There are a couple of ways that marijuana cultivators start to grow marijuana plants. One method is to germinate cannabis seeds and the other is by taking cuttings off a mother marijuana plant. Although both methods can help you grow cannabis successfully, they both go on different journeys to produce cannabinoid buds.
Some growers opt to use the cloning method, as the process tends to take less time, however, others prefer going about their marijuana journey the old-fashioned way and growing their plants from start to finish.
Even if you have been growing cannabis for years or you are a complete novice, if you decide to use seeds make sure that you use premium marijuana seeds. They are widely available online or in physical stores.
For more details check out: https://amsterdammarijuanaseeds.com/seedshop-autoflowering-seeds.
Although it might be tempting to grow weed with seeds that have been given to you for free, or perhaps you found them in a bag of cannabis, if the marijuana doesn’t turn out to be good quality, you will have wasted a lot of time and money.
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Pros of using Seeds
To help you decide how you would like to start growing marijuana, here are a few of the pros if you decide to grow with seeds:
- Pure: Many growers feel that growing marijuana by using seeds is the proper and the “purest” way to cultivate cannabis. This is a matter of personal preference, however, often growers don’t feel completely satisfied when they harvest their cannabis unless they have started the journey by using seeds.
- Legal: Even in countries and states where the sale of marijuana is illegal, the sale of cannabis seeds is often easily accessible and legal. There is nothing wrong with owning marijuana seeds until you put them into the soil.
- Widely available: It is easy to get your hands on top-quality cannabis seeds. Grow stores and online stores often have a wide range of seeds that can be shipped directly to your home in discreet packaging so nobody knows what you are purchasing.
- Breed strains yourself: After you have figured out how to grow cannabis successfully, why not make your strains. If you breed a female with a male plant, you will have plenty of seeds that you can start growing or you can give to your friends.
- Feminized seeds: It is always worrying waiting for your plant to show signs whether it’s a male or a female. Feminized seeds can almost guarantee that the plant is a female.
Seeds are readily available, but before you start growing consider trying out the strain before you start the growing process. If the journey is a success, there is a possibility you will be left with lots of cannabis on your hands. If you don’t like the strain you might be stuck with a lot of buds!
Cons of using seeds
Considering all the pros of growing cannabis with seeds, it might be difficult to understand why some people grow with clones. Well, here are a few of the reasons why growing with seeds might not be perfect after all.
- The seeds might not germinate: Unfortunately, it is impossible to guarantee that each seed will germinate successfully. Some seeds out there are duds and there is nothing that can be done about it.
- There is no way of guaranteeing your plants will be male or female: Although feminized seeds are 99% females, there is still a slight possibility that they will turn out to be females.
- It can take a longer time: In comparison to growing with clones, it can take a lot longer to reach the harvesting phase. Depending on how the cannabis looks, it can take a few days and sometimes over a week longer than cloned plants until your plant is ready to harvest. If you have run out of cannabis, you might be wishing you had used clones during the final steps of the journey.
If you are purchasing cannabis seeds, consider purchasing in bulk. Most online stores offer visitors fantastic deals on purchasing seeds in bulk.
Pros of Growing with Clones
Clones are cuttings that have been taken off a mother cannabis plant. Clones are a copy of the mother plant.
- Guaranteed female: If you want to avoid growing male plants, cloning is a good option.
- Save time: With clones, the germination process does not have to go ahead. The seedling phase can be skipped altogether which is one of the main reasons growers decide to use clones.
- What you see is what you get: If you have been given seeds from a fellow grower, or perhaps you purchased seeds online or in a store, you can’t be 100% sure what plant you are growing. Cloning on the other hand allows you to deliver the exact same plant as the mother. You will know what the plant is supposed to look like, smell like, the color of the leaves, the height it will grow, the taste, and productivity.
If you like a strain your friend is growing, perhaps clones are your best option.
Cons of Growing with Clones
Clones are a great option to start growing marijuana, however, just like seeds there are a few disadvantages such as:
- Not readily available: If you want to purchase top-quality cannabis seeds, you have plenty of options, unfortunately, your choice is limited when you are searching for clones. To start growing with clones, you first need to source a vegetating female plant, which is often a challenge. Also, clones are illegal in many areas.
- You need to be extra cautious with clones: Unlike seeds, clones are not that strong. When handling these cuttings, you need to be extremely delicate, making sure not to damage them. Many growers accidentally kill their clones.
- They can inherit the mother’s bad traits: Often, because clones are exactly like the mother plant they will also have the same underlying genetic problems.
Although growing with clones and seeds have their issues, it is all part of the process. Growing marijuana is a challenging skill to learn, but it can also be extremely satisfying.
