Part 9 — The Zen & Joy of Gardening: How To Make Cannabis Clones
Tags: Cannabis, Gardening, Aeroponics, Cloning, Cannabis Medical

Reprinted From The Monthly How To Grow Newsletter for Home, Craft & Hobby Growers by New England Hydroponics

Part 9 — The Zen & Joy of Gardening: How To Make Cannabis Clones

You Too Can Make Viable Cannabis Clones With A Few Simple Steps & The Right Tools Thomasbowie Follow Dec 21, 2020 · 6 min read

NOTE: This article is intended for people over age 18. It is a guide only. The information presented should not be used for illegal purposes. The reader is responsible for adherence to all legal and regulatory statutes applying to their locale.

Hello & welcome! In this issue of The ZJG™ we discuss the merits of cloning cannabis plants and present an overview how you too can do it with just a few simple steps and the right tools.

The Art Of Making & Planting Cannabis Clones

While many growers start from scratch and use seeds to grow cannabis in states where it’s legal, many also grow from clones: plants that have the same genetic makeup as the “mother” plants from which they are taken.

Cloning works great for soil- or coco-based grows; it can also be done for hydroponics but does requires hydro-specific experience and the right tools for success.

The benefits can be significant:

1. No sexing required. If you’re growing from seed, especially those that come from friends or that haven’t been feminized to produce female plants, it can be a nerve-racking experience to identify and remove male plants in the room or grow tent with your newly flowering females.

The problem is this: most people can’t accurately sex plants before they are moved into the 12/12 flowering cycle, so they must wait and check their plants every day for male “balls.” And, when/if they do show, the male plant must be covered with a bag and very carefully removed so not as to expose your females to any of the pollen in their ball sacks ‑‑ or else say goodbye to any hope for sinsemilla harvests. This really needs to be done fast, so keep an eye out and act fast too.

2. Instead of starting 10 plants with the hope of maybe getting 5 females, you do 10 clones. Done. (Of course, to cover any plant tragedies ‑‑ and they happen to the best of us ‑‑ how many you do is up to you.)

Many options & sizes of starter trays & domes are available.

3. Genetic consistency. The best time to clone is when you know you have a great plant. Not just a great strain, but a healthy robust and potent plant.

Now obviously you must know the sex of the plant from which you’re cloning, so you’re either starting with a cutting from another outstanding clone ‘mother’ you own or using feminized seeds from a professional seed geneticist (also a strategy to get the most from your genetics budget).

4. Your environment and feed schedule can be consistent, as can be your plant training methods. It’s also easier to spot a troubled plant and apply first aid as needed.

5. It saves time. With a clone you get a big head-start on seeds. Once your clone has rooted you have a bon-fide “Tween”, typically 8–12" inches tall with robust nodes, which can save you 3–4 weeks over the same size plant using seeds.

How To Take & Root a Clone Cutting — The Process

Here’s what you will need on hand to create clones:

Aeroponics cloners make short work of the cloning process.

RULE #1 Know the source of your clones. If you don’t you’re putting yourself and your grow environment in jeopardy for pests and other unwelcome issues, including heartache!

Ideally, stop feeding the mother (cutting source) any nitrogen-based fertilizer a few days before taking a cutting. Nitrogen is responsible for leafy growth and you want the cutting to put energy into the root zone.

Step One: chose a strong and healthy stem with at least two nodes (set of leaves) from the ‘mother’ and use sharp clean snippers or scissors — cut just below the third node nearest the plant.

Step Two: using a scalpel or single edge razor blade, cut the stem, ideally through the bottom ( 3rd) node — so you have a fresh cut at 45 degrees.

Step Three: carefully scrape off about ½” of the plant ‘skin’ and immediately dip the stem end into a cloning solution or gel to keep the stem viable.

Step Four (A): place your cutting into a moist root cube in your tray and insert, and cover with the dome; open dome vent at least halfway — typically there are two on the top — to keep a fresh supply of air/carbon dioxide coming into nourish cuttings.

OR

The right lights make all the difference; use LED light strips OR florescent T-5 fixtures for starting clones and throughout the 18 hours ON/6 hours OFF vegetative growth stage.

Step 4 (B) place cutting into the collar of an aeroponics cloner

- Make sure water in cloner is room temperature; cold water can shock plants.

- Add cloning solution to properly pH’d water

- Check your aeroponic set-up every few days to ensure the jets haven’t become clogged with dirt or plant matter.

Step Five: snip lower leaves on cutting stem and cut the tips of the top leaves to help plants uptake water and nutrients.

Step Six: Put on grow lights above dome about 6–12”

Lighting: T-5 Florescent or LED Strip Lights on timer

18 hours ON/6 Hours OFF

Optional/Recommended: mist your cuttings with a spray bottle and water (pH: 5.8–6.6) lightly every couple days.

Transplanting Your Clones

Grow tents made specifically for propagation provide the right environment and a compact package.

Clones are very susceptible to shock and disease — use gloves or very clean hands when you work with or transplant clones.

1. Prepare your pots and soil/coco: use an all-purpose indoor soil that’s not too “hot” — some will even use a seed starter soil but any good organic or natural soil or coco will do.

2. Water soil/coco thoroughly with pH water (5.8–6.5) — do not soak or turn to mud.

Coco users add a 50% dose (i.e.: if bottle says 2 teaspoons per gallon of water, use 1 teaspoon) of a good Cal/Mag; since coco is made from coconut fronds it won’t have calcium and magnesium like most soils. Calcium is the “glue” of cell walls.

Water: if using well water, we recommend using an amino acid to help plants uptake cal/mag. Typically, well water has so much cal/mag that plants lock it out — amino acids enables them to uptake these naturally occurring vital minerals. Do not add more cal/mag with well water if planting in soil — use lightly with coco.

3. Dig out a small hole to fit your plug and place cutting into the hole, fill around soil/coco plug, or aeroponics cutting with healthy white roots. Pack, but do not pack tightly — the goal is all roots are connected to the medium you’re using.

4. Monitor your plant’s growth, keeping in mind the leafy growth above the soil is supported by an equally large root zone.

One of the biggest mistakes new growers make is waiting too long to transplant. When roots become rootbound, it can stunt growth and even shock the plant into becoming a dwarf that will never grow. Give your plants room to spread their wings underground and they’ll pay you back with lush and vibrant growth.

5. Lights: 18/6 — can increase light intensity as plants become more sturdy​​​​​​​

NEED MORE HELP? We’d be glad to send you our Free 12-page booklet (PDF), “How To Grow — Everything You Need To Get Started.” Just email us for your free copy (please allow up to 2 business days for delivery by email).

Prefer seeds? I’ve been very happy with ILGM! My outcomes have been excellent, plus shipping is discreet and rapid, and they happily replace any seeds that do not pop/germinate.

Thomasbowie is a registered MA MMJ card holder and former registered MMJ Caregiver. An educator, home growing advocate and brand marketer, his website is Thomasbowie.com