Should I grow Cannabis from Seeds or Clones?
Clones are cuttings taken from an established plant and put in soil or another growing medium until they create their own roots and ability to live on their own. Clones aren't just limited to cannabis; my wife has cloned our Plumeria and Thai Basil many times over. I've personally had a not-so-good experience with clones and now far prefer growing cannabis from seeds than clones.
Why do I recommend seeds over clones?
While places that sell clones (called cloneries) are prevalent in Southern California, many of them are fly-by-night and even established cloneries can be bad. The last place I bought clones was a well-reviewed clonery in Van Nuys. The first year everything was fine but the second year my plants suffered from fusarium wilt which was disastrous to my plants. When I looked online to see if other people had similar complaints, I found that the clonery had halted business about a month after I'd bought my clones. Since then, I've grown from seeds and I'll never go back to clones.
Aside from disease issues, another concern with growing cannabis from clones is that you have no way of verifying that the clone you're buying is actually the plant they say it is. There's no traceability, only the word of the clonery. Established seedbanks, on the other hand, will send you seeds in the actual sealed breeder pack. These aren't tamper-proof of course, but if a seedbank were purposely sending people the wrong seeds this would be discovered very quickly and they would be out of business. Seedbanks operate worldwide and have way more volume then a small regional clonery in Southern California. I trust them far more than a clonery. All that being said, I'm sure there are nice legit cloneries in Southern California and I don't intend to disparage the good guys.
Aside from disease issues, another concern with growing cannabis from clones is that you have no way of verifying that the clone you're buying is actually the plant they say it is. There's no traceability, only the word of the clonery. Established seedbanks, on the other hand, will send you seeds in the actual sealed breeder pack. These aren't tamper-proof of course, but if a seedbank were purposely sending people the wrong seeds this would be discovered very quickly and they would be out of business. Seedbanks operate worldwide and have way more volume then a small regional clonery in Southern California. I trust them far more than a clonery. All that being said, I'm sure there are nice legit cloneries in Southern California and I don't intend to disparage the good guys.
Where do I buy Cannabis seeds?
Unless you know a person locally who will provide you with seeds, you'll be buying your souvenir seeds online from a seedbank that's located overseas, typically in the UK or Amsterdam. Hopefully this will change soon with legalization in California and we'll have some good local sources for seeds. Keep in mind that it is still highly illegal to buy or ship seeds between states in the US, so don't do that...just stick to a local source or an international seedbank that sells souvenir seeds.
Since you're procuring your seeds from overseas, you are technically buying souvenir seeds which are not meant to be grown. Seeds will cost between $5-$15 each and they will arrive discreetly to your door. My cousin, ahem, has interacted with two different seedbanks: Attitude and Herbies. Attitude was an awful experience but Herbies was excellent. My cousin did a lot of online searching to make sure the Feds weren't going to come to his door and was completely satisfied that nothing would happen to him. The Feds didn't come to his door, and I've never heard of them going to anyone's door. I can't say they won't come to your door, but I can say that cannabis growing is legal now in California and I don't believe the Feds are interested in harassing a California resident who bought a few souvenir seeds from the UK. The Feds have terrorists to stop, why on earth would they care about a person who just wants to grow their own legal cannabis for personal use?
Since you're procuring your seeds from overseas, you are technically buying souvenir seeds which are not meant to be grown. Seeds will cost between $5-$15 each and they will arrive discreetly to your door. My cousin, ahem, has interacted with two different seedbanks: Attitude and Herbies. Attitude was an awful experience but Herbies was excellent. My cousin did a lot of online searching to make sure the Feds weren't going to come to his door and was completely satisfied that nothing would happen to him. The Feds didn't come to his door, and I've never heard of them going to anyone's door. I can't say they won't come to your door, but I can say that cannabis growing is legal now in California and I don't believe the Feds are interested in harassing a California resident who bought a few souvenir seeds from the UK. The Feds have terrorists to stop, why on earth would they care about a person who just wants to grow their own legal cannabis for personal use?
Ok I'm online at the Seedbank, now what do I buy?
The only seeds you should look at are the Feminized ones because they will grow female cannabis plants. You don't want male marijuana plants because they lack potency, and furthermore they will pollinate your female cannabis and cause them to create seeds instead of potent buds. Of course, if you want to avoid the hassle of getting seeds from overseas again then you can certainly buy male and female seeds of the same variety to create lots of free cannabis seeds but let's do that next year. This year we just want to get you growing a real-life marijuana plant for personal use!
