Mother/Cloning Question

[green guy]

When taking clones is it ok or advisable to make a clone out of the top growing point on the mother? I avoided doing that in my first round of clones and mother is doing great. Too great, as I'm running out of head room for her. I will be taking 22 clones from her next, she can easily supply that, but don't want to set her back if taking the very top growth is bad.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Producer]

The first step is to prepare the mother for the process. It is important to ensure that the mother plant is healthy, in the vegetative stage of life, and that nitrogen levels are low. Ensure this by holding off fertilizing with anything at all for five or six days prior to the procedure and spraying her leaves with plain water the day before. By not fertilizing the plant you’re reducing the amount of nutrients stored in her leaves, and by spraying her with water, you’re leeching the immediately available nitrogen from her. If a clone has excess nitrogen stored in the leaves, it will use up its energy trying to continue to grow vegetation instead of developing roots.

Older, lower clones on the plant have less Nitrogen in them.
This is where you will get the biggest rate of success with your clones.

But personally...Just cut yourself a whole bunch extra.
If you want to keep 22, cut 30.
Keep the best looking ones and toss the rest.

 

[grnmountainboy]

i always cut 2 for every one i want to keep. this allows me to pick the healthiest ones of the bunch, and if they are all keepers then you got a few extra to share with friends.

 

[Happy Daze]

I've managed to clone the top of a mother just for the sake of it, I'd recommend topping your mother for two reasons...
Firstly the height issue you mentioned already plus once topped your mother will start to give you a lot more clones as it bushes out wide

Hope this helps

 

[DrCALIGREENTHUM]

^^hes got it right i was gonna say you should def top your mothers for height issues
and cloning the top branch's are generally speaking a little harder to root and take longer than if you were to take a clone towards the bottom where there fresh n thin
always take extra as well you'll be much more happier when it happens

 

[green guy]

Thanks. Good advice from all that replied. I already do take double. My cloner holds 22 and I want to be able to move 10 to pre-veg. I run the ppm on the mother around 1900 so the advice to cut back prior was new and likely prudent. I have noticed it takes about 15 days to get roots and root growth seems slower than others report.

 

[Producer]

Ya my first few clones took around 15 days also, but I also wasn't cutting back any on my nutes. Allot of growers just give their mothers straight PH'd water. No nutes at all.
But by reducing the amount of nutrients and spraying her with water an hour or so before you get ready to take your clones, it should make a noticeable difference for you.