Mother hunting

[stonerwizard]

Hi all. 
I’ll be moving soon and I’ll have a spare whole room and loft area I can use for my hobby. 
like probably all of us on here I have far too many great seeds and up to now I haven’t had the opportunity to grow them out. So I’m planning on growing out as many packs as I can at once so I can find the best ones from each pack but I’m not sure of the best way to do this. 
I have seen people go 12/12 from seed and then reveg the best. This allows higher plant numbers and a quicker turnaround but as many of them are regs I would have to be on it with checking for males daily. 
the other way would be to allow the plants to show sex then flower but this would reduce plant numbers as they would be bigger. 
I have also thought about going through the above but take cuts, once they’re rooted kill the mums and flower one of each clone. This would allow higher numbers but takes the longest. 
 

I don’t normally like having high plant numbers but as this would be a one time thing to look for the special girls in the packs it’s an idea I’m interested in. 
 

Wizard

[GSZZ]

Just now, stonerwizard said:

I have also thought about going through the above but take cuts, once they’re rooted kill the mums and flower one of each clone. This would allow higher numbers but takes the longest. 

 

This is what I do, and you're right its the longest way to do it, the most expensive and the most work but is by and far the safest method to making sure nothing gets lost. I have revegged stuff succesfully in the past, but some plants don't like it and you won't know until it comes to actually trying it.

 

 

Just now, stonerwizard said:

So I’m planning on growing out as many packs as I can at once so I can find the best ones from each pack

 

I'd maybe recommend just doing a couple of packs at a time. As you know some stuff is great off the branch, but not so good after it has been stored a while and the opposite is true also, some stuff is a bit keen to start with and really comes into its own after a bit of time in the jar, amongst other subtleties in selection that might be missed for example if a lot of the varities are similar. It can take a while to smoke your way through lots of diff bud, and it fast becomes alot of work keeping everything backed up and alive (especially if you're super stoned lol) - speaking from experience I've made decisions in haste to lighten the work load and/or free up space only to kick myself later.

[MidgeSmith]

Out of curiosity, why would you kill the mother?

[mysticriver]

12 hours ago, stonerwizard said:

not sure of the best way to do this.

not that im expert, but when I did it I took cuts of everything, flowered the seed plants - usually at that point I knew if it was a keeper by the smell it gave off while flowering, bin the other cuts after sampling the bud

it takes up more room, but thats better than having to go through a re-veg that might not work

(basically everything that @GSZZ has just said..)

 

 

mystic

Edited July 19, 2023 by mysticriver

[Mr mcgregor]

A way I've stumbled across,while growing under led,is when potting up into finals is to bury the plant past its first branches in hydroton, the lower branches 'air layer' and root out into the hydroton  and can be removed after 3 wks in bloom as rooted cuttings. This works well as the nodal spacings  under led are tight, I've had 12 nodes on a plant a foot tall.

[stonerwizard]

Thanks for the replies. 
I thought the long way would be best, I was just being a lazy stoner and thought I had come up with a cunning plan to work through the stash  

I’ll have a lot more room to play with than I have had in a long time so I’m sure I’ll get to work through them. 
I was only going to cull the mums once I had 2 rooted clones. One to flower and the other to become a future mum if she was a keeper. It would be easier to keep more smaller plants. 
 

thanks again

Wizard

 

[4kali]

Good look with your search mate

Edited July 19, 2023 by 4kali

[mysticriver]

14 hours ago, stonerwizard said:

One to flower and the other to become a future mum if she was a keeper. It would be easier to keep more smaller plants. 

dont mind me iim just wondering out aloud, but wouldn't they both be the same size? - the clone & the seed plant that you'll flower to see? or no

 

 

mystic

[stonerwizard]

7 hours ago, mysticriver said:

dont mind me iim just wondering out aloud, but wouldn't they both be the same size? - the clone & the seed plant that you'll flower to see? or no

 

 

mystic

some strains can take 6 weeks to show sex. By which time they can be quite big. Especially sativas. My thinking was take a few cuts. When they’re rooted flower one small. Say 5 days to get settled in their pots and then have the other rooted cut as a future mum if it’s a keeper. This would reduce the space needed to keep them if I was to run higher numbers. 
like I said I’m just at the planning stage so I’m open to any suggestions  

 

@4kali  thanks I still have 7 of the Chelato’s and the skunk x widow that I have been saving for the day I get my own space. I will be looking for a special Chelato to make crosses with. It’s up there  as one of the best strains I have smoked. Very nostalgic 

 

Wizard

[mysticriver]

15 hours ago, stonerwizard said:

so I’m open to any suggestions

what ive done/am doing is keep trimming them down to not be as big, plus there only in small pots anyway, even with small pots they can get big & when theres 8 or 10 or more, I lose the space. in those situations id keep the plants trimmed small if its just the bud im interested in seeing what's like

 

 

mystic