Seeds Or Clones: How To Choose?
Whether you are a beginner grower or an expert, before starting a new run, you’ll have to ask yourself the same question: Will I start with seeds or clones? The answer to that is of course: It depends. In this guide, we’ll weigh the pros and cons to help you choose the most suitable option for you.
Starting With Clones
At first glance, it looks easier to start with clones. You don’t have to go through the germination process and they are taller and more robust than a fragile little seedling right? Actually, it can be more complicated than starting with seeds. That is because clones are more prone to diseases and pests.
Pros:
- Predictable. A cutting has the same genes as the plant it comes from. If the mother-plant is a pure female, the clone will also be 100% female.
- More uniform than seeds. All clones from the same mother-plants will grow the same way under the same environment.
- Allow for a quicker turnover. Clones grow faster than seeds at the beginning of the vegetative phase and can also bloom faster. Because they come from plants that are mature, clones have already reached their sexually maturity and they will therefore flower a bit faster.
- Stretch less than plants grown from seeds. At the beginning of the flowering phase, a natural growth-spurt causes the stems to elongate. However, clones tend to remain shorter than the plants that directly come from a seed.
Cons:
- Less vigorous than seeds. This is due to the fact that clones only produce fibrous roots but do not have a tap root.
- Lower yields. Because they tend to be less vigorous, clones yield less than seeds.
- Can bring pathogens and diseases to the grow room. Nowadays many clone nurseries sell clones which carry viroids such as the Hop Latent Viroid. Although the clones are often asymptomatic, it can significantly impact yields and quality. You should always quarantine your clones after you acquire them. It is also a good idea to lab-test them to make sure they are “Clean”.
- More vulnerable to pests and diseases. Clones are more prone to pests and diseases because they are less vigorous than seedlings. Also, the lack of genetic diversity means that if a clone is vulnerable to a particular pest or disease, all the other clones coming from the same mother-plant will have the same problem.
- Hard to obtain. In most countries, it is lot lot easier to buy seeds from a reputable breeder than it is to find great clones. Some growers sell hyped clones via social media for insane amounts of money. However, these clones with fancy names rarely live up to expectations.
- Lack of information. When you purchase a clone, it is sometimes tricky to know where it comes from and how the selection was made. Sometimes clones are treated with chemical pesticides and there is no way to know. Likewise, the strain name is not always accurate.
- Require more knowledge. Although not very complicated, cloning cannabis takes some gardening skills and you will need lots of tools.
- Need to keep a mother plant alive. In order to grow the same clones over and over again, you will have to keep a mother plant alive and look after it.
Starting With Seeds
Some growers won’t start with seeds because they do not like the element of surprise. What if you popped 10 seeds and ended up with weak plants, hermaphrodites or a disappointing end product? This is definitely a risk. However, if the seeds come from a reputable breeder, the plants will be vigorous, similar to one another and you shouldn’t have any hermaphrodites.
Pros:
- More vigorous. Because seeds develop a tap root, they can grow faster.
- Higher Yielding. Seeds are younger than clones coming from a mature plant that may be getting old. On top of that their tap root allows seedlings to be more vigorous. These are the main reasons why seedlings generally produce more than clones.
- Better resistant to diseases and pests. Thanks to a higher genetic diversity as well as a higher vigor, plants grown from seeds are naturally more resistant to pests and diseases. On top of that, seeds seldom carry viroids and pathogens unlike clones.
- Full control. With seeds you can control the process from A to Z. Unlike some clones, seeds don’t have pesticide residue and are almost always virus free. In other words, you’ll be starting with a clean slate. As long as they come from a good breeder, you’ll know exactly what the strain is. There is no guesswork.
- Freedom of choice. Seeds are easier to buy legally than clones and you also have a wider array of cultivars to choose from.
- More discreet. It is much more low-key to ship or buy some tiny seeds than it is to buy cuttings.
- Uniqueness. Starting with seeds allows you to pheno hunt and pick the very best plants in order to make a mother-plant out of it. Many growers work with the same clones, however, when starting with seeds, you can find an incredibly unique phenotype that has never been found before.
- Better for outdoors. As they haven’t yet reached their sexual maturity, plants started from seeds do not go into flower in April as some clones do. Furthermore, their strong tap root allows them to be more drought-resistant than clones that have shallower roots.
