While many commercial growers rely on clone propagation , there are certain traits of seed-grown plants that can ’ t be replicated with cuttings . Seeds establish quickly with a strong and stable plant structure . Mother plants are an inoculant source for pests and pathogens while cloning requires skilled and expensive labor . Additionally , clone and mother stock take up space that could be dedicated to production . Within the history of cannabis cultivation , both clones and seed propagation have brought unique benefits to the table . Whether it be the predictability of working with clones or the robust nature of plants grown from seed , it has made sense for growers to use either method of propagation . Yet , in choosing between seeds and clones , cultivators have always had to sacrifice the best attributes of the other . With widespread legalization , plant scientists are finally able to study cannabis genetics with the same rigorous eye for detail as seen with more traditional food crops . In turn , new optimized seed varieties allow commercial growers to capitalize on the best attributes of both clones and seeds – while also cutting costs in several key places .
MODERN SEEDS & ROBUST GENETICS In recent years , plant scientists have figured out ways to keep the most favorable traits of seed growing , while also providing the genetic consistency of cloning . The term F1 means “ first filial generation ,” which is the result of breeding two genetically dissimilar inbred plants . In turn , the acronym F2 describes cannabis plants that arose from breeding multiple F1 plants . F1 seeds offer the genetic consistency of cloning , along with vigorous seedlings with hearty tap roots . Even more , when grown from seed , F1 strains show outstanding vigor in comparison to clones , which can suffer from environmental and nutritional issues that lead to weak clones from mother plants . Traditionally , cannabis seeds have a 50 % chance of being male or female .
With feminized seeds , growers can entirely eliminate the risk of growing male plants . To create feminized seeds , plant scientists trick female plants into producing pollen themselves , which is then used to pollinate another female . In turn , this process creates seeds with 100 % female chromosomes . Production-ready cannabis seeds like those from Phylos offer the power of both F1 genetics and feminized seeds . Also known as “ optimized seeds ,” they were bred by modern plant scientists specifically for the goal of robust , predictable , and uniform cannabis crops . Not only do optimized seeds eliminate the risks traditionally associated with seed growing , but using them helps cut operational costs in several key places .
TRADITIONAL MOTIVATIONS BEHIND CLONE PROPAGATION Clone propagation has long been a popular choice among growers for reasons related to risk mitigation . While cultivators have long-valued seeds due to the hardiness of seedgrown plants , many have shied away from seeds due to unacceptable risk levels that come with this propagation method . Not only have potential male plants been a major deterrent to starting from seed , but growers also have also had less control over phenotypes from seeds than with clones . The practice of keeping mother plants and taking cuttings is an immensely popular way to propagate cannabis . The main impetus behind cloning is the ability to save quality genetics when you are lucky enough to come across them . In turn , having a nursery allows you to keep a self-sustained genetic library of your favorite strains . As such , when you take cuttings , you are able to work with proven genetics , as well as 100 % female plants . While the predictability of cloning is attractive to many people , the industry has long waited for the ability to mitigate risk in the plant propagation phase , while also getting the best attributes from seed-grown plants . promotional content 31