Why do I always have one or two clones grow unlike the rest?

[THConnoisseur]

ok, so as long as i can remember ive always experienced this problem: in the same flood table (or same soil blend, before i switched to hydro), wit the same nutes, wit the same strain, in the same conditions, i'll have 1 or 2 of my girls not start out as fast as the rest which compromises a number of things like when i choose to flower. i avoid the problem by taking more clones than needed and picking the strongest vegging ones to flower, but why is there always 1 that doesnt veg like the rest? it seems like one always has a problem getting settled and begins to droop and its growth is stunted. HAS ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCED THIS!? what could be possible reasons for this? any suggestions?

thanks dudes!

btw, i got 8" mesh-bottom pots wit hydroton and 4" rw cubes in a flood tray. 400w hps. (pics of this new setup soon to appear in the journals )

 

[RandyL]

I have had that happen. Generally the smaller plants catch up later in flowering, although sometimes they don't. I just try to get the most from each plant.

 

[SnowBender]

cuttings from moms? maybe its due to the differing auxin levels in the branches as you move up and down the plant taking cuts?

 

[THConnoisseur]

yes, all clones are from the same moms. in this particular case i got 4 blue dream cuttings from a dispensary and when i started vegging them all 1 started to wilt and look worse than when i bought it, 1 was growing slow but not drooping, and the 2 others took off growing as they all shoudve... i mean, i dont know how long they sat in the dispensary and if those 1 or 2 experienced more shock than the others for whatever reason but even when i take my own clones and i know theyre fresh and have great roots, the same thing will still happen, which is always why i take more than needed and pick the strongest vegging ones to flower. but should this be expected? do most of you guys experience at least 1 clone acting different??

 

[Tyrone Hamilton]

I've not taken clones too many times, but I can say yes, definitely have had different growth rates and success. All I can surmise is it's easy to shock a plant, and it can take a while to recover. While they are all genetically identical, there are certainly environmental variables that can be almost impossible to completely control outside of a lab setting.

 

[SnowBender]

yes, all clones are from the same moms.

but from branches at different levels, right? there are different levels of growth hormones in the same MJ plant depending on how near the top or bottom the branch/cut is from. (at least thats my understanding)

as an experiment you could try labeling the cuts based on whether they were taken from the top / middle/ bottom and see if that corresponds to lack luster response.

 

[THConnoisseur]

snowbender, i hear you man. i too am under the impression that higher levels of the plants growth hormone auxin are located in the top of the plant as that is where it focuses most of its energy for vertical growth, which is why topping and lst'ing are such great ways to get more out of any garden. in my case however, i havent really thought of it as potentially having a negative effect on my clone success rate but it makes sense now. the very top of the plant will have the most auxin while the lowest branch will have the least amount, so when you try to clone, which is nothing more than forcing the cutting to produce roots, the ones with high auxin levels will continue to focus their energy on vertical growth vs. the lower branches which hardly focus on vertical growth at all. do you get what im sayin? lol sorry, it got a little wordy in there... but for real, im curious if the 2 clones i had act stupid were potentially from the top of the mom while the other 2 vigorous ones were from the bottom... very interesting thanks for the replys dudes!