Getting started Lifecycle Germination Seedling
Seeds or clones: pros, cons and keeping pests out
Seeds avoid some pests that hitchhike on cuttings, while clones keep a chosen genotype. Neither is disease-free: hop latent viroid can spread through seeds as well as clones and tools.
On this page
A clone is a cutting from a mother plant, and it grows into a genetic copy. A seed grows into a new plant that’s similar to its siblings, but not identical.
Comparison
| Seed | Clone | |
|---|---|---|
| Predictability | Plants vary a bit | Same starting genotype; growth still depends on health and conditions |
| Time | Add a couple of weeks | Skips germination |
| Pest and disease risk | Often lower for hitchhiking insects, but not disease-free | Higher if the source is unknown |
| Roots | One main taproot | Many fine roots from the cut |
If you bring in clones
- Keep new plants away from your established ones, and check leaf undersides with a magnifier. Two weeks is a useful observation period, not a disease-clearance test. Some infections stay symptomless.
- Pests like spider mites and diseases like powdery mildew are well documented in cannabis grows, and cuttings are a common way for them to arrive.
- Hop latent viroid (HLVd) can spread through infected cuttings, seeds and contaminated sap on tools. Start with diagnostically tested stock and clean your tools between plants. Ordinary alcohol cleaning isn’t a reliable HLVd treatment. Use a validated viroid sanitation protocol, not an unspecified bleach mix.
For a small grow, seeds can help you avoid bringing in insects on outside cuttings, but source health still matters. Ask how the parent plants or starting stock were tested.
Sources (3)
- Punja, Z. K., Collyer, D., Scott, C., Lung, S., Holmes, J., & Sutton, D. (2019). Pathogens and molds affecting production and quality of Cannabis sativa L. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10, 1120. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2019.01120/full [Evidence access: FULL TEXT VERIFIED.]
- Cranshaw, W., Schreiner, M., Britt, K., Kuhar, T. P., McPartland, J., & Grant, J. (2019). Developing insect pest management systems for hemp in the United States: A work in progress. Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 10(1), 26. https://webdoc.agsci.colostate.edu/hempinsects/PDFs/JIPM_2019.pdf [Evidence access: FULL TEXT VERIFIED.]
- Ocamb, C. M. (2024). Hop latent viroid in hemp. Oregon State University Extension, EM 9570. https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/em-9570-hop-latent-viroid-hemp [Evidence access: EXTENSION TEXT VERIFIED.]