How Our Cannabis Clones Are Grown and Tested
Short answer: every clone we sell comes from a licensed partner nursery that keeps clean mother plants, tests them for hop latent viroid (HLVd) with PCR at an independent lab, roots and grows the plants on site, and hand-selects each order on the day it ships. Each clone page shows the strain’s latest HLVd result, and every clone is guaranteed free of bugs, pests, disease and mold.
Where do Seeds & Clones clones come from?
Our clones are grown by a licensed partner nursery that specializes in clones. Many of its mother lines start from tissue culture, a lab method that regrows a plant from a tiny piece of clean tissue, so a line can be restarted without carrying old pests or pathogens forward. Mother plants are replaced several times a year instead of being kept for years, because older mothers are where viroids, pests and weak growth tend to build up.
What is HLVd, and why does testing matter?
Hop latent viroid (HLVd) is a tiny infectious RNA that spreads through cuttings, tools and sap. An infected plant can look healthy as a clone and then grow slowly, stretch and finish with small, airy, less potent buds, which growers call “dudding”. There is no cure once a plant has it, so the only real protection is starting from clean stock. That is why testing at the source matters more than anything a buyer can check on arrival.
How are the clones tested for HLVd?
- Mother plants are tested by PCR, the same DNA-level method labs use for other plant pathogens, before a strain goes into production.
- Tests are run by an independent lab, not by the nursery itself.
- Production plants are retested. Most strains we carry were last retested in June or July 2026, usually as a pooled sample of five plants.
- Every clone page shows the strain’s latest result and the month of the test, for example “HLVd: tested negative, July 2026 (PCR, independent lab)”. If a strain has no test on file, its page shows no line rather than a guess.
HLVd results for the clones in stock (October 2026)
| Clone | Latest HLVd result |
|---|---|
| AJ Sour Diesel | Negative, June 2026 |
| Biscotti Pancakes | Negative, June 2026 |
| Black Cherry Gelato | Negative, July 2026 |
| Blockberry | Negative, June 2026 |
| Cali Octane | Negative, July 2026 |
| Cookies N Cream | Negative, June 2026 |
| Crostata | Negative, June 2026 |
| Gastopia | Negative, June 2026 |
| Georgia Pie | Negative, June 2026 |
| Glitter Bomb | Negative, June 2026 |
| GMO Cookies | Negative, June 2026 |
| Gorilla Glue #4 | Negative, June 2026 |
| Grape Stomper | Negative, June 2026 |
| Lemon Lollipop | Negative, July 2026 |
| MAC 1 | Negative, July 2026 |
| Moon Fog | Negative, July 2026 |
| Permanent Marker | Negative, June 2026 |
| Pink Runtz | Negative, June 2026 |
| Purpz | Negative, June 2026 |
| Skywalker OG | Negative, June 2026 |
| Star Duster | Negative, July 2026 |
| Super Lemon Haze | Negative, July 2026 |
| Super Silver Haze | Negative, June 2026 |
| Watermelon Slushie | Negative, June 2026 |
| White Truffle | Negative, July 2026 |
| Platinum Cookies, Super Peach Rings | No test on file yet |
Stock changes week to week; the result on each clone page is the current one.
How is each clone format grown?
- 3.5 inch pots (single-strain clones). Rooted cuttings are potted into 3.5 inch pots of soil or coco and grown on until they are established young plants. This is the format on every single-strain clone page and the one with the least transplant shock.
- Rooted peat pellets (bulk). Cuttings are stuck into peat pellets and kept under humidity until roots form, usually around day 10, then grown on until the roots are through the pellet. The pellet goes straight into soil, coco or hydro.
- Unrooted cuttings (bulk). Cut to order from the mothers and shipped fresh, before roots form, for growers who root their own under a dome.
Not sure which to buy? Read rooted vs unrooted clones. Buying 20 or more? See how to buy cannabis clones in bulk.
How are pests kept out?
The nursery runs a preventive pest program built on OMRI-listed inputs, the organic-listed products, rather than waiting for a problem and spraying after. Potted clones grow in a pest-preventive soil mix. Every plant is inspected before it ships, and every format, cuttings included, is guaranteed free of bugs, pests, disease and mold.
What happens on ship day?
Orders are hand-selected on the day they ship, so you get a plant picked for your order rather than one that sat in a box. Clones are packed in clone shippers that hold moisture, in unmarked packaging, and travel UPS Next Day Air to all 50 states. We ship Monday through Wednesday so no plant sits in a truck over a weekend. In-stock clones typically ship in 2 to 5 days; backordered clones can take 2 to 3 weeks, and the clone page says when a strain is on backorder.
What should I do when my clones arrive?
Open the box the day it lands, water if the medium is dry, and give the plants a day or two of bright, indirect light before full light. Our clone care guide walks through the first week step by step.
Frequently asked questions
Are Seeds & Clones clones tested for HLVd?
Yes. Mother plants are tested by PCR at an independent lab before a strain goes into production, and production plants are retested. Each clone page shows the latest result and the month of the test.
What does “tested negative for HLVd” mean?
The lab did not detect hop latent viroid in the sample. For most strains the sample was a pool of five plants from production, retested in June or July 2026.
Can I tell if a clone has HLVd by looking at it?
No. An infected clone usually looks normal. Symptoms such as slow growth, stretching and small, airy buds tend to show weeks later, which is why testing at the source matters.
Where are your clones grown?
At a licensed partner nursery that specializes in clones, keeps clean mother plants that are replaced several times a year, and starts many of its lines from tissue culture.
Are your clones legal to ship?
Yes. We ship compliant hemp clones that test below 0.3% THC under the 2018 Farm Bill, to all 50 states. Local cultivation laws are the customer’s responsibility.
Shop every strain on our cannabis clones page.