Using Mothers

[pipeman]

I have read conlficting opinions on whether or not genetics is weakened over time with a mother/clone system and eventually you always have to go back to seed. Fact or fiction?

 

Is it possible to run a perpetual mother/clone system without compromising on quality? Should mothers be replaced with one of their clones after a certain period of time?

 

Also, someone told me that the longer you leave your plant to veg before flower the better the finished product will be. Now I know it will increase yield with a given a set number of plants, but I'm mainly interested in quality of the bud.

 

thanks in advance.

[Tom]

The main problem I've found with keeping the same strain for a long time is that I build up a tolerance to it, I would still be straight and everyone else would be off their faces.

 

In my opinion the longer you can veg the plant the better, I usually veg to a touch over 2/3 of the available grow height.

 

[boulder]

There is no decline in potency from a clone line. The clone is an exact genetic reproduction of the plant from which it was taken. Only an infection or disease such as a virus will create a decline in potency.

Mothers can be kept forever by using root pruning and bonzai techniques.

[pipeman]

thanks guys. I'll see how the tolerance thing goes Tom, I've only started smoking regularly in the last few months. But I plan to have at least 2 and maybe 4 or more different mothers and alternate crops.

 

the reason I ask about the veg. time is that I'm planning a scrog setup, which from what my limited knowledge tells me has a very short veg time. And my thinking is that if I'm sacrificing quality maybe I should plan for a larger grow space even though I don't want/need it for yield.

[BobGreen]

What Boulder said.

 

Bob