Seed longevity

[Genuine]

how long can the average seed survive without being used/germinated? just wondering because I want to buy a pack of 3 feminized and a random pack of anything just so i can grab a male and have 1 of the feminine and a male make love so i can have constant seed production. the thing is that i wont be growing many plants, maybe 3-4 plants max so that ii can harvest every season but also have 1 plant that just develops seeds for me to use for future plants and in that way i'll always have a supply of seeds for any reason.

or would it just be easier to clone? im not every familiar with growng as im still doing the research before i start, so any help would be greatly appreciated.


edit:i guess there is a limit to cloning as there are the autoflowering strains which i read cant be cloned and i think thats what im looking for due to faster harvest times. but that brings up another question: does a photoperiod plant produce more buds than an autoflowering since it has to go through the veg state where the grower can influence the growth much more? also i read the there are autoflowering males?? i thought males dont flower?

so is there a way that you can use autoflowering strains without having to buy packs of seeds over and over again? i guess the method i described above would work.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Why fem seeds? I would recommend not buying fem seeds if you want to breed. Just buy a 10 pack of reg seeds and take your best female and your best male.

You cannot clone autos. Why not just get a nice reg female and clone? You can get about the same harvest time with clones. A photo period plant generally produces more/better bud than autos. I have smoked White Dwarf, Russian Rocket Fuel and a couple of other autos that are supposed to be good. However, IMO, they do not come close in quality to a good photo strain.

I would recommend that you do some more reading so you understand the biology of the plant and the difference between males and females.

 

[Genuine]

thanks for the reply...i know i still have a lot to learn. i wanted feminized seeds to guarantee that i at the very least get SOME results the first time around. plus Im not in position where i can grow freely and experiment and try to get lucky waiting for so many seeds to mature as i dont have the space or the neighbors to comply....so im just starting out with 2 plants and I'll see how i can incorporate growing marijuana into my life. anyways, with fem seeds ill have a better chance at getting female plants where cloning will follow if success comes my way.

without much research and just using common sense i came to the conclusion that photo would probably yield a lot better quality herb and probably more of it as well and now you just confirmed that so i think im gonna stick to photo. plus you can clone it like you said unlike autos so there's never an issue of low resources or having to repurchase seeds and if you are able to cultivate some good crop the first time around with photo you will usually maintain good crop. just gotta lay down all your TLC for one of your plants (at least) and you're set for life.

 

[Locked]

I think one of the biggest lessons I hve learned over time is if you want to do this for more then a grow or two you shld find a mom or two (or 12 ) and learn the skills needed to clone that mom and run from there. I doesn't get easier or cheaper then running from clone.

You don't pay for seeds.
Depending on the mom(s) the smoke is certified Dank every time.
If you are like me and just like to flip "Lolipops" then you can go with very lil veg time and go quickly to a 12-12 light schedule...which saves dollars since autos are generally vegged/flowered at 20-4 or even 24-0 under HPS.
Get a 7 week flowering strain and you can be in and out in 70 days or so...less when you consider you can hve the next wave of clones vegging and ready to go as soon as the flowering clones are done. So cropping out every 49 days cld be a possibility. Jmo

 

[Genuine]

thanks for the input. im getting a pack of 5 fems so i want to try out 2 plants under different conditions i.e. soil/hydro to see which i am better at cultivating as well as which grows better under the current conditions it will be living in and the general environment of my home. once i see the results of the plants i would probably make clones of the better and then start growing the other 3 from the pack so that i would have 4 plants simultaneously and thats my max atm. after that is all said and done and i have an intermediate experience with growing then ill probably start spending more time on breeding and cloning since its easier and cheaper than buying seeds like you said, but for now i just want to get a good start on my first grow.

 

[Hick]

Ya gotta' learn to walk before you can run...

I recntly germinated some seeds from 2002 and got about 90% to pop. Keep 'em dry, cool, and dark, and they'll last for a decade at least.