Breeding with hermie plants is a subpar idea. It’s one of the reasons there are so many unstable herm-prone genetics out in the market. People get a dank hermie plant and then start making crosses. Sadly because of how genetics works some of the offspring will carry that gene and keep spreading it to their offspring.
it takes time and space to do proper breeding. You need to grow out enough seeds to get a good genetic picture and find a real keeper.
I get what you are saying and agree it can be problematic without proper care (exactly what I've read). However, what I'm reading in different papers and from breeders is this issue is mitigated when you select high quality moms with
few male parts at the end of flowering vs a plant that is genetically prone to being a hermie. This difference is crucial. That's why what I quoted says:
"Remember that a selfed hermaphrodite gives rise to more hermaphrodites, but a selfed pistillate plant that has given rise to a limited number of staminate flowers in response to environmental stresses should give rise to nearly all pistillate offspring."
The key is only a few male parts (response to stress hermie) vs riddled with male parts (genetic hermie).
To use an analogy: if your dad had a birth defect and was missing an arm, you could inherit that trait and be born missing an arm. But, if your dad had his arm cut off due to an accident, you can't inherit that trait. In the same vein, breeding with plants that show hermaphroditic traits due to stress rather than genetics helps in minimizing the risk of passing on undesirable traits.
As a hobbyist, careful selection and testing can still yield high-quality plants even if there isn't as much diversity as a commercial breeder. I mostly just want to grow plants I like the taste and high of and learn about genetics. I'm never intending to sell or produce anything but for my needs and for fam.
