How to cycle with a mother plant and a spring shutdown?

[TheFertilizer]

I have this really nice ATF cut I want to keep growing, and I am not sure how to plan out the cloning/cutting of it. I have to shutter my indoor around late-spring because the summer months are too hot and I switch to outdoors. Add to that, my place doesn't have great electricity, so I can't run any more light than a 315 CMH, a T5 and two house-hold LEDs.

I figure I can basically model it after my latest cycle with it. It wasn't perfect by any means, but I definitely got a feel for how this cut grows.

This is how I kept this alive for most of the flowering period (94 days). That light is just 2 very low-wattage house-hold LEDs.

IMG_20181015_075217.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Oct 15, 2018

(1 month later)

IMG_20181115_131037.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Nov 15, 2018

Eventually I up-potted it once it started looking too rough, and it responded well and took off growing despite the low light and it being root-bound.

(1.5 month after previous pic)

IMG_20181230_144216449.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Dec 30, 2018

This is it today. It has improved significantly, but obviously still struggling.

(1 month after previous pic)

IMG_20190129_173753217.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Jan 29, 2019

IMG_20190129_173749500.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Jan 29, 2019

IMG_20190129_173718628.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Jan 29, 2019

IMG_20190129_173712842.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Jan 29, 2019

IMG_20190129_173706639.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Jan 29, 2019

So that makes this mother about 3.5 months old already.

Here's a quick time-lapse of how the cycle went with this cut. I accidentally let their mother go into bloom a little too long before cloning, so they took a bit of time to get going. Once they did they just exploded. (Note the timestamps)

IMG_20180914_133738.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Sep 14, 2018

IMG_20180915_140044.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Sep 15, 2018

IMG_20180920_131547.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Sep 20, 2018

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• TheFertilizer
• Oct 20, 2018

IMG_20181115_130840.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Nov 15, 2018

IMG_20181224_144053417_HDR.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Dec 24, 2018

IMG_20190113_132352284_HDR.jpg

• TheFertilizer
• Jan 13, 2019

I had intended to do a SOG style, with 1-1.5 foot tall plants, but they just took off on me and so I had to use my T5 for side-lighting to light up the under-canopy, and that's why I was left lighting the clone with the little house-hold LEDs. Well, that might have turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to my grow, because I harvested more this time around than I ever have. On the other hand, if I use the T5 for side-lighting again, all I'll have to sustain a clone with in veg is the two house-hold LEDs.

I'm thinking that I should take the clones off the outdoor a little sooner so the clones aren't in such rough shape and they don't take as long to re-veg, but honestly I don't necessarily want it to be as fast as possible. Starting them when I did, about mid-September, was the best thing for me because by that time the summer temps had started dropping off. Not that those little LEDs added much heat.

On the other hand, I really only wanted them to get about half as tall as they did, so I have to figure out how to time the transition to flower better. I'm thinking about just starting them in 12/12 basically as soon as I notice nodes growing.

By my estimate I should have switched them to 12/12 essentially as soon as I put them into the 3 gallon pots. I didn't get to it until they were already a foot tall, and they blew up the tent. Had to supercrop them to keep them out of the light even at its highest.


However despite the last cycle's run, I've yet to see how this plant's clones actually do, so I'm not sure about this plan. Given that this plant is already 3.5 months old, and not in terrific shape, should I expect the clones from THIS mother to perform the same way the clones from the outdoor plant? Or should I try to nurse this out to better health before I take cuts off it?

 

[TorturedSoul]

I have this really nice ATF cut I want to keep growing, and I am not sure how to plan out the cloning/cutting of it. I have to shutter my indoor around late-spring because the summer months are too hot and I switch to outdoors. Add to that, my place doesn't have great electricity, so I can't run any more light than a 315 CMH, a T5 and two house-hold LEDs.

I figure I can basically model it after my latest cycle with it. It wasn't perfect by any means, but I definitely got a feel for how this cut grows.

This is how I kept this alive for most of the flowering period (94 days). That light is just 2 very low-wattage house-hold LEDs.

You're worried about keeping a mother plant alive, cheaply, while you're not actively "using" it? You can do so - and for over a year (I know this for sure) - in a little 6-ounce Styrofoam coffee cup sitting on top of your medicine cabinet, illuminated only by the pair of low-wattage CFL lights screwed into the fixture directly above it (assuming you leave it turned on for a large portion of every day, or just never turn it off). But, yeah, that's got some degree of risk attached to it. Therefore:

Stick it (or a cutting from it) into a small but reasonable-sized container of the usual soil/perlite mix. Place it under (close to) a low-wattage bulb or two, CFL or LED. Close enough not to stretch, low enough wattage that it won't "take off," on a schedule to prevent flowering (I wouldn't try any fancy schedule with your all-important mother plant, go traditional 18 hours per day - which is another reason to use low-wattage bulbs). And then... <SHRUGS> Just treat it like a houseplant, lol. When it grows, trim it (yes, it is acceptable to chop the cuttings up and throw them onto your compost pile if you don't need to root any at the time ). Once or twice a year, instead of transplanting it into a larger container, just carefully take it out of its current container, grab a knife or other handy cutting tool, and cut a portion of the soil away all around and on the bottom. Then pour fresh soil/perlite mix into the same container to compensate for the amount you cut from the bottom of the soil/rootball, set the plant back into its container, and fill in all around the container wall(s) with your soil mix. Remember to trim back extra on this occasion, to match the percentage of the root system that you just removed! Place it back under the low-wattage bulbs. Remember to water it when it looks really thirsty and, if you absolutely must, give it a dose of nutrients now and then. But much of the nutrients should come in "bulk" each time you replace a portion of the soil, and you're not exactly pushing the plant into high-performance mode.

