When you started planting weed as a hobby, did you think you will fall in love with it? We’re sure you tried it for fun, but if you’re wondering how to clone a weed plant and get more identical ones, it’s not too difficult either.
So, if you’re looking to expand on your weed garden, you don’t need to buy new ones. Cloning Cannabis needs a few simple hacks, and we will share all of that in this post.
We will also unearth some common yet essential myths about weed plantation and how cloning marijuana can improve its quality and traits.So, sit back and enjoy your complete guide to creating weed clones at home.
Why Cloning Marijuana Plants is Common
Whether it’s for personal use or commercial purpose, weed-growers are adamant on how to grow marijuana clones. This practice is becoming familiar with time as we often see weed hobbyists turning into serious growers.
Of course, there must be some benefits of cloning cannabis. Here is how it benefits and why it’s so common nowadays.
Create Exact Copies
With cloning, you can create carbon copies of your existing marijuana plants. The newly created clones share the exact genetics, which helps them grow in the same pattern as the original plants.
Therefore, you can pick the best samples from your garden to make the best weed clones. Hence, it expands your weed farm and helps maintain the consistency of the weed quality.
Because you know the mother plant well, you can safely predict the scent, quality, potency, and taste.
Efficient than Germinating
Germination has its advantages, but when you compare it with cloning, it’s much slower. Generally, it can save up to a month because seeds take time to sprout while the clones have the head start in this regard.
Cloning weed is also space-efficient. With seeds, you need more space for proper growth because you will need more female plants. With seeds, the gender isn’t sure at the start, so you plant more of them.
Also, germination requires sexing plants once they start budding. It takes more time and effort than making weed clones.
Cost-friendly
You can cut costs on seeds and invest in cloning supplies. You can also invest in a cloning machine, but it’s a one-time investment. So, cloning is relatively cheap in the longer run, making it ideal for the commercial farming of marijuana plants.
Convenience
Thanks to cloning supplies, the process becomes much more straightforward, and you don’t have to worry about the mess. If you don’t like dirtying your hands, you must go for weed clones.
It’s also convenient to manage the plant because they grow from where they left the parent. So, they don’t need special care after they clone.
The Ideal Cannabis Mother Plant
At the time of cloning, the original species is a critical player. It’s also called the Mother plant.
Because the weed clones will depend on the mother plant, you must carefully pick and choose the right one.
The last thing you want is weak or sick clones, so your efforts will go wasted.
While picking the mother plant, here are some practical considerations:
Avoid Making Hermaphrodites
Make sure that the mother plant has not reached the flowering stage. If you cut from a flowering plant, the weed clones are likely to become hermaphrodites.
Such plants have both sexual organs, and they aren’t as profitable as the females.
Your best bet is to pick a mother plant in its vegetative growth period.
Dedicate Healthy Mother Plants
One of the best practices is to dedicate your best plants for cloning. As a grower, it is essential to identify the healthiest Marijuana plants. You don’t yield their crops but keep them to take cuttings for your next batch of clones.
Such dedicated plants don’t produce buds. Often, they become a problem when you don’t have much-growing space because it compromises productivity.
Generation of Mothers
The alternative to dedicated mothers is preparing a generation of clones. So, you can make a batch from a set of mother plants and then leave them for flowering. Once your new clones grow big enough, you can use them for the next generation of clones.
This technique not only maintains genetic consistency but also helps expand your weed farm at a rapid speed.
Focus on Plant Traits
Choosing a healthy mother plant is the first requirement for a clone batch. Additionally, expert growers look for the following traits to get the best yield in their clones:
- The flowering time should be less
- It must taste smooth, bold, and sweet
- Good weed has an intense aroma
- The height must be manageable
- Should be resistant to pathogens and pest
How to Clone Marijuana Plants
Now that we have picked our mother plant, it’s time to start the cloning process. You don’t need to be an expert to get your clones. This method is best for beginners because it’s technical and straightforward enough to get you your first batch of weed clones.
Prepare Your Equipment
Cloning weed requires a set of equipment and essential organic material. For a smooth, cloning process, you will need the following items:
- Clean Razor, Scalpel, or scissors
- Cloning powder
- Bleach wipes
- Mild growing lights
- Starter cubes
- Mother plant in the vegetative cycle
- Permanent markers
- Plastic cups
- Duct Tape
In addition to equipment, some essential compounds make your job easier with more chances of success.
- pH meter
- 99% Isopropyl Alcohol disinfectant for cleaning tools
- Water
- Sterile Gloves
- Grow journal
Prepare the Rooting Medium
The rooting medium will provide the virtual environment for the clone roots. Therefore, you must be careful in selecting the right one. As a rule of thumb, any rooting medium should be well aerated. Secondly, it must retain moisture so that the roots get enough nutrients during the early growth stages.
Experts recommend using Rockwool cubes. These cubes come from molten rocks with a threadlike design, so they are good at moisture retention and ventilation. Place the cubes in a plastic tray with a dome to retain humidity and moisture.
You can also use a cloning machine or an auto cloner. These machines reduce the labor that goes into cloning. They are ideal for larger cloning jobs, so cloning machines will be a great buy if you plan to develop weed gardens.
Clean the Tools
For a perfect clone, you need clean equipment. It’s like preparing for surgery. Do not touch the plant with bare hands. Use sterile gloves and clean all your tools before cutting the plant. It’s best to use rubbing alcohol to clean the razors and scissors.
