You’re growing your own Cannabis and learning how to clone plants so that you’ve always got the best quality and plenty of plants when you need them. What is the best way to keep a plant constantly in new growth that isn’t growing totally out of control? Can you keep it indoors? Not if it is four feet tall, probably.
What if you can grow a small but mature tree? A Bonsai tree of marijuana?
A Bonsai Cannabis Plant is exactly what you need. Don’t worry if you don’t know anything about cultivating one of these little beauties. This article will set you on the right path to growing and caring for your own Bonsai Cannabis Plant starting today.
How to Begin Starting a Bonsai Cannabis Plant
Choose Your Pot
In order to start a brand new plant, you’ll first want to select your pot. Choose a nice-sized pot that will allow your plant plenty of room for the roots to grow. A plastic pot will be the easiest to work within this case.
Once you’ve got your pot, you’ll want to use a drill to place holes in the sides of your pot. A good idea is to place holes all around the pot, about an inch below the rim of the pot, and space them two inches apart so that you’ve got plenty where you need them.
These holes are necessary for you to run wire or twine through and tie to your plant’s trunk. In this way, you can train it to grow in the direction that you’d like, creating that telltale Bonsai look.
Training the Trunk
As your plant begins to grow, place two sticks in the pot, one on either side of the plant trunk. Gently wrap the stem around the first stick and then the other, forming an ‘s’ shape. When you’ve got it right where you want it, use twine or wire to secure your curved stem to the side of the pot, using the holes that you drilled.
Use caution during this step to:
1) ensure you don’t harm the roots when you place the stakes in the pot, and
2) that you don’t put too much force on the stem when you tie it off. Allow a little flex in the line so the plant can grow.
Pruning
This is very important. Nothing will help your tree take on the characteristics of a Bonsai more so than proper pruning to shape your tree.
As your plant grows, carefully select the branches to be trimmed away and which will remain. Gently trim the excess branches away, cutting them close to the stem with care not to harm the main stem. Only cut new shoots. Cutting the main branch will harm the plant and slow its growth to heal. You don’t want to make this mistake.
Harvesting From Your Plant
When your plant buds, watch the trichomes closely. When they turn white, like milk in color, it’s time to harvest them. Use scissors or plant shears to carefully snip them from the plant. All of your buds will be in the top ⅓ of your tree and you may take this entire third of the tree off the top. We’ll tell you how to recover your bonsai after this step.
Allow the buds to air dry in a safe place where they can’t be disturbed. Once the stem will pull away from the branch, you can put the buds away to cure. The curing process consists of placing them into a glass jar, sealing them tightly, and placing it in a dark, cool, dry place.
Check your curing buds constantly. If there is any sign of condensation inside the jar, open it and allow it to dry completely, and then reseal the jar. Once the buds are half dry with the trichomes being a bit tacky to the touch, you can start to smoke your buds.
Keeping Your Bonsai Alive for Years
Your tiny tree will continue to thrive under your care. Turn your attention back to your Bonsai. The middle of the plant is not the top and will need to be trimmed. Start by removing any and all yellowing leaves.
Leave all the buds that are present on the lower third, the bottom, of your Bonsai Cannabis Tree. It will need these buds to stimulate growth. In order to stimulate this growth period, referred to as a vegetative state, you’ll want to put grow lights over your plants for 18 hours or more. This produces the nitrogen needed to spurt growth.
Reduce the amount of water you’ve been giving the plant. Only water it now when you can see it is dry and the soil is dry to the touch. Your buds will lose their potency with each cultivation, but this process is more about producing a wonderful bonsai plant.
Cloning Your Bonsai
While your buds will lose some of their potency, you can be using the clippings and trimmings from your tree to start new plants. These will be exact replicas of your plant, genetically. Cloning is the best method for maintaining the integrity of a line of marijuana once you feel you’ve got it perfected. Many growers find it more profitable to clone than to plant from seed.
To clone, simply use sterile soil and dip the ends of your cuttings in a plant starter and keep them in water until evidence of shoots appears. Plant these new roots in the fresh soil, leaving some room to add soil as the plant takes root. This will help support the stem and promote strong roots.
The rest is simply a repeat of the above process. You can expect your Bonsai Cannabis Plant to live as long as five years with proper care. It’s a wonderful hobby that also provides you with the cannabis you desire. Be advised to check regulations where you live and make sure that you understand the law and possible repercussions if you are operating outside of the law where you live.