Clone vs. Seed

Will a clone grow as vigorous as a seed? Also I am just asking because I have never tested or charted this info. statistics and notes on growth, nutes, water, and amount of sun would be cool if you have it. thank you

This is my fiirst year doing clones myself. And I like what I see so far. My dad and his friends have done some crazy things with clones and I think i will be doing clones for the rest of my years. The seeds are just to expensive and the wait and them going hermie I guess there just not for me. As another person on here has ran with clones and the results were more than enough.

Seeds tend to always be more vigorous and resilient in my opinion, but clones can be great, it's all in the genetics and growing conditions

seeds tend to yield more because of there roots...they have a tap root that clones dont have
out side 1 plant from seed can yield 10 lbs and a clone wont even get close to that

clones are easy and you can clone from a clone for as long as you want the strain

When I topped my plants I cloned the cuttings and then topped them. Some how the clones actually caught up to there parents in size.
Im really impressed with how well they grow. I always asumed cones would make smaller plants, but that dosnt seem to be the case.
I lost track of wich ones came from seed.

seed are much stronger, better yield and more potent. however seeds are for the purest they take a while to start and they have to be taken care of, not for money growers

I've been cloning cannabis & numerous other plants for years as a 5th generation family farmer. I'm more comfortable using clones because I have my technique down and you know the genetics of your clone and the sex!

E Scrizz said:

Will a clone grow as vigorous as a seed? Also I am just asking because I have never tested or charted this info. statistics and notes on growth, nutes, water, and amount of sun would be cool if you have it. thank you

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That's a complicated question. Clones do lose vigor each generation, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I have family that are commercial organic fruit/vegetable farmers who do some really high tech cloning. They won't even even use the first three generations of clones to flower with because of too much vigor. They actually get better final product from the 4th and 5th generation of clones than they do the first. So more vigor doesn't isn't desirable in every case. Even though I make most of my own seeds and it costs me nothing, I won't use seeds for indoor.

That being said, for outdoor, I find seeds to be more desirable if the goal is to get huge fucking plants. If I am only planning on growing medium sized plants I'll go with clones every time. If you're planting strait into the ground or using +50G containers that are deeper than 18" in an attempt to get +10' plants, seeds are the way to go. But if you're just trying to get nice 3-6' plants I find the asymmetrical plant structure of clones to be way more desirable in getting the maximum yield.

That doesn't mean you can't grow clones out to be 10' or in 100g pots. You absolutely can. I just think you're less likely to get the maximum size that way and more likely to have flowering irregularities.

doobered said:

seeds tend to yield more because of there roots...they have a tap root that clones dont have
out side 1 plant from seed can yield 10 lbs and a clone wont even get close to that

clones are easy and you can clone from a clone for as long as you want the strain

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Indeed. But that is only applicable in situations where the depth of your pot exceeds 18" inches. A clones root structure isn't any smaller than a seed's root structure in standard sized pots. If you're doing a bottomless pot style grow or growing strait into the ground, the tap root from a seed will give you a deeper penetrating root structure. (in most cases, not all. many times a tap root isn't going to grow strait down)

interesting thread.

I went 5 times off a clone. so 5th generation of the clone. Right before flowering I would snap a clone repeat and did this 5 times. the buds I got off the last run were huge spears as opposed to shorter stalkier ones from prior generations. I have not smoked this last batch as it is still curing I don't like to smoke it till it has cured for at least 6 months. But what I read was that the older the plant the stronger the THC becomes. My source was the Bible.

Okay thanks for everyones input and outlooks and opinions. I enjoy reading what you all wrote. I believe are more desirable for me in the sense that they do get that tap root. I grew some ten foot tall clones last year and they couldn't hold themselves up. Also i grew gdp and the nugs were so big the branches were snapping off the stem because they had so much weight. I am trying to avoid staking and cost isn't the issue. I just want some monster plants. Anyone have a rec on some genetics that will grow a huge plant outdoor in cali and yield a shit ton? I am down to germinate and do alot alot of work. I will put in the time.

I read that the best clone is the first ones cut off of a seed. I know by personal experience that if you clone a clone of a clone of a clone it is like a photo copy. If you photocopy something and then take a photocopy of the next photocopy and photocop the next photocopy and so forth, you eventually wont even be able to read what is on the paper. It is the same thing with clones. The more you clone the same strain the weaker it will get, not stronger. Also if you have legit info from professional gardeners not just marijuana gardeners. Pretty much valid info with legit references to counter my last statements, then i will gladly read them and do research on it. Thanks.

