This article first appeared in the Pets issue of Fat Nugs Magazine, published in July 2024.
Welcome back to my basement and to my little corner of the Pet Edition! I like to somehow link the theme of each issue to my experience as a home grower. Well, this one is easy peasy for me.
Because I love dogs! I love all animals, but dogs have a special place in my heart. And especially German Shepherds. Our family had one when I was just a boy, and he and I just clicked. He was smart, spirited, and full of personality. He was confident, loyal, and protective. He was the closest member of my family.
As an adult, as soon as I bought a house and had a yard, getting another German Shepherd was a priority. And three generations later, they are still a priority in my life. I haven’t been without one at my side for almost 20 years.
Currently, that is a beautiful three-year-old West German named Sir Reginald vom Jagerhaus, Knight of the Royal Oak. But you can just call him Reggie. He’s the biggest responsibility in my life. He’s also my most consistent source of joy and contentment. And admittedly, often my biggest source of frustration and worry. (But my plants are a close second.)
Puppies & Plants: Getting Started
Finding the right canine companion is definitely a task. Combing through rescue pages, researching breeds and breeders, home visits, and applications–it can be a bit daunting.
To a new grower, getting your hands on new genetics may feel similar. Which variety? Should I start with clones or seeds? What the heck is flowering time? Or a feminized seed? Or an autoflower?
Fortunately, it’s not that big of a commitment. If you choose wrong, you can start over and try something new anytime. And the wrong choice won’t bite the mail carrier or destroy your couch.
Home Grown: Popping Seeds vs. Clones
Clones
Clones are an excellent way to start, if you have access to clean genetics. Maybe you know another grower who is willing to share a couple clones. Or you may find some for sale at a local dispensary in your community.
There are even nurseries that inventory different varieties and are willing to ship clones to you. It’s not technically legal yet to send cannabis clones “through the mail,” so to speak. And I’m certainly not instructing you to break the law! But let’s just say it’s happening, and since hemp was legalized federally in 2018, it’s happening regularly. It’s very difficult to prove a genetic difference between hemp and traditional cannabis until the plant is flowered and the flower is tested for THCa (or potential THC∆9) concentration.
Whether they are selling seeds or clones, it is not unusual to find that online vendors have unconventional payment methods. Because of federal illegality, many credit card companies will refuse to process orders if they are knowingly involved in the transaction of cannabis genetics. Just know that it’s not necessarily a red flag. I remember one time sending Amazon gift certificates to the vendor. And in return, I received 10 healthy, mature seeds of fire, as promised.
Regardless of where you decide to source clones, you want to insist that they are clean. Cannabis clones can come with a number of viral and fungal infections. Of most concern is a viroid named hops latent (or HLVd), but clones can come infected with a fungus called powdery mildew and a list of other viruses.
Clones can also come as a home for destructive pests, such as spider mites, russet mites, and thrips. And if you are bringing infected clones home to an established garden, you’ll most likely spread the problem to plants already in your grow.
So, ask the nursery. Insist that they are free of pathogens and pests. Ask specifically about HLvd and powdery mildew. They can always–of course–be dishonest with you, but at least they will know that these issues are on your radar. And you will know that you had their guarantee, for what that might be worth.
With a few precautions, clones can be a great way to jumpstart your garden with genetics that have been proven to perform and produce flower that you know you will like.
Online Seed Banks
Seeds are readily available, whether online, at a local dispensary, or even those two seeds that you found in that bag of fire that you had last summer. Seeds will also be highly unlikely to come with the host of issues that clones can bring. Seeds don’t have pests, and although it’s possible that they host disease, it is much less likely.
Picking seeds comes with a lot of considerations. A good breeder or seed bank will be able to tell you some specifics about what to expect from a cultivation perspective. How long is the average flower cycle in days? Does the plant get particularly tall? What yields can you expect from a healthy run? There should also be some details about the effects of the variety- what is the experience like? What are the general effects? How does it taste?
Other than the variety and breeder reputation, there are two other considerations when choosing seeds. Are they regular seeds or feminized seeds? And are they traditional photoperiod seeds or are they autoflowers?
To Feminize or Not to Feminize
Cannabis has gender. When the plant blooms, the males produce pollen sacs that eventually open, sending pollen airborne. When female flowers become pollinated, they start producing seeds. Naturally, some of those seeds will be male and some of them will be female.
We call these regular seeds. And unless you plan to breed cannabis, eventually the male seedlings will have to be identified and removed from the garden. Without a source of pollen, the remaining female plants will produce more resinous flower without seeds (or sin semilla en español).
Identifying the males and females before the flower cycle can be difficult for even the trained eye and waiting to identify the males after the flowering cycle has begun can risk open pollination, if you’re not on top of it. And then you’ve also spent time, resources, and valuable space, caring for a plant that you ultimately don’t want.
An easier way to start may be feminized seeds. By treating the flowering female plants with a hormone blocker, breeders are able to produce localized male pollen sacs on a female plant. That pollen will in turn pollinate other female flower sites, whether on the same or another female plant. If done correctly, the seeds produced will be largely female.
New genetics should always be monitored for males and hermaphrodites, but from my experience, feminized seeds from a stable strain and a good breeder have a very high success rate.
And if that’s not simple enough for you, there’s always autoflowers.
Understanding Autoflowers
Most cannabis plants are photoperiodic. They will continue to vegetate all summer. As fall approaches and the days get shorter, the buildup of hormones causes the plant to begin flowering.
Autoflowering seeds are created by breeding in a certain type of cannabis known as ruderalis. It is a subspecies that has evolved to flower as soon as it’s reached sexual maturity, regardless of the length of day.
They are simple. Set them up under 18 hours of light, water them, feed them if needed, and in about three months, you’ll have mature flowers. They can be a great way for beginners to “keep it simple, stupid” (KISS).
I honestly prefer autoflowers if I’m planning to grow outdoors here in Michigan. Powdery mildew is prevalent here in the fall and keeping a plant healthy until harvest time can be a pain, especially in a backyard that doesn’t get a ton of direct sunlight. By direct-planting autoflowers in May, I can have my crop harvested, dried, and curing before mildew is much of a problem.
There are a couple of distinctions to autoflowers. Because they flower quickly, they generally will not get that large and therefore won’t potentially produce as much flower as photoperiod varieties. But their compact size also makes them easier to conceal. They can also go into a smaller pot and be placed or moved anywhere much more easily.
Autoflowers do not respond well to transplanting. It will really slow them down. So, plan on direct planting seeds or newly sprouted seedlings into the finishing pot. You also cannot clone autoflowers. Since they are on a predetermined flowering cycle, any clones that came from that plant would be on the same timeline. Autoflowers are a “one-and-done” option.
Photoperiodic plants, however, can be cloned virtually indefinitely, if the mothers remain healthy.
Seeds and Phenotype Expression
All seeds are unique. I like to say they are as different as children. They may all be the same family, but each plant can grow up a bit differently.
Some plants are healthier, grow faster, or are more stress and disease-resistant. The resulting flower may be dramatically different in structure, aroma, flavor, and effects. They each have their own personality, or phenotype.
Because of this, growers often perform what are called pheno hunts. We plant a bunch of seeds, grow the seedlings to sexual maturity (possibly culling the males), clone each female, flower the mother plants, and evaluate each for desirable characteristics.
Once you’ve found a phenotype that you think is something special, you can use conventional cloning techniques to propagate that line generation after generation, giving you a reliably consistent product.
But to be successful at cloning, you’ll need a little bit more gear. And a little bit more knowledge, which I’m eager to share with you in a Fat Nugs to come!
