hey folks. i haven't been in here in a LONG time, but a while ago i used to be reading everything i could on growing, hoping i could get started on my own at some point. unfortunately i couldnt. however, i did invest in a lamp and ballast and a bulb (broke during moving, have to replace) for a 400w HPS... also ordered seeds online. i got hashberry, from mandala seeds. now when i ordered them they were cheap and easy to come by. high times had JUST recommended them very, very highly and printed some absolutely gorgeous photos i.e.: probably the most recognizable hashberry bud there is now :sifone: anyway, i don't remember when it was i ordered....late 06 or early 07...but i've had the seeds for a while and not been able to grow them. now, in the mean time it was EXTREMELY difficult for a while to get any genetics from mandala seeds. today i looked around, and the situation seems to have figured itself out. the seeds are again available, people are still saying good things about every mandala strain i can find info regarding, and things seem good. more than that, the information i see regarding peoples experiences with hashberry seem to be even MORE impressive than i found back then, when it was more of an underdog than it seems to be now. now people are not only singing it's praises, they're more or less saying "you will never regret this even a little bit!" so i still don't know when i'll get to grow my seeds - it may be a full 2 or 3, god forbid even another 4 years from now. but i'm wondering if anyone can tell me, once i finally have a place safe enough to grow, can i simply start off at 12/12, no special treatment or special soil or fertilizers and flower and seed as fast as possible and get the same quality genetics? i mean, i'm thinking that these seeds may not be as cheap in the future as they are now or as they were when i got them. they seem to be getting more and more popular. even if they're not popular, i think if i can grow lousy plants and get them heavily seeded but with perfect genetics then i can have far more than my current load of 10 seeds to grow as many as i want later. i figure lamarckism isn't valid so even if i grow shitty plants with no special care and only take care of them well enough to get seeds, the next generation seeds (assuming they're 100% inbred hashberry) will be as good as the ones i have now - right? and if so, how do i go about making sure that my seeds are viable before harvest? when it comes down to it, i am anxious as hell to get started on growing for crops, but i keep hearing better and better things regarding hashberry. i think it might be worth considering growing a few and not eliminating any males that pop up if possible, just so i can get some fresher seeds out of it. its just that i've read a good bit about growing and when to harvest, etc., etc., but it was all geared towards growing sin semilla, and i think i might want a heavily seeded crop my first time round so i have plenty for the future....... any thoughts?
The problem is that Hybrid strains don't always breed true. Even with stable genitics you will see some pheno. variation among your seeds, and even more with the next generation, so their is no telling what you'll get 2 or three generations down the road. your best off growing out your seeds and picking one or two for mothers. Cloning ensures the quality of your crop, and once you get the hang of it is faster and easier then growing from seed. Good luck either way.
ah, i gotcha that makes sense. well how about viability. how many years do you suppose they're good for?
Hard to say exactaly. Seeds are usually considered good for a couple of years, more or less, depending on how they have been stored. A dry, cool, dark place with consistant conditions is best. I'd say you are pushing the envloupe on yours right now.
they've been in a box in a house with regular heating and cooling, away from moisture, for about two years. never in extreme conditions oh well, mandala is supposed to have wonderful genetics but isn't exactly expensive. if they're no good they're no good