E Scrizz said:

Okay thanks for everyones input and outlooks and opinions. I enjoy reading what you all wrote. I believe are more desirable for me in the sense that they do get that tap root. I grew some ten foot tall clones last year and they couldn't hold themselves up.

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10' tall plants generally don't hold themselves up regardless.

Also i grew gdp and the nugs were so big the branches were snapping off the stem because they had so much weight. I am trying to avoid staking and cost isn't the issue. I just want some monster plants. Anyone have a rec on some genetics that will grow a huge plant outdoor in cali and yield a shit ton? I am down to germinate and do alot alot of work. I will put in the time.

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It's a little late in the season to get monster plants from seeds you haven't germinated yet. If you have access to clones, getting them and planting them asap would probably be your best bet.

E Scrizz said:

I read that the best clone is the first ones cut off of a seed.

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If by best you mean the most vigorous vegetative growth, that is correct. That's where I get my moms. You may have to veg a 5th gen clone slightly longer, but other than that I don't think it has any effect on yield.

I can't say this with any certainty with cannabis, but it's a fact that with berries you actually get a greater yield out of a 5th generation clone than a 1st. But that is more applicable to people growing several crops a year, rather than one huge crop.

I know by personal experience that if you clone a clone of a clone of a clone it is like a photo copy. If you photocopy something and then take a photocopy of the next photocopy and photocop the next photocopy and so forth, you eventually wont even be able to read what is on the paper. It is the same thing with clones. The more you clone the same strain the weaker it will get, not stronger.

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Nope. That's not how it works. Cloning isn't photocopying. DNA doesn't deteriorate. The bud growing off a plant you've been cloning for 10 years can be just as good as the original. The exception to that being genetic diseases that are passed on through the cloning process. Those diseases are passed along through clones, but not through seeds.

It it's a perfectly healthy mom, the buds should be just as good as the original.

Vigor generally applies to vegetative growth rather than actual bud quality. High vigor isn't necessarily a good quality in every case. With high vigor you also get more stretching and node spacing that can be less desirable.

Basically, I'll take a health clone that's 10' tall over a healthy plant from seed that is 10' in most cases. I feel like clones fill out quicker. I only grow my outdoor from seed because I can get +10' tall plant on a more reliable basis that is less photosensitive. Also I can cut more vigorous moms which is more desirable for me since they will always been in a vegetative state.

For my indoor plants, clones are 10000x more desirable for me. They start off with more mature, closer, asymmetrical node spacing and their heightened light sensitivity will cause them to flower more predictably. I feel like I can manipulate the shape of a clone in a much shorter period of time than I can a plant from seed. That applies to situation where I'm going for lolly-popping clones as well as bushing them out.

Cali chronic said:

I went 5 times off a clone. so 5th generation of the clone. Right before flowering I would snap a clone repeat and did this 5 times. the buds I got off the last run were huge spears as opposed to shorter stalkier ones from prior generations. I have not smoked this last batch as it is still curing I don't like to smoke it till it has cured for at least 6 months. But what I read was that the older the plant the stronger the THC becomes. My source was the Bible.

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I can't prove what you're saying is true, but in my opinion, it is.

I have cloned the same strain for over 20 yrs now.... cloning 6 times a year... thats 120 times clone of a clone of a clone....... its just as good now as 20 yrs ago... no better no worse

Its all personal choice... neither is better

I have personally started my strain indoors for 2 months and put it outside for the season.... it produced 3 pounds

colonuggs said:

I have cloned the same strain for over 20 yrs now.... cloning 6 times a year... thats 120 times clone of a clone of a clone....... its just as good now as 20 yrs ago... no better no worse

Its all personal choice... neither is better

I have personally started my strain indoors for 2 months and put it outside for the season.... it produced 3 pounds

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+rep for taking such good care of a strain for that long successfully. Not an easy task. I solute you OG

Cali chronic said:

I went 5 times off a clone. so 5th generation of the clone. Right before flowering I would snap a clone repeat and did this 5 times. the buds I got off the last run were huge spears as opposed to shorter stalkier ones from prior generations. I have not smoked this last batch as it is still curing I don't like to smoke it till it has cured for at least 6 months. But what I read was that the older the plant the stronger the THC becomes. My source was the Bible.

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thats what happens when you stabilize a strain, the same thing happened with my lemon diesel. at first the buds were moderate to small.... after selective cloning, and picking the most resilient ones for about 7 generations the buds started to become HUGE and dense an fuck. as a rule of thumb I cut 50% more clones than i will need and ONLY take the healthiest ones. the rest get trashed. peace and respect

Good stuff. I have grew from both, even cloning my hedges works. if it works why fix it