Must have tools and materials for cloning weed

Growing marijuana is a relatively straightforward task that doesn’t require much outside of providing the basic essential nutrients including a soil medium, lights, and water. However, as you delve a little deeper into more fragile methods of reproduction such as cloning, it’s best to begin equipped a few tools, materials, and factoids to help you out. Here we have gathered a list of tips and tricks that have been combined within easy to follow steps to help make the process of cloning as fast, easy, and painless as possible. There are several products that you will need to find before you start cloning weed, many of which can be altered slightly depending on what you have available.

Tools and materials

• 1 female marijuana plant (that has not begun the flowering stage)
• 1 razor blade
• 1 mister bottle
• 1 bottle of cloning gel
• 1 bottle of cloning powder
• 1 cloning tray (with greenhouse dome)
• 2 small plastic buckets
• compressed peat pellets (Rapid Rooters or Rockwool Cubes will also work)
• 1 fluorescent light fixture and bulb
• water

Instructions for setup

1. Fill one of the small plastic buckets partway with water.
2. Drop the pellets or alternative planting pod into the water to absorb it.
3. Allow the pellets to soak for 10-15 minutes or until they have completely expanded.
4. Remove the pods from the bucket of water by hand and squeeze the excess water out of each one gently enough that you don’t manipulate the shape of the pod.
5. Place the drained pods in lines inside of a cloning tray until you are either satisfied with the number that you have, or it is full.
6. Now you are ready to start cloning weed.

Where to cut

One of the most influential decisions that you will make in this process will be where you ultimately choose to cut to form a clone. This can be done a couple of different ways depending on the effect you are hoping to achieve.

Small clones- Cloning weed is a unique way to create carbon copies of a plant you already know you appreciate the genetics of. In some cases, keeping the plant size to a minimum is the priority. In this case, you should use a sharp, sterile razor blade to cut a branch at a 45-degree angle just above the first bud site. The cutting should have at least three leaves for the best chance of survival.

Large clones- If preserving the genetics of a plant is of the utmost priority than this is likely the best method for you, as it yields the highest success rates and most abundant harvest. To make a large clone, you can choose a branch that contains as many nodes as you wish. Take a longer spindlier branch if you would like to see a long massive single cola and a shorter busier one if you would prefer a larger yield. No matter which one you choose the splice should be made at a 45-degree angle and immediately transplanted.

Rooting cannabis clones

This is where the process seems to pick up the pace and get a bit less nerve wracking. Any sort of rooting compounds will work fine; what is important is that you have both a gel as well as a powder rooting solution. This will give your clones a significant boost that will dramatically increase their odds of forming a root system and establishing themselves into healthy growing marijuana plants. Rooting compounds should be applied immediately after cutting while the opening is fresh.

1. Open the gel rooting compound and place it somewhere easily accessible.
2. Do the same with the rooting powder putting them side by side for a fast and smooth transition.
3. Cut the clones as instructed above at a 45-degree angle.
4. Take the cannabis clone and dip the spliced tip into the gel rooting compound.
5. Now coat the gel with the powder rooting compound by dipping the tip of the plant into the container.
6. Plant into presoaked pods immediately
7. Use a misting bottle to water the freshly cut clone for the first few days to avoid mold growth.

Light and air exposure

When you are cloning weed, it is different than growing marijuana from seed. You will immediately need a light source to feed the babies essential nutrients. You can do this using a regular fluorescent light or a metal Halide Light that is less than 600 watts 12 hours a day for the best results. The greenhouse cover should be left on the cloning tray until the plants no longer comfortably fit underneath it.

Transplanting

During the process of cloning weed, you are taking a section of the plant away from its root system and nutrient source. Now that it has been cut and placed into pods it will require anywhere from 1-2 weeks to fully establish a healthy root system that will be hardy enough to transplant into large more permanent pots.