Clones, fem seeds, or regular seeds? Best strategy for a self sufficient grow

xtsho said:

I'll stick with using STS which has proven to be 100% reliable. At least all my reversals using STS have been successful. I didn't achieve those results when using CS and aspirin is less reliable than CS. I'd rather have a couple of easily sourced chemicals that will last indefinitely if stored properly that work every time. Most people also don't keep yucca extract in their cabinets. When I do reversals I'm usually just working with a couple of clones. One to reverse and one to pollinate. I need it to work reliably every time as I'm usually timing it to also be able to pollinate other strains I have flowering.

I have heard of using salicylic acid to reverse plants but it's reliability is not as good as using CS or STS with STS being the most reliable. I think that article is somewhat dated as it does not even mention STS which is the method used mostly today by those with experience reversing plants. The reason for the use of STS is it's reliability and the need to only apply a few times vs spraying daily as you do with CS of salicylic acid.

That article itself even recommends using CS and also states that using aspirin may or may not work. That's not good enough for me. I can't go by may or may not work. I need it to work reliably every time which is why like most people that have great success with the process are now using STS.

From that article:

"More and more experienced growers agree this technique is effective. However, there is no sufficient evidence to prove that aspirin is as effective as colloidal silver in feminizing cannabis. Unless you have been cultivating cannabis for almost a decade, it is best to skip first this method and use the rodelization or colloidal silver method instead.

Conclusion
Learning how to feminize seeds with aspirin has been a very interesting topic today in the cannabis world. If you want to give it a try, just keep in mind that it can either work or not. In many cases, it works provided that it was done by someone with enough experience in cannabis cultivation."

Click to expand...

Flowki said:

I could use your help if you have the time?, no hard feelings if not. I have strain A which is done in 7-8 weeks and yields very well, beutiful purple colouring. I have strain B that yields super heavy but needs about 11 weeks, that's a problem as others are done in 9 weeks max (so phasing it out). A is a sure keeper from reg seed. B is a fem that is very stable, yields huge, and would be a sure keeper if not for the longer flower time.

I guess you can see where I am going with this. I'd like to pollinate A with B, hoping that C will flower sooner, then phase B out. What would be your procedure for this?.

Click to expand...

xtsho said:

All you need to do is use a couple clones. Reverse one and pollinate the other. If it was me I'd take 2 clones of each to make seeds. Pollinate A with B and B with A. Harvest the seeds.

If you want to just use B for the pollen then I would spray with STS and start it in flower a couple weeks before A. A doesn't have to be ready to pollinate when B starts dropping pollen. Since the pollen will last for awhile if kept properly it's best to collect it and have it ready when the recipient plant is ready to be pollinated.

Click to expand...

Flowki said:

Ok sounds good. I take it crossing both ways will see different expressions then. Any idea which way would would more likely reduce the flower time on C?, or is it too random. Cheers.

Click to expand...

lusidghost said:

Find a good mother or two and run clones. It's quicker and easier than running seeds, let alone feminizing your own.

Clones shorten veg time, and the pheno's uniformity makes controlling the environment simple. Once you run them a couple of cycles you will know the veg and flowering times, light and nutrient demands, growth benchmarks, a rough estimate of yield, signs of health issues, ect ect.

Click to expand...