Growing healthy clone mothers

[MadScience]

I've been growing from locally developed seed for years and I've become rather tired of the whole sexing young plants rigmarole. So I've started experimenting with keeping a healthy set of female plants growing for an extended period of time in vegetative state for clone clippings every three months or so.

I haven't had much luck keeping the mothers healthy though. I'm suffering deficiencies, an occasional reflower problem, and generally a lack of healthy vegetative growth.

I've also noticed that clones tend to stretch far less during the normal veg to flower phase, as a result producing plants that produce less bud.

So I'm curious, is anyone else out there doing the same? What kind of environment do you keep the your clone source plants in? What set up do you use? What kind of nutes?

I have no problems keeping house plants growing for years, so I do not understand why keeping a weed growing over an extended period is so hard.

My current clone mother grow box is really simple - 2x2x4 foot box, good ventilation, a good daylight spectrum cfl on top, light on watering and nutes with an emphasis on N, temps in the box are in good shape. Soil pot, 4 gallons for all plants.

Suggestions / tips / setup suggestions very welcome, I'd really like to make this work.

 

[XobeMan]

Me personally i would not keep a mother plant. I would just clone from the clones Or do monster crop = clone from a flowering plant 2-3 weeks into flower stage.

Take about 15 clones and see what roots well and so forth and then grow em and clone again and do it all over again and again.

Monter Cropping is a bit more detailed then normal cloning. I made a thread about it, just search for Monster Cropping if you chose to do this.

Or

Just nomal clone and do it again and again.. no mother needed.



A Licenced Medicinal Cannabis User

 

[Weaselcracker]

I didn't enjoy keeping mothers when I used to do it. They're constantly getting too large and rootbound and generally suffering from being held back all the time. Now I just take clone cuttings from my plants around the time I put them into flowering. I grow those clones I veg- and, in a couple months, repeat.

I can't really speak to your question of why your mother isn't happy. You'd have to list a bunch more info and some photos for people to be able to start making guesses. Are you sure you have enough light? You mention only one cfl.

 

[MadScience]

hadn't really considered cloning from the current garden each time. I might try that, thanks!

 

[Weaselcracker]

As long as your cloning rates are good then it's totally fine. Once in a while I have rooting issues and then have to hold a plant a bit longer in veg but generally it's been a non-issue. I usually cut two or three and keep the best one, just in case I hit issues. I always have extra in veg and am often tossing out plants.

 

[LiaK]

I've also noticed that clones tend to stretch far less during the normal veg to flower phase, as a result producing plants that produce less bud.

I am on my 1st and 2nd grow, having the luxury of being able to set up two small rooms at different light timing, and I am also curious about this. My plants from clones are thick and bushy but I expected a huge fast growth spurt after switching. And yes, that 1st week I got a good stretch, but not what I expected considering all I read.

Not complaining. I used LST on the girls and and switched at 11 weeks. They started showing distinct buds almost immediately and have 20+colas each.

Anyway, I have a few from seed in veg. Can I really expect a bigger stretch on them? And more product? All other inputs being equal, of course.
Lia.