Phenotype hunting: a systematic method

Phenotype hunting is more than "plant 50 seeds and pick the best." Real hunters score every plant on a structured rubric so they can defend the keeper against the other 49.

The hunter's rubric

1. 1
   Vegetative (weeks 1–4)

   Score structure, internode spacing, leaf width, vigor, and disease resistance. Cull the obvious losers early.
2. 2
   Early flower (weeks 5–7)

   Score stretch, branch strength, smell on rub. Take cuttings of every survivor — you'll need clones to verify the keeper.
3. 3
   Mid flower (weeks 8–10)

   Score flower density, resin coverage, terpene complexity, disease/mold resistance. Cull aggressively.
4. 4
   Harvest (weeks 11–12)

   Score yield, density (wet → dry weight), and trim difficulty. Take careful tissue samples for the lab if you can.
5. 5
   Post-cure (weeks 14+)

   Smoke test, terpene retention, harshness, effect duration. The keeper is the plant that still impresses you 4 weeks after the chop.

How many seeds is enough?

These are rough rules of thumb. Stable IBL lines need fewer; wide polyhybrid F1s benefit from larger pops.