What factors determine the quality of the cannabis gene pool?

[pipeman]

Not so long ago cannabis was all grown in soil under the sun. Until recently outdoor was still the most common source of cannabis, but with the hydro revolution, is that still the case? Where does most of the pot on today's market get grown? Indoor or outdoor? No way to tell really is there.

 

I would guess most of it would be indoor. But really, hydro is such a buzz word anyone with quality outdoor heads could probably get a better price by calling them hydro. So who knows. Its hard to say how many people have bush crops growing and how much of the market these bush crops make up.

 

Even if the majority of bud today is still grown outdoor, I believe its the indoor growers that are the major influence on the cannabis gene pool.

 

Through human selection, which I guess is a form of natural selection, cannabis plants have been bred and propogated based on their most desirable qualities. This was either hemp for the manufacturing industry or cannabis for getting high. Obviously cannabis is what we're mainly concerned about.

 

The thing about any plant is, it may express certain traits in one environment, but grown differently it can express different traits. Environmental conditions, some of which we understand, and some of which we do not, can change almost every characteristic of a plant.

 

What we currently know as "land race" strains are the product of thousands of years of selective breeding. Seeds from plants expressing desirable traits to the people of the area would be planted the next season and the rest discarded. This is not to say that land race genetics are superior or more pure in any way. They are in most cases the result of selective breeding.

 

The point is the selection of marijuana genetics is no longer being down by outdoor growers. Its a commercial industry now, and the market is the personal home grower. A lot of pot is still being grown outdoors, but I'd guess a very large percentage of seed sales go to the personal grower. This is where the money is, and therefore this is the market that breeders are competing to satisfy.

 

There are a a few desirable traits people look for in indoor genetics. Compact growth, flowering time, yield, and of course quality. Quality is always important, but it often needs to be sacrificed to an extent to get the best of some of the other traits.

 

I often hear comments from older stoners that the hydro of today doesn't do as much for them as the good outdoor they used to get. But is this because they have just built up an immunity over the years? They lost perspective over time and are confusing good times with good dope? Maybe part of getting old is that ya don't get the same buzz as ya used to?

 

Or maybe, the cannabis gene pool has gone into a "slump" temporarily while the outdoor genetics adjust to the new age of HID lights and hydro nutes. And in the coming generations, we will see some mind blowing strains resurface as the cannabis gene pool with the help of indoor breeders evolves to express its best traits once again.

 

PS - Speaking of genetics, I'm off to see if Australia Post has any packages waiting for me.

Edited April 23, 2007 by pipeman

[MongyMan]

Or maybe, the cannabis gene pool has gone into a "slump" temporarily while the outdoor genetics adjust to the new age of HID lights and hydro nutes. And in the coming generations, we will see some mind blowing strains resurface as the cannabis gene pool with the help of indoor breeders evolves to express its best traits once again.

 

I belive that this has alot to do with it pipeman as there are very few pure sativas if any suitable for indoor growing at this time and from my exp some of these gene pools include the worlds most exotic strains. Indoor breeders will successfully introduce these genes into the indoor genetic pool eventualy imo, it just takes time.

[freddie]

I often hear comments from older stoners that the hydro of today doesn't do as much for them as the good outdoor they used to get. But is this because they have just built up an immunity over the years? They lost perspective over time and are confusing good times with good dope? Maybe part of getting old is that ya don't get the same buzz as ya used to?

 

I don't know if i qualify as an old stoner (started 77, i was way too young) but i am one of those that reckon the stones of today aren't as good as they were; or maybe just different. I stopped smoking in the mid 90's for about 4 years. Moved interstate and just didn't score again when i ran out. When i started smoking again the scene had changed from an outdoor to an indoor industry. I had missed this as previously i had been growing my own and minding my own business. I was introduced to skunk and other indoor varieties that had been grown indoors and i was pretty impressed, even more so when i found out about seed banks. Now all this was great but i still craved the intensity of the stone that i used to get. I thought it was just that i was older and had too much resistance but i no longer think that. Remember i had given up for a huge length of time so my resistance should have been way down. I also smoke much less than i used to yet i still don't get as high. And i take frequent breaks from smoking.

 

The quality now is consistantly great but the really top quality is either not quite there or i am unable to find it. I am sure it is out there somewhere.