I've read that it goes something like this, you find a perfect female, then a male from a female line that also has charactersitics that you want. You breed these, and you get the F1 generation, which will all have relatively similar characteristics, like brothers and sisters, but they're not twins. However, you don't want to breed these brothers and sisters, because then their offspring will have much more variable characteristics. Expensive seeds will be F1s, so you will be getting the best genetics possible, and while you may be able to create a new strain, you will still never get anything better than F1 per se. If you want to keep creating F1s, then of course you need to keep cloning your chosen femal and male parents to breed the clones and make more F1 seeds. It's my understanding that in order to create a very stable strain and breed for seeds, it may take years to breed and select the right parents.
phytokind Reviewed by phytokind on . Finding that pheno... I have been interested in a few different exotic varieties, but starting with a 10 (or 12) seed/plant base, what are the chances of getting that perfect pheno? Not very likely IMHO, as stability does not seem to be the commercial breeders strongest skills. How about starting 10 packs instead of 1 - well 10 times the chance to find an outstanding candidate.. but cost is much increased to start, as well as space and equipment needed, and it seems like the same crapshoot, just a slightly larger Rating: 5