no it doesn't ime. I've grown several strains for years without any loss in potency or vigor, yield smell etc....my most vigorous strain is over 10 years old now actually, super skunk...it out-stinks, out-yields and out-grows every strain I've grown.
Thanks for your quick replies and advice. I was asking because I was told the only way you could clone without potency loss is a plant from seed. Or a mother plant kept alive and re-vegged
hey Drew A clone is the SAME plant. The very same plant. No difference. A seed is not a clone. It is offspring with a huge potential for genetic variation. That means that you may, or you may not, get what you want from a seed grown plant. That means yo have to grow a lot of seeds and then test all the pheno types as they are called. Got any brothers or sisters (not twins)? Are they identical to you- nope. So, this is why we use clones, we know what we are getting. This is why is some places I have heard that there are people who only do clones from known quality mothers. Of course they do this out of generosity and give them away, wink wink.
Thanks I really appreciate the answer. I understand now why a lot of people only grow from clones. Ive actually got several clones now I will be giving away as I will not have the room for them all Ive also got some growing now that are showing great genetics so I will be cloning away
There is in fact something called genetic drift that can happen. As i understand it if the plant undergoes a large stress some sort of stress marker can attach itself to the dna. Cloning is one time that these stress markers an be introduced. So it is not about the act of cloning itself. But if someone continually takes them and has them just barely pull through it can induce genetic drift. It does i.deed lower potency, vigor and immunity. If you use microculture propagation it will remove any environmentally introduced markers and return the dna to its cleanest and original form. Thats about what i know about it, need to do more research on genetric drift myself obviously.
The plant below has endured over 40 years of being cloned and re-cloned from flowering clones, and is still going strong! Cannabis aside, many of the vegetables, herbs and fruits you eat (apples are a well known example) come from decades, to several-hundred year old clones of clones! Plants can still catch viruses, and even predetermined genetic damage (usually happens quite early; you often notice 'oddities' by bloom or even before getting a chance to clone) and environmental genetic damage can happen, but the latter is more rare, and depending on the circumstances it can occasionally even be reversed (genetic switches can be tripped and engaged or shut off) by re-cutting and correcting the environment. To go into a little more detail on genetics, they are discovering that most/all complex forms of life can be genetically manipulated or 'evolve' during their singular lifetimes, based on their environments and exposure to certain elements, which can activate and shut off multiple switches associated with individual genes... it's how they pass on environmental data to the following generation, to better prepare them for the environment and world they are about to enter, but these changes can benefit (or hinder) a long-lived species within its own lifetime... to put it painfully basic, just treat your plants right, and the 'evolution' of their genes should be beneficial if anything. Ideally, you should have a large enough supply of cuttings, that if one were to sustain some amount of irreparable/irreversible damage it wouldn't put any kind of dent in the integrity of the other existing clones or the line as a whole. In the world of plant cloning, unless you've only got just one clone, a single lost or damaged plant isn't the end of the world It's more a warning sign or a tap on the wrist, letting you know that you could lose everything if you slip up on a broader scale (and that does happen, which helps perpetuate the rumor of 'weakening clones'). We're used to trees living a little longer, but cloning can keep even certain annuals (and especially perennials) alive and well, for years longer than we'll be around! In my personal experience with cannabis, I've never seen an established clone or line lost, or weakened, due to any reason other than human error. This is 'Feralocity', aka Aussie Big Bud ) A nug from the upper left-middle portion of the above plant, one of five or six 'major colas' like it. Anyhow, good luck and have fun!