Jan
A frequently asked question, that is not that straight forward to answer. Whether or not it’s worth investing in high quality, expensive genetics depends entirely on what your intentions are with growing. If you’re a new grower with no experience you’ll definitely not want to be spending a lot of money on genetics which you may struggle to even get germinated correctly. However, if you feel like you’ve got to the point where you’re comfortable with your grows, and feel like you are being limited in your final product by the genetics, then it is 100% worth investing in quality genetics and paying the extra price! It’s not for everyone, but if you’re truly wanting to create the best flowers possible, you can certainly be limited by the genetics you run.
What Are You Looking For?
Ask yourself what you want to see in your final flowers, are you hoping to have trichome rich plants which offer some true bud porn photographic opportunities, or are you simply looking for a big yield? If yield is all you’re after, then there may be no reason for you to look at expensive breeders, which typically offer more boutique style genetics. Where the focus is more on the appearance, terpenes and stability of the genetics. But if you’re looking to grow flowers that are going to wow your friends, consider investing in a pack of top quality breeder seeds.
If you are growing flower for the retail market (we do not condone any illegal sales of cannabis), it is imperative that your genetics are of high quality. These days the consumer is becoming more aware of what good flower is, and becoming more picky about what they are looking for. A decade ago “I want some indoor” was all that was asked, now you’ll find consumers interested in both the lineage and the breeder of the genetics available – and bud with bag appeal definitely sells quicker.
If you’re interested in breeding, you should definitely be focused more on the higher end genetics. Herm traits can carry through heavily on particular strains from some breeders, and finding a breeder who is well respected will typically lower the odds of this. That said, there are genetic lines which are simply a bit more prone to hermie traits. Do some research into any strain before you buy it, you should know what it is you’re growing and how it behaves.
Finding a Keeper
‘Keepers’ are phenotypes of plants which display high amounts of sought after traits. The term stems from the fact that one will typically run a keeper more than once, use it for breeding or spread it around with friends in the hopes of keeping the genetics alive. The rate at which one finds a ‘keeper’ dramatically increases with high quality seeds. For instance, it could take several packs of cheaper genetics before you find one worth keeping (sometimes you may not even find it at all). Where as with high end breeders, you’re almost certain to find at least one keeper in a pack of seeds you pop. The reason for this is that more budget breeders will often not do the same thorough hunting, or have access to the same quality cuts that those in the high end breeding industry may. I am personally a big fan of American breeders due to their access to cuts as well as the large amount of facility space that allows them to do large pheno hunts.
Know Your Breeders
Remember, expensive doesn’t always mean better. Don’t think that you can judge a quality breeder based solely off cost. If you’re truly passionate about growing, spend some time reading forums, listening to podcasts etc from other respected breeders in order to determine which genetics are true quality and which are just breeders throwing up their prices and taking a chance. There is also the topic of breeders vs seed makers – but for now let’s just look at seed companies / breeders which put out high end genetics and are generally considered worth investing in:
In the end, you need to decide for yourself whether it’s worth the extra money. But once you experience a tent of premium flowers, it becomes difficult to go back to buying mids.
Buying premium singles can also offer a way to tip your toes into the waters of high quality genetics without having to break the bank while doing so!
