Cannabis Seeds Vs Cannabis Clones
If you’re new to growing cannabis, you have probably asked yourself what is the best way to get started growing cannabis, Cannabis Seeds vs Cannabis Clones? Luckily for you, this debate has been going on for some time. In this article, we will help you with information on the advantages and disadvantages of both ways to get started growing cannabis.
Growing cannabis, growers have many ways to get started other than seeds or clones, however these are the two ways that growers have easier access to. Many cannabis growers also have their preference on what they would like to start with. Some growers like seeds because they are pest free, will give them a bit of genetic variation, and will have a deep tap root for outdoor growing.
Other growers like getting clones as they have no genetic variation from the parent plant. They can also be flowered right away with no waiting, and they are already started for the grower to give them a greater chance of success.
With both methods of getting started growing cannabis, you will get healthy and happy THC rich cannabis plants for growing indoors and out.
What are the Advantages of Growing Cannabis From Clones?
There are many advantages from growing from clones. We will explain them below.
Stable Cannabis Genetics
Depending on where a grower acquires their clone from, the grower has most likely already grown the plant to full flowering and knows what they are selling as cloning stock.
This is great for the new growth as they will be able to grow the cannabis clone to flower with the exact same results. When a grower makes clones of a plant, it is an exact genetic copy of the cannabis plant that it was taken from. There will be no difference in the genetics. That being said, they can be different in the clone itself depending on how it was grown.
Two growers of clones can get different results depending on each of their growing techniques.
Speed to Flowering Cannabis Clones
Clones are already a certain age when you get them, and most of the time they are already at a mature age when you get them. The clones were taken from a plant in the vegetative stage of growth. Then rooted, so they will be the age of the plant, plus however long it took to root the clone into a new plant.
Therefore, most of the time you can take your clone and flower it as soon as it has been planted. While the harvest of the plant will be far less, then, if the grower grows the clone in a vegetative state for a few weeks.
Growers can take a Clone from a Clone from a Clone
So, you may understand the point from the headline, if you acquire a great clone, as a grower you can grow the clone that you received and take cutting from it before starting to flower the clone. You can do this as many times as you wish, making many clones from one clone that can also be flowered in a 12-hour dark cycle.
What are the Disadvantages of Growing Cannabis From Clones?
Just like there are a few advantages to growing from clones vs seeds, there are also some pretty important disadvantages that come along with clones as well.
Hitchhikers
Is there anything hitchhiking on that new clone you brought into your grow room? This is one of the biggest disadvantages with buying or acquiring clones from other growers.
There could be any number of things on that clone, from bug pests like Spider Mites, Thrips, fungus, molds, bacteria. You just never know, using clones from other growers or dealers is always a major risk for any grower and grow room. All it takes is the one bad clone added into your grow room to infect all the other plants.
Who Can You Trust to Get Clones from?
Do you know if the fellow grower grew out the clone and tested it? If they didn’t then you are growing a crap shoot, as you have no idea what harvest you will have from the clone as no one has ever flowered it before?
The grower may not have an issue with this, and may just want to grow it for fun and see what they get. However, if the grower misrepresents the clone or mislabeled it you are going to a harvest you didn’t expect good, or bad.
Acquiring Clones Can Be Hard for Some Growers
Cannabis Clones are far less hardy than seeds. They are hard to ship and keep alive in the mailbox, post office and your mailbox for any amount of time. The longer clones sit in the dark, the less chance the grower has of bringing them back to life.
Most of the time, you will never want clones to sit in a post office for more than 24 hours. If you have a growing friend, they may be able to make some good quality clones for your garden, if you ask them nicely.
What are the Advantages of Growing Cannabis From Seeds?
There are very good advantages to growing cannabis from seeds. We will review the advantages to getting your garden started with seeds.
No Pests, Bugs or Fungus, Mold
With seeds, you never have to worry about bringing bug pests into your grow room. Seeds will always be fungus free and never have mold to bring into the garden. Growers can start to grow seeds knowing that they will be starting fresh with seeds.
Seeds are Easy to Acquire
Acquiring cannabis seeds is much easier than clones. Growers can get seeds just about anywhere, through the mail, friends, trading, cannabis shops, grow shops. Seeds are much hardier than clones for travel and shipping. Seeds can also be saved and stored, unlike clones can be.
New Untapped Genetics
Using seeds is by far the best way to find new genetics for cannabis. Every seed that is planted will be different from the last. You could find the best strain ever, using new seeds to start your cannabis grow with. If you are looking for some diversities in the plants, like taste, smell, potency, then starting from a batch of seeds will give the grower all these things.
If you are looking for some new untapped cannabis seed genetics, you can get them here.
Seeds Grow Stronger and Better Root Systems than Clones
When you start cannabis from seeds, the plant will grow a very strong taproot that will go deep into the ground. This tap root will grow many main roots off of it, to take up nutrients and water for the plant. It will also create a stronger, healthier plant. Clones do not have a tap root to grow deep into the ground; this is especially important when growing cannabis outdoors.
Feminized Seeds
These days, growers are able to get seeds that will be all female plants. This way, they are taking the guessing game out of growing cannabis, and not having to identify male plants before they start to flower. This makes it much easier for growers to get the crop they would like without having to do more work and spend more time looking for males.
What are the Disadvantages of Growing Cannabis From Seeds?
There are a few disadvantages to growing cannabis seeds vs cannabis clones. Here we list them out with information on each.
Harder to get started for Seeds
When you receive a clone it is already growing, hopefully healthy and just needs to be replanted. When a grower starts cannabis seeds, they need more skills to do so, especially the first time as a cannabis grower. Depending on their skills at starting seeds, all their seeds may germinate or none of them may.
The fresher the seeds are, the better chance they have to start growing. When you receive seeds, you also never know how old they are, and this could also be a factor when growing them.
Variable Cannabis Genetics
Just like no two people are alike, there are no two cannabis seeds that are alike. Every seed you plant will have a different genetic code, making every single seed slightly different. This will happen even if the plant is from the same male and female plant. One plant may be a bit taller, a bit shorter, a bit denser, one may have more THC or CBD than the next plant.
When growing from seeds, all the plants will not be 100% uniform in growth patterns. This is a little more tricky, especially if you are a beginner cannabis grower.
Takes more time to get to the Flowering Stage
Seeds need more time to mature before growers may flower the plant, however cannabis clones have already reached this stage. If the grower starts with clones, this will typically take approximately a month longer.
Are Cannabis Clones better than Cannabis Seeds?
Well, this really comes down to the growers preference and growing times. If you are short on time and know what genetics you are getting right away, then clones are the way to go. When looking for some new genetics, and you don’t have access to clones, these seeds are perfect for you.
Either way, you can end up with some excellent cannabis in your garden. You can also grow your own and find the perfect plant for you, growing from seeds. If you would like to learn how to clone your cannabis like a pro, you can read this article.
When making the cannabis clones vs cannabis seeds decision after reading this article and think about what would make the most sense in your cannabis garden and go from there. Growing great cannabis will be a learning opportunity no matter what you decide.
