samples are received by the lab.
Please be on the lookout for an arrival confirmation email, which will detail when results are expected to be delivered.
If you did not receive a confirmation email, please reach out to us using the form on our Contact page and include your sample numbers and any other information that will help us locate your submission.
What does UNDER ANALYSIS mean?
Samples marked UNDER ANALYSIS require an additional 1-2 business days to retest the sample.
Thanks to the state-of-the-art qPCR technology and equipment that our team uses to analyze DNA samples, most results can be confidently reported after a single analysis.
Some samples, for a variety of reasons, require additional testing.
Most commonly, this is a result of contamination from dirt or sprays.
Occasionally, we encounter genetic anomalies where PCR primers are unable to find the target DNA sequences, but these are much rarer.
A follow-up email will be sent with the UNDER ANALYSIS results.
Does EZ-XY detect hermaphrodites (“herms” or “intersex”)?
Farmer Freeman’s EZ-XY testing services rely on the presence of a Y chromosome to accurately detect whether a plant is a genetic male. Unfortunately, that also means that a plan that is a genetic female (XX) but expresses male traits will not be detected as there is no Y chromosome present.
In our research and client work, we have found that both male and female plants can display intersex issues, often as a result of stress or as a late-onset trait displayed later in the growth cycle.
