How old should plants be to survive harvesting?

[Majormojo]

Every time I harvest my buds all of my plants die but I have seen marijuana plants that were as big as trees and I'm sure they have been harvested many, many times. So my question is, has anyone figured out how old the plants must be, or how large their trunks should be, or any other way to know whether or not they will survive a flowering and harvest?

I want to get a few mature plants and bud and harvest them again and again instead of having to grow a new crop of plants every time or cloning existing plants.

Thanks!

 

[Squeeks]

Cannabis is an annual plant. That means it is only good for one season in nature. Cannabis has been known to vegetate a second time after a harvest but that requires resetting the environmental conditions and tricking the plant. That can not be done outside of an artificial environment. The plants you see in pictures are not multi-season. Those trees are grown in environments (climates) that can support that phenomenal growth as well as localized genetics that have changed to maximize under those conditions. I have revegetated plants before and it is a lengthy process that is not really worth it unless you are gonna lose that phenotype and that is the only option. I have experienced some weird mutations after the reveg so it is something that strains the plant.

 

[iwltfum]

I've heard of people blooming plants multiple times, but cannabis naturally wants to die and spread it's seeds every year in the fall, so multiple harvests off of a plant is not a commonly practiced technique. Most of the big plants you see are just giant plant with great growing conditions and a long growing season. Generally, they will only be harvested once and they were either started by seed or clone.

 

[VladimirPutin]

All of this information so far sounds legit.
The sativa marijuana tree can veg for 9 months and flower for 3, then a new plant starts the cycle for the next year. Amazing

IF you want to "harvest" the same plant over and over again, the closest you can get is cloning your plant before you turn to 12/12

Vlad

 

[oiuhdfukg]

Re-vegging is definitely possible but it's not something I've ever tried. Do a search and you'll find some really good info on it. I've heard of people re-vegging/re-harvesting the same plant indefinitely, like years.

 

[Tead]

I do fairly frequent re-vegging. I've been trying to keep 3 strains going in my garden using cloning. When I have an accident and kill off some clones, sometimes I have to reveg to keep the DNA going.

First... it's extremely simple. Just put your baby back under 24hr light and she'll begin the process of revegging.
You'll get some weird growth while it shifts gears. Lots of weird single fingered curly leaves. After a while, she'll return to full veg.
You can grow her out an harvest her again.
There are a few issues.
The 'changing gears' time can be touchy. Feed very lightly during this period. There's not much growth going and she doesn't need much food.
After she grows out, you will have a lot of mess to clean up. You don't want the old buds hanging around and rotting. Be sure to manicure it aggressively. This is why I generally try to avoid it. You will end up with an oddly shaped plant.
Your medium can get kinda crappy over the extended grow. Depending on your medium, this can be an issue.

Can you do it... Oh hell yes. Anyone can, and it's super easy.
Should you do it.... depends on the situation. I do it for a specific reason but would generally avoid it if possible. Cloning is better for many reasons.