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If you're looking to grow some outdoor this summer, the time to get planting is here. The days are longer, the frost is behind us, and there are a narrowing handful of weeks to get plants rooted before the summer heat sets in.
And unless you're the gambling type, with a recreational limit of four plants per household, you'll want to make sure that you're working with the good stuff: that is, bud-producing female plants of proven genetic heritage and quality.
For most hobbyist growers, that means tracking down clones—genetic duplicates of mother plants that other growers have flowered and found to be worth keeping around—which eliminates the inefficiencies inherent to growing from seed, determining sex, and weeding out unsmokable males and undesirable females.
But where to get your clones?
We called around town and checked in with a number a dispensaries known for their plant selections. Here's what we found out.
Archive Portland
10645 SE Henry St, 503-719-4229
Archive Portland, the retail arm of breeders Archive Seed Bank, primarily exists as an outlet for quality cannabis genetics—both heritage varietals like Sour Diesel, as well as outstanding, original crosses like the famed Do-Si-Dos. That said, at the time of this writing, Archive had zero plants in stock. That's because they recently switched from medical to recreational licensing structures, and they're now waiting on their state-mandated Metric tags—which allow the regulatory bodies that be to track plants from seed to sale. Consequently, quite a few shops around town who rely on Archive for clones are also in a holding pattern. Patience is a virtue: I've been assured that Archive's clone drop will happen any day now, at which time you'll be able to go straight to the source, or to a number of local shops that carry their work, including Satchel, Five Zero Trees, and others.
Home Grown Apothecary
1937 NE Pacific St, 503-232-1716
Home Grown Apothecary, the herbal medicine shop with a cannabis lean, does things a little differently than other stores that vend plants: they run a made-to-order clone program, in which each plant is grown specifically for the customer who asked for it. After placing an order, expect a 2-4 week wait, during which your plants will be raised via organic gardening techniques until they're ready to go outside. Strains available for pre-order are as follows: Jillybean, LSD (Lemon Sour Diesel), Hawaiian Purple Kush, Mango, Uncle Ebenezer, Girl Scout Cookies, Blue Dream, and Raspberry Afgoo. Clones are $30 each, tax included.
Kind Heart Collective
8217 N Denver Ave, 503-512-6136
Kind Heart Collective is a reliable resource for the cannabis grower: they keep starts in stock throughout the year, rotating industry mainstays and rarer crosses, as well as strains from some of the best breeders in the industry. I've had good luck with their cuts of Wedding Cake, Caramelicious, Forum Cut Girl Scout Cookies, and others. Currently, they have a few less-common strains on the clone menu, including Fruit Punch, Heavy Duty Fruity, and Lemon Meringue. Plants are $24 a piece with tax.
Progressive Collective
9810 E Burnside St, 503-444-7792
Progressive Collective advertises themselves as a destination for living cannabis genetics, and they do quite well under that banner. Just last Saturday they pushed out upwards of 100 plants, and as their busy season gains traction, their day-to-day selection fluctuates at a rapid pace. At the time of this writing, Blue Lime Pie and 707 Headband were the flavors of the moment, but Progressive is planning a massive drop of clones on 4/20. Given the high turnover, you'd be wise to call ahead and check in on their selection, as they frequently bring in new strains and sell out of existing offerings. Clones are $30, tax included.
Sovereign Cannabis
11850 N Center Ave, 503-278-4560
Out on Jantzen Beach, Sovereign Cannabis offers quite a few clone options, often working from seed in order to bring to life unique versions of strains that aren't found elsewhere. Current selections like Alien Apparatus and Golden Ticket—a joyful, uplifting sativa—would be great additions to your garden, and at $14 per plant with tax, these are some of the most affordable clones in the city.
And if you've got a source of clones that wasn't mentioned here, please do share with the class in the comments. The more clones the merrier!