Farmwork Friday – Clones

Before you can get to the fun bits of cannabis, a lot of work has to go into the cultivation of the plant. Or, maybe you consider that the fun bit? Either way, we’re here to outline what the team at Elyon does to give you the best bud, from choosing the soil to harvesting the plants. Let’s get to (farm)work. 

We’ve given you the dirt. We’ve talked type: genotype, phenotype and chemotype. Now, it’s time to get those plants in the soil. As we mentioned, at Elyon we work with local nurseries like CLTVTD Genetics, Coastal Star Farm and Humboldt Sacred Roots to get the best clones available. But what about planting from seeds? Both clones and seeds have pros and cons. 

The Mother Plant

Clones are cuttings taken from a “mother plant.” This may sound a bit like ‘Star Wars’ or some sci-fi plot, but in reality it’s a very simple concept that creates many benefits for growers. The cuttings are carefully selected from mother plants that have been identified to have ideal characteristics: certain flavors, potency and disease resistance. Because the cutting is a branch taken directly from the plant, it is identical to the mother – hence the name “clone.” 

Unlike planting from a seed, the cutting is ready almost immediately. The seed needs time to germinate, and can take up to six weeks to finish its seedling stage. Clones, once rooted, are ready to plant and enter the vegetative stage. There is also no guarantee that a seed will germinate. Not to mention it has a 50/50 chance of being a male. Males are great for reproduction…but not much else. 

With the harvest cycle significantly reduced, growers can have more harvests per year. They will also have a more consistent harvest. Because it’s a clone, the cutting will have the same phenotype as the mother. This will give you a uniform garden – certainly a benefit when growing on a larger scale. Seeds can surprise you. Surprise! All of your plants, even though they are the same strain, have slightly different colors, heights, yields and flavor. 

Good Surprises

Not all surprises are bad. People love surprise parties, right? Well, growers love seeds. Why?  Satisfaction? Sure. There is definitely a feeling of gratification knowing you planted something from start to finish. But there are also a lot of other bonuses to planting seeds. Mostly breeding. Clones are great but you can be limited in your selection. You have to take what the nursery has to offer. When growing from seed, you control the genetics and can eventually create your own strains. It takes time, but through pheno-hunting you can also begin to control the look, flavor and potency of those strains. 

Although seeds take much longer to develop than clones, they do grow more vigorously. Seeds grow taproots, meaning their roots grow straight down, far into the ground. This taproot creates stability and, in turn, a healthy, vigorous plant. More vigor→ more volume→  more buds→ the most high.

Nursery Rhymes

Very few things rhyme with Elyon…but we are very excited to be working on our very own cannabis nursery license. In the meantime, we’re proud to work with incredible Northern California nurseries all working toward a common goal of getting you the most high.