Skunk Baxter
Well-Known Member
I'm currently growing out a crop of Albino Rhino from seed, looking for a good mother or two. I started out with 50 seeds around Thanksgiving, got 52 plants (2 of the seeds each sprouted 2 plants), and I lost a few in the seedling stage. After culling out the males, I'm left with 26 females that just started their 6th week of flower today. They're breaking down into 3 primary phenos (1 sativa dominant and 2 indica). I've already taken clones from 7 of them, and am waiting until they grow out to make my final decision. It occurred to me to ask around a bit and see what other people look for in a pheno.
I cloned a couple of the sativas just in case they turn into something special, but I'm focusing primarily on the indica phenos. I've had my eye on one in particular all along; coincidentally, it's from a seed that I lost while sprouting, and my wife found it on the carpet the next day. I called it "her" plant from the beginning, and it's been one of my favorites the whole time.
It's a stout, compact, bushy indica, very healthy, never any sign of deficiencies or nute burn, and has the fattest, densest looking buds of any of them so far. There are two others of its pheno, but they aren't quite as robust and their buds aren't quite up to par with #1 (as I labeled it when I took cuts). Only problem is, those 3 have the slowest trichome development of any of the 26 girls. Some of the sativa doms are so frosty, they look like they have a little cloud of mist around the buds, and the plants of the other indica pheno are frosting up better too. I'm still holding out hope for #1, but I was expecting more trichomes by Week 6. She's still 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 weeks from finish, though, so I haven't given up, but every day I become a little more discouraged.
Anyway, here's what I look for in a mother -
Preferably indica, for SOG indoors and easier concealment outdoors
Yield
Potency
Density of buds (for bag appeal and easier trimming)
Good root development
Good growth characteristics (good development during veg, adjusts quickly to 12/12, good node spacing)
General health and tolerance to variations in watering and nutrient levels (compared to the other plants) - what color are her leaves if the others are showing a magnesium deficiency; how dark are her leaves compared to the others; how do the tips look if I overdo the bloom nutes and some of the other tips crisp up a bit; etc... does she seem to be able to take up nutes across a wide range of Ph conditions?
When it's possible to determine resistance to pests and diseases compared to other plants, I factor that in too; but all they've had to deal with this run is fungus gnats, so there's not much to go on.
Of course finishing time is something I consider as well, but it's never a deciding factor. I'm willing to wait an extra couple of weeks for a special strain, but if all other things are roughly equal, I'd rather have the quicker turnaround.
Obviously some of these criteria are not as important as others, but they're all things that I take into consideration as I'm deciding whose DNA will continue and whose ends at harvest. Of course I'm not going to throw out a 3-pound plant just because a smaller one shows better root development, but some of the minor criteria are nice to take note of just so you can make a more informed decision.
So, what about the rest of you? What do you look for when picking the mother of all your future buds?
I cloned a couple of the sativas just in case they turn into something special, but I'm focusing primarily on the indica phenos. I've had my eye on one in particular all along; coincidentally, it's from a seed that I lost while sprouting, and my wife found it on the carpet the next day. I called it "her" plant from the beginning, and it's been one of my favorites the whole time.
It's a stout, compact, bushy indica, very healthy, never any sign of deficiencies or nute burn, and has the fattest, densest looking buds of any of them so far. There are two others of its pheno, but they aren't quite as robust and their buds aren't quite up to par with #1 (as I labeled it when I took cuts). Only problem is, those 3 have the slowest trichome development of any of the 26 girls. Some of the sativa doms are so frosty, they look like they have a little cloud of mist around the buds, and the plants of the other indica pheno are frosting up better too. I'm still holding out hope for #1, but I was expecting more trichomes by Week 6. She's still 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 weeks from finish, though, so I haven't given up, but every day I become a little more discouraged.
Anyway, here's what I look for in a mother -
Preferably indica, for SOG indoors and easier concealment outdoors
Yield
Potency
Density of buds (for bag appeal and easier trimming)
Good root development
Good growth characteristics (good development during veg, adjusts quickly to 12/12, good node spacing)
General health and tolerance to variations in watering and nutrient levels (compared to the other plants) - what color are her leaves if the others are showing a magnesium deficiency; how dark are her leaves compared to the others; how do the tips look if I overdo the bloom nutes and some of the other tips crisp up a bit; etc... does she seem to be able to take up nutes across a wide range of Ph conditions?
When it's possible to determine resistance to pests and diseases compared to other plants, I factor that in too; but all they've had to deal with this run is fungus gnats, so there's not much to go on.
Of course finishing time is something I consider as well, but it's never a deciding factor. I'm willing to wait an extra couple of weeks for a special strain, but if all other things are roughly equal, I'd rather have the quicker turnaround.
Obviously some of these criteria are not as important as others, but they're all things that I take into consideration as I'm deciding whose DNA will continue and whose ends at harvest. Of course I'm not going to throw out a 3-pound plant just because a smaller one shows better root development, but some of the minor criteria are nice to take note of just so you can make a more informed decision.
So, what about the rest of you? What do you look for when picking the mother of all your future buds?
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