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KEEPING A MOTHER PLANT SMALL

i have a super lemon haze plant about 2 months thats getting to big i have about 18 inches and want to keep it there my question is can i cut the top about 2 3 nodes downs at the stalk and clone that to keep it smaller?
 

bens lab

Member
Sure, cutting the main stalk is just topping the plant, a good idea if you would rather have multiple heads that one main cola.

Doing this will cause the auxins (growing hormones) that were at the growing tip (the top) to spread into the sides and make the plant bush out, perfect for mums where you need plenty of growing tips to clone from.

If you keeping pruning the various growing tips you will end up with a lovely little bush. :D
 

VerdantGreen

Genetics Facilitator
Boutique Breeder
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
the smaller the pot you keep it in the smaller the plant will stay. 1 litre or around that is plenty for a bansai mum although they will need watering more regularly - every days or so

V.
 

ItsAllOver

Devil's Advocate
Yea, you can cut the main stalk as long as you leave at least one node from where the plant can grow again.

Shit at the point you're at, I'd take a few clones from your mother and pick the best one of them and replace your current mom with it. You could start training it to be a bonsai mom from the beginning. That's my suggestion.
Peace and yea read that thread posted above. It's a good one
 

Hydro-Soil

Active member
Veteran
I used to keep my mums in 7oz cups of soil (Hence the 'Soil' part of my name). These days they're in 7oz of hydroton, sitting in 20oz cups of hydroton; all cups modded into netcups. They LOVE my E&F tray and I'm trimming in there all the time. :D
 
M

MacGyver420

Yea, you can cut the main stalk as long as you leave at least one node from where the plant can grow again.

Shit at the point you're at, I'd take a few clones from your mother and pick the best one of them and replace your current mom with it. You could start training it to be a bonsai mom from the beginning. That's my suggestion.
Peace and yea read that thread posted above. It's a good one


doesnt a clone of a clone lose vigor though?
 
E

EvilTwin

doesnt a clone of a clone lose vigor though?

It takes many many generations for any genetic drift to occur. I've read a minimum of 25 generations and even then, it's only a chance. Think about some of the "clone only" elite strains Like UK Cheese. Passed along from person to person...cloning from a clone again and again with no problems.

On the clone Momma situation...re-vegged plants can make excellent clone Mommas and are easy to keep small...
ET
 

Chewwy

Member
Heres a pic of one of my mum's,shes 7-8 months old

This cut is way older than 25 gen's,no vigor lost

IMG_2435.jpg
 

habeeb

follow your heart
ICMag Donor
Veteran
doesnt a clone of a clone lose vigor though?

from what I've read of Shanti, he'll say no

it's not really logical to keep a mom around for to long when you can take a cut and start anew.

this is a stoner myth that likes to float around.
 
after taken clones and starting new moms with the cuts your moms will start loosing their traits. keeping a mother for a long time is better because every clone you pull off her is an original. otherwise your taking a clone from a clone from a clone and you get a decrease in trait stability....or so im told.
 

ItsAllOver

Devil's Advocate
Yea, I was just discussing this topic today with some people. I've concluded that the consensus is that it is an urban legend.
In addition, the ganja that I am working with now is easily in the 10th generation, quite possibly further, and I have seen no change whatsoever.
It might happen over a large period of time, but it doesn't seem to have much effect to me. I'll be keeping mothers as long as possible before starting new ones, though, just in case.
 

zenoonez

Active member
Veteran
There is always the chance of genetic drift or random mutations but those are so rare it would be unlikely that you would deal with it. So baring one of those situations your clones should genetically be the same as your mother.
 
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