Cloning Weed 101

One of the keys to a successful marijuana garden is cloning.

Cloning gives you the ability to individualize and customize your garden.

You are able to pick and choose the varieties you want to grow, and also you can grow the varieties you like the most repeatedly.

Cloning also allows you to create multiple plants from a single plant, therefore, eliminating the cost of buying plants season after season.

However, the question still remains, how exactly do you go about cloning weed?

Well, the simple answer is that although it’s not an easy process, it’s not rocket science either.

Like anything that is worth doing, you need to put in time, effort, and diligence into getting the desired results.

The following guide will take a look at how you can go about cloning weed successfully.

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What Exactly Is The Cloning Process?

Cloning may seem like a daunting or complicated process; however, it is relatively straightforward.

All you need to know is how to go about doing it.

Ultimately in order to clone a cannabis plant, you need to make a copy of it with a cutoff piece from the mother plant.

The cut-off piece cutting will grow roots on its own and become an almost identical plant as the mother.

Cloning is not just fast and effective, but it’s also the most economical way for people to create superior cannabis plants.

The clone will have the same characteristics as the parent. This means that the new plant will have identical qualities.

So if you’re cloning a female plant, you will know for sure that the new plant is female too.

This also means that you are able to grow superior cannabis each and every time.

So if you have a favorite marijuana plant and there are qualities that you like about it such as potency, and taste then you can grow dozens of copies of this plant.

So ultimately, cloning gives you the ability to recreate your best marijuana plants indefinitely.

In order to clone a plant, you want to cut a piece of that plant, and it will then grow roots from the stem and continue to mature.

However, there are mixed opinions on the best way to go about cloning a plant.

Some cloning methods and guidelines may vary, however ultimately, the goal is to get you the highest quality of marijuana plant repeatedly.

Therefore, you always need healthy plants, and to take note of the supplies, you need to clone your best marijuana tree.

What you will need:

A healthy mother plant
A pair of scissors, scalpel or razer
Cloning gel or powder
Starter cubes
High-profile alcohol for disinfecting tools
Mild light
A heating mat and humidity dome are optional.

Benefits Of Cloning

They are basically two ways in which you can grow marijuana; the first method is from pot seeds and the second from cuttings.

When you grow from seeds, you need to allow time for germination, which is usually a few days to weeks to finally see the plants sprouting, whereas growing weed from clones will save you time and money.

Growing marijuana from clones simply means cutting a piece off a plant that is already mature and then planting it and waiting for you to take root.

So cloning allows you to skip the germination process making growing faster. There are other benefits to cloning marijuana, so let’s look at some of them.

Growing from cuttings saves you time.

Ultimately less time is required when you are growing weed from cuttings because you can skip the germination process.

Therefore by skipping the germination process, you are saving a lot of time.

Cloning marijuana trees also saves you money because there is no need for buying marijuana seeds.

All you need to do is find your favorite and healthiest mother plant that has good genetics and then take cuttings from there.

What you need to take note of is that you get the exact genetics from the mother plant.

So ensure that it’s the best possible plant you can find.

When you grow marijuana, you know for sure that you are growing a female plant.

This is because you are taking the cuttings from a feminized mother plant, and therefore you’ll indefinitely get a female plant.

In order to ensure the highest possible quality, it’s recommended that you clone a mother plant a maximum of 3 to 4 times.

Cloning from a single female marijuana plant can be done approximately four times; however, the chance of growing cannabis hermaphrodites increases every time you grow a plant from the cutting.

So the best possible way to keep growing excellent strains of marijuana is through using cloning but in moderation.

In order to begin cloning, set up your grow room and trim cuttings. Now you need to get your tools and select the best quality cannabis plant you can find.

So if you want an early harvest and don’t want to go through the process of seed germination, cloning is your best bet.

Ultimately you get a superior quality cannabis tree with good genetics and an abundant yield with less time and effort.

Getting exactly what you want is perhaps the best advantage of cloning marijuana trees.

When you buy seeds, it’s like getting a box of chocolates, because you never know what you find inside.

Even if you buy seed from a reputable seed bank, you can never be too sure that you’re getting the strain that you paid for.

However, there is no real guarantee of the kinds of phenotypes that will start in your garden.

However, when you plant seeds from the same strain, you can expect plants with slight differences, and ultimately, everything from their size, potency, and effects differ slightly.

Some people enjoy this gamble and believe that this is what growing marijuana is all about.

However, if you don’t want to take that risk, then cloning is the best way to get what you want exactly when you want it.

By finding that perfect mother plant and taking cuttings from that plant, you are guaranteed strong and uniform plants thereafter.

