How To Clone Cannabis

WHAT IS CLONING CANNABIS?

Cannabis cloning involves taking part of a living plant, usually a branch, and nurturing it until it grows into a new plant genetically identical to the original.

Horticulturists have been using cloning for thousands of years to cultivate superior plants, and it has become a standard practice in modern cannabis production.

THE BENEFITS OF CLONING CANNABIS

Whether you’re a dedicated home grower or a professional cultivator, cloning is an excellent process that offers several benefits. Cloning ensures consistent and reliable results while preserving the unique features that make your plants special.

With cloning, you can create an exact replica of your existing plant, so you won’t have to start from scratch whenever you want to grow a new batch. This approach can save you time and energy, allowing you to focus your efforts on other aspects of your cultivation.

Cloning Cannabis Is Easy

The cloning process is easy. All you need is a cutting of your favorite cannabis plant, a rooting medium, and good growth nutrients.

Less transplanting is involved than if you grow cannabis from infancy, and the growing conditions are much easier to control. Because of compact growing mediums, you also don’t need much space.

Increases Production And Revenue

Traditional seed growing takes time and there’s a risk of producing undesirable plants that taint your crop’s quality. This costs money and lowers the production yield of your cannabis.

Cannabis cloning, on the other hand, skips germination. You don’t have to wait for the seeds to grow into plants to know their quality and gender. Instead, the clone grows quickly and will grow into the plant you favor, increasing your yield and shortening production time.

Decreased growing times and increased production naturally translate into increased revenue, which is especially important for a budding business.

Maintains Cannabis Quality

Growing cannabis from seeds is a tricky business. The grower doesn’t have much control over the gender or genetics of the plant, leaving growers with inconsistent quality and supply.

Cloning provides an effective solution to this common problem. By cloning cannabis, you can duplicate your preferred plant, ensuring a steady supply of high-quality weed. All you need to do is maintain the same growing conditions.

As a result, you can maintain consistent quality and predict future yields more accurately.

SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR CLONING CANNABIS

Before you get started cloning your cannabis plant, you first need to gather some cloning supplies. Here is a list of what you’ll need to cut, plant, and clone your cannabis successfully.

• Mother Plant: Firstly, you’ll need a good mother plant.

• Scissors: You’ll need a good pair of scissors to remove a suitable cutting from the mother plant. You can also use a sharp razor if the plant growth is too dense.

• High-Quality Growing Medium: For the plant to grow well, you must use a high-quality rooting or growing medium. Ensure the pH is viable for new growth, retains moisture, and provides enough ventilation. You also need to ensure it’s nutrient-dense.

• • Rooting Hormones: Rooting hormones provide a necessary growth boost that helps the plant take root quicker.
  • Water: You’ll need a small cup of water to hold the cutting after you remove it from the mother plant. Once planted, you’ll need water in a spray bottle to mist the new clone.

• Cloning Dome: You’ll need a cloning dome to create and maintain the perfect humidity for the clones. A glass dome is best, but plastic is fine if that’s all you have or can afford.

WHAT IS A GOOD MOTHER PLANT?

The mother plant is the plant you take a cutting from and acts as the blueprint for the cannabis clones. You must choose carefully because the mother plant is the one you’re modeling your clones after. It needs to be a strain with good genetics that is worth copying.

Consider the following criteria when choosing your mother plant candidate.

A Vegetative State Is Crucial

The mother clone must be in a vegetative state. That means it can’t be flowering. If it’s blooming and you take a cutting, it could damage the plant and turn it into a hermaphrodite.

A cannabis plant can become a “hermaphrodite” or “herm” if it experiences stress or unfavorable conditions during its growth phase. This means it will produce both male and female flowers for seed production as a survival strategy.

However, keeping a mother plant in a vegetative state can be resource intensive. A common practice is to rotate mother plants, cut them during the vegetative state, and then leave them to flower. The clones are then planted and act as the next mother plant. They are clipped when the time is right before being left to flower. This process is repeated.

Ensure Good Genes

The mother plant must have good genetics. The cannabis plants you clone from the mother plant will be identical. It’ll produce all the good qualities of the mother plants and all the bad ones. So if there are genetic issues with the mother plant, they will be passed on to the offspring.

