How to Grow Cannabis Using the Cloning Method
Did you know that this is the most brilliant technique to cultivate marijuana? No wonder it’s famous for indoor marijuana growers and other farmers!
In the cloning method, a farmer uses a few donor plants, cuts out their shoots and branches, then allows them to mature in a new medium. What’s great about cloning is that you don’t have to worry about the gender at all, because all clones become female!
However, even though it’s a popular method, it still has a few drawbacks such as the following:
CONS
- The grower should be an expert when it comes to producing and inspecting clones. If he or she misjudges a clone, it can harm the whole existing crop of marijuana.
- The grower should already have marijuana plants since clones can’t be bought anywhere else. A farmer might find clones, but the chance that the process would be perfect is little.
- The grower needs to be extremely careful because clones are sensitive; mishandle them a bit, and they could pass away because of shock.
- The grower can’t have different fragrances and tastes because the clones will have similar flavors and aroma, unlike when the farmer uses the seed procedure.
- The grower might have difficulties during the breeding process because the clones are all female.
- The case of genetics uniformity poses a greater risk of infection to the plants. Viruses and insects might easily infect them.
If there are cons, of course, there would be pros too! Let’s enumerate them.
PROS
- The grower will get female plants only, and that’s a fact.
- It can save the farmer’s time because he or she just have to select a few plants, make clones, and place them in another growing pot or container. If the grower uses the seed technique, the germination plus the development of the seedling will take more days.
- The technique will produce marijuana way earlier than the seed method.
- Less time is needed by the rooted clones of marijuana to flower.
- The grower won’t have a problem with the crop’s taste, smell, and after effects since it would have the same characteristics, occasionally even better than, as the original plant.
- The grower won’t have to purchase more seeds if he or she already has existing cannabis crops which he or she can use for cloning. That being said, the technique can also save the grower’s money!
I know you’re all high as a kite now, so let’s discuss the steps you should follow.
PROCEDURE
- Choose the mother plant. Okay, don’t be in a hurry now. Remember that all the next marijuana products will depend on the original plant, so take into consideration its productivity levels and health. Ensure that it’s free from any virus or disease.
- Clone 50% more than you actually need. This is a safety precaution because there’s no guarantee that all the clones will turn out to be healthy marijuana plants. Do you recall the disadvantage about mishandling them? They could die if they’re mishandled even just a little. So to avoid cloning over and over again, cut more clones. A few (or many) of them will die, and that’s normal. Remember to cut the clones before the flowering phase of the marijuana plant. That’s the ideal time to cut them.
- Keep everything clean. That means your tools, growing medium, and hands must be free from dirt. Make sure to wash your hands with soap and water, and not just water. Your gardening medium and room should also be free from any dirt.
- Prep a pH-balanced growing medium for instant planting. This is self-explanatory.
- Keep them close. Place the clones where you can have immediate access to them. The closer, the better, because that would mean you can attend to their needs faster.
- Select short clones. Now it’s time to look for short clones that only have two to three nodes.
- Treat them. In treating the clones, use a rooting solution fungicidal-b1 mix. This step is important because it will make the clones productive and healthy.
- Put them in rockwool cubes. First, soak the cubes in a pH balanced solution overnight. Then place the clones there.
- Prepare the humidity dome and the lights. The insides of the dome should be sprayed with a no-damp solution. DON’T spray on the clones directly! Doing this might result in powdery mildew. After spraying, place the concealed clone tray with a dome in an area where there is sufficient amount of white fluorescent light. Be sure you remove the cover of the clone tray every single day to allow the air to circulate.
- On the fifth day, take off the humidity dome from the clone tray.
- Check the plants after ten days. Inspect the clones and see if they’re rooted or not. You’ll know the plant is rooted if it won’t try to get out of the cube once you tug the plant lightly toward one side. If it comes out with ease, then it’s not yet rooted.
- Wait for the leaves to turn tawny. Some leaves might become yellowish in the rooting stage. This means they are absorbing all nutrients from fan leaves during the process. There’s nothing to worry about. Just let them turn yellow.
- Spray your plants using water throughout the rooting process.
- Free the rockwool cube from its rooting solution through draining. It has no use now.
Examine the plants. Check if they are wilting. If they’re not wilting after four to six hours, then they’re ready for the next step.- Place the clones under LED grow lights or put them in the soil.
- Make sure they’re receiving the right amount of light. For this phase, they should get 15-18 hours of light every day for the vegetative stage.