Genetic drift doesn't make any sense scientifically speaking in regards to clones. What makes sense to me, and what I suspect is happening, is that as mums age they lose some gusto. Their hormones aren't as strong, their resistance to pests and fungi aren't as good as they used to be. We force an annual into living much past its due date with artificial lights. That the DNA of a plant would change just because you're taking cuttings? Doesn't make any sense to me.
This is my 22 year old skunk....I aquired her back in 1990... I got the clone from a friend who said at the time it came from the U.of W. horticulture dept.
I have never kept a mother plant....insted I chose to pull starts at the beginging of onset... 20 each time...always off the healthiest plants
The skunk is just as strong and grows the same everytime I cycle it...these plants are averaging 6 oz
I havent noticed any difference in taste, smell, potency, or growth patterns in 22 yrs.... still killer shit
I also have Pre98 Bubba, ECSD, Chem4, Exodus Cheese, Purple kush been cloning them for 5-10 yrs already...
I will probably be dead in 20 yrs but my son will still be growing these strains
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headband, I didn't mean to sound harsh. I don't think you're full of shit, I just don't agree with you. I've been growing for a decade and while that pales to other growers I myself have had a few plants that are clones of clones of clones x 100 and they get me just as ripped as when I first obtained them.
These are clones, keep that in mind compared to the article you posted.
It is ultimately impossible to say "with certainty" clones 50 years down the line will be an exact replica of their mother but I don't see why not, and I am hoping to see for myself with a few keepers!