Should I jump in the strain pool or wait?

I appreciate all the experience and the guidance I have recieved so far from this network. I am still fairly new as you most all know but I do take my growing serious. I really have invested a little bit of money into equipment to make sure that I can grow a good quality product in the end, and I am still investing. My goal would be to eventually have a nice small seedbank of my own but I honestly feel like I should learn all the basics to make sure I have a great foundation before expanding into collecting and storing seeds.

This is why I have this question. I ran across some Aficionado strains and I must appreciate the work that has gone into the selection and development of these seeds. I have the ability to buy the seeds but the question is honestly should I? By me still being a noviceā€¦ like honestly I havenā€™t completed my first grow yetā€¦ will having these seeds add any value or opportunities to my grow. Personally I think that there is validity in having a stable strain with good genes but besides growing it and storing the bud it is something that will be smoked and erased instead of being preserved. Maybe I would feel better if I could breed a male and female and obtain some seeds from the grow but Iā€™m not there yet.
So long story short should I start buying high end genetics or invest a few more years into growing before spending this type of money? I would love to have your opinions because again it is my GPS currently.

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I wouldnā€™t necessarily buy high end seeds expecting to get some plant that you could stumble on in a pack of 60 dollar seeds. Iā€™ve grown expensive seeds and at the end of the day, it wasnt some amazing plant that Iā€™d never find anywhere else. Get more experience overall as a grower before you start dropping 300 to 500 dollars for 10 seeds. Your outlook will change drastically just like mine did

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My first thoughts is the best way to learn is grow, grow and grow some more. You will gain knowledge in soil ,lights , pruning an watering habits. Good luck in your new venture.

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In addition to whatā€™s already been said, Iā€™d look carefully at the prospective breederā€™s presence on social media, any interviews theyā€™ve given, and try to ask questions upfront. A great breeder should be a mostly open book, and in my experience theyā€™ll steer you toward what they hope will work for you.
There are lots of breeders putting out high-quality packs for $50/10seeds. Iā€™d try to collect a broad sampling from different sources instead of investing too much in one breederā€™s stable.
Iā€™d also try to back up things that are unloved; there will be MAC crosses for decades, but seeds for less tamed landraces or less productive cultivars might disappear. And genetics from recently deceased breeders like BOG or SubCool could become harder to come by, or at least harder to verify.
Good luck!

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You can follow the breeders and buy their genetics and certainly some have a fantastic line of seeds. That said; the best plant I ever grew was a regular, not feminized seed that was produced for a medical cannabis production facility. But the best quality cannabis I ever had was grown from a breederā€™s hybridized cultivar (Durban Thai/Cindy 99 from Brothersā€™ Grimm).

@Not2SureYet had a supply of ā€˜genericā€™ seeds that heā€™d use to prove out an aspect of the grow. No loss to toss 12 out and cull or even destroy all of them.

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Your approach is exactly what a serious grower should take. Gather as much information as possible before you begin. But you will eventually need to jump in and just start growing to see what it takes to be successful. My first attempt was from bag seeds and from a dozen seeds I did grow a few plants. Since no money was invested my only goal was grow something I could enjoy smoking. This was also a very good learning experience, discovering how to apply all that I too had been researching. As far as investing into quality seeds, again your best tool is research. I found that not all seeds will germinate, but a reputable seller will back their quality seed. What to purchase was a huge dilemma, should I buy sativa or indica or sativa dominate or indica dominate. To be honest, Iā€™m still trying to figuring that out but have found each has their own challenges. Eventually you will figure out what you like and works best for your situation and enjoyment. My suggestion is to be frugal, when time for it, purchase what you want to grow. That being said, I have purchased over 25 different strains from a half dozen vendors. But I have only grown maybe 2/3 of those, time and space only restriction. Eventually I hope to find whatā€™s best for me and stick with those.

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Loving all the responses and I am definitely going to invest in multiple breeders and will purchase higher end seeds when the opportunity presents itself but at a discount unless its something special I run across
After my skills have evolved and I have developed into atleast a knowledgeable grower i will purchase revisit the idea of investing mainly into some more boutique or well known breeders. If I end up with some stuff you all would need or like please reach out

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Well said,everyone.
I get your point- I am saving genetics in the 'fridgeā€¦for later,for just in case. I am a pollen-chucker, and I actually prefer the pollen first- then make crosses from there and work with the original females another time.
I have a Jillybean/Flo cross that is beautiful in the Fall.
Since BOG passed,I have to crack(no pun) open my BMR and Sour Bubble beans and let the boys run wild here in ā€œTHUNDERDOMEā€ :smiling_imp:
Best of luck!

SL out.

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Thanks,I finally realized how high I am and didnā€™t answer your question also. My bad. :persevere:
Definitely curious about your breeding choices :+1:
I must warn you how addictive this hobby can beā€¦

SL out.

Aficionado,
JINX,
Derry over at Barneyā€™s
Jbeezy with seed junkyā€¦
I admire alot of breeders work
@Slug_Life

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Subcool and MzJill
The work Jinx has did with Autism how can you not respect it

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Barneyā€™s Farm? If so they lost all my respect after they tried to claim making the Mimosa strain that Symbiotic Genetics came out with. Just do research on the breeder before you buy something.

I will take your word on itā€¦ I didnā€™t know that about barneys trying to claim their strain. I am still new and I dont know all the history on these breeders except for what I can find on a few webpages about their history.
Iā€™ll do some more research in the mean time

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I meant to look at their interactions with customers. You can always find someone criticizing a breeder, but itā€™s the breederā€™s response thatā€™s most telling. If customer complains that a feminized plant ended up a hermaphrodite, what does the breeder do in response. There are some breeders who completely ghost their dissatisfied customers. I would worry less about the spats between breeders, and more about how they will treat you.

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Ok so an updateā€¦ here is what I purchasedā€¦
wedding cake x purple punch 10 pack
joe fixit x Bruce banner 10 pack
Mandarin cookies x Purple Punch 2.0 10 pack
Super Lemon Haze x Pebblepusher 10 pack
10 pack (Banana OG x stardawg) x Joe fixit
Morning vibes 2.0 6 pk

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I also made some friends on social media and rocbudinc has really hooked me up. When I finish this grow Iā€™m on now I will be growing some of theseā€‹:crazy_face::crazy_face:

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Nice crosses there. Tag me up Iā€™ll hang out

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Wow thatā€™s the kind of friends that we all need. Will definitely tag you when I startā€¦ please do the same.

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Have a lot more strains coming through tooā€¦ demonic genetics and jinks definitely helped me with getting startedā€¦ will give update when the rest come in