Cons:
- Trickier at the very beginning. It’s paramount to know how to store and how to germinate your beans so almost all of them can sprout. Then, you need to look after these fragile little babies so they can grow into strong healthy plants.
- Slow at first. It takes time to wait for seeds to germinate. On top of that, seedlings grow slowly at first.
- Sometimes more “stretchy”. Seedlings usually stretch more than clones at the beginning of the flowering phase.
- Can be costly. Sometimes, seeds are relatively cheap but sometimes just one seed can cost up to 20 euros. More expensive doesn’t always mean better. Make sure that you are being seeds from a reputable source.
- Not always feminized. Should you decide to buy regular seeds, you’ll have to look out for the male plants so as not to end up with seeded buds.
So... Seeds Or Clones?
Whether you decide to grow seeds or clones, there are benefits and drawbacks to both. That being said, you should easily be able to choose what’s best for your setup based on this thorough comparison.
Still not sure? Why not try them both to see what suits your needs!? No matter what you choose, whether starting with seeds or clones, the number one success factor is the grower himself!
Kia ora I live in New Zealand and have been growing a strain called cherry ,it is a sativa .I have been cloning this strain for about 16 years and am thinking of producing a seed plant .What is the best way to get a cone to produce seed without going hermaphrodite .Also can I grow seed plants with clones ?
Thanks for your help
Noel
Kia Ora Noel! Thanks for taking the time to comment and kudos to you Keeping a strain alive for 16 years..
If the parents you use for making seeds are highly sexually stable (Don’t herm easily), chances are most of the offspring will also be sexually stable. You can stress test your plants in order to make sure that they are sexually stable before using them to make seeds. Here is a useful tutorial on the subject: https://khalifagenetics.com/cannabis-hermaphrodites-stress-testing-your-plants/
Cheers,
Al
Bonsoir Aladin 👳
Un grand merci pour tes explications fortes intéressentes. 🙏. J’aurais souhaité savoir combien de temps il faut laisser les graines sécher après les avoirs récoltées à l air ambiant, avant de pouvoir les conserver au réfrégérateur en tubes hermétiques ?
Merci beaucoup ☺
Nuff respect 🙏.
Bonjour Jah Guidance,
Ta question est super! Cela sera utile a tous ceux qui veulent se lancer dans la repro de graines.
Alors cela dépend de la température et de l’humiditée mais l’idéal est de les faire sécher dans les buds a 19-20 degres et 55% d’humidité pendant 8-10 jours puis une fois sortie des calices, encore 10-14 jours de séchage a 19-20C et 45-50% d’humidité.
Ensuite cela peut partir au frigo 😉
Bonne journée l’ami!
Al & l’équipe Khalifa
Bonsoir Al. ☺.
Encore une fois un grand merci pour toutes les informations communiquées et partagées. C est vraiment complet !
Alors comme je fais actuellement en laissant les semences en séchage avec les plantes tetes en bas. Le séchage se ce fait pour ma part a 19 % et 52% d humilité car j ai un absorbeur d humidité dans la pièce. Séchage en cabine dans le noir avec un extrateur qui tourne et les plantes ventilées avec une colonne oscillente. Mis en séchage samedi, les pointes commences à être sèche. Mais il leurs faut habituellement 7/8 jours. Donc un peux juste en séchage … trop rapide s il en faut 8/10. Comme c est indiça les graines ne sortent pas des calices aussi aisément car elles sont vraiment enfermées “la différence avec les graines de plants sativa”. Alors après séchage, une fois sortie de la plante, je compte 10/14 jours. Ceci etant le minimum ! Les graines se conservent 5/10 ans à l aire ambiant et combien d années au réfrigérateur ?
Merci beaucoup Al. 👳 👌 💚.
Je bois tes explications toujours très bien détaillées 🙏.
Bonsoir Jah Guidance,
Derien, content que cela te soit utile!
Oui en effet les Indicas Compactes sont un peu plus longues a secher. Ce n’est pas au jour pret mais cela donne un idée.
A température ambiante je dirais 3-5 ans si il y a des variations de températures et qu’il fait chaud l’été (Pas bon).
En frigo dédié, 10 a 20 ans.
Bonne soirée amigo!
Al & l’équipe Khalifa