How to replicate cannabis plants

Why replicate cannabis plants?

Cultivating weed from seeds can be intricate, and initiating from cuttings can be significantly simpler. Cuttings will save you time—they need time to root, but you don’t have to germinate seeds, which will cut down on a month or so of the cultivation cycle.

Cuttings will also save area in your garden. With seeds, you need to cultivate many and determine their gender to recognize and eliminate the males. Additionally, often some seeds don’t germinate. You’ll require extra room for all those seeds, and they might not even become complete plants.

Obtaining a cutting from a plant you already possess is also free. You only need to invest in some materials. However, you can purchase cuttings from a dispensary as well

One of the best aspects of cuttings is they are precise genetic copies of the mother plant from which they were sourced. If you have a specific marijuana plant you appreciate, due to its appearance, aroma, effects, or something else, you can obtain cuttings of it and cultivate it repeatedly.

There is some speculation that cuttings can deteriorate over time based on environmental stressors and other factors, but that is debatable.

What is a cannabis mother organism?

A mother organism is any cannabis plant you take a cutting or snippet off of. Mother organisms should be healthy and robust, as their genetics will transfer onto the cuttings—if you have an unhealthy mother organism, its cuttings will also be unhealthy.

Mother organisms consistently remain in the vegetative phase of growth when cuttings are removed from it. This is crucial because taking cuttings from a flowering weed plant can result in the cutting becoming a hermaphrodite and may also harm the flowering organism.

Some cultivators have dedicated mother organisms only for taking cuttings, but this arrangement occupies a lot of space and materials—you’ll need to maintain the mother organism alive, but you won’t yield any buds from it because it’ll always remain in the vegetative phase. Some cultivators find it difficult to justify dedicating time, energy, and space to organisms that won’t produce buds. If your cultivation space is limited, this might not be the best arrangement.

A common replication method is to take cuttings off of a selection of mother organisms while in the vegetative phase, and then transition the mothers into the flowering phase. The following generation of cuttings can then be cultivated to maturity, and cuttings can be taken from those before they are transitioned into flower. Because cuttings are genetically identical, each generation will be an exact replica of the first-generation mother and all subsequent mothers.

Cannabis mother organisms ensure genetic stability, so each new generation of cuttings taken will exhibit the same taste, aroma, effects, and other attributes. Cannabis cuttings will also generally grow at the same pace as the mother, generate a similar quality product, and grow with the same vigor, enabling you to fine-tune your cultivation procedure and truly understand how to cultivate that specific weed organism.

Cuttings also guarantee that all of your weed organisms are females, so you don’t have to spend time cultivating from seed, determining the genders of organisms, and eliminating males.

How to select a mother organism for cutting

As genetics are identical between a mother and a cutting, it’s crucial to select a quality organism as a mother. A wilting organism, or one that doesn’t produce good buds, won’t serve as a suitable mother.

Cultivators usually seek these characteristics in a mother organism:

• Sturdy, lively growth
• Excellent scents and flavors
• High yields
• Dense trichomes
• Resistant to pests and mold

How to replicate a cannabis organism

What do you need to replicate cannabis?

Replicating cannabis is relatively simple and requires just a few essential items:

• Scissors (for taking cuttings off the mother organism)
• Razor (for refining cuttings)
• Rooting setup (tray/tray-cell insert/dome/root blocks/heat mat, or an automated cloner)
• Rooting hormone

Choose a rooting medium and arrangement

Common rooting mediums include rooting blocks, rockwool, or other non-soil substitutes like peat or foam. Rockwool is melted mineral that has been spun into a fine thread, and it possesses excellent airflow and moisture retention. You can find any of these blocks at most cultivation stores or online.

We don’t recommend placing recently cut cuttings into loose soil. Fragile cuttings require stability and shouldn’t move around, something that can happen easily when watering in loose soil.

If you’re using blocks of any kind, you’ll need to invest in a tray, a tray-cell insert, and a dome. The cuttings will go into the blocks, the blocks into the tray-cells, and all of that sits in a tray which will hold water. To maintain humidity, ensure to use a dome over your tray, and you may also want to consider using a heat mat.

Another replication approach is to use an automated cloner. There is an initial expense for purchasing an automated cloner, but if you plan on replicating a lot, they are worthwhile. Automated cloners reduce the amount of effort needed to tend to cuttings. Using aeroponics, these devices spray the bottoms of your cuttings with nutrient water at set intervals to encourage root formation.

Experiment to see which method works best for you. Whichever technique you choose, make sure your new cuttings receive ample light—preferably18 hours a day—and humidity.

How to replicate in rockwool or root blocks

This is likely the least expensive and simplest way to replicate cannabis organisms. They provide stability to a delicate cutting, and offer a medium for roots to easily initiate.

Simply take a cutting (more below), place it in some rooting hormone, and then insert it into a rockwool or root block. The blocks then go into a tray with water and are covered by a dome to maintain humidity. Once roots sprout, the cutting in the root block can be relocated into a pot with soil.

How to replicate in water

As mentioned above, you can use aeroponics to root your weed cuttings. Take a cutting as you normally would and place them in a cloner, which will spray the base with water at set intervals. Nutrients and rooting hormone are mixed into the water chamber below.

How to take a cutting from a cannabis organism

When selecting a mother organism to replicate from, seek organisms that are healthy, strong, and at least two months into the vegetative cycle. Don’t take a cutting off a plant once it begins flowering.

It’s preferable to take cuttings off of mother organisms that haven’t been fertilized for a few days. This will allow nitrogen to exit the leaves. When you take cuttings, an excess of nitrogen in the foliage and stems will mislead your cuttings into attempting to grow foliage instead of diverting energy to rooting.

