I'm trying to determine whether or not to keep a mother plant, or just to take clones of clones. I've read arguments saying that clones will lose vigor over time if taken from clones, while others say there won't be any issues. Not having to keep a mother plant would free up additional space for growing and yield.
From my understanding, shouldn't vigor be the same regardless?
This is how I look at it...
Let's say Plant A is the mother. No matter when I take a cutting from it, shouldn't the genetic age of the clone match the mother? For instance, if the mother is 6 months old, a clone taken from it would be an exact match, meaning it'd also be 6 months old in terms of genetic makeup?
So if Plant B is a clone taken from Plant A when A is 6 months old, Plant B would in effect be the same age (even if it is smaller in size). So in 6 months, Plant A would be 12 months old. Wouldn't Plant B then also be 12 months old in terms of genetics, even though it is only 6 months old in terms of its physical existence?
If I'm an idiot, please let me know. Most on this forum have more experience than me, so I'm just trying to get my head wrapped around this issue. In the end, I want to make the decision that will allow for the best quality flower, but right now I can't tell which is the correct one.
Thank you!