
A Comparison Between Growing From Seeds And Clones
When you plan to grow your own cannabis, there are two ways to do that. Either you can use seeds or you can use clones. Seeds carry the advantage of being reliable, accessible, and easy while clones are quick and efficient with the same traits of the mother plant. With a California growers license, you can expand your grow limit and cultivate your plants more freely.
Both seeds and clones come with a unique set of pros and cons. So, we’ll cover both to help you decide better. As we discussed, cultivators can either choose to grow from seeds or slice a part of the mother plant and then start the process. It all boils down to personal choice. So, we’ll leave that decision to you,
Advantages of Growing From Seeds
For many growers, the idea of growing from seeds is pure. There is an innate sense of satisfaction when you start from scratch. The harvest is satisfying and loads you with a sense of accomplishment. Well, here are some of the reasons that you should consider growing from the seeds.
Easy to Access
With the help of the internet, everything is a lot easier now. You can easily find stores that sell cannabis seeds and deliver it to your home. The only thing you’ll need to do is find a trusted seed bank. You can do some research to find the one that has good ratings. They send you discreetly and deliver it directly to your mailbox.
Start From Scratch
When you cultivate through seeds, you get the option of starting everything from scratch, You have the fresh genetics that haven’t been modified. So, you have greater control over the quality and you can mold the plant in a way you want.
You Can Breed Your Own Strains
Once you master the art of growing cannabis strains from seeds, you can start breeding your own strains. Breed your prized male with a female and you’ll have hundreds of seeds by the end of the growing cycle. Try breeding strains in a way that is closer to your ideal cannabis experience.
Feminized Seeds Are Better
With high-quality feminized seeds, you have a 99% chance that the plant would be female. Growing a female plant is necessary because it leads to sticky buds that are rich in cannabinoids that most growers aim for. Male plants usually produce pollen sacks that are vital for breeding but not good for the yield of female plants. When you have feminized seeds, you’ll save the time of getting rid of males and get quality buds at the same time.
Disadvantages of Growing From Seed
Growing from seeds definitely seems like a good idea but nothing is perfect. Just like that, growing with seeds also comes with a set of disadvantages:
Seeds Don’t Always Germinate
Most reputed seed banks offer seeds with high germination rates but there is no guarantee that each and every seed that goes into the soil will germinate. That’s because some seeds are dud. So, we suggest that you grow with many seeds to maximize your chances of germination.
Growth is Slow
Seeds take a much longer time to reach harvest when compared to clones. It might take from a few days to a few weeks to see the first signs of life. Now, you’ll need another two weeks to mature the seedling. This is the reason why speedy auto-flowering seeds are famous.
Genotype and Phenotype
Every seed that comes from the same plant will not have the same genetics. There will always be a slight variation from the parent plant. This means that the seed won’t produce the exact replica. There will be a visible difference between the brother and sister plants. It’s also important to note that cannabis plants develop certain characteristics based on the surrounding environment. Temperature, light, humidity, nutrients, etc have an impact on the phenotypic expression.
Advantages of Growing From Clones
If you are not aware of what a clone is then it’s simply cutting from the mother plant that is directly introduced into the soil. Well, here are the advantages:
Clone Taken From a Female Plant Creates a Female Plant
One major advantage of taking a cutting from a female plant is that the clone will also produce a female plant. This is much better than seeds that come with a 50/50 chance that a particular plant will be male or female.
It Helps You Save Time
With clones, you don’t have to wait for the seed to germinate. In fact, you skip that stage to directly get a plant that is ready to grow. So, this saves more time than you would spend on growing a seed,
You Know How The Plant Would Be
Since the clones are the exact copies of their mother plant, they carry all the genetics. This means the plant would be the exact copy of the mother plant with all the characteristics like taste, productivity, and size. The seeds are different because the environmental factors can influence their phenotypes.
Disadvantages of Clones
They Are Hard to Find
If you want seeds, you can just search for them online and get them delivered. With clones, you need to search for an active vegetative plant. For that, it’s a good idea to interact with your growing buddies and take a cutting from them.
You Need to be Careful
With seeds, you can just throw them directly into the soil and they are ready to grow. On the other hand, clones are delicate and you need to handle them with care. If you are aggressive, you might damage them even before they grow fully.
Clones Get Bad Traits Too
Clones get the exact same characteristics as their mother plants. So, if a particular plant is bad, the clones will get bad characteristics too. So, you just need to be a bit careful while choosing a plant for clones.
Make Use of California Growers License
By now, you are aware of both seeds and clones. No matter what you choose, you need a growers license to earn the legal right to expand your grow limit up to 99 cannabis plants. This is a great way to ensure a longer duration of the cannabis supply that is highly important during the time of the pandemic. You need to remember that you earn the legal right to grow and use it for your health. You are not allowed to sell the produce because it’s punishable by law.
With telemedicine, getting a grower’s license is very easy. You just need to contact a certified cannabis clinic and apply for a growers license. Start by filling a simple application form that contains your basic details like health history, proof of documentation etc. The clinic goes through your details and links you to a certified doctor. He or she interacts with you via video call to check if you have a medical condition that demands the needs for cannabis. Accordingly, the doctor gives you permission to own a license to grow.
The clinic sends your California Growers License via email and a hard copy upon request. So, get your license and earn the right to grow. Use the knowledge of seeds and clones to dive into a satisfying growing experience.