Homegrowers can choose to grow from clone or seed.
Clones have their advantages. They’re a little further along in life than seeds, so they save a bit of time and effort in the tent.
They’re pretty easy to work with too, as long as they haven’t picked up any problems from the mother plant, the cloning scissors, the other clones, or any of the 100s of customers walking past them in the dispensary every day.
The problem with clones is they’re generally smaller and weaker than plants grown from seed.
A big reason for this is that clones don’t have taproots.
The first big milestone in a plant’s life is when the seed pops and a tiny taproot emerges. A process known as germination.
This taproot shoots down into the soil and forms the basis of a strong, healthy root system.
It helps plants grown from seed deliver 20 - 30% bigger yields than their clone-grown cousins.
As far as buying is concerned, seeds are far easier to deliver than clones (clones don’t transport well). Plus, the choices you have are staggering (Homegrown Cannabis Co - the best site in the US to buy seeds, for example, has over 500 cannabis strains to choose from, and they ship quickly, direct from California).
This choice means you can tailor your purchase to your own personality and likes.
Do you like a high-THC, super-potent smoke? Get a pack of 28% THC Gorilla Glue!
Do you like being ahead of the curve? Get a super-original strain like Baked Apple, Cold War Kush, Caffeine Bomb or Sticky Dickie.
Perhaps you want a strain with an amazing reputation, like Leafly’s 2021 Strain of the Year, Do-si-dos, which is one of Homegrown’s most popular sellers.
One last piece of advice about seeds. Make sure you know the difference between fems and regs.
Feminized seeds produce an all-female crop. With regulars, the grower needs to grow double the plants, because around half will become males.
Males need to be identified and removed as early as possible, before they pollinate the females and ruin the crop.
Some growers don’t mind this, some like having males for breeding purposes, but most growers want the most efficient way to fill their jars with bud. This means feminized seeds from a premium-quality source.
Buying seeds is literally giving yourself the gift of life. Who wouldn’t be happy with that?