I have been running clones out 3rd , and 4th gen cuttings from the mother, and have noticed they are ambering sooner each time… Like 6wks I have full clouds and 5% amber! …(easily chopped by 7th wk). The mother was not like this…she needed 9 wks from pistil confirmation…
With this thought; I’m wondering about a lot of you that have cuts from old old stock… The cherry from Hellraiser, as an example. Are any of you harvesting at 7wks?
I’ve done some searching, and found mention of vegging the original mother for a very long time.(8+ wks)…this is going to be the determining age of those cuttings… apparently ready to flower immediately at flip. Anyone seen that?
Only other factor I’ve read about is using a bloom booster …at or just before flip…like Mpk for example. Apparently, this is causing the tail end of the journey to arrive sooner… I only used it to avoid lag in transition to flower.
If any of these things are occuring, please posts. Maybe it’s noteworthy, or maybe I just realized something you vetted growmies already knew 
I just recently posed this very question lol. My GodOG clones definitely (in my mind anyways lol) finished faster than their original counterparts. But the clones were run with better lighting indoors than my outdoor hidden in plain sight blended into the landscape technique.
Well, other than you, its crickets 
I didn’t See your topic/post on the matter, but will look now.
Im going to veg some for 8 wks this go, and mark what the clone cuts do down the road. Revisit this page next year this time for an update 
I very rarely start new topics for each random thought I have lol I’d clog up this joint worse than some others…… it was either on my thread or in response to someone else. I bounce around a bit…… 
I am glad you posted this. I have spent a lot of time thinking about what you noticed and agree. I have noticed this trend on every strain I have kept for more than 4 years. I think you are right on with your observations.
I have a theory, but it is just a theory. If we were not cannabis growers, we would call a variety of plant that has ideally adapted to its microclimate after many generations an heirloom variety. I think the closest we have is landrace, if one did this for hundreds of years to the extreme.
I firmly believe cannabis does the same exact thing. Heirlooming. I have years of my grow journals that I reference. I am meticulous about logging flower time, onset of pistils, date it got mold, date of harvest, date of planting, flavor profiles, growth forms, etc. Anyway, every strain I have deemed a keeper has had a reduction in flower time of about a week after the 3-4 year running that strain in the same environment. I flower exclusively outdoor and just do seedlings and keeper clones inside thru the winter. But I bet a dialed in and run the same indoor grow would have the same results like you are seeing.
I have had my jillybean cut from the seattle growers collective since 2006. She is my favorite to this day. Since 2006 my flower time has reduced by 3 weeks running the exact same clones. She also seems to not get PM like she used to the first 3 years. She would get PM badly I had in my notes. Not anymore.
I have also had my Durban poison cut since 2007 from the seattle growers collective. It has reduced its flowertime by 2 weeks. It has changed its pistil shape to larger and has reduced its leaf ratio. It also started to annoyingly put up sucker branches (like a fruit tree) a few years ago. It never did before and seems to be a unique cannabis trait. Those make great prerooted clones. From below the soil line.
I also theorize that a mother plant kept separate will not have this “heirloom” effect. What I mean is the clones have to be exposed to that specific environment. Run repeatedly thru that specific unique environment. If kept permavegged in a separate grow area the plant adaptions to ideal do not take place. I run my clones outside every year to harvest. Then take fresh clone cutting from the plants growing in that environment each year august 1. The clones have to know what they are adapting to if that makes sense? I bet seeds adapt this way too. That seedling adapt to grow better in a unique given environment if ran repeatedly in the same place. Just a theory. I noticed what you noticed too.
I notice a decrease in potency in my clones after the 4th generation so I replant now after 3, but I don’t notice a decrease in flowering time in mine
I have a friend that does dwc, he did the whole mother plant thing and he also found that the genetics seemed to “degrade” over time with each successional generation. He eventually gave up the mother plant thing and now it’s everything from seed except the occasional round of gen 1 clones of a really good phenotype… that’s as far as he goes now days.
Thanks for your in-depth response on this. I’ve not run 3-4yr clones. However, these are like yours- cuttings each time the adult clone is about to flip, and off to the rooting chamber the fresh top goes.
I like your take on the heirloom theory. It’s fitting.
Jillybean from so far back! You’ve kept up a good fight to keep it going! So many strains that disappear have me respecting those that carry cuttings on for long term.
There’s a professional facility in my state where the owner has been acquiring landrace strains as far away as china. He’s in his 70s, and certainly trying his heart out to breed solid hardy traits BACK into what we currently love now. Environmental traits (like mold/humidity/ and heat, is what he is focusing the stability on.
Finishing out early , and discussion of it is certainly just novelty, but has merit in the realm of breeding interesting stock.
I remember reading about @Newt having some clones finish faster. They may have been CIC but i could be wrong there
Clones are going to be the age of their mother. Any mother plant that has reached maturity clones would be ready to flower immediately after being cut. Although most don’t do this because they would prefer to have the clone grow out some to produce. I have taken clones from mature plant and placed in a cup of water on 12/12 to sex them. They will indeed show sexual orientation after a short transition period.
As far degradation of genetics, I think it’s variable based on state of genetics when you receive them. I had a c99 from seed that I replaced mom with cutting 3 times and had for a total of almost 4 years that i didn’t notice any change with. But I also had a cut of Neville’s haze that i knew was at least 3 generations in, it was the opposite and wouldn’t ripen at all. Buddy i got cut from showed me his and mine was nothing like it.
It was Kandy Kush. But in retrospect, I believe I chopped early, as my buds were airier that I normally get.