You can only do so much with skill. This is why long timers pheno hunt and why commercial operations largely use clones. Please note that not every plant is going to be a winner even if you do everything right. It will still be great, just can’t expect phenomenal everytime. I know this seems irrelevant but I think it’s a good message to put out there at the moment.
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Genetics are going to play a factor in your end results, but when you look at overall potential it’s just a small part. If you put the the best genetics available in the hands of a brand new grower without proper equipment results will most likely be similar to that same person would have done with weaker genetics.
There is obviously some separation for disease ridden, hermaphrodite, or flat out poor breeding practices. But commercial grows aren’t always running the strongest genetics, they are usually growing the most marketable products. This is very heavily determined by overall thc content right now. It has very little to do with the tiny buds or trash terpene profiles provided by several lines available at dispensaries. I think it’s fair to say they usually have some decent stuff, but not everything coming out of dispensary is grade A by most of the members here standards.
To me this is more about reaching and extending different ceilings within each individual aspect of a grow. You used skill, but this should probably be replaced with knowledge. Then there is equipment and environmental factors, genetics, and ones ability to successfully bring all of these together. Each as their role in being able to reach a maximum result. If you start taking away from any one point that maximum result will follow.
I think running good genetics is important, but I couldn’t justify spending several hundred dollars on a pack of seeds to run under fluorescent lights. Or to someone who may struggle with germination. However, I do see some with top of the line equipment and seem to have knowledge running freebies and random stuff too, to which I agree with nature of your post.
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Great words, you can’t make something better than it’s genetics, only it’s full potential.
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Agreed. You can make the best weed genetics horrible as a noob …but also make bad genetics tolerable as a pro.
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Agree, totally, even decide to pursue building my own seeds in quantity, for future and family.
Having now accomplished multiple goals, improving tent environment and growing for a year. Genetics is the next game. ILGM has provided me with great seeds, so far, and I expect to continue our relationship as I focus on quality. Difficult to share $10.00 seeds, with newbies.
But I will for experienced growers who share.
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That was an amazing write up! And so true, Chances are that bag seed you got wasn’t ran to its full potential, give it to someone with knowledge and it will improve.
Going back to the dispensary bud you spoke about, my old roommate many many years ago now runs a facility in Ohio and he messaged me the other day with pictures telling me they are pheno hunting… it took me several minutes to respond… how do you pheno hunt with something you never let it run to its full potential… 63 days and it’s done, no questions asked… willing to bet the majority of them could go longer but moneys on the line… everything is a time frame with them, product over reasoning… that’s why we grow grade A.
I enjoy reading your comments and knowledge.
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This is a good question, and could have multiple answers. If running a commercial grow they are probably looking for traits like yield, potency, and bag appeal. They want heavy producing plants that are loud, obviously. But a breeder may do this looking to pull something very specific, like short flowering time or mold resistance.
Depending on size of operation hundreds of seeds may be germinated. As they start growing plants will get culled for a magnitude of reasons depending on what the grower is after. Slowly developing plants are usually first to go. Then maybe plants with undesirable shape or node spacing. If hunting a mother plant then all males would go as well. The list goes on until narrowed down to specific plants that have met all requirements. The remaining plants are grown to harvest and evaluated, and the best are typically kept for whatever intended use is.
Someone pheno hunting may throw away the most potent plant long before it’s allowed to harvest. But it didn’t meet the other criteria so did not get more time, energy, and resources invested into it. This is the major separation between home growing and breeding or growing commercially. You may not be concerned a plants yield if you feel the quality is good, but someone doing this for their livelihood isn’t going to accept anything but the best.
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I would think a better way to pheno hunt, is to clone all the seeds you plant and keep those clones as potential mother plants. Keeping the best clone mother plants according to the results of the original seed grow.
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Thanks for the reply @dbrn32 . Thought it’d be a good discussion I could show to someone. Has turned out excellent especially with your input. I used this as a platform to explain that not every plant can be a “kraken”.
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That is the definition of phenohunt.
But you can also do a monstercrop/clone. Just the way you put it is the general method.
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