Cloning cannabis is a popular technique cultivators use to produce new weed plants. Many novice growers might be familiar with cloning, so what does it entail? Cloning is a procedure that involves cutting a female weed plant and placing it in favorable growing conditions to create its root system. As a result, this process duplicates the genetics of the mother plant.
Many weed breeders have used this method for numerous decades to generate favorite strains for users. Besides increasing yields, cloning guarantees the same quality as the original plant. It is simple, cost-effective, and needs minimal effort compared to growing weed from seeds. Even as a beginner, you can clone cannabis plants with basic gardening skills and the right materials.
Let us explore the advantages and disadvantages of cloning feminized cannabis plants.
What Is Cannabis Cloning?
Before we proceed to the pros and cons, it is imperative to understand the definition of cloning and what it entails. As mentioned above, cloning involves copying the genetics of an original parent to create a new strain. You can clone a plant by cutting a part of the parent and allowing it to grow its own roots. The clone eventually grows into a full-size plant with all the benefits and features of its parent.
You can clone the parent if you want to continue cultivating a specific strain because of its high yields. However, ensure the original plant is healthy and can produce quality clones. It is imperative to note that the parent’s gene remains strong for years, but continuous cloning might affect the plants because of different environmental factors.
Benefits of Cloning Feminized Weed Plants
Cloning weed plants have numerous benefits for growers. Here are some advantages of cloning.
Saves Time
Cloning a weed plant saves time since you will not start the cultivation process from the seeds. Once the clone establishes its root system, it is ready for planting. This approach shaves off some weeks you would waste for the germination stages. Besides, it is also an effective process of maintaining a consistent supply of cannabis plants for a long period, especially if it is a favorite strain many growers love.
Increases Yields
The clones from the feminized plant will portray similar characteristics to the mother plant. Therefore, the clones will always produce more yields compared to the seeds. Besides, if the original plant was easy to cultivate, the clone would equally be simple to grow. Thus, this process is a perfect solution for cultivators who want to produce massive harvests and still enjoy the benefits of the mother plant.
Easy to Manage
It is easier to manage when cultivating a cloned weed plant since you can control the environmental conditions. Maintaining a healthy feminized plant is simple, and you can also harvest earlier than the seed counterpart.
Same Parent Quality
Clones are replicas of the mother plant, thus having similar traits. They produce the same strain, flavor, aroma, and growing behavior. Therefore, you will get the same parent quality if you grow its clone. In addition, growing indoors is also beneficial since the clone will require the same growing environment, like optimal temperatures, humidity, water, nutrients, etc. For this reason, the cloning process is popular in the medical sector. It helps provide patients with the same cannabis quality for a specific strain they use to treat different conditions.
More Feminized Plants and Buds
Cloning a feminized cannabis plant will produce more female plants and will help growers identify the sex of their weed plants easily. These clones automatically become females. Moreover, unlike growing from seeds, such plants produce more buds, translating to massive yields during harvest time.
Disadvantages of Cloning Feminized Weed Plants
Even with numerous benefits, cloning also has its downsides. Below are the common issues with cloning cannabis:
Bad Timing
Beginners might not know the right time to take a clone from the plant. Taking clones earlier or later than three or four weeks might result in unhealthy plants. So, it is vital to understand the timing to avoid cloning mistakes. Besides, ensure you clone your cannabis plants only during the vegetative stage.
Too Many Clones
Taking too many clones from the mother plant will generate unhealthy plants. So, you need to cut the necessary clones to prevent producing bad plants.
Picking an Unhealthy Mother Plant
As stated above, clones replicate the characteristics of the mother plant. Thus, picking unhealthy plants will translate into unhealthy clones.
Weak Roots
Some clones might produce weak roots if planted on the wrong medium. Ensure you research extensively to know the appropriate growing medium for your clones. In addition, having a medium without drainage might result in an unsuccessful growing process.
Poor Conditions
Placing your clones in poor growing conditions will result in a weak root system. Proper lighting, temperatures, water, and nutrients are required to produce healthy plants.
Requirements for Cloning Cannabis
Another great benefit of cloning feminized weed plants is that the process is simple and requires only a few things. Let us explore the requirements to jumpstart the cloning process.
To clone a healthy weed plant, you’ll need the following supplies:
- Healthy mother plant. Cloning primarily aims to create an identical strain of the original plant. To achieve this, you should select the mother plant keenly. Besides having the desired traits, ensure it is robust and healthy for great results.
- Sharp blade. You need a sharp razor blade when cutting the part of the plant you will use for cloning. The cut should be very clean to avoid breaking the branch. Crushed branches will prevent the roots from growing effectively.
- Water. Once you cut the branch for cloning, you must dip it in water immediately to keep it moist. The clone will also need water after transplanting. Water is essential since it helps the clone establish and sustain a strong rooting system in the growing medium in the initial growing phase.
- Growing medium. You must have a medium to grow your clone after cutting. It can be a pot with soil or any other medium supporting the clone’s growth.
- Nutrients. Ensure the medium has the required nutrients for growth. These clones are cannabis plants that need sufficient nutrients to promote successful growth.
Furthermore, many growers also purchase a rooting hormone to support the effective growth of roots. Once you get the above requirements, you can start the cloning process.
How to Clone Weed Plants?
Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can clone your weed plants:
#1: Plant Selection
Select a healthy weed plant that has already been growing for several months.
#2: Plant Preparation
Cut the section of the branch – one or two inches, and ensure the top bud is undamaged.
#3: Rooting
Take the cutting and place it in a growing medium. Cover the bud properly under the medium’s surface.
#4: Watering
Make sure you regularly water your clones to prevent drying. Sufficient water will sustain the plant and promote successful growth. The roots will appear after a few weeks, indicating that the clones are ready to be transplanted.
#5: Transplanting
Finally, transplant the clones into larger containers or pots to allow room for proper growth. You can either choose to grow your cannabis clone indoors or outdoors, depending on your growing preference.
Tips to Clone Weed Plants Successfully
Below are insightful tips to help you clone your cannabis plants successfully:
- Ensure you take the cuttings from the plant at the right time. The recommended time is during the vegetative phase.
- Pick the right part of a healthy cannabis plant to clone.
- Don’t rush the process of cloning. Be patient and wait for the roots to grow since it can take one to three weeks.
- Make sure you select the right growing medium that will promote proper root growth.
Conclusion
When cloning feminized weed plants, choosing a healthy mother plant is vital. Wilted plants may produce weak or bad clones. So, go for a plant with strong traits, is disease-resistant, and has delightful flavors and aromas. Also, choose a plant with dense trichomes that has the potential to produce massive yields. Once you understand the cloning process, you will enjoy the benefits and generate great results.
However, if you are a beginner and find cloning challenging, you can purchase female marijuana seeds on AskGrowers and still get better results. Cloning is best suited for experienced growers who have done it several times.
This article is a creation of Lana Braslavska, a cannabis expert with diverse skills and experience. She is a competent writer in the cloning niche and composes insightful articles for growers in the industry. Lana is dedicated and shares effective cannabis growing techniques for a global audience.