I know this is an old post, clones or cuttings, do have a greater maturity, I have grown many clones and find that they take less time to flower and they are even better than the original mother. The problem most growers experience is time, meaning that they do not allow a plant to mature long enough. I have a mother plant that is three years old, I have several others ranging from 6 months to a year. Every cutting I have taken matures quickly, this removes veg. time drastically as well as at the very least, reducing flower time by a week. as far as mutation in cuttings or some genetic degradation, well, that comes from plant care and if there are to many deficiencies. Just make sure you keep the best cutting from a plant, you can also clone up to 4 weeks into flower, of course I would suggest if it is a cutting from a flowering plant that you use a rooting agent. I have been growing for awhile and have a lot of experience with cuttings from multiple kinds of plants, most of my knowledge comes from my experience or my girlfriends, she has been growing plants for over thirty years.