Take a clone then flower or...?

[srenre]

Two questions that are almost exactly the same with the same four choices to answer.

Which is better from unknown seed?
Which is faster to learn sex?

1. Wait until they are mature enough to clone. Then SUCCESSFULLY (first timer here) produce a clone then flower the clones and kill the males and Daddy.

2. Wait until they are mature enough to clone. Then SUCCESSFULLY (just a reminder...first timer here) produce a clone and then flower the parent plant and kill the males and their clones. Use the female clones as new mothers.

3. Wait until they show preflowers in veg. Then kill the males and make clones of the fems.

4. Another idea that you thought I should consider.


I am a long way from actually making this decision but I like to be prepared. This is my first grow that is more than just "practice and throw it away" but still considered a test.

Things you will want to know before answering!

Soil and tap water. Mix of cheap new soil, some used soil mixed in with fresh worm castings. I have no idea what the PH of my tapwater is but my previous grows (and veggies started inside) were fine with straight from the tap.

I plan to use the plain water cloning method. A cutting, a cup, some water. I have some 2 year old rooting powder which probably won't work anymore but I can use that straight into soil.

Since this is an unknown bagseed I have no idea about the sex or even the type of plant.

 

[bendoslendo]

Any of your 3 ideas will work. Personally I use option 1. Option 3 isn't a terrible idea if you have enough room to veg until you see preflowers. 2 is a bit risky if you don't catch it early you risk pollination. Make sure your clone is rooted and growing before flowering your moms if you do go that way.

And label your shit, then label it a again. Then draw a labeled diagram labeled well. Make sure not to lose your diagram, maybe keep it next to your label gun.

 

[apep]

Hi srenre, all options will work though it can be hard to tell with preflowers sometimes.

What i like to do is get my plants to grow branches as fast as possible by topping or bending, whichever I feel like then take the cuttings, root them, then flower. I like to keep the original plant as my mother. Usually can take cuts about week 3 then 7-10 days to root, and then how ever long it takes em to show sex.
Ive heard you could take cuts and put them in water under 12/12 and they will show sex but have never tried it.

You could also flower your seedlings then switch them back to veg. cycle, to identify sex.
Hope this helps.

 

[srenre]

So #3 is pretty much out because of time. #1 and #2 (plus #4) are still in there though, so...

Either of these ideas will work, but which...

From your experience which is fastest to show sex?

 

[apep]

Either #1 or #2 there both pretty much the same. One thing you must learn with growing, Patience. However #1 will give you more cuttings faster as the plants are bigger.

 

[microgram]

1-2' worth of veg will tell you what sex they are. Not always necessarily the fastest though.

 

[srenre]

Well it looks like I will try both #1 and #2!

I thought one seed had died so I put another one in that cup and now they are both growing. I don't want to separate them at this point because I doubt either would make it.

So I'll put the double plants in a big pot once they look stronger and lst to keep them kinda separate.

Once they are big enough I will try to clone. Once I have rooted a clone with LOTS OF GOOD LABELS (Good tip!) from each plant I can put the combo plant into 12/12 while their clones veg. and hope that at least one of the parents is fem.

With the single plants I will stick with #1 as it seems the safest.

Thanks for the input! Once I try both I will know the answers to my own questions! I hope to return the favor

 

[supermanlives]

i like to flower the mom and keep the clone

 

[BadRabbit]

So #3 is pretty much out because of time. #1 and #2 (plus #4) are still in there though, so...

Either of these ideas will work, but which...

From your experience which is fastest to show sex?

Um, I'd say #3 not only works, I've been using it the last 10 plus years and it's worked great, every time. (yes, 1 and 2 will work too, but #3 has always seemed a lot simpler to me)

In fact, I always take clones, whether I'm sorting/sexing seedlings or just proprogating an established genetic 2 to 4 weeks into flowering - 3 weeks is ideal ... much longer and you'll have a little bit of extra time as the clones must "re-veg". But not really a noticable delay or problem.

Has worked perfect .... Including just a few weeks ago with a batch of SSH ...

best,
rabbit

 

[Warped1]

i like to flower the mom and keep the clone

So you take clones from a flowering mom and use one of those for a future mother plant? I thought about trying that myself. I was wondering if taking clones from a flowering plant could cause it to hermie?

 

[srenre]

Um, I'd say #3 not only works, I've been using it the last 10 plus years and it's worked great, every time. (yes, 1 and 2 will work too, but #3 has always seemed a lot simpler to me)

In fact, I always take clones, whether I'm sorting/sexing seedlings or just proprogating an established genetic 2 to 4 weeks into flowering - 3 weeks is ideal ... much longer and you'll have a little bit of extra time as the clones must "re-veg". But not really a noticable delay or problem.

Has worked perfect .... Including just a few weeks ago with a batch of SSH ...

best,
rabbit

I agree that seems like the easy route but would take much longer from what I understand. With a little luck I am wrong and they show preflowers early so I can go with that and just skip the science experiment on that plant.

I just might have enough to try all three ways and see which works best.

Of course I want the fastest way but it also needs to work. It won't matter if it is the fastest if I just end up with dead immature plants.

Your way may end up the best for me! My sprouts will need to get a little bigger before I really know what I am working with.

 

[PointofNoReturn]

Which plant is better suited to beeing a motherplant, the orginal seedplant or clones of it?

 

[junior_grower]

The method I use is put all seeds under 12/12 till the start to show, cull males, through gals back under 24/0 and they will revert to veg very quickly and your now left with only the gals

 

[habeeb]

3.

don't bee fooled from books, just wait till they show sex, and if stubborn, lowering the light cycle helps

 

[BoomBoom]

my vote is for 1

 

[srenre]

OK so it looks like I have more plants than I meant to have. (I was able to separate the double and now I have another pair in a cup) This has become too many plants. I don't want to just kill them, they are tests waiting to happen! These will be my sacrificial lambs!


I will put a few of them under 12/12 once transplanted. They will be too young to show sex but it should happen early compared to the vegging idea. Of course I will cull any males. Now this will have to be #4!

So this brings more questions! Lets just say only one is female.

I have seen a million posts of people revegging successfully and just as many ... not so good. Cloning during flowering... same. Unfortunately these posts do not give me an average. People post these things because they are special, not because it is the thing they always do. So questions... (we will use letters for this one)

A. Reveg the plant and keep it as a mother THEN wait until it recovers to take clones.
B. Leave the plant in 12/12 but take cuttings as soon as it shows sex and reveg the clones. Keep the best as the mother and flower the rest if any along with the mother.
C. Leave the plant in 12/12 but take cuttings as soon as it shows sex and reveg the mother but flower the clones.

 

[ThePizzaMan]

i like to flower the mom and keep the clone

right....take the clone..then flower the mother to determine sex. Either way...you get the ball rolling.

 

[supermanlives]

my thoughts are. with all the veg time, flowering the mom will give you a higher yield as opposed to flowering a freshly rooted clone. unless your gonna do a sog then go ahead and flower the clone