Ensure to work in a sterile environment. Use gloves and sanitize razors and scissors.

How to take a cutting:

• Look for branches that are sturdy and strong. You want at least two nodes on the final cutting, so choose a branch that is healthy and long enough. A robust cutting will lead to a robust organism.
• Cut the cutting off the mother, slicing above the node on the mother organism. It’s fine to use scissors here; it may be challenging to get a razor in the center of the mother organism.
• Then, using a razor, slice below the bottom node on the fresh cutting at a45° angle to the branch. This will enhance the surface area of the rooting surface, encouraging quicker growth.
• Place your fresh cutting immediately into a rooting hormone. Then, position it directly into a root block. If utilizing an automated cloner, put a collar around it and place it in the automated cloner; you’ll add rooting hormone to the cloner after all cuttings have been collected.
• Once done taking the cutting, remove unnecessary leaves from the bottom and trim off the tips of the remaining fan leaves on the cutting. This supports photosynthesis, aiding your cuttings in uptaking nutrients and water.

How to relocate your weed cuttings

Check your cuttings daily to ensure they have sufficient water by examining the bottom of the tray or automated cloner. To boost humidity, you can spray water on the foliage with a spray bottle. If any cuttings perish, discard them so they don’t induce mold in the remainder of the cuttings and also to provide the remaining cuttings more space.

Most cuttings will be ready to transplant into soil in3-14 days, but some root out quicker, while others take longer. You’ll know they’re ready when the white roots are an inch or two in length.

When preparing to transplant, ensure to maintain a sterile environment. Transplant shock can occur, so be sure to use gloves when handling cuttings.

To transplant weed cuttings:

• Put soil in your containers first
• Moisten the soil before relocating so soil doesn’t shift around once the cutting is in its new location
• Once the water has drained, carve out a hole1-2 inches deep with two fingers, or just enough to bury all the roots
• Insert the cutting in and gently cover with soil

What to observe when acquiring a marijuana cutting

If you reside in a medical or adult-use state, you’ll be able to obtain cuttings from some local weed shops, but ensure it’s a reputable shop.

Most of the time, these cuttings come from growers who concentrate solely on producing cuttings, but sometimes snippets will come from a third-party source. When acquiring cuttings for your home garden, always inquire with your shop about their origin. If you can’t get a credible answer, find another source.

It’s important to know the source of your cuttings because that’s where issues arise—illnesses, pests, incorrectly labeled genetics, and unknown pesticide residues can accompany a mystery cutting.

Never hesitate to research a dispensary or cultivation facility before acquiring cuttings.

Examine the cannabis cuttings

Not all pests, illnesses, pesticide residues, or genetic indicators will be easy to identify with the naked eye, but give your cuttings a thorough examination before introducing them to your garden. If they appear sickly or feeble, they likely won’t thrive.

Stem thickness

A cutting’s stem thickness is an excellent method to gauge its overall health and vigor. Thin and narrow stems typically indicate the cutting was sourced from a weak or less viable branch. These cuttings may be more susceptible to diseases or death and their root systems may develop slower.

Cannabis pests

Make sure to review all areas of your cutting for the presence of pests. Large pests such as fungus gnats and spider mites can be identified relatively easily.

Examine under each leaf and also inspect the soil medium, as some pests reside there. Certain pests can also leave traces—spider mites leave spots and webbing, while other insects can leave bite marks.

Weed organism illnesses

Numerous illnesses can be challenging to detect in cuttings, but a few visual signs may become apparent early on. A lack of vigor is a significant indicator—check for wilting leaves, irregular or mutated growth, and discoloration.

Powdery mildew (PM) is a very prevalent disease observed on cuttings, and mold spores can transfer to other organisms. Keep an eye out for white powder on stems and leaves.

It’s almost impossible to identify harmful pesticides or fungicides on a cutting. Often, these applications leave no residue and can remain on a plant for the entirety of the plant’s life. If you see any suspicious residue on a cutting, inquire with the grower about their in-house integrated pest management (IPM) and always err on the side of caution.

Clean and isolate your cannabis cuttings

If some cuttings appear fine at the shop and you choose to take them home, be sure to take a few final preventive steps before introducing them to the remainder of your garden.

First, transplant your new weed cuttings into a more permanent vessel and medium. Often the cultivation medium utilized to accommodate fresh cuttings at the shop will differ from what you use. Additionally, pests may be present in its medium when you purchased it—transplanting your cutting to a cleaner area will help mitigate any potential root damage.

Take this opportunity to properly cleanse your cutting with whatever IPM solution you deem appropriate. A popular method for sanitizing new cuttings involves dipping them into a dilute solution of whatever safe and approved pesticide you select.

After your cuttings have been adequately cleansed and transplanted into their new medium, ensure to keep them isolated for a few days to a week. Doing this will protect the rest of your garden if they do develop issues, and you’ll be able to remove them easily.

If they appear healthy after a week or so, feel free to introduce them to the remainder of your garden.

FAQs concerning cannabis replication

How long do cuttings require to grow or root out?

You should see white roots emerge from the bottom of a weed cutting anywhere between3-14 days. After that, the cutting probably won’t take and you need to take another cutting.

Should you trim cuttings?

It can be beneficial to snip the tips off of the fan leaves of a cutting—this reduces the plant material of the cutting so it can focus its energies on producing roots. Be sure to leave some leaf, as the cutting needs to absorb sunlight.

Can you replicate male weed organisms?

Yes. All weed cuttings, male and female, can root and eventually convert into new organisms. Males can be propagated for their pollen and breeding purposes.