Ask ten growers whether to start from seed or clone, and you’ll get ten different opinions, each one delivered with complete confidence. The truth is both have real advantages and real drawbacks, and neither is objectively better. But one of them might be a better fit for where you are right now.
What Are Cannabis Seeds?
A cannabis seed contains the full genetic blueprint of a plant, waiting to germinate. Seeds come in a few different types:
- Regular seeds: These produce roughly equal numbers of male and female plants. Since only female plants produce the flower you’re after, you’ll need to identify and remove males before they pollinate the females, which takes some experience to get right.
- Feminized seeds: Seeds bred to produce only female plants, which removes the extra step of guesswork from above and makes them the most popular choice for home growers who don’t want to deal with sexing plants.
- Autoflowering seeds: Feminized seeds that flower based on age instead of the light cycle, which makes them faster and easier to manage, especially for first-time growers or anyone working with limited space.
Seeds can be bought through licensed retailers and seed banks, and they ship easily, which makes them accessible to just about anyone.
What Are Cannabis Clones?
A clone is a cutting taken from a living female cannabis plant (the mother plant) that has been rooted and is ready to be transplanted. Because it’s a genetic copy of the mother, a clone will grow into a plant with the same characteristics.
That means the same cannabinoid profile, the same terpene profile, the same structure, and the same flowering time, and the main appeal of clones lies precisely in that genetic certainty.
When you buy a clone of a specific cultivar from a reputable source, you know exactly what you’re getting. There’s no germination phase, no waiting to determine sex, and no uncertainty about whether the plant will express the traits you want it to express.
Clones are typically sold as small rooted cuttings in soil or a growing medium, ready to be transplanted into your grow setup.
Cannabis Seeds vs. Cannabis Clones at a Glance
Here’s how cannabis seeds and clones compare on factors that interest home growers the most.
| Seeds | Clones | |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic consistency | Varies since each seed is genetically unique | Exact genetic copy of the mother plant |
| Availability | Widely available, easy to ship | Available at select dispensaries and nurseries |
| Starting time | Germination adds 3–7 days before growth begins | No germination needed; ready to transplant |
| Sexing required? | Yes (unless feminized) | No (clones are always female) |
| Root system | Develops a taproot for stronger anchoring | No taproot; lateral roots only |
| Pest and disease risk | Lower (seeds start clean) | Higher (can carry pests or disease from mother) |
| Best for | Growers who want variety, or beginners starting fresh | Growers who want a proven, consistent cultivar |
The Case for Seeds
Seeds have a couple of important advantages that are sometimes easy to underestimate. The first is the taproot. When a plant grows from seed, it develops a central taproot that anchors it into the growing medium and draws up water and nutrients more efficiently than a clone’s lateral root system. Plants grown from seed are usually stronger and more resilient, especially in outdoor environments where they face wind, variable weather, and soil inconsistencies.
The second is starting clean. Seeds are far less likely to carry pathogens, pests, or diseases. A clone, by contrast, is a cutting from a living plant and can bring along whatever that plant was carrying, be that spider mites, powdery mildew, fungus gnats, or something else. Seeds largely eliminate that risk for a first-time grower setting up a new space.
Seeds also give you access to a much wider genetic range. The number of cultivars available as seeds far exceeds what’s available as clones at any given time, which is a big selling point if you’re looking for something specific.
The Case for Clones
The strongest argument for clones is predictability. If you’ve found a cultivar you love, like a specific strain that produces exactly the flavor, effect, and yield you want, starting from a clone of that plant guarantees you’ll get the same thing again. With seeds, even feminized seeds from the same strain can produce plants with some variation between them.
Clones also save time. Skipping germination and the seedling stage means you’re typically two to three weeks ahead of where you’d be starting from seed. For growers on a specific schedule or running multiple cycles, that head start adds up.
And because clones are always female (they’re cuttings from female mother plants), you never have to worry about identifying and removing males, which is one less variable to manage.
What to Watch Out For With Clones
The main risk with clones is what they might bring with them. A cutting from a diseased or pest-ridden mother plant can introduce problems into your grow space that are difficult to get rid of once they put roots (pun intended). Buying clones from a reputable, licensed source significantly reduces that risk because licensed dispensaries and nurseries are required to meet quality standards that unregulated sources aren’t.
It’s also worth noting that clones don’t develop a taproot. That makes them slightly less robust than seed-grown plants in some growing conditions, particularly outdoors. If you’re planning an outdoor grow in challenging soil or a variable climate, seeds may give you more resilient plants.
So…Which One Is Right for You?
Which one’s right for you depends entirely on where you stand now and where you’re hoping to go.
Choose seeds if:
- You’re growing for the first time and want the most forgiving starting point
- You want to explore a wider range of genetics and cultivars
- You’re setting up a new grow space and want to minimize the risk of introducing pests or disease
- You’re growing outdoors and want the stronger, more resilient root system that comes with a taproot
Choose clones if:
- You’ve grown before and know what cultivar you want to replicate
- You want to skip the germination phase and get a head start on your grow
- Consistency matters more to you than variety, and you want the same result every cycle
- You’re sourcing from a reputable, licensed dispensary or nursery where plant health is verified
And if you’re somewhere in the middle, there’s nothing stopping you from running both at the same time to see what you prefer.
You Can Find Both at The Artist Tree
Whichever way you go, knowing where your starting material comes from is just as important. The Artist Tree carries clones from vetted cultivars at select locations, sourced to meet California’s regulatory standards for plant health and quality. If you’re not sure where to start or want to talk through which cultivar makes sense for your setup, stop by your nearest dispensary location and our team will help you out.