Attack of the clones

If you were to ask me today what the single most important skill for any grower to know, I wouldn't hesitate before I would say asexual propagation.  Don't get me wrong, everything else is very important.  However, if you can't clone, you will either be forever growing from seed, or relying on outside sources for your genetics.  Growing from seed is also time consuming, and plants from seed are much harder to control in terms of size than plants grown from clone.  That said, I love growing from seed, as I like new things, and the element of discovery that growing from new seed stock brings to my garden is very welcome.  On the other hand, I grow a few strains from clone, and always have a few mother plants lurking around in the veg room.  First, plants grown from seed often take 4 weeks or longer to be ready for flowering, while a clone cut from a healthy vegetative plant can actually be rooted and ready to induce flowering (depending on plant size desired) within 3 weeks or less.  Secondly, there is something to be said for reliability, and if you find a strain that performs well for you and that you are extremely satisfied with the final product thereof, I say keep it forever.  Often, if you find yourself having to ask whether or not you want to let a strain go, I say keep it, because if it was that good in the first place, you will likely come to regret losing it.  Growing from seed can (depending on the breeder you use) lead to unwelcome and costly results, even if you have an excellent setup.  Growing from clones of your own plants, on the other hand, you already know exactly what you are getting into before you start flowering.  There are multiple ways of cloning, I am going to cover my two favorite ones, the two that have worked the best for me in the past and that I have the most experience with. 

Can I grow cannabis? How do I obtain cannabis to grow?

Yes!  You can!  If you live in Colorado, you can even do it legally!  According to our fine state laws, anyways.  No matter how much space you have available, no matter what your situation, there is a method of cannabis cultivation you can use.  Modern advances in LED and CFL lighting have created a pool of technology from which any person can cultivate at least a small amount of cannabis for personal use.  There are many resources available for setting up grow rooms and spaces, and I would rather direct you towards those, but if you think you have a particularly difficult space or situation, I would be glad to offer my direct input.  I would personally direct you towards this fantastic book that every cannabis cultivator should read.

Once your cultivation environment set up, you will need to determine how you want to obtain your cannabis plants.  There are basically two ways to start, you can either obtain clones (small vegetative plants cut from a {usually} proven female) or you can obtain seeds.  While some people (who seem to all work for dispensaries) will try to warn people away from buying seeds, this is actually my preferred cultivation method.  It is difficult to verify the quality and genetic lineage of clones, especially as our current MMJ environment has led to a grotesque proliferation of unscrupulous business practices.  Most of the best clones I have obtained have been through contacts in the cultivation scene, rather than through dispensaries.  Dispensaries have given me powdery mildew, spider mites, thrips, and a ton of clones that were either accidentally or intentionally mislabeled.  Cannabis seeds are very easily obtained through the magic of the internets, and there are at least five very reliable seed banks that you can order from that will ship discreetly to the United States.  Risk is minimal (worst case you will not get your seeds, and most seed banks offer a guaranteed shipping method in which they will reship in case of customs interference) and you know exactly what genetics you are getting.  The other mitigating factor is time, as growing from seed will usually put you two-three weeks behind growing from clone, for your first cycle.  After that, you can certainly keep clones from your plants, and only obtain additional seed as you desire more variety in your garden.  Seeds or clones, there are positive and negative factors associated with both, and it is really a matter of preference if you have ready access to clones.  If not, however, then one of the many internet seed banks can help you in getting set up with your chronic.