What to look for in clones

I really did search this forum but I came up empty.

What DO you look for in a clone? Is it roots, or vegetation, or strain, or what?

Are you talking about harvesting your own clones, or purchasing them?

Purchasing them from the dispensary. The first clone I bought promptly gave up the ghost, but the second one grew twenty-five inches in a little over a month and they looked nearly identical at the shop.

Is bigger better? Are some strains actually harder to grow than others or is it boil down to individual plants?

What should matter is what you prefer... or if you're a caregiver, then its a matter of what the patients you provide for prefer.

Is bigger better? Well.. I'm sure there's not one damn person on this site that would not agree that bigger "buds" are better.

As far as determining what size of plant you want all depends on the factors of what strain you want to grow, how much room you have to grow it in, your pruning methods and the size of plant container you use.

If you like the feeling of being "stoned" (body buzzed), go with an Indica strain which is short with broad leaves. No need to worry much about space issues with Indica. Most Indicas can be pruned for Sea Of Green method which will give you more plants per square foot as well. Indicas average from as low as 2 to 5 ft high pending on how soon blooming is started. Indicas are quite hardy and can tolerate more fertilizing, temperature fluxuations and finish earlier than Sativa which makes Indica a good starting strain for eager beginners.

If you like the feeling of being "high" (head buzzed), go with a Sativa strain which is tall with narrow leaves and like a lot of branching. Space issues are more problematic with Sativa. Most Sativas average between 5 to 8 ft high in most indoor situations pending on how soon blooming is started. Sativas are more delicate and are less tolerant to fertilizing and finish later than Indicas which makes Sativa more of a challenge to grow for those just starting out.

If you want the best of both worlds for the feeling of what I call the "Soaring Couch", then try something somewhere in the middle of the road like an Indica/Sativa cross such as a northern lights, or white widow which require a moderate amount of fertilizing and can range between 3 to 6 ft high in most indoor situations pending on how soon blooming is started.

As a general rule of thumb, if you don't know when to begin blooming stage, start out when the plants are 1 ft tall. You can always start the blooming stage later if you want larger plants. Larger plants don't necessarily mean bigger buds. It only means you have more budding sites. (More branches = more buds).
However, most lower branches don't produce buds very well for lack of light. Those lower branches can be cut off and used for clones.
The flowering hormones once used for the lower branches will now go to the higher up branches and help promote the growth of the buds higher up. Some single cola plants, or should I say, plants with just one main stem have been known to produce buds as big as 2 liter bottles as the plant only has one branch to concentrate all its energy to. This also depends on the strain of the plant as well. Endless Sky, Critical Mass, or Thaitanic are just a few strains of many that have the potential to bud that large. :thumbsup:

Hope this was insightful!

I'm real surprised the dispensary couldn't help you with specific insight for each and every strain they're selling.

Pick clones that are healthy in color and strength, has a growth habit you can handle in your growroom, and are cheap enough to learn with in case you become a repeat customer. (do clones come with a warranty...?)