The Cost of Phenohunting and Developing Strains in Commercial Cultivations

Everybody loves a good phenohunt. I know I do. As someone who has grown over 200 different strains of cannabis, there’s a whimsical thrill to germinating seeds, numbering them, and wondering what they’ll grow up to be. Will this little seedling grow up to be the next GG4? It’s hard not to have visions of blessing your cultivation and your company’s brand with the next great cannabis cultivar.

The truth is this: Not all strains have keepers, and not all strains are keepers. Meaning if I had a mother room filled with the best versions of all the strains I’ve grown in my career, I might only keep about 15% of the strains. And even though many of the other strains stick around for a year or two and make you money, long term they aren’t going to measure up to the best of the best.

At its root, cannabis cultivation is survival of the fittest. You cannot survive without great genetics. As time goes by, you need to be eliminating your lesser strains while always adding new ones. Bloombridge Clones represents a unique, B2B solution for sourcing clean, high-testing genetics that are proven commercially. You now have access to hand-selected, phenohunted versions of over 60 strains. With this many options, we provide a solution to all your cannabis genetics needs.

Having these strains so readily available is a gift to be grateful for. These cultivators have done us all a massive favor by finding top cultivars and making them available to the public. Even if you love searching through seeds like I do, it still makes sense to run clones with your seeds. Why not hedge your bets and save your company money at the same time? I could make the case that you’re hurting your business if you don’t explore this new and exciting option for bringing new cultivars into your cultivation.

Now I know what you’re saying: “Clones are expensive, I would never pay thousands of dollars for a clone.” To that I would answer, “You are already paying thousands for each strain you grow from seed (see below).”

You’re growing dozens of different phenotypes of indeterminate quality and thus, indeterminate market value. You are taking away valuable canopy space from your best strains. Growing low-testing strains that are hard to sell in today’s competitive markets is more expensive than paying for the known quantity that is a clone. Which begs the question: With uncertain returns from phenohunting, no guarantee of a great keeper, angry sales men who can’t sell your latest 18% TAC strain and more - why wouldn’t you spend the money on an established clone from Bloombridge?

Imagine you purchase 50 seeds so you can phenohunt Apple Fritter. What does the cost of that look like?

• $500 - 50 seeds of Apple Fritter. Five 10-packs at $100 each.

• $150 - Cloning each strain, including trays/domes, clone plugs and rooting gel.

• $2,500 - Sex testing at $50 per test. You can’t risk pollen escaping into your commercial cultivation.

• $1,500 - Cannabinoid & Terpene testing for the 20 females you’re left with after sex testing eliminated 30 male plants

To properly phenohunt a new strain in a commercial cultivation you’re looking at a cost of nearly $5,000. That’s just to start. Additional costs include:

• Nutrients

• Electricity

• Labor

• Water

• COA Testing

• Multiple rounds of cloning as you eliminate phenotypes.

• Every phenotype is considering a “Mother Plant” until eliminated, taking up room in your nursery.

• Opportunity cost of production space taken up by growing random phenotypes instead of your dependable production strains.

At the end of all this, you’ve spent nearly two years developing a strain that tops out at 20% TAC and 1% Terpenes, with no bag appeal, no interest from buyers or customers in a very competitive market, and no hope of that flower becoming anything other than vape cartridge fodder.

This leaves us with more questions than answer:

• What was the total actual cost to your company for searching for a new strain?

• After all that time and money and effort, did you even find anything worth keeping?

• Was your cultivation team skilled enough to select the best version of the strain? Or did the one-in-a-million phenotype become lost to history?

• Why didn’t you save time, money and hassle and acquire new strains from Bloombridge Clones from the start?

The truth is this: If you’re going to spend upwards of $10,000 to phenohunt one strain, your money would have been better spent purchasing a variety of proven genetics from Bloombridge Clones. The advantages of working with Bloombridge are plentiful and vitally important:

• Bloombridge provides more strains for less money than phenohunting.

• Access to over 60 strains that finish in 9 weeks or less.

• New genetics for your cultivation in weeks instead of months.

• Test results from regulated commercial markets, showing what you can expect when you grow these strains.

• HLVd testing for all of our strains ensures clean clones.

• Strain Profiles with information on how these plants will grow and how to maximize results.

In an industry where costs are rising and profits are declining, every CEO and Cultivation Manager needs to take a hard look at their assumptions about strain development and phenohunting. Breaking down the cost of finding new genetics is an eye-opening experience, especially when you understand the alternatives available to you. Your best alternative is Bloombridge Clones, a company providing an incredible opportunity for cannabis cultivators across the country.

Simply put: You will never lose money betting on a Bloombridge Clone.