When you want to grow marijuana, there are two ways you can do it. You can plant a seed and simply watch it grow. Or, you can learn how to clone weed. Cloning marijuana is an easy way to add to your crop and keep enjoying your favorite strains. A marijuana clone is an exact genetic copy of your favorite plant.
It will grow identical to the plant you take the cutting from, complete with all the traits you love. It’s important to keep all the characteristics of the plant you take a cutting from in mind when cloning marijuana. Clones will also have the same flaws as the plant you take a cutting from.
The Benefits of Cloning Marijuana
The benefits of cloning marijuana are many. First and foremost, it saves you a great deal of time. You no longer have to germinate seeds, plant them, and wait until that tiny sprout pops up. You simply plant a clone and let it grow.
Cloning is also a great way to keep a steady supply of plants at all times. Again, this is because cloning is so fast. You don’t have to wait for seeds to germinate or even wait for new seeds to arrive. If you have a plant you already love, you can clone whenever you’d like, and do it quickly, too.
Many growers that are looking for bud and not to breed love the fact that cloning weed guarantees you’ll get a female plant, as long as you take the cutting from a female. It’s frustrating to cultivate a plant from seed to maturity. It’s even more frustrating when you realize at the end of it all, you’ve seen all that time on a male plant that won’t do you much good.
Cloning marijuana also allows you to allocate the necessary amount of space in you grow room, or outdoors. When growing plants you don’t have any experience with, it’s difficult to know how tall they will grow, or how much space they will take up. Because clones are the exact same as the plant you’ve cloned them from, you’ll know exactly how much space you need.
Cloning your marijuana also allows you to yield more buds, because it’s so much faster to clone than to grow from seed. That also makes cloning much cheaper, as it costs you nothing to take a cutting from one of your current plants.
The Disadvantages of Cloning
While there are many benefits that come from cloning cannabis, it also has some drawbacks.
The first is that you won’t get the variety you would if you planted a number of different seeds. Clones taste exactly like the plant you took the cutting from, and will produce the exact same high. Unless you really love a certain strain, you’ll likely want to switch up the plant you consume.
Due to the fact that clones are exact replicas of the plant you take them from, it’s also important to remember that the clone will have all the same flaws. That means if the plant was susceptible to mold or pests, the clone will be, too.
Clones are also more delicate than plants grown from seeds. They are more sensitive to light and suffer more from nutrient burn than plants grown from seeds.
How to Clone a Weed Plant
Cloning marijuana is very easy. When people first think of it, they likely imagine simply snipping off a piece of another plant. However, while cloning a plant is fairly easy, there’s a little more to it than that. If you don’t take the proper steps, you may not get the quality clone you’re looking for, and you could even damage the plant you’re taking the clone from.
Read on to learn exactly what you need, and how to properly clone a weed plant.
Items Needed to Clone a Cannabis Plant
One of the things that makes cloning so easy is that you don’t need a lot of equipment to do it. All you need is:
- A sharp razor to take a cutting
- Water
- Rooting medium
- Rooting hormone
After you’ve collected these items, you just need to follow a few simple steps.
Step 1: Pick a Stable Mother Plant
Remember that any clone is going to be an exact replica of the plant you take it from. As such, you want to choose a mother plant that is healthy, sturdy, and that has been in the vegetative stage for about two months. Cuttings can be taken before that two-month timeframe. However, they really shouldn’t be taken in a plant’s first three weeks of growth.
Step 2: Preparing to Clone
In the days before you clone, don’t fertilize the mother plant. This will let excess nitrogen out of the plant. If there is too much nitrogen in the plant when you cut, the plant will try to grow vegetation when you cut it, instead of trying to take root in your growing medium.
Step 3: Taking Your Clone Cuttings
Before taking your cutting, make sure your razor, all other items, and the environment is all sterilized. Only then can you take your cutting. Choose a spot on your plant that has new branching with a new top. Also choose an area on the bottom of the plant, as these will grow roots faster than cuttings taken from the top.
Angle your razor at a 45-degree angle and cut slightly below the new growth. Aim for a cutting that is between ten and 20 centimeters long.
Step 4: Handling Your Cuttings
As soon as the cutting has been taken, place it in a small glass of water. That will prevent air bubbles from forming in the stem. If there are large fan leaves at the bottom of the cutting, these should be cut. Leaving them intact will cause the plant to focus on photosynthesis rather than developing roots.
Step 5: Creating New Roots
While it is possible to grow a clone with nothing but the cutting and some water, most clones will benefit from a rooting hormone. These come in gel or powder form and can help the clone form roots, which will contribute to healthy growth. After taking the cutting, simply dip the end of the clone into the rooting hormone.
Step 6: Transplanting New Clones
Once the clone has been treated with a rooting hormone, it can then be placed in a damp starter cube. Press on the cube slightly to ensure it is tightly sealed and will protect the clone and its roots. At this point you can then place the starter cube under a light, in a humidity dome, or a mini greenhouse. These last two tools are especially helpful, as it will trap moisture around the plant.
Many growers love cloning marijuana because of the many benefits that come with it. However, there is much more to cloning than simply taking a cutting from your favorite plant. Follow the proper steps though, and take great care with each of them, and you’ll be able to recreate an entire crop of your best mother plant.
