Urdedpal
New Member
Before we discuss these popular advanced grow methods we will touch on cloning because this is an important part of advanced cultivation. Before you select that special plant that you wish to replicate numerous times via cloning you must first of all grow out a test crop from seed. During the third and forth week of vegetative growth you take cuttings from all the test plants and label each one.
You must not flower any of these cuttings. If any of cuttings get too big to manage then reproduce them by taking further cuttings from each one and labeling them. Continue to grow the test plants and flower them by manipulating the pho-toperiod. At this point you can remove the males and the corresponding male clones because we are only looking for a special female. At the end of the test plants' flowering period you should be able to identify the 'special' mother plant that has done better than all the others. The corresponding cutting that was taken from this 'special' plant is then allowed to grow to its full size. The other cuttings are simply discarded because you will not be using them. In order to ensure that you find a good 'special clone mother' you should try and grow more than twenty plants. Good breeders will test grow as many as 100 or even 1000 plants to find a truly exceptional specimen.
The reason for taking the cuttings before flowering is so that you will not have a bunch of flowering cuttings, which need to be reverted to vegetative growth.* That would be too time-consuming.** If the clone has flowers on it then it can be flowered right away by manipulating the photoperiod. The result is much like a piece of bud on a small stick. Clones carry the same age as the parent plant they where taken from. Not only that but they are sexually mature enough to flower if taken from a flowering plant. If they only had a week to go before flowering then you will have to wait a week before you can flower them. You can flower two-inch clones if they were taken from a plant during the flowering cycle. They will finish when their flowering time is over but the quantity is reduced because the clone was not allowed to grow more node regions during vegetative growth. In short, clones are best if taken from the mother before flowering begins.
A cutting that is taken in the vegetative state allows the grower more control over the plant. That is why you should take lots of cuttings from different plants during the vegetative stage of growth and then later select the clone(s) that came from the special clone mother. You might want to allow the 'special clone mother' to fully flower at the end of the test grow to confirm the plant's potency. The corresponding clone(s), on the other hand, will not have flowered yet because you will have kept the clone(s) in a constant state of vegetative growth under a 24-hour light cycle. It is your job, as the grower, to then take multiple cuttings and grow these multiple clones into a room full of highly potent,' special females'!
You should also keep at least one cutting from this original clone mother elsewhere and in the vegetative growth stage so that you can continue to take cuttings. This clone that is put aside becomes the new 'clone mother' and is the source for all our future clones of this special plant.
The disadvantages of selecting for that special clone is that it takes time to grow the test crop and you need two grow spaces to house your plants. Once you have finished harvesting, you must grow the special clone for three weeks before you take multiple cuttings from her. How many cuttings you take depends on how many clones you want to grow to full maturity next time around. Sometimes you might have to go another round in order to generate enough clones. Clones also share the exact same problems – be it pest resistance, nutrient requirements or genetic disorders. If a problem affects one clone then it will generally affect all the rest just as quickly. The advantage of using clones is that you can have a room full of identical copies of that special plant you really liked. You will not need to prune the plants to keep them in formation. It is possible to produce twice the harvest size of the test grow based on the selection of a clone that yielded more than others did.
For clarity we will list each process step by step.
1. Grow a large test crop.
2. Take cuttings from each plant and label everything.
3. Do not flower the cuttings.
4. Continue to grow the test crop.
5. Remove the males during flowering and their corresponding clones.
6. Select the best female at the end of flowering and her corresponding clone.
7. Grow the new clone mother but do not flower her.
8. Take multiple cuttings from the new clone mother when she has developed lots of branches. You can use pruning techniques to increase branch numbers.
9. Use these clones as your next source of genetics for your following grow.
10. Keep at least one clone aside and do not flower it. It will be. The next clone mother.
Growers like to sometimes swap or buy clones because it prevents them for having to grow a test crop and select a special female. Although this method is certainly less time-consuming it means that you will have to communicate with other growers and this is a security risk. Sometimes medical cannabis clubs offer clones for sale to medical users.
