Lets talk about "runt" seedlings...

[Skunkmasterflex]

Recently iv got back into popping seeds again after about a year with just running clones. Out of all the 100s that have been popped iv ended up with a few runts here and there (I think about 4 or so). The runt seedlings look just like the full sized ones 2 weeks after popping but are putting out smaller leafs, not growing as tall and have a bit closer node spacing. But other then that they are super healthy and growing right along.

My question is....what's everyone's take on healthy runts? Who's ran any and what results have you got? Will they continue to grow like runts from clone....?

Any info or personal experience would be much apperciated :)

I just don't have much experience with runts as I usually get fed up with the slower growth so I kill them but the small amounts of runs iv found are in packs I don't have any more seeds of and would hate to kill off a possible amazing pheno if I don't need to.

Thanks farmers in advance for your input :)

~SMF~

 

[Animal Chin]

Great topic...

I'm dealing with a runt right now but she's holding her own. I say she lightly since sex hasn't been determined. But lets face it she's gonna be a she with the dankest qualities :D

Here she is a week ago

Here she is today

Ill keep you posted ;)

 

[Texas Kid]

I cull them these days and never look back..

 

[Animal Chin]

Who feels the runt is genetics vs human error? I always assume I'm to fault.

 

[Seamaiden]

Danimal, I do the same thing, blame myself/my husbandry skills. I don't throw out a seedling unless it dies on me, I run 'em all. And I've found that if you give them a little time and space, the runts can often catch up just fine. But, that's for OD growing. I've still not done a full indoor seed run, from start to finish. Guess I need to get that one under my belt.

 

[sixstring]

I usually keep them and they grow out of it and turn out dank.but the really stunted ones I toss.

 

[MakinGoo]

I've found a nice pheno from a runt b4.. & she sure did catch up
Later in growth.. I juss chopped a runt down. It was super tiny from the get go never grew more then a few inches tall but the few inches of growth had huge leafs like the rest of um.. I was gunna give it a shot at flowering even tho it was 4 times smaller then the rest but it was a boy so he got chopped..

 

[waayne]

Years ago when it was much harder to get good seedstock I ran all the runts and dwarfs
I had a couple turn out to be nice keepers,but those two were the exception......


Most runts I've ran were nothing special,just slow to grow........
Nowdays I tend to toss them pretty early on,and as TK said ,never look back.....

If I'm doing a run looking for breeding stock, they are always culled out.......

 

[Skunkmasterflex]

Good input fellas!

Seems people are all over the board on if runts are worth keeping around or not.

Here is one of my runts next to a regular full size version. Both out of the same pack of beans and both popped and put in soil at the same times....

 

[stutter]

whats the strain, those leaves look nice.

i havnt read it but someone once told me that the book marijuana botany says that runts often contain more of the desired drug traits that we prefer because due to natural selection the stronger more vigorous plants that would survive in the wild are the hemp plants.

thats just heresay though so do with that info whatever you see fit. i persoanlly grow everything and at the moment have a bunch of runts from one pack. its annoying more than anything. but i might find something nice

 

[purpleberry]

Runts will often have higher trichome production and be the best plant, but they grow a lot slower, yield less, and can be harder to clone. Ive seen this several times. Of course if the plant is a runt from human error it doesn't apply. I just throw them out, I have no interested in a low yielding plant.

 

[Animal Chin]

Good input fellas!

Seems people are all over the board on if runts are worth keeping around or not.

Here is one of my runts next to a regular full size version. Both out of the same pack of beans and both popped and put in soil at the same times....
View attachment 322766
View attachment 322763
View attachment 322765
View attachment 322764

Now that's a runt.

 

[sixstring]

Good input fellas!

Seems people are all over the board on if runts are worth keeping around or not.

Here is one of my runts next to a regular full size version. Both out of the same pack of beans and both popped and put in soil at the same times....
View attachment 322766
View attachment 322763
View attachment 322765
View attachment 322764

wonder how big the runt woulda been in a bigger pot too?

 

[Animal Chin]

wonder how big the runt woulda been in a bigger pot too?

That's funny cuz I was thinking the same thing but I assumed they all were in those cups to start and that one never out grew it. That's just an assumption though

 

[Skunkmasterflex]

Yeah....the one thats in the one gallon pot just was transplanted 2 days ago. I always start seeds and clones in plastic cups till they get established and rollin then go from one gallons to five gallons. I used to go to seven gallons but found my yields were better fitting more five gallon pots under each 1000w light.

Im pretty confident this run is a natural runt and not cause by anything I did. Its been the smallest one from day one when the seeds popped out of the top of the soil. Im not going to kill it. Im going to get it large enough to get a decent pull....hotever long that it.

The strain is Sour Diesel x Alien Kush f1......hope to find something dense and sour

 

[Texas Kid]

On top of the runts, I cull the tallest stretcher and slowest squat slacker..so if I only run 10 beans 2 are pretty much automatically culled provided there are no runts and you get a 100% germ rate you get 8 strong runners...thats why I like to start 20 or 30 beans so when I cull the top and bottom I still have a grip of plants to choose from...the tall stretchers are almost always males in my world so I always cull that one before transplanting to the 1gallon pots from the trays but I cull them before the first transplant, im not big on wastin time, energy, and supplies on something I am goin to ultimately cull from the herd...bettin on the underdog is for the movies better to build the master race...lol

 

[Skunkmasterflex]

On top of the runts, I cull the tallest stretcher and slowest squat slacker..so if I only run 10 beans 2 are pretty much automatically culled provided there are no runts and you get a 100% germ rate you get 8 strong runners...thats why I like to start 20 or 30 beans so when I cull the top and bottom I still have a grip of plants to choose from...the tall stretchers are almost always males in my world so I always cull that one before transplanting to the 1gallon pots from the trays but I cull them before the first transplant, im not big on wastin time, energy, and supplies on something I am goin to ultimately cull from the herd...bettin on the underdog is for the movies better to build the master race...lol

The hitler approach to growing.....nice. makes sense. Iv never put two and two together on the tall ones being males but Iim sure thats pretty accurate. I have noticed my males are usually skinnier and less beafy then the females. Thanks for the input TK.

 

[7thson]

I just cull them now.I did have a Nirvana NLPI that was a runt,but it was and is one of the strongest plants that I've had the pleasure of smoking.(2000)

 

[sixstring]

My males always seem to be the best looking ones of the bunch, plants you hope r keepers.i always like the short shit so it gets run.

 

[nightmarecreature]

This thread inspired me to keep my runts. The ones I've kept in the past, turned out to be nothing special. I'll keep my runts this run and see what happens.

This an interesting thread. It should be kept alive.