Should I start my cannabis plant with seeds or clones?
Should I start my cannabis plant with seeds or clones?
Starting With Cannabis Seeds
Pros:
- If you buy your seeds from an established seed bank, than you have a great idea on how your plant will be like in terms of looks, yield, quality, and flowering time.
- You can purchase feminized seeds from a seed bank which means you will get 100% females and don't have to worry about male marijuana plants. Only female cannabis plants produce bud. Learn more about male and female cannabis plants.
- Seeds give you the best chance of a 'clean slate' which means you plants won't come with any sort of disease or pests
Cons:
- Not all seeds will germinate
- Old seeds or improperly stored seeds may be slow growing
- If using non-feminized seeds, about half of the plants will end up being male, which do not produce buds. Learn how to identify male plants right away.
- Seeds can take a little more time than clones to get started growing and be ready for harvest, since clones are usually already "mature" and established when you start growing
- Seeds are a good way for many people to start growing because they can be easily purchased off the internet.
Starting With Cannabis Clones
Pros:
- Guaranteed gender – if the mother plant was female, the clone will be female too
- Clones usually have a head start compared to starting with a seed, since clones are usually already mature and established when you start growing with them. Compared to seeds, clones usually have an overall shorter grow period and therefore will be ready to harvest a bit more quickly.
- Clones can be quickly grown into a 'mom' and recloned, for a constant source of new plants. You can clone any plant to create an unlimited amount of plants
- Since clones are genetically identical to their mother plant, you know almost exactly what you're getting. Although there is some variance even between clones, they tend to grow much more alike than two random plants.
- Rooted clones can be coaxed to flower almost immediately if time or space is an issue
Cons:
- Clones can be harder to find compared to seeds – many people don't know a cannabis grower in real life
- If the original grower had any problems with the mother plant (like pests or viruses) then it's possible that the new grower (you) can inherit the same problems from the clone
- If you start with a clone that hasn't been well established, it's possible it might unexpectedly die on you, or remain in shock for a long time.
