Bringing a plant outside to restore lost vigor?

[Moe Funk]

I have a cutting I recently got back from someone I gifted her to a while back. Grown her out three times now and she seems to have lost something. It's possible that she didn't turn out as good because it was a bit hot in my room over the summer and I know this particular girl likes cooler temps, but I grew her for years before and still remember her turning out better even in the summer. The friend I gave her to is not the best grower and I know she's been sick more than once in his hands, was re-vegged twice, and takes a clone from a clone, so I've been wondering lately if maybe she's lost a little something after going through all of that.

I remember reading somewhere a while ago, I think it was an article I read maybe from DJ Short or Shanti, about bringing a plant outside for a while and then taking a cut, and somehow being outside in nature would restore vigor and health back to the plant. Anyone know of this? or can point me to the article it was in? Having a hard time finding it.

 

[Betterhaff]

Shanti wrote an article for Weed World years ago called “Alive and Kicking”…do a search for it.

However the most essential part of keeping a strain(s) going for many years in great health will be this single feature. Mother and father plants used to clone from and to maintain the genetics from are usually grown under artificial lights. To manage the fitness and health of the strain it is essential to cut a clone from the old mother/fathers, root them and grow them under natural sunlight for a period of about 1-2 months then bring them or a clone of them back inside to take over from the old parents as new mother/father plants. This single aspect of growing the plant outside for part of the year will ensure the new parent plants that the clones come from will be virile and strong, instilling a certain level of fitness in the strain. Repeat this year after year and the strain will out live you! My plant library exists since decades this way and they show no sign of deterioration, nor does a single clone coming from them!

If you find something worth to nurture for the future, make sure the mother/father/clone room is clean and hygienic, and the air is flowing well inside, exhausted well and one time of the year (preferable summer) that the plants get to grow in natural sunlight for a time…this will guarantee all you can do to preserve a strain for longevity. One strain grown and cloned in a one lamp room over many years can reach a lot of different people, growers and parts of the world that most people will never have thought possible. Not to mention it creates a consistent and reliable product that people can count on. Cannabis grown with care grows into medicine somewhere!

 

[Mate Dave]

I have had cuttings from people who to be fair should give up growing as it just pure horticultural torture.

Plants in general just need some love and care and they bounce back bountifully.

I have many old cuttings that have never seen the sun in 10 years they still perform incredibly and produce outstanding cannabis.

To think that they need something different is a bit insane.

Only take cuttings from vegging plants in full health.

Look 2 shantibaba's posts here at IC mag that is where you will find the article you desire.

In all honesty the better at growing you become the better your cuttings are, that then increases the quality of your cannabis.

The problem with sticking them outside is if you forget about them you end up with the differentiating into flower.

 

[idiit]

up-pot to larger container, add 50/50 dolomite lime/pure calcitic lime and a dose of sea-crop has done well for me several times.

 

[Moe Funk]

Thanks for the tips. The only reason I ask is just because I've read that taking them outside can rehabilitate them. Maybe something about getting the full spectrum of light or something. That is definitely the article thanks betterhaff. This strain in particular I know likes it in the 70's and doesn't do as well in the summer indoors unless you can really keep the temps ideal. This current run is really gonna be the test now that it's nice and cool.

I'm wondering though if anyone has had that experience with a cut, where if it goes through stress enough times it just doesn't come out the way it used to. This girl still grows just fine so by all appearances she looks normal, but ends up with buds that aren't as greasy or frosty, or stinky as they should.

 

[Betterhaff]

There is something to be said about sunlight and what it can do to revitalize a plant. Unfortunately it’s not the easiest thing to do because of legalities (at least here). I’ve put cuttings outdoors from plants that weren’t in the best shape and it did wonders. Even putting them in a window with south east exposure can help.

I do most of my growing outdoors so my indoor set up is more for propagation and maintaining stock. I’m not using high intensity lighting but I’ve had some of my plants for years.

 

[TedNugget]

You have to watch for pests if you were to bring a plant outside and bring cuts back into your room. I've never tried takin a plant outdoor to revitalize it, so I have no idea if it'd work. If you have the proper conditions inside your grow room, I don't see a whole lot of benefit to be had though. If you do bring cuts back inside from outdoor, I'd suggest mixing up some neem oil in a bucket and taking the entire cut and dunk it upside down into the neem/water mix to hopefully get rid of any pests.

