Phenotype hunting - vegging vs flowering

As usually, asking before researching and shamefully still 0 books that my eyes have seen.

This is a story of 100 plants that have been planted from 100 different seeds of the same strain.

They are 3 weeks old and they all look different. Well, most of them do. Some are big, some are little, Few look like they're not going to make it and few look like they're plain motherfucking giants.

What about those giants that grow so much faster than others?

Is it safe to assume that if one is a super vigorous grower in the veg stage, then it most probably would be a massive yielder too?

Or could it be that the biggest yielder might actually be a plant that was an absolute average in the veg stage?

What type of connection is there between the speed of growth at veg stage and final results in flowering?

How would you go about to find the best yielder of these 100 plants?

This was a story of one hundred feminized seeds by the way.

That would suck if the biggest yielders could not be predicted by vigorousity of vegging plants, because that would mean that one would need to take at least 100 clones from 100 vegging plants in order to get 100 plants of the best phenotype for the next grow. That's over 10 000 cuttings.

How to keep the number of cuttings reasonable, but at the same time phenotype hunting most efficient?

I've been growing for over 30 years. And from what I've witnessed there is no definitive correlation that a vigorously vegging plant will ultimately be high yielding. So many variables in the botanical world....

Flower them all out. Pick the keepers at harvest. Then reveg them.

But what about the ones (about 10%) that are really slow or little?

Do you think they are also worth the effort?

Depends on what you are pheno hunting for. If its size alone, you may want to stray away from the plants exhibiting those non-desired traits of the 100 planted. If you are looking for killer couchlock smoke, or something that goes purple etc, you cant know that until you flower all of them out and select those particular traits/colors/smells or whatever it be that your hunting.

No correlation that I've ever seen consistently. A bit of science, a bit of art, a bit of luck is the only advice I can give on selecting in veg. I do it and look for 3 main traits in veg, smell (1), colour & structure (2), vigour (3). They must have at least 2 of those in veg to flower. Only reason I do it is space, if I had the space I'd flower out more as I've missed or misread the odd killer pheno and that didn't cooperate in re-vegging.

My experince indoors is the most vigirous will produce the most, not the best... i have found pure gold in some runts, i often throw out the runts but theres gold in them if you look..

What if the goal is to get the biggest yield? Can I leave out the smallest 10-20% in veg?

Nice answers btw. I hope there comes more.

Helmut79 said:

What if the goal is to get the biggest yield? Can I leave out the smallest 10-20% in veg?

Nice answers btw. I hope there comes more.

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This hunt takes time. Lots of time. If biggest yield is the goal you have to flower them all. You dont need to take 100 clones of 1 plant take x amount from each flower them. Label everything really well. Toss the plants that arent flowering the way you like and the corresponding clones. Once you have the plants you want to continue working with you can take all the clones you want from the original clones that would by now be nice full vegging plants.

Agreed. Its not something that can be done quickly or without patience.

Some of the highest yielding plants are slow growers in veg and require more time to grow into a big plant.

I have been growing different versions of critical mass. They are all very small in flower with 30-40 day veg and get huge if vegged 2 months or more.

But I have sativa leaning diesel hybrids that yield big even if started in 12/12.

So like the experience told above. It all depends.

If you are going to grow plants together it is a good idea to keep the same veggers together instead of go into flower with different size plants to manage and train all differently.

High yeilding plants that are slow to veg is not a commercially desired traits over a high yeilding plants that are quick to veg.

From a business point of veiw id say your crazy looking for slow growing plants at any stage

Kingrow1 said:

High yeilding plants that are slow to veg is not a commercially desired traits over a high yeilding plants that are quick to veg.

From a business point of veiw id say your crazy looking for slow growing plants at any stage

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I start new Seeds and experiment all the time. I am more concerned with quality than business.

You would not want some of my favorite 10-12 week hybrids either. Not the highest profit. The highest high is what I’m after.

Yep. Quantity and Quality don't always go hand in hand.

Stink Bug said:

Yep. Quantity and Quality don't always go hand in hand.

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Agree sometimes.

I am saying more that short flowering and top quality highs don’t always go hand in hand.

Some of the long flowering plants grow great quality and yield.

I agree. So many variables for sure.

MichiganMedGrower said:

I start new Seeds and experiment all the time. I am more concerned with quality than business.

You would not want some of my favorite 10-12 week hybrids either. Not the highest profit. The highest high is what I’m after.

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Then why reply to a thread where the op is looking for the biggest yields and not quality.

Some here infringe their own personal grow path on others that are not looking for the same results,

Helmut79 said:

How would you go about to find the best yielder of these 100 plants?

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If you want the biggest yields then clone the fastest and biggest plants and select from them, if you want the best quality grow 100 plants and select the strongest.

Lets not confuse simple practice