If you don’t clean, the clone and the mother will be at risk of catching a bacterial infection so that it can ruin your plants.
Prep the Cloning Gel
To give your clones the best chance to develop roots, you will need a rooting or cloning gel. The solution provides better opportunities to the freshly cut stems.
To prepare the rooting gel, moisten the gel slightly. You mustn’t overdo it because it will take away the gel’s essential nutrition. These gels work best when damp, so add slight dampness. Overdamped gels will rot, and your clones will be of no use.
Apply the damped gel to the rooting medium. You should do it before cutting the branches. Why? You will find out soon.
Cutting the Mother Plant
While cutting, it’s essential to work in a sterile environment. That’s why we asked you to clean before. As you cut, excessive nitrogen in the stems and leaves force the clones to grow more vegetation. So, some of the energy goes to waste.
Now, it’s time to cut. Pick a healthy branch that is strong and has at least two nodes. Understandably, it will be longer and will have better chances of growing stronger. It’s best to search for the bottom branches as they receive lesser light. So, their buds will be smaller too.
How to Cut
Just below the node, make a cut at an angle of 45 degrees. The idea behind an angular cut is to provide maximum space for rooting. The more the roots, the quicker your weed plant will grow. When you have the cuttings of weed clones, it’s time to act fast.
Dip and Stick
You cannot leave the freshly cut clones exposed to the environment for too long. So, dip the newly cut ends of the clones into the cloning gel. Remember that we have already applied some of the gel to the rooting medium too.
Now, place the clones in the rooting medium. This process must be quick to reduce any risks of rotting.
Refine the Fresh Clones
When the clones stick securely in their places, you can remove the bottom leaves from them. It is best to leave only the top fan leaves and the tip intact. You can remove the rest of the leaves and trim off the leaves for enhanced photosynthesis.
It will improve nutrient uptake, reduce evaporation, and enhance water retention in the roots. Expert growers can perform this exercise with multiple clones at a time. However, for beginners, it is best to focus on one clone at a time.
The Cloning Dome
After trimming, the clones are ready to go under the dome. The dome retains humidity giving an enhanced growing environment to the clones. Retained humidity lets the leaves absorb more water, which is critical for their growth.
Lighting Cycle
After placing in the dome, your plants should get an 18/6 lighting cycle. Use a fluorescent lamp but make sure to use soft lighting.
Keep Regular Checks
The primary practice about how to clone a plant of any type is regular checking. Monitor plant health, water levels, pH levels, etc., to ensure that your plants grow healthy and handsome.
You can also use chlorinated water to spray on the leaves. If you see any rotten clones, remove them immediately to prevent the growth of pests or molds.
Transplanting the Clones
In about two weeks, your clones should be ready for transplanting. In some cases, it can take longer too. As a rule of thumb, when the roots start protruding from the rooting medium, it’s time to shift them to soil for transplantation.
When you’re transplanting, follow these steps to complete the process of weed cloning:
- Fill your pots with soil
- Moisten the soil so that it’s firm once the clone sits in it
- Drain the excess water from the soil
- Dig a cavity up to two inches deep. It can be deeper, depending on the root size of the clones
- Place the clones in the hole and gently rearrange the soil until the clone sits steadily in its place.
Once you have placed the clone in the soil pot, the process of cloning is complete. It’s time to perceive them as proper weed plants because the transaction is complete.
Cloning in Water
If you’re wondering how to clone marijuana in water, we will see that here in this section. Surprisingly, cloning in water is much easier than in other mediums. It’s the cheapest way to get more clones.
Take your cuttings from the mother plant. Make sure to cut at a 45-degree angle just like before. Now, take some tap water in a cup and place the clone cutting inside the water. Make sure to remove the matured leaves from the stalk first.
Place the cup in indirect light and prepare for the transplant in about three weeks period.
Cloning in Soil
Another way to clone weed is to use soil as a rooting medium. Like you did earlier, cut and dip the stalks in water and then in the rooting gel. However, instead of placing the stalks in the Rockwell cubes, you will put them in the best soil for weed.
Make sure that the soil is well moistened. It’s best to use soil without nutrients because too much nutrient can damage the newly cut clones.
Some Drawbacks of Cloning Weed
Although weed cloning is a lot of fun, there are always some downsides. Having seen how to clone marijuana, it’s also worth finding out the cons:
- Cloning can be slightly expensive
- You need a mother plant, so you cannot clone if you don’t have a weed plant
- Because marijuana still faces legal issues, it is often difficult to find these plants in the market. So, cloning becomes difficult.
- Cloning requires careful checking on the mother plants, so it’s slightly laborious than germination.
Wrapping Up with the Weed Clones
Cloning marijuana plants is not at all difficult. If you ever wondered how to clone a plant, the technique is very similar to what we saw in this post.
Because cloning pot plants is a thing now, you will see some cool gadgets that make the job even simpler. These supplies aren’t too expensive and prevent messy prepping for new plants. Essentially, there is no reason why you shouldn’t give it a go.
Cloning weed has many advantages over germination too. So, if you want better and faster yields, it’s the right way to go. Now that you know how to clone a weed plant, it’s worth a try. Who knows, you might be the next weed tycoon in your locality and beyond.