If you choose to buy Regular, non-feminized seeds they will be slightly cheaper but you'll risk growing a male plant. Again, let's not take any chances...we want your first summertime grow to be a productive one and free from stress. A funny note for you though: I once grew a regular seed to see if it would be a boy or girl. Not only was it a girl, but it was the biggest plant I've ever had in my cannabis garden!
If you choose to buy Regular, non-feminized seeds they will be slightly cheaper but you'll risk growing a male plant. Again, let's not take any chances...we want your first summertime grow to be a productive one and free from stress. A funny note for you though: I once grew a regular seed to see if it would be a boy or girl. Not only was it a girl, but it was the biggest plant I've ever had in my cannabis garden!
What's all this Strain stuff about...is that for my Back Strain?
A marijuana strain is simply the variety you want to grow. There are literally thousands of marijuana strains to choose from, but I will help you narrow down a good strain for you to grow for your first time to avoid the typical grow issues.
First, you'll choose between an Indica or Sativa variety. This is akin to choosing between a Rose and a Carnation. Both flowers, both fragrant, yet both very different. An Indica typically provides pain relief, nausea relief, insomnia relief, and a general mellowness that is good at night. Ladies, if you suffer from migraines then go with an Indica. Sativas typically enhance your creativity, give you a spring in your step, and make life fun. If you like to write, paint or do other creative things, go with a Sativa.
Both Indica and Sativa will lighten your mood and cause you to laugh easily. This begs the question: If laughter is the best medicine, and marijuana helps you laugh easily, does that mean marijuana is the best medicine?
I personally like to have one strain of each, but we do have an additional consideration since we're growing our own weed for the first time. Indicas ripen faster than Sativas, meaning we can usually harvest them in late-September/early-October. Sativas on the other hand can go well into October and even November. As you'll learn in the Pests and Disease sections, the later into the Fall we grow the more chance we have of encountering rain and humidity which could cause mold and make for a bad first-time grow experience. My suggestion is to choose an Indica-leaning strain unless you really must have a Sativa for your first time. You have been warned!
First, you'll choose between an Indica or Sativa variety. This is akin to choosing between a Rose and a Carnation. Both flowers, both fragrant, yet both very different. An Indica typically provides pain relief, nausea relief, insomnia relief, and a general mellowness that is good at night. Ladies, if you suffer from migraines then go with an Indica. Sativas typically enhance your creativity, give you a spring in your step, and make life fun. If you like to write, paint or do other creative things, go with a Sativa.
Both Indica and Sativa will lighten your mood and cause you to laugh easily. This begs the question: If laughter is the best medicine, and marijuana helps you laugh easily, does that mean marijuana is the best medicine?
I personally like to have one strain of each, but we do have an additional consideration since we're growing our own weed for the first time. Indicas ripen faster than Sativas, meaning we can usually harvest them in late-September/early-October. Sativas on the other hand can go well into October and even November. As you'll learn in the Pests and Disease sections, the later into the Fall we grow the more chance we have of encountering rain and humidity which could cause mold and make for a bad first-time grow experience. My suggestion is to choose an Indica-leaning strain unless you really must have a Sativa for your first time. You have been warned!
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The good news is that Seedbanks will give you grow details for the strain you're looking at. There's a few things to pay attention to here: Whether the strain is recommended for Outdoor growing, the typical Harvest time (sometimes shown in Flowering Time), and occasionally the Pest and Mold resistance. It goes without saying that you'll want something recommended for Outdoor growing, with a short Harvest time (<70 days and/or no later than Early-October), and a high Pest and/or Mold resistance if that information is provided. Also, if the description mentions dense buds you should avoid that strain. Dense buds are more susceptible to mold and you don't want to deal with that on your first grow.
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Cannabis strain info courtesy HerbiesHeadshop.com. Note the September/Early October harvest time, and the description of the strain being a good choice for novice growers. That's what you want!
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Once you've found a strain or two (or three) that you want to grow and that meets the above criteria, I suggest getting two seeds of each so you have a backup in case one doesn't germinate or you happen to drop it on the ground and lose it. Always get the stealth shipping, and make sure you give yourself at least a month lead-time in case your seeds don't make it to you the first time and you need to have them replaced. Now let 'er rip and get those beans in your hot little hands, you've got marijuana to grow!
Are you overwhelmed yet? Hang in there, I'll get you to the finish line!
Are you overwhelmed yet? Hang in there, I'll get you to the finish line!