Taking clones of clones won't really cause any problems as long as the plant you take the clones from is healthy. If your friend was taking cutting off unhealthy plants, that could cause the lack of vigor.
I have had certain plants that were never the same after going thru a re-veg also. I didn't try growing them out for generations or anything though. I just kind of gave up on them so I don't know if they can be eventually brought back to their original luster or not. The taste & smell of the finished flowers was still ok, but just not as rich as it once was.

 

[Piff Rhys Jones]

Shanti is right this technique works wonders. I've done this recently and can vouch for its effectiveness. I rooted a batch of clones and took half outside each day during the summer and left half indoors. The outdoor batch were noticeably more vigorous and larger after a few weeks.

As others have said plants can be kept healthy under artificial light, but as lamps can never truly replicate the sun's spectrum and intensity, I think there'll always be a benefit to giving the plants some time outside.

Peace

 

[VerdantGreen]

i did this with an OGKA cut that i was finding almost impossible to root. 3 weeks +

i put a plant in the greenhouse for a couple of weeks, it grew for a while and then got completely eaten by a slug. literally it ate all the leaves ad even nibbled the tiny sidebranch buds at the leaf axils. i thought it was a goner, bought it indoors and left it in the back of my grow cab. amazingly after a couple of weeks it started growing. the first cuttings i took off it a few weeks later took only 1 week to root!
VG

 

[kg beans]

yes ,if youve had motherstock under artifical lights for a few years they do seem to loose vigour .Ive always used this method to restore vigour to old cuts!,tbh i thought it was common knowledge/common sense to do so!!! seeing as plants evolved under the sun rather than HIDs!!

 

[stoned-trout]

haven't had that problem...

 

[Mate Dave]

keeping fresh healthy plants is the key to success. Say you put them outdoors in a glasshouse, and the light is poor quality, it will not benefit the plants.

I too have had plants I have tried this outdoor technique with but didn't notice the difference enough to warrant using it in my rotations so I kept the originals.

I have still got my original mother plants I have some copies too

 

[Moe Funk]

Thanks for all the tips and sharing your experience with this. I've heard enough to make me want to do this with my most prized cuttings this coming season. Any other comments are welcome I'd love to hear more from anyone who's tried this or understands and can share knowledge on how/why it works.

 

[habeeb]

think it's all mental game.. look at CDM bulbs, pretty nice spectrum...

anyways, if you want something to bounce back, treat is badly.. as in cut all fan leaves, leave a couple small shoots and then take the root system and cut it up ( basically bonsai it ) in a week it will bounce back and you'll get a healthier plant with nice side shoots to work from

another option is kill the clone.. move on.. nature didn't make clones ( I know people are going to argue, but even if a plant clones itself say a branch falls on the dirt, it's going to die over winter.. ) so if we want to go the whole sun speech, you need to let the clone go. move on and I guarantee you will find something equivalent or better.. or keep to the same old safety.. release and that's where you find freedom, not holding

 

[oceangrownkush]

Make sure your clone selection is on point.. Don't just take 1-2 cuttings even if thats all you need, take 50 and keep only the best plant as a mother to take new cuts from. I can also attest to outdoors vegetative cycles producing the healthiest clones I've personally taken. A blue dream plant was vegging outdoors supplemented by hanging CFLs. The wind took a few branches that should have been supported better, and sat outside for the better part of a day, didn't see them until afternoon... The shoots were half wilted. Took the branches upstairs to the kitchen, chopped em into 25 cuttings and put them in a glass of water in the fridge.. Over night they had perked up, made new slices and popped em in the cloner and the plants performed better than ever in mine and a friends garden.

I think the pest problem of outdoors is often exaggerated, you won't get most of the pests that might be devastating indoors like mites.. The problem is sidestepped by taking fresh cuts from outdoor plants, rinsing them in 10% bleach solution and rooting them up.. The bleach rinses off any pests, the sunlight breathes new life into the genetics...