Clones vs. Seeds: Which Is Better for Your Cannabis Grow?

The difference between clones and seeds is genetics: a clone is a rooted cutting that's an exact copy of its mother plant, while a seed carries a new mix of genes from two parents. Clones are fast, guaranteed female and predictable, but harder to find and can carry pests; a cannabis seed is reliable, easy to grow and easy to get hold of, but takes longer and every plant turns out a little different. Whenever you start a new grow, you've got these two options. 

Different as they are, both ways of starting a grow have their drawbacks. So today we're putting seeds and clones head to head to help you decide how to go about your grow.

What are cannabis clones and seeds?

Clones

Plant clones, which a lot of people also call cannabis cuttings, are pieces of another plant that get rooted, usually in a growing medium, or in soilless aeroponic or hydroponic setups.

They're a hugely popular form of asexual reproduction, because each one is an identical copy of its mother, with all her strengths, but also all her flaws.

Cannabis seeds

Seeds are the main way plants reproduce sexually. What sets cannabis seeds apart is that they carry 50% of their genes from the father and the other 50% from the mother.

Pros of growing cannabis from clones

Female cuttings make new females

Like we said, clones are exact copies, so if they're taken from a female mother plant, they'll produce another female. Why is that such a big deal? Because it saves you the hassle of hunting down male plants when you grow from regular seeds, and it cuts the risk of feminized seeds throwing a male.

They save time

The great thing about cuttings is that you don't need to learn how to germinate cannabis seeds and then wait for them to become seedlings and work through every growth stage. All you have to do is root your cutting and boom: you've got a plant ready to start growing right away.

You know what you're getting

If there's something you love about the mother plant, clones let you have it. Since they're exact genetic copies, they pass on all of the mother's traits: flowering time, hardiness, how they take up nutrients, flavor, effects, yield and the rest.

Cons of growing cannabis from clones

They're hard to find

Seeds are easy to find at any online seed bank. Clones are trickier, because they have to be cut from a plant that's actively in veg.

You have to be careful

A cannabis cutting is delicate and needs to be treated that way. If it's not handled properly, it can die before it ever puts out roots.

Cuttings need an environment set up just for them so they get the best possible start, with optimal humidity and temperature levels.

You get the bad traits along with the good

You were after the mother plant's best traits, but her bad ones come in the same package.

Pros of growing cannabis from seed

They're easy to find

Thanks to the internet, you can find a cannabis seed bank you like without much trouble.

You start from scratch

A cannabis seed gives you a satisfying end result and a fresh batch of genetics, carrying a code that hasn't been exposed to poor growing conditions or a pile of diseases.

You can breed your own strains

Once you've mastered the art of growing, you can make your own strains. Cross your favorite female with a male and you can end up with hundreds or even thousands of your own seeds by the end of the season.

Cons of germinating cannabis seeds

They won't always germinate

Even if it's the best seed from a trusted bank, it's always smart to start a grow with several seeds, even if you only plan to grow one plant.

Genotype vs. phenotype

Every seed from the same plant has a different genotype, meaning its own unique genetic code. So cannabis seeds won't produce an exact replica of a parent, and there will be differences between siblings.

On top of that, cannabis plants develop specific traits depending on temperature, humidity, light, nutrients and water, all of which shape their phenotype (the traits you can actually see).

A slower start

Seeds take longer than clones to reach harvest, because a clone skips the whole germination and seedling stage, while with seeds you need patience and a gentle touch through that part of the grow.

Which is better: seeds or clones?

The answer is subjective. It comes down to each grower's preferences, skills, the time they can put into the grow and their experience with one method or the other.

Clones tend to be trickier and are best left to growers with a bit more experience. That said, plenty of seasoned growers go for seeds to breed or to watch their plants from start to finish.

Cannabis seeds, on the other hand, come free of the outside pests and diseases clones can be exposed to. Clones can carry pests, fungus, root rot and even bacteria that can wipe out an entire garden. Clones might look like an easy way to grow, but each one can bring its own risks. First, clones don't handle shipping and transplanting well. Second, they might be healthy when you order them, but things can go sideways during shipping. Even the genetics can be a letdown if the clone source wasn't reliable.

Seeds, by contrast, start clean and don't come with these kinds of problems.

The best way to figure out what you like and what you're comfortable with is to experiment. That's how you'll find your own way of doing things.