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Added by: snoofer
Contributed by: snoofer
Introduction:
Growers face the decision to start a grow from either seeds orrooted clones. The decision is not obvious, as both growing optionshave their respective advantages and disadvantages. Growers may have toweigh growing space, crop risk and turn around time.
Clones
Advantages:
>Clones are much faster to veg up and flower than starting fromseed, 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 willstill be evident in the phenotype. In general, clones will exhibit evengrowth 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’scharacteristics (smell, vigor, branching pattern, sativa/indicadominance, rooting quality, etc).
Disadvantages:
>Clones can be difficult to find, as opposed to available seedbanks. Clones from unknown sources are of suspect quality and genetics.
>Growers run a high risk of inheriting problems from the lastgrower: Root rot, spider mites, powdery mildew, etc. If these problemsare not identified and treated, they can quickly spread to an entirecrop.
>Unhealthy clones may die or remain in shock for an extended period
>Shipped clones may be in shock and take weeks of TLC torecover. There are many stories of medical clones shipped without anyprotection and arrived flat!
>Clones are more light-sensitive than seeds. Clones take time tobecome established, and are easily burned by excessive light (andnutrients)
>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 lineageand genetics. You should have a reasonable idea of what the strain willdo 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 isnever guaranteed).
>Hybrid vigor. Females grown from seed are often higher yieldingthan clones. Strains can lose their vigor over time; growers may wantto '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 faqs on strain breeding )
>Not all seeds will be viable (germinate) and only 50% of theunfeminized seeds will be female (feminized seeds may produce up to 90%females). Only female seeds will produce female mothers, from whichproductive 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
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