Mother plants...

[GratefulOkie]

I recently visited a friends farm and seen that they take clones from moms and grow new moms then grow new moms from those clones. Up to 5 or 6th generation clones/moms. He said he has been seeing a slight decline in quality and test results show a decline in potency and Terps.

question is.... is it feasible for a commercial grower to run strains like this? Wouldnt you see genetic drift? Has anyone successfully pulled this off...?

 

[Aqua Man]

If I was a commercial grower looking to preserve my genetics. Tissue Culture

 

[One drop]

Hi Greatful. For many years ( 15 years to be exact ) ,I kept a NL#5 mother going , I’m in Australia so you had to keep good healthy mothers if you were to keep growing , I found if I used the OG mother cuts the strain was slightly weaker than if I had taking cuts from new mother plant I grew on from OG mother plant cuts . It was something head scratching but at that stage in my Horticulturist career I couldn’t go to my teachers and ask I would of got busted by police , your question is a great one I’m looking forward to reading some good answers on the subject. Regards OD .

 

[MIMedGrower]

Most commercial grows keep a mother room to take clones off existing healthy mature plants.

Cloning clones is really a plant count personal method.

And if kept healthy there is no problem with that method of cloning the clones perpetually.

If they degrade so soon there is something wrong with the grow that is degrading or introducing pathogens or just worse roots each time.

 

[GratefulOkie]

Most commercial grows keep a mother room to take clones off existing healthy mature plants.

Cloning clones is really a plant count personal method.

And if kept healthy there is no problem with that method of cloning the clones perpetually.

If they degrade so soon there is something wrong with the grow that is degrading or introducing pathogens or just worse roots each time.

I feel the same. Thing is his grow seems healthier than mine. I have 3 moms of each of 7 strains and when they get so big I flower them and start a new mom from seed. (Which involves time... veg the new mom until i get a cut to flower to check the bud structure and pheno.) I have spent up to 5 months finding the right mom. He just threw this idea at me and I am trying it out. Save me alot of time if this is the case and I can keep the phenos I want... ect,ect. I just have reservations because of the degradation he is seeing. Maybe 4% over the past 6 runs. That's alot in my book. But as you said it may be an environment situation. Trial and error. Always the best teacher. Thank you for the input.

 

[GratefulOkie]

If I was a commercial grower looking to preserve my genetics. Tissue Culture

Yep I failed miserably at it. Looked like they were mutations. I may try again. One of my buddies just does clones for commercial growers and he swears by tissue culture. Maybe try again sometime soon. Break out the ol hood and tubes. Lol. Thanks for the reply.