Rejuvenation, Vigour&Hybrid Vigour , Maintaining good Health...

[TastyTrichomes]

Hi all,

I was hoping for some advice.
Ive got some strains that seems to be doing ok, but if i think about it , they seem to be loosing vigour. they still makes the same tasty buds, but they seem to be smaller, and not so 'bursting with life' like they used to .

1/ How can i Rejuvenate her??

Ive read somewhere about putting a plant out in natural sunlight helps? Will have to wait till next summer to be able to do that.

2/ Is this due to taking clones of clones , rather than keeping 1 plant of her genetics as a mum? Also noticed her clones have started to push out single or 3finger leaves, rather than carrying on with more fingers, like she used to.

3/ Also, if I keep a seed as a mum plant, will that help in maintaining vigour? (hybrid vigour from seed?) is this a better way of keeping a mum, or does clones from clones really make any difference?

Is there anyway to help her return to more optimal health, and how she used to perform? maybe help return to a 'hybrid vigour' state, if im understanding plant genetics?
If this is due to 'plant vigour' of the f1s, then how do people keep clone-only cuts so healthy for so many years?

I dont really understand seed making and breeding, and everytime i try and read into it, i seem to get lost in all the diagrams and explanations of f1s and s1s and all these terms. seems to go wayyy over my head.

Thanks for reading. Any information for me, a dummy, is greatly appreciated.

 

[Coughie]

The genetics are hard-wired.
In the same way that your old classic car wont become a Rolls Royce the next time you go start it up - it is what it is. But has it had its oil changed? Tires rotated? Does it have gas? If you dont take care of it, it wont run very well.

The genetics are still the same.
But it sounds like you've lost the healthiness of the plant.

It needs some love.
I dont know what sort of way you grow, but I grow with organic soil and this has happened to me before - the 3-finger and 1-finger leaves - and it comes from a lack of nutrition. I dont know which nutrient is responsible, but when I put that plant into better soil, a few weeks later it had rebounded and was pushing out fresh leaves with 5-fingers +

When it comes to clones; I see a lot of folks taking clones from the sides / bottom of the plant. They think "I'm gonna lollypop this plant, and take clones at the same time - look how efficient I am!"... But in my experience, the best place to take clones from is the top of the plant. While the genetics are hard-wired (genotype), the expression of those genetics (phenotype), or 'what you actually see,' can drift.

For example:
If you have a 100% indica that grows in a single column with fat-fingered leaves, and for several years you take clones from the lower, weaker, side branches that are shaded out from those large leaves... when you could be taking clones as if you were topping the plant, clones that are receiving better light, have a more natural growth structure to their node spacing..

With the shaded side branches, after some years, you could end up with something more spindly, leaves that arent as fat-fingered, and overall growth that isn't as vigorous as it once was.

Some plants phenotypically 'drift' worse than others.
This is why I find it important to take more clones than you need, and to destroy any clones that dont exhibit all the same traits that the mother plant has.

Just my 2 cents
Hope it helps

 

[St. Phatty]

3/ Also, if I keep a seed as a mum plant, will that help in maintaining vigour? (hybrid vigour from seed?) is this a better way of keeping a mum, or does clones from clones really make any difference?

When I moved a few years ago I thought I had a mum plant that was exceptional.

But I made the mistake of being cheap with bulbs.

AND it has taken me a few years in the new house to get the ventilation up to snuff.

That favorite mother paid the price.


In my case, part of the adaptation was learning ... new house gets cold ... got to adapt my light cycle to keep the plants warm

with good light.

 

[CosmicCharlie]

Good points Coughie.

I'd let the clones veg for a bit until they bounce back and start putting out 5-7 fingered leaves again.

Plants will usually throw 1-3 fingered leaves when they have been stressed too much, and you shouldn't flower a plant that shows signs of stress or you could see some senescence in them and a reduction in flower size and potency.

Give your plants time to heal after taking clones.

 

[TastyTrichomes]

thanks for the posts people. much appreciated.

When i take cuts, i wait till the plant is stress free, and looking as healthy as possible. Its only after they root , do they start lowering their fingers down to 3 or single leafs.

I did notice slowed down growth quite recently, but then remembered the guy who passed me the bulbs told me to get a new set after a crop. Think i done 2-3 crops since then. lol
Changed the light recently, so will see if that helps on next round of snips.

Any other hints n tips, to help relieve stress or return some vigour to them?

Thanks again for the help.