traits to look for while pheno hunting and breeding

[Miraculous Meds]

I am keeping track of these traits already. What else would u recommend to record.

tallest/shortest

green/purple stems

hollow/pith filled stems

variegation

stem rub aroma

What else is of importance to look for that might help in future breeding projects?

Thank you for any tips or advice,
mm

 

[bigtacofarmer]

Two things I look for most. Does it have a great flavor and high. Everything else is nice, but secondary when choosing.

 

[sourpuss]

Yes flavor and high is great advice, prob above anything else... resin rub over stem rub personally but im juat getting started at makin seeds.

In terms of flavor... dj uses a 2 letter system, good read... short story is he would give something like a mango kushy plaant the letters mk.... then the other plant would be a bubblegum with a hashy nutty flavor so he assigns hn to that plant... im sure you get what I mean....

 

[dank.frank]

It is really subjective...in regards to what your intentions are with desired outcome at the finish line...

In part why I didn't respond to your PM - a thread on such topic is a much better idea - because everyone is out there selecting for different things that accurately highlight their idea of what good cannabis is and should be...

It's easy to say pick the plant that smokes the best - but if your goal is high yields - and that plant only hits one ounce in a 5 gal bucket...LOL...then it really becomes an irrelevant statement very quickly...

The truth is...only you can decide the direction you want things to go - and you will pick and select plants that fit that desired criteria...

Someone mentioned DJ - well, he also says the best plant he smoked had about 8% THC or something like that - and well, I doubt I'd enjoy something quiet like that as I find the best plants I smoke are well above 20%...so...does that make DJ wrong - not at all. It just means we all enjoy something different and if you are going to breed, you have to have established to some degree what it is you enjoy ... and then develop a pathway that will allow those desired traits to surface with a greater frequency in the seeds you sprout...



dank.Frank

 

[sticky367]

Vigor, Mold/pest resistance, Structure: node spacing, stem strength, etc. All very important when it comes to outdoor, and also applicable indoors.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

IMHO. (in my humble opinion is what that means in case someone doesn't know. that's what it means. In MY = shit that i am saying the way i talk. Humble opinion = the shit that i think based on my perspective) so now that we're clear.

i think you're already fuckin up by asking other people to tell you what YOU are looking for.

i personally select for the high, stability i.e. no hermies, and growth structure, and time to harvest. don't really care too much about yield. it's been an inversely linked trait from what i can tell. you can't have that fire and have yield. you have to sacrifice one for the other. most fire shit i ever only got to be the size of little popcorn balls. knocked my socks off.

i'm looking for fire that is more buds than leaf and doesn't take more than 12 weeks. it would be nice if it tasted better than hay, and had a nice yield, but that's what out crosses are for. i mostly select by high and time to finish.

 

[Miraculous Meds]

Thanks for all the comments so far guys.

I should have probably added that currently im doing a pheno hunt, and am 1 week into flower. So with that in mind is there any physical traits like a 3 bladed leafs, that I might want to write down that will help me find special plants in the future? But any and all ideas are welcome, as I already have a few more ideas now because of these posts.

I didn't know if there was a standard to write down physical traits like what sticky367 has mentioned.

Flavor and effect are really the top of my goals and objectives for this selection, but I cant tell that for a few months yet. So anything that I can see now that will maybe work as a physical marker to help find the type of flavors and effects that I sample later might prove invaluable for saving time searching through future pheno hunts.

 

[StankyBeamer]

It is really subjective...in regards to what your intentions are with desired outcome at the finish line...

In part why I didn't respond to your PM - a thread on such topic is a much better idea - because everyone is out there selecting for different things that accurately highlight their idea of what good cannabis is and should be...

It's easy to say pick the plant that smokes the best - but if your goal is high yields - and that plant only hits one ounce in a 5 gal bucket...LOL...then it really becomes an irrelevant statement very quickly...

The truth is...only you can decide the direction you want things to go - and you will pick and select plants that fit that desired criteria...

