Sometimes we just have a perfect plant or a perfect strain and rather than starting again we just want another round of the same. This way you can not only have more of the same plant, but you know exactly how your crop is going to go. You can also use clones as a control group to try out new growing methods and see if it improves the plants or not. Cloning may seem like an intense process only for horticultural experts but it is surprisingly easy, even for beginners.
What is a clone?
A clone is an exact replica of a plant that is created through a cutting of the original. It is a branch taken from a living plant that will then grow into a new plant. It will copy the makeup of the original or mother plant.
Cuttings are usually around 6 inches long and you will encourage root growth before planting the new plant in soil or a pot.
Picking a mother plant?
Choosing the mother plant is important. She needs to be the strongest, healthiest and best-yielding plant of the bunch. If you are going to clone there is no use in creating a copy of a sub-par plant. Make sure the mother is still in the vegetative stage when you take the clipping. If you do it during the flowering stage the following plant may be hermaphroditic and not capable of producing the same buds. The mother actually won’t produce buds as once you start taking cutting she will stay in the vegetative stage. However, you will need to keep her alive and healthy for as long as you want to keep cloning from her. Of course, if you want the mother to flower you can force her to flower with the correct light pattern. Then you can take another cutting from the clone and so on.
How do you clone a plant?
What you will need:
- A rooting hormone
- Scissors
- A razor
- A rooting setup
Choosing a setup and a medium:
This bit is vital if you want the cloning to be successful. Many people will use regular grow mediums such as rock wool, peat, foam, rooting cubes or other non-soil mediums. Most gardening shops will sell rooting cubes which are one of the most popular. Rock wool also allows for amazing circulation and absorption to stop the roots from rotting before they’ve had a chance to grow.
Cubes will need a few extra bits and pieces such as a tray, a dome and a tray-cell insert. The tray is to hold the water that the cell insert and the cube will sit in. The dome ensures the air isn’t too dry for the budding new plant. In fact, many feel it wise to use a heat mat as well in the early stages. This method tends to be the simplest and most cost-effective way to get your clones to take root.
The other option is an auto-cloner, which as you may have guessed can be a bit pricier. However, for those who are planning on doing a significant amount of cloning it can be a pretty great investment. What these guys do is spray the roots at intervals with nutrient solution. This just means the roots are far more likely to grow healthily in the air and the clones will almost always take. It cuts down on labour and time if you are working with a large number of new clones.
New clones will need plenty of light and humidity to keep them alive, healthy and growing their roots.
Taking a cutting:
This is obviously the most important part of cloning a plant. If you don’t do the cutting right you can damage the original plant while not managing to create a clone.
First, we choose the mother as we discussed earlier, making sure she is healthy and has not yet started flowering. It can also be a good idea to keep her off the fertiliser for a few days to ensure there is plenty of nitrogen in her leaves. Always make sure to keep everything clean and sterile. Wounding a plan is similar to wounding a human. If anything nasty gets into the open cut it could get infected and kill the plant.
Look for the sturdiest and healthiest branches that have a minimum of two nodes. If the branch is too short it won’t be of much use to you. Cut above a node closest to the mother plant with some sharp scissors, then finish the cut below with a sharp razor. The cleaner the cut the better the cutting will begin to grow again.
Put the cutting directly into a rooting hormone before the opening has time to start healing over. Then transfer it to whichever medium you are using or into your auto-cloner. Make sure the cutting doesn’t have too many unnecessary leaves or anything else that may divert energy away from developing roots.
Transplanting
Keep a constant eye on your clones to make sure they are developing well. Plenty of food and water is essential at this point, but be careful not to overdo it. Keep spraying your clones with water, if you have more than one just watch out for any that may be dying or dead. If a dead clone sits with the rest it could cause mold or disease.
After about two weeks the roots should be around an inch or two in length and will be ready for transplanting. Keep the area around the plant clean and use gloves or you may kill the clone before you can plant it. Place your medium of choice into a pot, push a hole deep enough for the roots with your finger, pop the clone in and cover the base over with your medium.
Once your new clone is planted just keep an eye on it and make sure the roots are taking up all the nutrients and water that it needs to grow. After a little while, it will be clear from the new growth and leaves that the clone has taken root. And voila, a brand new version of the mother plant.
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