By Nickolaus J. Sanchez
When you first start gardening, germinating seeds and cloning plants
can be very discouraging. Whether your seeds aren’t popping or
your clones aren’t rooting, either can be frustrating. However, with
the proper technique you should be a pro in no time!
One of the first things to note is that cannabis
is a dioecious plant, meaning it
contains only a male or female plant. The
male produces the pollen and the female
produces the seed. Of course, the
female will only produce her seed if she is
pollenated by the male. As patients, we
want the female plant because the flower
is what produces the medicine. For the
highest quality flower we want what they
call, “sinsemilla” flowers, meaning “without
seeds.” Absolutely NO males allowed. This is
a women’s den!
So which one do you start with the clone
or the seed? Let me explain.
Clones
A clone is a genetically identical cutting
from a ‘mother’ plant. All offspring will be
the same as the mother they were cut
from because the clones are identical
to their mothers, this means they have a
100% chance of being female. This will
save stress and labor for you because you
won’t have to constantly check for males
that will pollenate your room. ??Also, considering
that the cuts are from a matured,
developed plants, this will set you a couple
weeks in advance?? However, like everything
there are also disadvantages to
using clones. For instance, because you
are cutting from another plant that could
have health issues this increases the chances of getting pests and pathogens. Additionally,
when you first start growing, finding clones can be difficult considering you do not
have a mother to begin the process. If you have a mother to clone, the recipe below
will explain how to clone the mother:
How To Clone
Tools Needed:
Clone Solution
Razor Blade
Sanitized Gloves
Clone Dome
Purified Water
Rock Wool Cubes
Mother Plant
Spray Bottle
Start by wearing gloves and sanitizing all tools and the work station to decrease your
chances of getting pests or pathogens. Next, sit your rock wool cubes in the water. The
rock wool is what your clone will sit in after it’s cut. Once all the rock wool cubes are nice
and wet, not soaked, it’s time to choose a healthy mother plant to cut. Remember she is
going to supply your whole crop so she should be as healthy as possible.
Now that your work area is prepped you are ready to cut your clones. When cutting the
clones remember to cut at a 45 degree angle to create a point in the stem. I suggest
taking from the top of the plant (the newest growth) because they are less prone to
pests and pathogens. The cut should be at least 5″ tall. Once you have taken your cut,
clean off all growth with the razor until you have only two nodes (sections of growth)
left at the top. From here simply dip your cut into your choice of clone solution and then
gently place the stem in the pre-poked hole of the rock wool cube about 1″-2″ deep.
Lastly, place your finished cutting into the clone dome. Before you seal the dome be
sure to spray the tray, lid, and plants with purified water to create a humid environment.
An adequate humidity is approximately 60%-80% with a temperature of 80 degrees. This
will promote fast root development within 7-10 days. Be sure to spray everyday at least
twice a day and check cubes for moisture. After clones have fully rooted, you can now
plant your clones into your choice of soil and start growing.
Seeds
These days the average grower will use clones for convenience but if done properly,
growing from seed can have a great number of advantages. One of the biggest advantages
in using seeds is that they have a primary root called taproot, which makes
them more vigorous growers. This can result in a healthier plant with a higher yield. Another
advantage to using seeds over clones is that it is more natural to the plant itself
because cannabis is an annual plant (grows for only one season) so it’s just simply not genetically engineered to have such a prolonged life like clones. Just like the clones,
seeds have their fair share of disadvantages as well. For example, because you don’t
have any growth to start with, like the clones, you don’t have a jumpstart. Also, if you
don’t purchase feminized seeds (99% female dominant) 50% of your plants will be males.
Not only will you have wasted half of your money but this also means you will have to
rummage through and and kill all males. Below is a recipe and instructions on how to
germinate your seed.
How to Germinate
Tools Needed:
-Seeds
-Paper towels
-Purified Water
-Two Paper Plates
-Gloves
Start with sanitizing all tools and work station to decrease you chance of pests or pathogens.
Once your work area is sanitized, you will want to overlap two paper towels, fold
them down three times and then open them back up. Now, place the seeds, separated,
in the middle of the two overlapped, unfolded, paper towels and then fold them
back up. Be sure the seeds don’t fall out. After your seeds are nice and secure, it’s time
to wet the paper towels and seeds with the purified water. The paper towels should be
wet but not dripping. Lastly, place the wet paper towels on one of the paper plates
and place the other plate on top, upside down to create a dark dome. Store plates in a
dark, room temperature area. After 2-4 days your seeds should have a baby white tale
