I had started a clone shoot off of a female plant very early, since then the original went hermie. I'm really bummed as the grow has been a challenge to say the least. Will the clone also be hermaphroditic or female?
Maybe yes maybe no. Stress (usually an irregular light cycle or general bad growing conditions) can turn a female plant into a hermaphrodite. And sometimes plants are 'born' hermaphrodites. Time will tell.
What a hermaphrodite is: A plant that has both male and female parts. The buds will get you as high as a bud from a female plant that has been seeded the 'normal' way. But the male parts of the plant don't grow buds, or don't grow them as big. The main drawback is loss of smokables. Look at it this way: You have two bags, each weighs an ounce. One has no seeds, one has 1/4 oz of seeds. Which one has the most smokables? It's much much better to have plants that are from parents with no hermphroditic traits. One more thing: I had 40 plants on a tray, and, unnoticed my me one grew 1 branch of male flowers. That shemale pollinated my entire crop, cutting my yield by 90%.
After hearing your story I don't feel nearly as put out by mine situation. That's a drag, an outright travesty, to lose that many plants. I'll quit whining. I'll see this to fruition thanks for the info - i just didn't want to waste anymore time.
