# Pheno

> In grower slang, a pheno is one individual plant from a seed lot, usually numbered during a hunt, as in "the #4 pheno".

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pheno.html
- Also written: phenos, the #4 pheno, pheno #, keeper pheno number
- 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"

In grower slang, a pheno is one individual plant grown from a [seed lot](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/seed-run.md) and evaluated as a candidate keeper. Hunters number them ("#1" to "#20") so each can be tracked through veg, flower, dry and cure, and the winner is then known by that number.

## In practice

"The #4 pheno was the gassy one, #11 had the [fruit](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/achene.md)" means plant 4 and plant 11 of the hunt. Each is a different [genotype](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/genotype.md) from the same parents. Once a pheno is kept and cloned it is often called a cut, and famous ones keep their number as part of the name.

The slang [stretches](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/stretch.md) the scientific word. Strictly, [phenotype](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/phenotype.md) means what you observe: genotype plus environment. Two clones of the #4 grown in different rooms share a genotype but can show different phenotypes. Growers usually mean "this genotype" when they say pheno.

## Don't confuse with

- **Phenotype**: the scientific term, covering any observable trait under a given environment.
- **Genotype**: the genetic make-up, which a clone shares exactly.
- **Strain**: a name for a line or cut, not one individual from a seed hunt.

## Related terms

[Phenotype](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/phenotype.md), [Pheno hunt](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pheno-hunt.md), [Keeper](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/keeper.md), [Cut](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cut.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)