Growing with cannabis clones can give a grower plant cuttings that will root well, offer the ability to grow a specific strain more than once and ensure a level canopy for easy maintenance. Learning all the tips and tricks about cloning will help to make sure a cannabis clone grows well and each marijuana plant offers a great harvest.
Tips and Tricks for Getting the Best Cannabis Clones from your Plants
Understanding how cannabis cloning works is important but knowing how to do it well means success. Here is everything you need to know when doing clones from your cannabis plant.
Taking a Clone at the Correct Time
Growing a healthy marijuana plant is about more than genetics. Figuring out the right timing for taking a clone is important. It should happen when the mother plant (also known as parent plant) is over 5 weeks old and has many branches and shoots. The grower should see older, woodier branches along with softer young ones.
Both can be used in the cloning process if the grower understands how to do it without damaging the mother or the clones. Do not take a new shoot as the inside walls will still be hollow and the cutting will wilt and die quickly.
Utilizing a Rooting Hormone
While some growers like to use a rooting hormone when cloning, it is not necessary to grow a healthy clone. The plants naturally make growth hormones that push them to make root cells in place of stem cells and leaves. If you prefer to use a rooting hormone, then use IAA that is a naturally occurring plant hormone. There are also seaweed extracts that can be used, as they too have natural growth hormones that will help encourage root cell growth.
Choosing a Rooting Medium for Clones
Various mediums work for cloning. Rooting cubes and plugs work well, as they let the roots get air-pruned when they begin to grow out of the medium. Coco and peat-moss jiffy plugs, foam, or a rockwool cube can all work as well and are good for maintaining a good moisture level when the cannabis plant is transferred to soil.
Optimal Temperature for Clones
Temperature and humidity go hand in hand when cloning. It needs to be warm and wet for clones to take root. Humidity needs to be at 70% and the temperature at 75°F. If levels are lower, then the roots will be extremely slow in taking or will not take at all.
Mold Problems
Mold happens when the humidity dome that the clones are under is not moved for many days and the air gets stagnant and the conditions are wet. Growers may see a white, furry type of fungus on the plants. The plants themselves will feel mushy. It can be a significant setback with cloning.
The lid will have to be removed and any plants that are infected need to be thrown out. It is important to open the lid for 30 seconds each day to make sure there is airflow, fresh air and good temperature and humidity. Domes can be purchased that have vents or growers can cut a small hole at the ends of the lid, so air is moving as well.
Size of Propagator
Bigger is better when it comes to the propagator. One that is at least 12” tall is good for maturing clones. Height is important so clones are not touching the sides and top that will be wet.
White Bumps at the Base
These white bumps are the first nubs of root cells. The clone is beginning to grow roots. This is an important stage as the clone is getting set and ready to establish itself in the growing medium. The formation of a root system allows it to begin to photosynthesize and take in nutrients.
Roots
The growth of roots is determined by a few factors such as temperature, light exposure, humidity and health of the plant. If the factors are all optimal, then roots should appear in 7-10 days. Larger clones will show roots first.
Optimal Cloning Area
Taking a clone from the base seems to make rooting quicker. However, some growers prefer newer growth from the top of the plant. No matter which spot is chosen, the grower needs to be patient, as the cuttings vary on speed and growth.
Hardening Off
Growers will notice that clones that have rooted will wilt when taken out of the dome. They need to harden off. This means they need to acclimatize to the outside world that is not humid. Be cautious to introduce them to the new environment of lighting and wind slowly so they are not shocked by a new environment.
Cutting Down Leaf Blades
Growers do not have to take off leaf blades, but it does encourage a clone to stop photosynthesis. This pushes the root cells to grow in the rooting cube that is wet and dark. However, cloning should still work even if this is not done. The process may just be slower.
Mother Plant Health
Caring for the mother plant is important if the grower wants to get more than one generation of clones from it. Over cutting can damage the mother plant. Nurturing the mother plant should mean it can give many healthy clones while still being pruned for space. Make sure to not get greedy and take too many clones. The grower wants the mother to be used repeatedly. Growers should also use a second mother plant once the primary plant has been used for multiple generations of clones.
Final Thoughts
Growing cannabis clones from a mother plant takes some patience and skill. Reading and researching can offer lots of tips and tricks to make it a smoother process. While rooting clones may take a few tries, once a grower understands the process and the delicacies of the clones, then they should find it easier to have success with cloning cannabis.
Learning to get cannabis clones from your plants is a great way to lower seedling costs and maintain strains that you are pleased with. It takes the guesswork out of plants that come from seeds. Having lots of information on how to root clones and get them growing will help cannabis growers have a successful harvest from similar plants.