Should You Grow Marijuana from Seeds or Clones?
Before growing marijuana, it’s crucial to consider how to get started. Cloning and buying marijuana seeds can both be excellent options, though it’s a good idea to understand both before choosing one method. Depending on different circumstances, one method may end up being better than the other for certain situations. Read below to get all of the information you need about both growing methods and learn how to tell which one might be the right choice for you.
Growing Marijuana from Clones
One way to start a marijuana plant is by using a cutting from another plant. This helps standardize the marijuana grown, as it’s possible to ensure all of the plants have the same chemical makeup and that they all grow at the same rate. With most strains, it’s going to be very easy to create clones. A single plant is needed to get started, as well as a rooting powder and containers with sterile soil. Each cutting will need its own container.
To start, trim a little bit off the original plant, around four to six inches long. Most of the leaves should be cut off, but the top leaves should be left there. Then, the plant can be dipped into the rooting powder and placed in the sterile soil. The new plant should start growing roots within one to two weeks and should start growing rapidly after it has rooted.
The Pros of Using Clones
Cloned plants offer several benefits. It’s possible to ensure only female plants are grown since the cuttings will be the same as the plant they’re taken from. As long as the cuttings aren’t taken from male plants, there’s no need to worry about having to detect and dispose of them to ensure the plants don’t go to seed. It’s also possible to get to the flowering stage quicker, which means a much faster harvest. This also reduces the amount of room needed to grow as many plants as possible, since they can be harvested and replaced much faster. Plus, plants that are cloned can be used to create new clones once they’ve grown, which means a continuous supply of plants.
Some Cons for Using Clones
While clones can be an excellent option, especially when space or time is limited, there are some downsides to be aware of. To begin with, clones are started from an already growing and healthy plant. Someone who wants to start with clones will need to find a plant to take a cutting from, which often isn’t easy to do. If a plant is found, it’s important to be careful as any pests or viruses can end up transferring to the cloned plant. Other concerns include getting the clone to produce roots and ensuring the plant has exactly what it needs. If the roots don’t develop properly or it is not cared for correctly, it is likely the plant will die.
Growing Marijuana from Seeds
The other way to start a marijuana plant is with seeds. Just like any other plant, weed seeds will need to be chosen carefully, and the plant will need to be properly cared for, so it grows and flowers. To start, it’s necessary to pick out high-quality American seeds with the right genetic materials for the result that’s desired. Growers who are looking for high-yield seeds to grow indoors will want to make sure the strain chosen will be perfect for indoor growth and will produce a higher yield than other plants.
Growing seeds can be as simple as planting the seed in a little bit of soil, then making sure it has lights, water, and nutrients, so it grows. It can also be far more complicated, as there are tips and tricks growers can use to get the plant to grow faster or to make it produce more.
The Pros of Choosing Seeds
With the prevalence of seed banks today, it’s possible to obtain high-quality seeds just about anywhere in the world. This means it’s easy for anyone to start growing marijuana from seed, without having to worry about knowing someone who has seeds available. It’s also possible to choose feminized seeds, which means that only female plants will grow, and there are options like auto-flowering seeds that offer a faster harvest. It’s also possible to create seeds to breed a new strain of cannabis, which can lead to plants that have more of a desired trait, like a high yield or a higher CBD content. One of the biggest pros is that seeds have a much lower chance of having diseases or pests because they’re started from a seed, not from a cutting of a plant that may be infected.
Cons of Growing from Seeds
While growing seeds does provide a number of benefits, there can be problems with them as well. Some seeds, for instance, will not sprout. If the seeds are old or they were not stored properly, they may not germinate at all, which means new seeds will need to be purchased. Seeds also take longer to get from being planted to the potential harvest because they start as a tiny sprout instead of a small plant. Buying seeds can also become expensive unless the grower decides to breed their current plants and create new strains on their own.
Picking Out the Right Seeds
One thing that’s important with seeds is choosing the right ones to buy. For the most part, marijuana seeds all look the same, so it’s not easy to tell the different strains apart until they’ve started to grow. Likewise, unless the seed is obviously damaged, there’s no way to really tell if it’s going to be viable or if it may just not germinate. When choosing seeds, avoid any that don’t have a lot of information provided about them or that are not from a reputable seller.
There are generally two ways to get marijuana seeds today. One is for growers to produce their own. This can ensure they get the strains they prefer, but they need to pollinate a plant for this to happen, which means the plant doesn’t have as large of a harvest in the end. The other option is to purchase seeds from a reputable seed bank. This provides a much larger selection to choose from, as well as the chance to buy feminized seeds, but it can be expensive in the long run to continue buying new seeds.
Which are Better, Large or Small Plants?
No matter if seeds or clones are chosen to start the plants, the next decision is how large they should be. Some strains will naturally be larger than others, but there are ways to make plants grow larger or to keep them small. The size will have an impact on the overall harvest, so after deciding how to start the plants, this decision can be the next crucial decision to make.
Forced flowering can lead to a faster harvest, but it does mean smaller plants. Smaller plants lead to fewer harvested buds. However, since the plants are smaller, more can be grown for each harvest. This could lead to a bigger overall yield. Plus, since they can be harvested faster, the yield per year can be much larger. Smaller plants do offer a number of added benefits as well, like the ability to control the environment easier. If space is limited for growing, it’s often easier to grow smaller plants, and it may be easier to care for each of them properly.
How Large is the Grow Room?
Those who are just getting started will need to think about their grow room carefully. A single plant can be placed just about anywhere; larger scales, however, may require a dedicated grow room to contain everything the plant needs and ensure the environment is just right for the plants. If there is limited space for the grow room, it’s often better to grow Indica-based strains, as they are typically smaller, and to keep them smaller.
Deciding on the Number of Grow Rooms
Most people who are growing for the first time will get started with a single grow room. It’s easier to keep an eye on just one grow room, and they may just start with a few plants at a time, so a single room is plenty. It is important to remember that the room needs to be cleaned between harvests, so there may only be around two or three harvests per year with a single room. With multiple rooms or partitions, however, it’s possible to time everything properly so that there are staggered harvests throughout the year.
One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is whether to purchase seeds or use clones for your marijuana plants. Though both have pros and cons, you may find that one option tends to work better for you, depending on your preferences and your goals. Use the information here to get a better idea of which one might be a good option to try or to find out if there are any downsides you’ll need to plan around.
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