Someone mentioned DJ - well, he also says the best plant he smoked had about 8% THC or something like that - and well, I doubt I'd enjoy something quiet like that as I find the best plants I smoke are well above 20%...so...does that make DJ wrong - not at all. It just means we all enjoy something different and if you are going to breed, you have to have established to some degree what it is you enjoy ... and then develop a pathway that will allow those desired traits to surface with a greater frequency in the seeds you sprout...



dank.Frank

I thought dj meant that the most potent cannabis he'd smoked was 8%, my interpretation was that landrace sativas can have low potency but still have devastating effects. I still prefer buds in the twenties because of the high extraction yields.

 

[dank.frank]

My only point of using that as an example was to state that everyone is going to find something different about what / why / how they enjoy the plant...

And that ultimately no one can tell anyone exactly, like a script, what they should be selecting for...

It's like saying three leaves - well, based on what set of genetics?! Are you growing OG outcrosses and trying to find plants that will represent more of the OG spectrum...or are you growing out DJ Blueberry where such a thing is completely moot and irrelevant and what should be looked for is purple stems and leaf deformities...

It's all relative...

To breed, you have to first have an intimate understanding of your genetics you are working with, and second - you have to know what you really desire at the finish line. Saying the best plant you can get, in a generic sense doesn't really say anything as that is what EVERYONE is looking for...

You have to know what you want - what you are working towards - and that is going to vary from individual to individual. It's what most people fail to understand about breeders / seed companies. It isn't about who is working with what cuts - it's about what they have for a vision in the long term...what they are going to do with them...that makes a difference...How they are going to advance the plant ... how they are going to be progressive.

And everyone will find breeders / companies that put out the type of cannabis they are seeking and they will latch on and preach their greatness...and then undoubtedly someone else will come along and call it all crap...ROFL...

That is just how it works. Have a vision...and pursue it. Understand and research and KNOW the genetics you are working with - and learn what specific traits are desirable to that particular family...and learn how to utilize them accordingly.

Trial and error.

Outside of that...read text books...and keep a dictionary within close reach.



dank.Frank

 

[DJXX]

Your goal at the end of the project will lead you to the traits you require in the selection process..DJXX

 

[BlackBuds]

^^^^everything Frank just wrote.
Taking pictures of your plants from seedling or even seed stage onward will help a lot by the time you are at the sampling stage. To be able to go back and have a picture of the plant at it's first set of leaves will save time in future selections or selections of males. I take note of leaf serrations and any anomalies.

 

[Miraculous Meds]

Thanks again for all the comments. I now understand the question im asking better. Time for some homework and note taking.

 

[growhigh1233]

breeding is a different game to pheno hunting ! imo !

when pheno hunting its more about ur own personal judgment and tastes ! dealing with individual plants,you simply judge on merit !

for me when pheno hunting i dont even reveg unless individuals have an appealing smell,correct potency of smell , and bud structure !

i dont even bother with a smoke test untile they pass these quality controls first !

unless its sativas for a special high

i roughly find one keeper every 100 seeds or so ! or 50 females esp with polly hybrids !

 

[idiit]

here's what i think is a rather unusual trait to look for; smoke aroma.

i'm really impresed with sss nanan bouclou png dom. nanan bouclou is png/haitian.

both the haitian and png dom phenos looked very similar. when i smoked some fan leaves i noticed major differences in the smoke aroma of the two phenos. the png dom pheno had fantastic smoke aroma even off burning fan leaves. outdoors i noticed major difference between the bud formation of the two but indoors they were nearly identical to my eye.

i'm now selectively breeding for the png dom phenos and will use smoke aroma as my first appraisal.

 

[whiteberrieS]

Frost on the dudes.

 

[fulltimehuman]

I always defer to Luther Burbank. Here is an awesome read.
Luther Burbank, his methods and discoveries and their practical application; prepared from his original field notes covering more than 100,000 experiments made during forty years devoted to plant improvement (1914)

Luther Burbank-His Methods and Discoveries and their Practical Applications

 

[Matt8800]

The first thing I do is get rid of the runts. I expect to get rid of 30% of the plants that show the least vigor so I plan for that when I decide how many beans to pop. Then get rid of mutated leaves and plants that show sex too early in veg. The other things you mention would come after these IMHO