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It can happen that two cannabis plants from the same strain of cannabis seeds look different. One will flower earlier than the other, grow a bit bigger or have a completely different colour. The weed may even taste different. Why is that? Because of the genotype and phenotype of the plant you are growing. What is the meaning of phenotype and genotype and what can you do with them as a grower?
Above you see two cannabis plants of the same strain. The weed seeds that have been used are from the same packet. As you can see, they have very different external characteristics. Both the shape of the leaves and the colour of the cannabis buds differ. Conclusion: the plants have a different phenotype.
Weed plants look different
At Dutch Headshop customer service, we often get questions about the appearance of cannabis plants. Customers feel cheated when one cannabis plant looks different from another of the same strain. Actually, this is quite normal. To eliminate this feeling, we want to explain the story of genotype and phenotype as well as possible. Here are some examples of what can happen due to a different phenotype:
- The plants vary in height.
- One plant will flower earlier than the other. Sometimes it differs by as much as 2 weeks.
- The leaves of the plants look very different.
- Not all plants have the same colour.
- The weed tastes different from that of the other plant.
If this is the case with your cannabis plants, there is no reason to panic.
Genotype and Phenotype Meaning
In the cannabis world, you often only hear and read about a plant's phenotype. This is strange, as the genotype of a cannabis plant is at least as important. Therefore, we list the meaning of phenotype and genotype and the difference between the two.
Genotype Meaning
The meaning of the word genotype according to Van Dale: "Appearance of a plant or animal species as determined by hereditary predisposition". The genotype is the set of characteristics of an organism inherited from its parents. That is, the genetics inherited from an ancestor. The important thing to know about genotype is that that collection of traits is not always reflected in the appearance (phenotype) of the cannabis plant. For example, if you look at the genotype of Purple Kush, there is a trait in there that can make the plant turn purple. It just doesn't have to be. The surroundings or environment in which the plant grows will ultimately determine whether this trait actually shows up in its appearance.
Phenotype Meaning
According to Van Dale, this is the definition of the word phenotype: "The representation of living things as a product of hereditary predisposition and of the influencing environment". The phenotype is the total of all observable characteristics of an organism. So also of a cannabis plant. The phenotype is the result of a cannabis plant's genetic predisposition (genotype) and the influence of its environment. On that environment, you as a grower have a lot of influence.
Growing in exactly the same environment also gives no guarantee
Now we hear you thinking, "But surely I grow the plants in exactly the same environment?" And yes, even then the characteristics can differ. Because it's not just the environment that affects what your cannabis plant ends up looking like. The minimal differences in the soil, how light falls on the leaves and the availability of water and nutrition all have an influence.
How the cannabis plant expresses its genetic footprint can vary quite a lot. So even cannabis seeds from the same strain and from the same mother plant can look different.
Incidentally, some plants do have more stable phenotypes. There is then less diversity of genetic background. Compare it to humans. Only in identical twins are the genetics identical. But even then, they can look different. Freckles, birthmarks and facial features can all start to differ based on their environment and the things they experience.
If you really want the same characteristics as a mother plant when growing weed, you will have to take cuttings or clone her. Only then will you have certainty.
Each cannabis seed has a different genotype.
Stable Genetics and Hybrid Strains
The near absence of stable genetics, genotypes or phenotypes is due to the hybridisation of cannabis strains. Almost no landraces, pure indica's or pure sativa's are available anymore. Almost all strains these days are hybrids. That is, two strains are crossed with each other to get the strongest characteristics of their genetic ancestors in one plant.
And that means right away that it is rare to find two seeds that contain the same genetics. So not only the phenotype determines the appearance of the seeds in practice. The genotype is often different too.
Perfect hybridisation creates a whole new family, from which subspecies emerge. But because we hybridise so much, the genotypes or genetic codes of species become more extensive. The result: there are more external characteristics that can emerge in a plant by action of the environment. So more phenotypes are created. So you want stable genetics, so you can be sure that your plant will look as the manufacturer promises? Then you should go for landraces, pure genetics or F1 cannabis seeds.
F1 cannabis seeds
Some seed producers always guarantee plants with the same appearance. They do this by offering their genetically valuable seeds for sale. These kinds of strains are called F1 hybrids. That means that when crossing two strains, two pure genetic lines are used. In other words, a cross from the first generation. These cannabis strains are said to have incredibly stable phenotypes, making the chance of external variation very low. The same appearance, the same strength of weed and an equally large yield.
Weed Cuttings Making for Certainty
So if you want to make sure your cannabis plants will look like the manufacturer promises, you will have to look for landraces, pure genetics or F1 cannabis seeds. But even then, you may end up with phenotypes with slight differences. What you can do is make cannabis cuttings.
When you make a cutting, it will have exactly the same external characteristics as its mother plant. So have you grown a nice plant with good quality weed and a high yield? Then you can choose to make cannabis cuttings from this plant. This gives you by far the best guarantee of uniform plants that all look the same. Want to know how to make cuttings? Read the blog "Making Weed Cuttings in a Few Simple Steps".