The Cannabis Breeder's Bible (23 page)

When dealing with clients you should never presume that they have done something wrong. You may have to consider the fact that your produce was not the best or they just got some bad seeds. At the same time the competition does like to play games and sometimes you might find a single person constantly complaining about your produce no matter what you say or do. The only way to combat such a person is to support your case by using examples of people who have grown out your strain and have had good results.

The more growers and grow reports you have at your disposal the better your chances of the public also debating the legitimacy of someone’s complaint that has been made public (usually the false disputant will repeatedly attempt to keep the debate in the public domain and will refuse to resolve the problem with you personally). Never get angry with them and never call them names no matter what they say or do to you. If they do call you a name or get very verbally aggressive, tell them politely that this is not the best way to continue communications with you. If they continue tell them that you cannot help them because they are being abusive and though you would like to resolve the situation, you do not like to be abused in this manner.

Always offer them the free bag of seeds if they have provided proof of purchase and show that they know what they are talking about. Only provide one bag of seeds per problem, never two. If they still have the same problem after you have sent them the new seeds then it will look like they are doing something wrong. At this point tell them that you have done everything that you can and that maybe they would like to try something else. Do not entertain their requests for more seeds or their money back.

Try to avoid involving yourself in a public verbal fracas with a client, another breeder or a seed bank representative. Don’t enter an argument for the sake of creating a bit of publicity for yourself. Even though bad publicity can be good publicity it will still only get your named attached to the junk world of seed bank and breeders’ wars. There are never any winners in these wars and everyone loses out because the public becomes divided. Always remain neutral and in control of your temper and words. Always offer apologies for making mistakes.

Sometimes you may be asked to make bulk shipments of seeds to a seed bank or customer. If you are sending in excess of 10,000 seeds it is best to send the client a sample of the produce first for testing. If the client approves of the test samples then you can send the 10,000 seeds knowing that the client will be satisfied with the results. Sending bulk orders out to somebody you are not familiar with can cause problems if the client does not like the seeds or the overall produce. Legal action may be taken against you because of the large quantities and monies involved. If you charge $40 for 10 seeds and the client buys 10,000 seeds from you, then they are going to be spending roughly $40,000 for the seeds, excluding whatever discounts you offer, and the markup price they will be adding to your costs of seeds per unit. It is best that you draw up a contract between yourself and the client before any exchanges are made. You should state clearly what you guarantee and what you do not. You should make it clear that you do not guarantee over 90% germination and that you do not guarantee male/female ratios. You may have to guarantee quality, quantity and shipping. If your seeds do not perform to the same standards as the test samples you sent out then you will have a problem. If the seeds are damaged then you may need insurance to cover this.

Paradise Seeds 12K HID cannabis mother plant breeding room. Photograph by Paradise Seeds.

Paradise Seeds started this population of clone mothers under fluorescent lights on moveable trays. These female clones are eventually pollinated, producing a generation of stable seeds. Photograph by Paradise Seeds.

New growth starts with the vertical growth of new leaf blades. As growth continues, the leaves open out horizontally making way for the next new node level to appear. Photograph by Kissie.

When the male pollen-bearing organs begin to bend on their stem (peduncle) it is a sign that they will open very soon. Photograph by Kissie.

One should start checking for calyx development at the top cola region (main terminal bud) first, moving onto the tips of the branches (secondary terminal bud sites) before finally checking node regions on the stem (lateral bud sites). Photograph by Kissie.

This single outdoor Sativa plant has produced as much bud as several indoor plants. Breeding for outdoor guerilla growing is important for those who do not have the use of an indoor grow room. Good guerilla strains are always in need. Photograph by Kissie.

This is a European black cannabis plant. Its population will always produce black buds if no foreign genes enter its gene pool. They don’t get much blacker than this. Photograph by Kissie.

Breeding and growing high yielding outdoor cannabis plants is not exclusive to men only. Photograph by Kissie.

Producing a couple of pounds of bud for free is no small accomplishment. Small numbers of high yielding outdoor plants can keep a grower and their friends happy for over a year. Photograph by Kissie.