The Pros and Cons of Choosing Between Seeds and Clones for Cannabis Growers

Rohan Mathew

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There are two ways of growing cannabis. You can either start with seeds or clones. The best thing about starting with seeds is that you can see your plants grow from the start. Clones are ideal for growers who would like to skip the germination and seedling stage of growing cannabis. Clones are also great since they are efficient, and you can always get the quality traits from the mother plant. As a cultivator, the choice is yours. Remember, the choices bring the same results. The only difference is how you get there. You can buy quality seeds from United Strains of America or buy clones from a professional cultivator. Here are the pros and cons of each choice.

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The Pros of Growing from Seeds

 If you start from seeds you must learn about the seeds since this can make all the difference. There are two main categories of cannabis seeds that cannabis cultivators are choosing today- feminized seeds and auto-flowering seeds. Most cultivators choose to start from seeds because of their purity, and whether this is true or not, starting your growth from something quality will give you a certain level of satisfaction. Another reason why growers prefer seeds is that they are legalized in many countries and easily accessible. Here are its advantages.

  • Easily Accessible

This is one of the main reasons why picking this option is a great choice. With the availability of the internet, you can now easily order cannabis seeds from your preferred seed shop. The seeds can be delivered to your doorstep such that you don’t have to travel to get them. Moreover, delivering ungerminated seeds is legal. So, apart from ease of access, you remain on the safe side of the law.  

  • Start Your Strains

Beginning from scratch gives you a chance to make your own strains. You can choose which plant to breed with another for better strains. You can incorporate the qualities you like and create a strain of your own.

  • Feminized Seeds Give Female Plants

Starting from seeds gives you a chance to choose the type of plants to grow. If you want both sexes, you can go with regular seeds. However, for growers who want female plants only, they can always choose feminized seeds. This is very important when you want high yields. Female plants produce buds, while male ones produce pollen sacs. So, with feminized seeds, you are assured of high yields at the end of your harvest.

The Cons of Growing Marijuana from Seeds

  • Not All Will Germinate

Even though you start from seeds, there is no guarantee that all the seeds will germinate. This can be a huge loss, considering that quality cannabis seeds are expensive. That means you need a lot of seeds to ensure you have enough plants if not all germinate.

  • Takes Long Before Getting to Vegetative Stage

Compared to clones, seeds take long to reach the harvest stage. You will need to wait for about a week before they germinate and another two to three weeks in the seedling stage. At this time, the clones are already in their vegetative stage.

The Pros of Growing from Clones

As the name suggests, clones are cuttings obtained from a mother plant. The cuttings are kept under enough light to give them enough time to develop roots. Then they are introduced to the soil or preferable medium of growth. Clones are exactly similar to their mother plant. That means if the mother plant was quality, you will get quality plants. Let us look at their advantages.

  • Female Clones Give Female Plants

As mentioned above, clones are the exact copies of another plant. That means, if the mother plant was female, then you will get female clones. This is important when you don’t want to work with chances. The chances of a female clone producing a male plant are zero to none.

  • You Are Aware of What You Are Getting Into

If you start your growth from seeds, you do not know what your plants will be like. The good thing about clones is that they resemble their mother plant. You get the same genetics, including taste, size, productivity, and morphology. That means you know exactly what you will get.

  • They Save Time

This is obvious. Consider the time it takes for seeds to germinate, get to the seedling stage, and then the vegetative stage. This can take around 3 to 4 weeks. For clones, you do not have to wait for this period. You get to skip these two stages, direct to the vegetative stage. You only need to let your cuttings develop roots, and you are good to go.

The Cons of Growing from Clones

Even though clones save time, they do not always provide perfect results. Here are some of the cons associated with starting your growth from clones.

  • Not Easily Accessible

One problem with choosing clones is that it is not easy to get them. You cannot buy them from a seed bank. You need to know a person whose plants are in the vegetative stage, and the person must agree to give you the cuttings. Furthermore, transporting the cuttings is illegal, and this makes it hard to access them.

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  • Clones Carry Bad Qualities Too

Clones are cuttings from a mother plant. That means they carry all the traits in the mother plant, including the bad ones. The plant might have genetic problems that you might not know about. Once you grow your plants from their clones, you grow the problems too. In short, clones are not perfect.

  • They are Fragile

You can simply throw seeds into the soil. However, when it comes to handling clones, you have to be careful. The cuttings are delicate and handling them aggressively will only ruin their growth from the start. The cuttings also require a certain level of humidity and light for them to continue growing. As such, you need a special place to keep them.

The Bottom Line

 The answer to which choice is better than the other is subjective. It is determined by various factors like skills and preferences. For beginners, it is recommended to start with seeds for an easier process and great results.