So using cuttings is probably the best way to grow an exact copy of the mother plant.

So ultimately, each generation will be superior quality, and you can even experiment with a few good varieties.

Cuttings also allow for more harvests. Ultimately they allow for multiple harvests.

Because they allow you to skip the entire germination stage, you can produce more harvests each year because you’re saving time.

If you’re growing marijuana outdoors, you get an extra harvest each year before winter comes.

If you are growing it indoors, then you can grow your marijuana or get an extra harvest and constant cycle of mothers and babies growing inside your home.

So cuttings are probably the most efficient way to get an extra harvest each year.

As mentioned earlier, using cuttings takes the guesswork out of growing marijuana.

There are a lot of benefits to using cuttings instead of seeds, and it’s no wonder many dedicated growers prefer this method over using seeds.

Although it’ll take some time to understand the cloning process, it’s definitely worth the time, effort, and diligence to get excellent cannabis trees each and every time.

How To Pick The Best Plant For Cloning?

When it comes to selecting a mother plant for cannabis clones, you need to be cautious.

There are lots to consider when choosing the mother plants because your clone is gonna turn out exactly like its parent.

First and foremost, you should know that you want to grow and choose the mother plant accordingly.

Ultimately the decision you make should be based on flavor, quality, yield, aroma, and any other characteristic that you place value on.

The mother plant should also be sanitary and healthy, showing no signs of bugs, stress, disease, curling leaves, nutrient deficiency or any other unhealthy characteristic.

It should also be a good size and a nice color.

So basically, the most important thing to remember is that when you are cloning a tree, always look for the highest and most superior quality cannabis tree that you can possibly find.

Your clone is going to turn out exactly like the parent.

So if you want to avoid getting an inferior quality to a tree with lots of negative characteristics and qualities, then make the wisest choice and choose a cannabis plant that has the best characteristics and is a good size as well.

What Do You Need For Weed Cloning?

So if you have made up your mind to go with cloning your cannabis tree, and you made a smart decision.

However, you’re going to need the following things to begin.

First and foremost, you will need to find a mother plant to get your clone from.

Ultimately the mother plant needs to be the most superior quality and the best possible marijuana tree that you can get your hands on.

Next, you need a sharp pair of scissors or razors.

This is to take cuttings from the mother for defoliation and trimming as well.

Some shears have a spring in them, and this ultimately saves you a little work, so it would be wise to invest in this type of shears.

Starter cubes are also needed to place your clones in.

Next, you need a cloning gel or powder.

Grow lights are also needed; however, they shouldn’t be too strong.

Certain models are designed specifically for clones and seedlings, so make sure that you inquire, do your research, and ultimately select the best type of grow lights for your clones.

A humidity dome is optional and not absolutely necessary.

Step By Step Guide For Weed Cloning

Before you begin, start by disinfecting tools and get everything ready. Also, set out anything that you need beforehand.

Step 1

The first step is to take cuttings from the mature mother plant.

If you’re not entirely sure whether the cannabis plant is ready to be cloned, have a look at the leaves.

If they are alternating or not connecting at the exact same point in stem, then your plant is ready to be cloned.

Step 2

Thereafter soak your cuttings with the starter cubes for a couple of minutes in water. Just a few minutes is all you need.

Then choose a spot with there are new branching and a new top and cut from that area.

Cut from that new growth and branch at a 45° angle. New cuttings should be cut at between 5 to 8 inches in length.

Try to take clones from new tips that are found on the lower half of the plant since this has more rooting hormones than the branches at the top.

Therefore the roots will grow faster.

Ultimately, you can take clones from any part of the plant, and it is going to grow nicely, provided they have a nice growth tip at the end.

Basically, all you want to do is cut a small part of the plant. The new roots will start growing out of the cuts that you made.

Step 3

Next, you want to immediately put in your clones in water as this will prevent bubbles from getting into the stem.

Step 4

Trim off any large lower leaves from the new cutting and trimming fan leaves if they are too big.

The leaves help prevent the new cloned form overexciting itself while trying to turn light into food.

What you want your plant to do is focus on the roots more than anything else.

Ultimately, your cuttings will make roots from just sitting in plain water.

Some growers use rooting hormones, and others use cloning products to help it root faster. However, this is not entirely necessary.

Step 5

If you do decide to go with the rooting products, take your cutting and dip them immediately into the rooting gel or powder to set off any bubbles and give your cutting what it needs to start making roots immediately.

The entire cutting should be coated with the product.

The new clone should then be placed into a moistened starter cube and then press on the bottom to ensure everything is sealed in the root area.

Step 6

If you want to create the right conditions, you don’t need to use a humidity dome.