Although any of the advanced growing methods can be done from seed you will not get all the benefits unless you use clones.
You must not flower any of these cuttings. If any of cuttings get too big to manage then reproduce them by taking further cuttings from each one and labeling them. Continue to grow the test plants and flower them by manipulating the pho-toperiod. At this point you can remove the males and the corresponding male clones because we are only looking for a special female. At the end of the test plants' flowering period you should be able to identify the 'special' mother plant that has done better than all the others. The corresponding cutting that was taken from this 'special' plant is then allowed to grow to its full size. The other cuttings are simply discarded because you will not be using them. In order to ensure that you find a good 'special clone mother' you should try and grow more than twenty plants. Good breeders will test grow as many as 100 or even 1000 plants to find a truly exceptional specimen.
The reason for taking the cuttings before flowering is so that you will not have a bunch of flowering cuttings, which need to be reverted to vegetative growth.* That would be too time-consuming.** If the clone has flowers on it then it can be flowered right away by manipulating the photoperiod. The result is much like a piece of bud on a small stick. Clones carry the same age as the parent plant they where taken from. Not only that but they are sexually mature enough to flower if taken from a flowering plant. If they only had a week to go before flowering then you will have to wait a week before you can flower them. You can flower two-inch clones if they were taken from a plant during the flowering cycle. They will finish when their flowering time is over but the quantity is reduced because the clone was not allowed to grow more node regions during vegetative growth. In short, clones are best if taken from the mother before flowering begins.
A cutting that is taken in the vegetative state allows the grower more control over the plant. That is why you should take lots of cuttings from different plants during the vegetative stage of growth and then later select the clone(s) that came from the special clone mother. You might want to allow the 'special clone mother' to fully flower at the end of the test grow to confirm the plant's potency. The corresponding clone(s), on the other hand, will not have flowered yet because you will have kept the clone(s) in a constant state of vegetative growth under a 24-hour light cycle. It is your job, as the grower, to then take multiple cuttings and grow these multiple clones into a room full of highly potent,' special females'!
You should also keep at least one cutting from this original clone mother elsewhere and in the vegetative growth stage so that you can continue to take cuttings. This clone that is put aside becomes the new 'clone mother' and is the source for all our future clones of this special plant.
The disadvantages of selecting for that special clone is that it takes time to grow the test crop and you need two grow spaces to house your plants. Once you have finished harvesting, you must grow the special clone for three weeks before you take multiple cuttings from her. How many cuttings you take depends on how many clones you want to grow to full maturity next time around. Sometimes you might have to go another round in order to generate enough clones. Clones also share the exact same problems – be it pest resistance, nutrient requirements or genetic disorders. If a problem affects one clone then it will generally affect all the rest just as quickly. The advantage of using clones is that you can have a room full of identical copies of that special plant you really liked. You will not need to prune the plants to keep them in formation. It is possible to produce twice the harvest size of the test grow based on the selection of a clone that yielded more than others did.
For clarity we will list each process step by step.
1. Grow a large test crop.
2. Take cuttings from each plant and label everything.
3. Do not flower the cuttings.
4. Continue to grow the test crop.
5. Remove the males during flowering and their corresponding clones.
6. Select the best female at the end of flowering and her corresponding clone.
7. Grow the new clone mother but do not flower her.
8. Take multiple cuttings from the new clone mother when she has developed lots of branches. You can use pruning techniques to increase branch numbers.
9. Use these clones as your next source of genetics for your following grow.
10. Keep at least one clone aside and do not flower it. It will be. The next clone mother.
Growers like to sometimes swap or buy clones because it prevents them for having to grow a test crop and select a special female. Although this method is certainly less time-consuming it means that you will have to communicate with other growers and this is a security risk. Sometimes medical cannabis clubs offer clones for sale to medical users.
Although any of the advanced growing methods can be done from seed you will not get all the benefits unless you use clones.
