Cloning Stable Strength

[HigherTheHigh]

Hello all so I'm about to start my first pheno hunt to try find the best contender however I don't want that many clones every round so my question is, if I cloned the clone every time instead of having a mother plant around trying to control height ect how long will the pheno properly last?

What I mean is I've read partially that cloning the clone over an over doesn't stay strong after the second to third clone generation and wondered how true this was, the genetics are known to be very stable and strong.

Any help would be great, I just don't want to have a mother plant that's 10ft tall and only taking 2-6 clones each time.

 

[bobrown14]

This is how its done.. Keeping a mother is a pita. Plus she gets root bound and nasty looking.

You gotta keep your cloning equipment CLEAN.

Viruses and bacteria have the ability to change RNA in the cuts from the cuts over time changing your genetics slightly.

Its NOT genetic drift (Whatever that is) its just usually bacteria they flip a few genetic switches and the strain begins to change. Sometimes for the better so there's that.

If you want to keep the cuts as they are - then clean clean clean like super clean clean.

 

[Weaselcracker]

I think you start to see a bit of a decline in vigour over time. It depends also how you treat the plant. I’ve got one pheno that is over five years old now cloning and recloning. It’s maybe more prone to issues than it used to be, but always was a bit of a prima donna from the start. Anyway she still grows the best dope I have.

I think mainly the loss of vigor over time is from plants picking up biological problems as the years go by. Root diseases and fungal issues that become entrenched and passed on with each cutting. I don’t think you have much to worry about for a long time. I actually find that mother plants are more prone to issues. Keeping one plant alive in a pot forever isn’t that easy either and it gets at least as many issues over time.

 

[HigherTheHigh]

Thank you that's all great info to know, yes cleaning is my fortay when it comes to growing so when I do plan on starting to take cuts I'll use new disposable scalpuls along with other clean new equipment.

So what my plan was taking the tops of each plants as clones then take clones from those once they root that I'm not lumbered with having a huge mother growing out of control.

I'm only running it probably at most 5 grows so the mother plant plus 4 clones each after each generation however if I find a great pheno ill try and hold on for them a while.

So as for taking clones ill be taking clones from each plant so will using the same Aero Cloner at the same time also offer problems in the future?

I do try and keep every nice and clean however the tents sit on carpeted floors so the chance of dust is always that option however when I take my cuts I'm planning on bag and seal the plants inside the tent and take them to my my new clean room I've had built then start taking clones in there where there is minimum percent of contamination and dust, after I've taken clones ill rebag them and bring them back in or keep them in the clean room until they have roots.

I also only use bottled water too if that also helps against bacteria.

 

[Southerncough]

You can totally run a motherless flip! I usually take a few cuttings 2 weeks before flip and once I feel confident about their survival I flip the mom.

 

[HigherTheHigh]

I was looking at doing them at the first day of Flower just so it gives them a good 2 weeks to Flower and then only 6-7 weeks veg rather than 9 weeks veg from roots but I have also been looking at doing tissue culture at the same time but this is an all new thing to me so I've got a good 4 weeks for you all to teach me lol.

 

[Southerncough]

Wow tissue culture is some serious stuff! I would recommend getting your clone game down first before investing in a lab LOL
Well, what we lay folks call "cloning " isn't really cloning, just propagating more plants from cuttings which is where previous pathogens get carried along with them.
It'd be like if you cut a finger off a pirate with syphilis and scurvy coursing through his veins and grew a new body from it, you would have a 2nd diseased pirate LMAO vs if you took a DNA sample and replicated it on a microscopic level you would have a pirate with a healthy body (except for any genetic disorders in his DNA).
This clean slate is what happens in tissue culture but only seems to be feasible on a large scale due to the knowledge and equipment needed. Also, if you're looking for a fast turnaround you're going to want to start with something larger than a tissue sample to run with.
I wish i had enough confidence in my "cloning" skills to take cuttings at flip but i don't so i usually make myself wait until I know the cuttings are rooted and are healthy in case i screwed up need to take more.
Best of luck!