There are very good reasons why you’d want to clone a cannabis plant. Primarily, you want to multiply superior cannabis plants that manifest desirable traits, without having to buy them. These traits might be:
- High yield per flowering period
- Exotic aroma
- Smooth flavor
- Fast flowering time
- Superior potency
- High CBD and/or THC
- Resistance to various pests or molds
The good news is that you can totally preserve these genetic markers by cloning the cannabis plant in your own home. You just need the tools and knowledge to start and maintain the cloning process until the clone reaches maturity.
Can you clone any cannabis plant?
You can, indeed, clone any cannabis plant. Many growers simply resort to cloning their plants instead of buying seeds because it’s cheaper. Much cheaper. However, know that you can only clone a plant during its vegetative stage. That’s the phase between germination and flowering. After the plant develops fan-type leaves, that’s the vegetative phase.
Note: if you still would like to buy your cannabis instead then you can check out BudStars.
Now that you’ve chosen a plant to clone, you’ll need the following tools – cutting tool (scalpel or scissors), starter cube for the plant, and cloning gel. Make sure to disinfect your tools with alcohol, wash your hands, and wear gloves. You don’t want your clone or its mother to develop a bacterial infection during the cutting.
Prepare the rooting gel and medium for when you make the cutting. The clone is very feeble right now, and the outside elements can easily harm it. Then, you should select the plant you want to clone, and decide which cutting you’ll take.
Cutting process and maintenance
After the plant selection and the cutting, make sure to cut at a 45-degree angle below the last node of the cutting. Doing so will help the clone develop roots more rapidly. After taking the cutting, place it in cloning gel or rooting gel, and put it in the chosen medium.
The next step is cutting the bottom leaves of your clone. Leave only the top, fan-like leaves and the tip. If this is your first time cloning plants, we recommend doing it one at a time. Alternatively, dip your clones in non-chlorinated water until you’re ready to place them in their medium.
Finally, place the clone and its medium in a climate-controlled medium where you can micro-manage the humidity level and light intake. For a plant to grow to its full size, it needs plenty of water, so check the humidity levels daily. Also, make sure to remove any dead plants from the dome, or you’ll have a mold to take care of. The ideal growth temperature is somewhere around 23-25°C.
You can clone cannabis plants without using cloning gel, instead of relying on the natural growth of the plant. To do this, after you take the cutting, place it in a container with unchlorinated water. Please make sure the lower leaves aren’t in the water, so trim them accordingly. Then, put the container with the cutting away from direct sunlight.
Check the clone regularly to assess its growth rate. To improve the growth rate, spray the cutting’s leaves with water after cloning it, boosting humidity. You can also add perlite under the cloning tray to retain the moisture in the medium.
Clone transplantation methods
Once the clones have taken root, you need to transplant it. You can do that with a starter cube, soil, or water.
With a starter cube – Soak the cube into acidic water for a few hours (the water needs a pH of about 5.5), then use your cutting tool to make a few holes in the cube. After dipping the clone in rooting gel, place it in one of the holes in the cube. Then, just place the clone in your dome and spray some water on it to maintain its humidity.
With soil – With unfertilized and slightly wet soil and a pot on hand, place the cutting into the soil, after you’ve dipped it in the rooting agent. Make sure the soil can hold the plant in place, place the pot into the dome, and spray it with water.
With water – Dip the clone into the rooting gel, then place it in a container filled with unchlorinated water (a PH of about 5.8). Every 2-3 days, you should change the water, so it doesn’t develop any bacteria.
Cloning your favorite cannabis strains is the best way to always have them on hand, without buying seeds all the time. Moreover, with cloning, you can go one step further and propagate the genetic strains of a particular bud.
