Clade9 cannabis breeding lab showing terpene family classification and Holmes Matrix process

How Clade9 Breeds Cannabis: The Holmes Matrix, Terpene Families & LA Piff Explained

August 8, 2026

Clade9 is one of the few cannabis brands that treats breeding like an actual scientific process instead of a marketing exercise. Founded by mathematician-turned-cultivator Dave Holmes, the company built its reputation on proprietary genetics, rigorous phenotype hunting, and a terpene-first classification system that rejects the outdated indica/sativa model entirely.

Most cannabis brands release a new strain every few months, slap a catchy name on it, and move on. Clade9 does the opposite. They run thousands of trials, filter through data, and only release what actually earns it. Here's a clear breakdown of how they actually breed cannabis — and why their approach produces strains like LA Piff, Fig Bar, Diamond Dust, and Diamond Bar that stand apart from the rest of the legal market.

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Clade9 cannabis breeding facility and genetics program

The Meaning Behind the Name “Clade9”

Clade comes from cladistics — the biological method of grouping organisms by shared ancestry and derived traits. 9 refers to the nine environmental variables Holmes treats as controllable levers: lighting, airflow, water, temperature, humidity, growing medium, CO₂, nutrients, and root-zone temperature. Their motto, “Grown the Hard Way,” reflects both their underground origins and their refusal to take shortcuts once they went legal.

Clade9 terpene family classification system cannabis

Core Breeding Philosophy: Terpene Families Over THC Numbers

Clade9 organizes genetics into terpene families — Bubba + OG, Haze, Citrus, Cheese + OG, and Candy/Gas hybrids. The goal is to identify the strongest expression of each major sensory profile and refine it. This system is more useful for consumers than traditional indica/sativa labels because it groups strains by actual aroma, flavor, and effect patterns. When your classification system is built around terpene expression, you can’t hide behind a high THC number.

The Holmes Matrix: Proprietary Male Selection Tool

The technical heart of Clade9’s breeding program is the Holmes Matrix, a proprietary mathematical algorithm developed by Dave Holmes. Most breeders select males based on visual traits. Holmes goes further — the Matrix evaluates male plants primarily through their terpene profiles and produces a scored ranking tailored to specific breeding goals. High terpinolene target? The Matrix identifies which males are most likely to pass that trait. It doesn’t eliminate uncertainty, but it narrows the field significantly before you commit to a multi-generation breeding run.

Clade9 Holmes Matrix male selection cannabis breeding process

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Step-by-Step Breeding Process

Genetic Collection & Crossing — LA Piff (J1 × Fig Bar) is a good example: they preserved J1’s terpinolene-dominant haze character while adding Fig Bar’s structure, color expression, and earthy-sweet depth.
Large-Scale Phenotype Hunting — Thousands of trials across multiple generations. Top 20–30 candidates move forward. Most get cut.
Lab Testing + Sensory Evaluation — Blind tastings and structured feedback sessions so names and expectations don’t bias results.
Selection Criteria — Flavor and terpene expression first, then effects, structure, lab consistency, and yield last.
Refinement & Production — Winning phenotypes grown under tightly controlled indoor conditions tailored to each strain. The environment is dialed to the genetics, not the other way around.

Clade9 LA Piff strain phenotype selection and lab testing

Why This Approach Matters in 2026

Most legal-market flower still relies on a narrow set of Gelato, Runtz, and Cookies descendants. Clade9’s terpene-family system and proprietary breeding produce more distinct results — especially in the Haze and Bubba + OG categories where most brands have nothing interesting to offer. When batches are dialed in, strains like LA Piff deliver a genuine old-school terpinolene character that is genuinely rare in New Jersey and other East Coast markets.

Want to see how Clade9 performs in the real world? Read our Clade9 Diamond Dust strain review (9.3/10) and check what’s hitting New Jersey dispensaries this fall.