I keep mothers for 4 to 6 months. That's all.. I move mothers to bud room. I go 3 to 4 generations out cloning then start new seeded mothers every year to year and a half. Have a buddy that has a mother almost 12 years now. Grows from clones off her twice a year. No change in yield or potency. I've messed up a mother got her to come back and the clones didn't grow very well and yielded less. Set her aside and three months later she looked great. Took clones and they were back to normal.