Choose Robust Plants

The plant must be vigorous. If the mother plant did not take root quickly, your clones will likely struggle too. Choose a strong mother plant with rich flowers for a high production yield.

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO CLONING CANNABIS

Now that you know what you need to clone your cannabis, let’s start with how to clone the plant.

Choose A Mother Plant

Only female plants produce cannabis buds with THC. Male plants are mostly useful for propagation and gene selection. By cloning the mother plant, you will therefore only produce females. As a result, you’ll have a large supply of only female, bud-carrying plants instead of an unpredictable mix of male and female.

When cloning, choose a high-yielding female plant worth replicating. If the mother plant carries high-yield, high-quality THC, and you replicate the growing conditions correctly, you can expect the same from the clones.

You can also consider other specifics, like the aromas, and clone for those characteristics.

If your plant hasn’t flowered yet and you’re unsure about its yield capabilities, choose a plant that has a lot of branches and is growing strongly.

Remember, the plant needs to be in a vegetative state. It can’t have any flowers and must have been growing for at least four weeks. If you take from a plant that is too young, it won’t have the strength to root, and the plant’s interior could grow hollow and wilt.

Prepare The Growth Medium

There are many growing mediums, but the same rules and steps apply to all. So, before you cut the clone from the mother plant, prepare your growth medium.

Generally, loose soil isn’t a suitable medium for clonal growth. If the soil is loose, it might not be able to provide the necessary support for the root system of cannabis clones to grow and thrive. This can lead to weak and underdeveloped plants as the roots struggle to establish a stronghold.

Take A Cutting

Look for a branch on the plant that is long and has at least three nodes. These are areas on the stem with buds or new branch growth. If the branch is strong, the clone has a higher chance of surviving. We’d also suggest cutting straighter branches. They’re easier to plant and keep in bulk.

Once you’ve found your cutting point, take your scissors and cut right above the mother plant node, separating the multi-node branch from the mother plant. The final cut can be anywhere from 6 to 12 inches long.

Cut the stem below the bottom node at a 45-degree angle with scissors. This exposes more branch innards and increases the surface area, allowing quicker and more intense rooting. Place the cutting in water immediately to prevent air from entering the stem.

Rooting Hormones

If the cutting takes too long to root, it will wilt and ruin your clone. Rooting hormones can help. The hormone powder contains auxins and nutrients that speed up the rooting process by encouraging root growth instead of green growth.

So, dip the cutting stem into the rooting hormone. Be careful not to get the rooting hormone on the leaves, as this can damage them.

Plant In Growing Medium

After applying the rooting hormones, quickly root the plant in your growing medium. Remove the leaves toward the bottom of the cutting and mist some water over the plant and the medium.

For the next few days, ensure the new clones have sufficient water for their strain type. Keep an eye on them and immediately remove dead clones to avoid mold and pests.

Put a cloning dome over the newly planted clones, adjust the temperature and humidity, and ensure they have enough light.

Transplant The Clones

You must transplant your clones 5 to 15 days after the planting. The exact time frame is going to differ for different marijuana plants. Genetics also plays a significant role. Use the mother plant’s growth phases to guide your new clones to ensure successful growth.

Before transplanting, check the root growth of your clones. Ideally, there should be at least an inch of new root growth before moving them. Once you have confirmed sufficient root growth, carefully transplant your clones into planting pots filled with high-quality, nutrient-rich soil.

Moisten the soil and create small holes for the roots before placing your clones in the ground. Gently pack soil around the clones before misting water over them.

BEST PRACTICES FOR CLONING CANNABIS

Using best practices for cloning cannabis plants is key to the success and quality of your yield. Here are our top tips to keep in mind when cloning.

Encourage Root Growth

If you want your clone to grow to its fullest potential, it’s essential to encourage the development of the roots rather than the foliage. This will help your clone grow faster and become stronger. Removing extra leaves is the best way to do this as it will direct the plant’s energy toward its roots.

Take a razor and remove the low-hanging leaves. Leave only a fan of foliage toward the top of the plant for photosynthesis.

Sterilize Your Tools

Clones grow in high-humidity trays, domes, and rooms, which can become breeding grounds for mold and other harmful particles.