However, these types of devices simply make successful cloning more practical.

However, just by following the steps mentioned in this guide, your clones will take root, and when it does is entirely up to your cuttings.

100% of cuttings will take root if you just give it enough time and follow the proper directions.

Step 7

Next, you need to know how to take care of your clones.

Clones enjoy warm and wet conditions.

So they need to get water through the leaves immediately so that roots can start forming.

This is where a humidity dome comes in handy.

Try misting your cuttings a few times a day until they start forming roots.

The room temperature should ultimately be at 72 to 77°F.

Some people choose not to use artificial lights at all for the first one to two days to allow the clones to get settled.

Other growers, on the other hand, choose to give light from the onset.

Clones need to be left in a warm and bright area the first day or two, and if you are going to use a grow light, make sure that it is relatively weak and instead of a highly strong type of light.

New clones should never be given 24 hours of light without having dark periods in between.

Ultimately this can slow down the rooting process and this happens best when there’s some amount of darkness in the day.

Ultimately what you want to do is keep a close eye on your clones until they become established and start to take root.

Grow Lights

For the first ten days, and especially the first 3 to 4 days, do not use full-strength light on your clones.

Since clones need light from the beginning to focus on making roots, you don’t need a whole lot of light that is going to be strong and constant.

So using cheap CFLs or fluorescent grows light like T5 is great for cloning.

If you are using starter cubes, then you know that your clones are ready to be transplanted when you see the roots coming out at the bottom of the cubes.

New clones are weak, and you should never forget this.

So they should be treated gently just the same way you would treat seedlings until they start growing vigorously.

However, within a week or two they should be faster growing and much bigger than they were a week ago or much bigger than a week-old seedling since the germination process is skipped.

If it’s your first time attempting the cloning process, remember to be patient.

Your cutting will take root if you just wait long enough and keep providing it with constant conditions.

It’s not unheard of for clones to start taking root in just seven days.

Some clones may take up to two weeks; however, ultimately, 100% of cuttings always take root.

Cloning Tips

Always remember to keep the leaves of the clone moist as they love moisture.

If you are using a humidity dome, the process is automated; however, if not, you have to manually monitor or check that your plant has moisture at all times.

It’s also important if you’re using a humidity dome that you keep an eye out for mold.

Misting your clones a couple of times a day if you’re doing it without a humidity dome is recommended.

If you’re using the without a humidity dome, remember that it should have an ample amount of vents to expel the air.

If you notice too much mist, you should open up those vents even further.

Although your clones will definitely take root, they may need a little extra help at times.

So, in addition to using cloning gel or powder, clones need a very mild nutrient solution and should be monitored as clones can only absorb a tiny amount of nutrients from the leaves.

Giving your new clones adequate levels of nitrogen can also increase levels of phosphorus.

So any type of mild nutrients will be suitable for your new clones.

If you intend to use cloning gel or powder, note that it needs to be properly stored.

They contain hormones that help the clone take root, and they can be purchased in garden shops or online.

Gels are recommended over powders because they evenly coat the plant.

Rooting powder or gel should be stored in a dark place that is cool as well.

If the package is not properly sealed prior to use or if you dropped anything into the product, it’s likely contaminated, and you need to go throw it away.

Cuttings from a healthy and superior quality cannabis plant are recommended.

It should be mature and of high quality. Plants that are not completely mature may not be suitable for cloning and may not root at all.

So make sure the plant is actually ready to be cloned before cutting it off.

Ideally, you need to clone your marijuana tree in the vegetative state for 2 to 3 months before you’re able to clone it.

Cuttings should also be taken from the bottom of the plant for faster flowering.

This is because more hormones are found at the bottom of the plant than the top half of it.

If you want your clone to flower right away, then use the cuttings off the bottom of the tree.

Preparing the mother tree for cloning is also recommended.

So giving the motherless nitrogen than usual for up to a week before you take a cutting from it is highly recommended.

To save you some time and money, take more clones than you actually need.

This is because some cuttings may not root for whatever reason, and therefore having extra cuttings is always recommended.

Planting or transplanting several cuttings is also suggested because you have more options just in case one or two of them do not take root.

When taking a cutting from the flowering plant, it’s important to note that it will grow differently in the beginning, and it’s nothing to be alarmed about.

This is mainly because cuttings should be taken from cannabis plants in the vegetative stage to make sure that your clones take root faster.

When you’re taking cuttings from a flowering plant, it’s best to choose cuttings from the bottom of the plant and immediately pinch away at any buds that are visible.

However, aside from that, new clones should be treated in exactly the same way as a seedling.