# Keeper

> A keeper is a plant from a seed hunt good enough to be kept alive as a clone or mother for future runs or breeding.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/keeper.html
- Also written: keepers, keeper pheno, keeper plant, keeper cut
- Glossary category: Grower slang and culture
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

A keeper is an individual plant judged good enough to keep: it is cloned before or during flower and maintained as a mother after the rest of the [seed lot](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/seed-run.md) is harvested and discarded.

## In practice

A grower pops 20 seeds, clones each [seedling](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/seedling.md), flowers the originals, and judges vigour, structure, yield, resin, aroma, cure quality and pest resistance. One or two plants make the cut and become keepers; the clones of the rest go in the bin. Experienced hunters judge after drying and curing, not only on the plant, because aroma and smoke change a great deal through the cure.

A keeper can be female or male. Keeper males, chosen on vigour, structure, aroma when stems are rubbed and, ideally, the quality of their daughters, are just as important for breeding.

On GenetixBay, a member's keeper can be nominated with its journal and, if selected, become a parent in a community line, with credit on the record.

## Don't confuse with

- **Pheno**: any one plant in the hunt. A keeper is the [pheno](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pheno.md) that survives selection.
- **Elite cut**: a keeper that has become widely known and sought after.
- **Mother plant**: the horticultural role; a keeper is usually kept as one.

## Related terms

[Pheno](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pheno.md), [Pheno hunt](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pheno-hunt.md), [Cut](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cut.md), [Mother plant](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/mother-plant.md), [Selection](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/selection.md)

## Read more

- [Selection and pheno hunting: sample sizes and scoring rubrics](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/breeding/selection-pheno-hunting.md)