Before cutting and planting your clones, sterilize the growing tray and other tools with hot water. We also suggest working with gloves to avoid contaminating the area with contaminants from your hands.

Use Soft Lighting

Clones are extremely sensitive. If you use harsh lights or put them too close or too high, they could dry out or burn the fragile clones and destroy your crop. Use soft fluorescent lamps for the initial growth stage.

Be Patient With The Rooting Process

After you’ve planted the cutting, you’ll be tempted to check the roots frequently when your plant starts growing. While keeping an eye on growth is essential, you should also limit invasive handling of the new clones.

Only move the clones to regular soil when they have 1 to 2 inches of root growth. They need roots to stay stable in the new ground, so be patient and give the clones enough time to develop.

COMMON MISTAKES WHEN CLONING CANNABIS

While cannabis cloning is relatively straightforward, overlooking the finer details can derail your growth. Here are some common mistakes to avoid when cloning cannabis.

Too Little Ventilation

Clones love humidity, dampness, and warmth. And the best way to ensure they get all these things is to put the clones under a dome.

However, proper ventilation is also crucial to avoiding mold growth. So it’s best to use a dome or clone tray with holes to allow fresh air to circulate the new clones.

Cauterize With Water

Right after cutting, put the cutting in water. This cauterizes the “wound” of the stem and prevents air bubbles from forming inside the clone during the planting period. If there are air bubbles, it could prevent the clone from developing a healthy and robust root system.

Loose Soil Medium

Loose soil can harm cannabis clones by limiting root stability, nutrient retention, and consistent moisture levels. Healthy soil contains beneficial microorganisms that help with nutrient cycling and improve the general structure of the soil.

When soil is too loose, it can lack microbial activity, which can cause a shortage of nutrients and increase the risk of plant diseases.

Poor Growing Zone

If the growing zone doesn’t provide the clones with the right growing conditions, they aren’t going to take root.

Spray the clones with water 4 to 5 times a day during the first 5 days. After that, you can water them every 2 or 3 days, or when the growing medium feels dry.

Ensure the clone growing area is also humid and lit up. Provide heat and light with fluorescent or LED lights around 18 hours a day. Keep the lights between 10 and 35 inches from the clones. If the clones whiten or curl from heat, move the lights further away.

Bad Rooting Hormone

Your clones need rooting hormones to provide a necessary kick after the cutting process. Invest in a high-quality rooting hormone that prioritizes the plant’s health. This is key to making sure your crop gets the nutrients it needs to grow successfully.

DIFFERENT GROWING MEDIUMS

There are various mediums for growing clones depending on your budget, available space, and skills. The following are some of the most commonly used and highly effective mediums for clone-growing.

Water

Growing plants in water can be a simple and effective cloning method.

Water cloning involves placing the cutting in a container filled with deep water or a very wet environment and regularly adding root hormones and nutrients until the plant is ready to be transplanted into a pot.

This straightforward process allows for easy root formation observation, simplifying the potting process.

No Soil Growing Mediums

Rockwool, peat, and foam are growing mediums that don’t require soil. You can also use rooting cubes. These mediums provide good airflow and help retain moisture, which is great for plant growth.

Using these mediums also makes it easier to organize and manage small trays of new growth and maintain the necessary humidity level for the plants to thrive.

Auto-cloners

Auto-cloners are tools designed to automate the process of growing clones. Once you have planted your cuttings, the auto-cloner manages the plants’ humidity and water intake. It sprays nutrient-rich water from below onto the cutting roots.

One drawback of auto-cloners is their initial cost, which can be expensive. This can be an issue if you are cloning for recreational purposes or are just starting production with sales in mind.

CONCLUSION

Cloning cannabis is a well-established practice that has been used for many years to produce top-quality cannabis flowers with excellent genetics and a high yield.

Fortunately, the process is straightforward, and with this guide, you can select a suitable mother plant, safely cut from her, and cultivate healthy clones.

To grow high-quality cannabis, you need to know what high-quality cannabis is, and there’s one place you’re guaranteed to find just that. Visit one of the Embarc locations today for community, culture, and premier California cannabis.