A little while before you expect to require a new batch of cuttings from it, give it a proper feed and stick it under the "real" lights. As you will have been trimming it the entire time to keep it small, it'll probably respond to the light/nutrition by quickly producing lots of clone-fodder. Afterwards, give it the ol' army haircut and stick it back under the "stasis lighting."

Unless you need a bunch of cuttings in the near future, there's no real reason to have a large bushy mother plant. Really, IMHO, one should consider that size of plant to be counterproductive. If you're worried (or just sensible about insurance, precautions, etc.), make two. Feel free to "refresh" as/when you desire, or to do that with one whilst keeping the "original" beside it.

Given that this plant is already 3.5 months old, and not in terrific shape, should I expect the clones from THIS mother to perform the same way the clones from the outdoor plant? Or should I try to nurse this out to better health before I take cuts off it?

Technically, it doesn't really make any difference. You're talking damaged plant, not damaged chromosomes, lol. The only concern is: Will any cuttings you take now be healthy enough to survive long enough to root? Most likely, the answer is yes (especially if "Mom" has recently received a light dose of nitrogen). But if you're concerned, go ahead and nurse on her (err... I mean nurse her) for a bit. I'd probably still take a cutting or three now, though, because if I was concerned about the mother plant's health... Insurance .

 

[TheFertilizer]

You're worried about keeping a mother plant alive, cheaply, while you're not actively "using" it? You can do so - and for over a year (I know this for sure) - in a little 6-ounce Styrofoam coffee cup sitting on top of your medicine cabinet, illuminated only by the pair of low-wattage CFL lights screwed into the fixture directly above it (assuming you leave it turned on for a large portion of every day, or just never turn it off). But, yeah, that's got some degree of risk attached to it. Therefore:

Stick it (or a cutting from it) into a small but reasonable-sized container of the usual soil/perlite mix. Place it under (close to) a low-wattage bulb or two, CFL or LED. Close enough not to stretch, low enough wattage that it won't "take off," on a schedule to prevent flowering (I wouldn't try any fancy schedule with your all-important mother plant, go traditional 18 hours per day - which is another reason to use low-wattage bulbs). And then... <SHRUGS> Just treat it like a houseplant, lol. When it grows, trim it (yes, it is acceptable to chop the cuttings up and throw them onto your compost pile if you don't need to root any at the time ). Once or twice a year, instead of transplanting it into a larger container, just carefully take it out of its current container, grab a knife or other handy cutting tool, and cut a portion of the soil away all around and on the bottom. Then pour fresh soil/perlite mix into the same container to compensate for the amount you cut from the bottom of the soil/rootball, set the plant back into its container, and fill in all around the container wall(s) with your soil mix. Remember to trim back extra on this occasion, to match the percentage of the root system that you just removed! Place it back under the low-wattage bulbs. Remember to water it when it looks really thirsty and, if you absolutely must, give it a dose of nutrients now and then. But much of the nutrients should come in "bulk" each time you replace a portion of the soil, and you're not exactly pushing the plant into high-performance mode.

A little while before you expect to require a new batch of cuttings from it, give it a proper feed and stick it under the "real" lights. As you will have been trimming it the entire time to keep it small, it'll probably respond to the light/nutrition by quickly producing lots of clone-fodder. Afterwards, give it the ol' army haircut and stick it back under the "stasis lighting."

Unless you need a bunch of cuttings in the near future, there's no real reason to have a large bushy mother plant. Really, IMHO, one should consider that size of plant to be counterproductive. If you're worried (or just sensible about insurance, precautions, etc.), make two. Feel free to "refresh" as/when you desire, or to do that with one whilst keeping the "original" beside it.



Technically, it doesn't really make any difference. You're talking damaged plant, not damaged chromosomes, lol. The only concern is: Will any cuttings you take now be healthy enough to survive long enough to root? Most likely, the answer is yes (especially if "Mom" has recently received a light dose of nitrogen). But if you're concerned, go ahead and nurse on her (err... I mean nurse her) for a bit. I'd probably still take a cutting or three now, though, because if I was concerned about the mother plant's health... Insurance .

So is the secret trimming it every now and then? I kept this in very low light and it just kept growing and getting root bound.

I just noticed the roots are now coming out of the bottom of the top pot and going down into the second... So it looks like it's already outgrown that pot.

I think I have enough branches to try a lot of clones and hope some pull through, so I guess I will just do that and keep a couple tiny ones rather than try to bet on getting the mom better. Especially since I think her problem is in the root zone, clones would develop their own and be fine.