Cannabis Fact Contributed by:
Blueberry Hills
Cannabis Tip Submitted: 11-10-2009
Introduction:
Growers face the decision to start a grow from either
seeds or rooted clones. The decision is not obvious, as
both growing options have their respective advantages and
disadvantages. Growers may have to weigh growing space,
crop risk and turn around time.
Clones
Advantages:
Clones are much faster to vegetative up and flower than
starting from seed, resulting in a quick harvest and a
much shorter turnaround time.
Clones can be quickly grown into moms and re-cloned,
for an instant vegetative and flowering crop
Clones are genetically identical, but some
differences will still be evident in the phenotype. In
general, clones will exhibit even growth and growing
characteristics.
Rooted clones can be flowered immediately if space or
time is a problem.
Clones can quickly provide the grower with a strain's
characteristics (smell, vigor, branching pattern,
sativa/indica dominance, rooting quality, etc).
Disadvantages:
Clones can be difficult to find, as opposed to
available seed banks. Clones from unknown sources are of
suspect quality and genetics.
Growers run a high risk of inheriting problems from
the last grower: Root rot, spider mites, powdery mildew,
etc. If these problems are not identified and treated,
they can quickly spread to an entire crop.
Unhealthy clones may die or remain in shock for an
extended period
Shipped clones may be in shock and take weeks of TLC
to recover. There are many stories of medical clones
shipped without any protection and arrived flat!
Clones are more light-sensitive than seeds. Clones
take time to become established, and are easily burned by
excessive light (and nutrients)
As clones are almost always female, breeding options
are limited. Hermies are possible with unstable clone
crosses.
Seeds:
Advantages
Seeds obtained from reputable seed banks are of known
lineage and genetics. You should have a reasonable idea
of what the strain will do in terms of yield, quality and
flowering time.
Breeding and crossing options are possible with male
seeds. (Feminized seeds produce a higher % of female
seeds, but 100% female is never guaranteed).
Hybrid vigor. Females grown from seed are often
higher yielding than clones. Strains can lose their vigor
over time; growers may want to 'rejuvinate' their grow
with the same successful strain
Your seeds should produce healthy plants, free of
disease and pests.
Disadvantages:
Cost. Seeds can be expensive, not only per seed pack,
but in the time they take to produce a flowered
crop.
Problems with ripoffs, shipping/customs seizing seed
bank deliveries, switched seeds.
Unstable hybrid strains (See Facts on
strain breeding
)
Not all seeds will be viable (germinate) and only 50%
of the unfeminized seeds will be female (feminized seeds
may produce up to 90% females). Only female seeds will
produce female mothers, from which productive clones can
be taken and flowered.
It may take many seed packs to discover an excellent
mother.
Seeds take a long time (and there is more labor,
money and time involved) before a harvest can
occur.
The seeds need to be:
-germinated
-grown into mothers
-clones taken from each mother, labeled, then sexed to
tell which mother is female or male
-the best mothers are selected (males may be optionally
discarded).
-mothers are mass cloned
-clones are vegetatively grown and then flowered
