Cultivstion Corner Clones V Seeds- Anthony Savala

   Cultivation Corner  

Clones V Seeds

This month in Cultivation Corner we are going to talk about some of the differences between growing from seed or “magic beans” as many are starting to call them and clone. Some growers have preferences on whether to start from seed or to just go with a clone to start their grow, this month we will just explain a few  of the differences between the two.

When you start from a seed first and foremost you should start with quality genetics.

These can be found in your local compassion club or seed bank,sometimes even in your meds, which is sometimes known as bag seed. Most of these seeds (genetics) come from long time cannabis breeders that have spent extensive time and work on picking and breeding the specific characteristics into the certain cannabis genetics that many of you know and love such as Blue Dream, Purple Kush, and Cookies just to name a few. These type of breeders have bred and targeted the genetics down to just a couple of pheno types so you pretty much know what to expect and what your getting when using these. Then there are newer breeders which have yet to stabilize their genetics and can have a variety of phenotypes, some desireable others not, unstabilized.

After you choose your seeds (genetics), It’s time to sprout your plant there are many ways to sprout your plant. Some soak the seed for 24 hours then put in a paper towel until they see a root and then plant some just sprout in a paper towel without soaking and others just plant directly into the medium they intend to use. After a few days the plant will sprout and a new cannabis plant has started to grow and reach for the sunshine. In just a few short weeks you will be able to determine the sex of your plant. It is at this time that you can get rid of the males, if you do not intend to breed your plants and  have seeds.

.This is a picture of a male plants internodal flower sacs before they open and spread pollen to pollinate the female and create seeded flowers. This is a pic of a male top . When you remove all the males you leave only females in your garden to grow the sensimillia or seedless flower, which when cultivated and cured becomes the bud or medicine that medicinal cannabis and recreational users use.

Here is a pic of a female plants internodal flower this is what you look for to determine if your plant will mature into a big beautiful female. Also included is a pic of a female top starting to flower.

Plants that have been started by seed are very vigorous and are often used as mother plants for indoor as well as outdoor beautys  as they grow fast and healthy.One of the down sides for most gardeners is the wait to sex the plant,which for some is a wait they just do not have time for  in their garden as they rather have that time dedicated to female plants filling out their space.

Now we will talk a bit about starting with clones. Just as with seeds you really should start with quality genetics. These genetics can be found at your local compassion club ,a specialized nursery or even a cut from a trusted friend. Clones tend to start off a bit slower than plants started from seed, but with enough time and patience they can be just as big and vigorous as a plant started from seed. Some growers as stated before do not have this time in their garden, so they have to plant more plants to make up for this lack of time to let the plant get full and fill up the grow space which takes time for the clone to establish the root system needed to support such a plant.

After you have your clone or clones picked out and you decide what medium you're going to use soil or soilless and if you're going to be growing inside or outside, all you have to do is make sure to take very good care of your plant. Because clones are mostly females taken from mother plants of high quality genetics and will mature into a big beautiful budded plant. The reason it is important to take good care of your plant is some plants if stressed too much or if the clones were taken from a stressed plant  will produce hermaphrodite plants, which contain both female and male sexual reproductive organs this in turn will result in a seeded garden. Some specialized nurseries have clones of male plants as well as female plants for breeding purposes,If you happen to go to one of these to get your clones make sure to tell them what sex you prefer.

So there are a few of the differences between growing from seeds or from clones.

With clones you are guaranteed a female plant, unless stressed too much, it is a bit slower to start but can be overcome with time or more plants to fill the grow space.

When you start from seed you get a more vigorous plant to start. You have to wait to sex the plant . Can grow big beautiful mother plants in a shorter amount of time. In the end it all comes down to the growers own personal preferences and needs.one thing for sure is you  Always start with Great and Trusted genetics in your grow and if you put a lot of love into your grow, your grow will give you a lot of love right back..

            til next time   Peace,Love and Overgrow Always!  

  Written by Anthony Savala    photos by Anthony Savala aka Compassionate Caregiver