OK, so I want to add something to this thread too, but my experience level is a little bit different:
This passed October marked my third time growing, and though I do feel sometimes that I'm "outgunned" in terms of experience compared to you guys, not ONCE have ANY of you EVER made me feel that way. Which I appreciate by the way. Seriously I love you guys.
I do read a LOT, and I'm intrigued by some strains, and the genetics of them, which feeds my "Hacker Curiosity" and now that I've started to REALLY put effort into learning about growing, genetics, and everything else that is in the umbrella of Cannabis and Genetics, I feel like with a mindset like mine, I'm going to put my mind to it, which I don't take as a small thing by any means. As an example, I got my very first Computer back in like 1999, which I was already like 17 years old, which made me sometimes feel like I had a disadvantage compared to the guys who had been raised with Computers, but within a few years, I was in college for Computer Science, majoring in Networking, Operating Systems, and Security of both, and helped my teachers design the curriculum for more advanced courses, as I had put in work learning everything I could about this thing that intrigued me.
Now I've started applying that mind set to Cannabis, and I have actual hopes and dreams in that; I'd like to one day have a career doing breeding. I read a lot, and I experiment a lot, which are the two things I did when it came to Computer Science. I realized one day "Wait you can get PAID to do this???" LOL! Having spent my early years working in restaurants and doing whatever job I could get to make money, it wasn't easy to imagine that I'd be able to have an actual career, OR having a job that doesn't require a medical benefit for wear and tear on my middle finger (If you've ever worked as a dishwasher, you probably know what I mean LOL).
So what have I learned that I'm still trying to learn even more? Well it's no surprise how much I love Blue Cheese, and it's actually the first strain I ever grew. Thank God it's easy to grow, because I had NO idea what I was doing that first time around.... I think I've mentioned before how I gave that poor girl 5 gallons of water a day..... Pulled it early like a moron..... But still had some GOOD buds!
My Fiance grew Sunshine, as that is the strain she picked when we went and got some clones that first year.
The next year came, and we ended up being given a bunch of clones:
3 Detroit Lemonade
1 Skywalker
2 Motor Breath
Then we got two clones of Blue Cheese REALLY late in the season (I think it was in May of that year so they missed a lot of Veg)
That year I learned a lot about growing in general, and using Nutes and pruning to change how the plant was going to grow. I had enough plants that I felt comfortable "playing" (Experimenting) with the plants. I read online, watched videos, but I didn't have a community of people like I do at this point with you guys where I could bounce ideas passed you guys, learn from you guys, and generally feel accepted for who I am.
I ended up with Seeds from my plants that were all clones, and I DID attempt to start a few seeds that year, but basically; the LAST seed I tried and got sprouted, finally got going, and I didn't kill it with stupid inexperience ...
Last Spring I never heard from my buddy that I get my Blue Cheese Clones from, but I did have the Seeds from our plants from the previous season, so I slowly started my process;
Red Solo Cups with a piece of Duct Tape on them and a Sharpie Marker saying which cup was which strain, and got them to sprout! 4 Blue Cheese Seeds ended up sprouting, and 2 were male so I had to dump them, and the other two,were female! So I had TWO Seedlings of Blue Cheese, and after reading and talking with you guys, I started understanding the idea of "Phenotypes".
I got my Seeds going this passed season, and all my plants did well. I also started separating the Seeds for Blue Cheese based on which plant they came from, as I had two VERY distinct different Blue Cheese plants, and the one that I took my clones from, is the super Skunky Sour Cheese Funk one I used as a Mother to take 5 clones from, and the other one, is the VERY floral not as pungent seedling, which, I've been putting all those seeds in a different baggie that's marked.
For Blue Cheese, I've had it since I started growing, and these Seedlings were vastly different from the clones they came from, and with you guys answering my probably pretty stupid questions I've learned a lot more about Phenotypes, and to make sure the seeds of something special don't actually end up in the SAME baggie of Seeds, simply marked "Blue Cheese!!" (Yes the baggies AND the lids of Jars, AND the Grove bag that has Blue Cheese in it, ALL have the "!!" on there since I'm excited to write it
) .
So after 3 years of Growing the same strain that is still without a doubt my ALL time favorite strain ever, I've learned a lot about it, and yet there's still SO much more to go...... Which I'm fine with, as the differences I've personally seen in just ONE strain like Blue Cheese that I "thought I knew" is SO interesting! SO many possibilities, so many smells, so many flavors, how can I NOT love what I'm learning to do ? Even with back breaking labor all Spring, Summer, and Fall ? When it's HOT outside, and I'm dragging gallons of Water and Nutes to my plants, and I'm sweating through my clothes, I try not to complain about it, and remember that I'm getting closer and closer to my goals; Not just the goals of having LOTS of Blue Cheese, or other FIRE strains I've been getting Seeds of, but also my goal to be able to do this as a career too.
I feel like I'm starting to understand the idea of Pheno Hunting in general; Sprouting up seeds, and checking to see what differences and "traits" come about from the same strain, and the differences in smells and tastes I've now started to notice.
Looking forward to Spring this year, and the grow journal I'm going to try and do with my plants this year, and of course, realizing that seedlings may just smell a whole lot different from the plant they came from.
Two years in a row I've grown Skywalker, and though my seeds all came from one that had a very nice Blueberry / Earthy smell, the Seedling I started last season ended up being VERY Blueberry forward. So again, Pheno Hunting! And Hopefully this year I'll find another special gem in my collection, and Hopefully be able to send out some seeds to see what you guys think
