[Book Review]

Becoming a Cannabis Breeder in Seven Steps

(Some basics and avoiding misinformation)

Author: Hemp Fancier
Country of origin: England

Available as a 99-cent Kindle download on Amazon.
169 pages, (“estimated”).

reviewed by Bing

Contrary to what the title may suggest, the reader will not find seven prescriptive steps or, for that matter, any instructional procedure outlining a path for propagation of new cultivars or stabilization of existing strains. What you will find are seven chapters which loosely (and I use that term … loosely) give a cursory history of cannabis use/efficacy followed by 3 chapters dedicated plant genetics. The author interestingly identifies a couple heavy hitters in the U.S. breed scene, namely DJ Short and Sam the Skunk Man. These are monikers of the breeder elite and their influence and impacts on cannabis strain cannot be understated.

Unfortunately, this guide falls short of correctly identifying examples of their most important work. DJ’s work is available online as well as in hard-copy and he continues to drop good vibes and information about cannabis breeding in several cannabis forums as time permits. Those hoping for a scientifically accurate document outlining cannabis morphology, selection, and stabilization of heritable traits will be disappointed. Very rudimentary Punnett squares are used to depict some basic Mendelian genetics. These are priceless tools used to teach the basics genetic probability and inheritance but are of little to no use for most breeders of cannabis given the complexity of heritable traits. It always surprises and irritates me when the basic cannabis morphology is errant or misspelled. It’s TRICHOMES not TRICHROMES! Anybody who has spent a reasonable amount of time and energy actually breeding cannabis will understand that thorough knowledge of cultivation and an understanding of the sociopolitical impacts of breeding cannabis are prerequisite to breeding. If you’re looking to build on this knowledge and begin an amateur breeding program, you may want to rely on additional sources.

Successful breeding cannot be achieved in seven steps. Name every top shelf stabilized strain you are familiar with. For every one, a thousand breeders have failed.


Jenny's homegrown in Ocean Beach, San Diego, possibly Indica, of unknown strain origin... This image is unrelated to the Kindle download reviewed here. But it still looks good.
Jenny’s homegrown in Ocean Beach, San Diego. It’s possibly Indica, and of unknown strain origin. This image is unrelated to the Kindle download reviewed here. But it still looks good.

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