cloning questions...

I prefer taking flowering cuttings.


I haven't taken a clone during veg, in probably the last 10 - 13 years.



They tend to root very quickly and effortlessly when in early bloom, and for me personally, it provides a better cycle
for my rotation than I'd have if I took them too early.


(If I take my cuttings too early during bloom, or especially during the current crops veg cycle, those cuts would become much
too large to put into the bloom rooms, by the time the current crop was harvested. A three or so week veg cycle keeps me
from having 9 foot plants in a 9.5 foot room.


The benefit to cutting from the previous crop, rather than taking cuts from a normal mother, is that it's nice not wasting
space, lights and feed on a series of perpetually vegging mother plants.
That, and it puts the shaded lower branches from the current crop to better use by turning them into entirely new plants,
and their absence directs more overall energy to the upper regions of the current plant, where those lowest branches
were shaded and had no longer been pulling their weight as efficiently. )



But best of all, when taking flowering cuttings, you benefit from the branching hormones, triggered during bloom..
when bud begins to form in bloom, where vegetative growth would otherwise take place, the branch nodes tighten and
multiply into what we see as bud, or clusters of flowers.
When that reverses, you can have ten, twelve or more new branch nodes forming from roughly the same point, at each
section where flowers had previously formed, allowing you to yield even more, even faster, and if needed with more head-
space:


Turning a cutting into this, in two weeks or less... in another week or so she's put into flowering (indoors), and with
adequate lighting, by harvest they're between 6' - 8'.




A younger 'Red Crown' Widow cut, taken much later in bloom, already growing new branches (six or seven days
from being cut and put into a 20/4 cycle)...




If you haven't already removed them earlier on when pruning, a few 10" - 15" lowest-most branches that may
only have small or whispy buds, are ideal for dividing and cutting into 3 - 5 clones. When pruning and cleaning up the
base, I always keep in mind to leave a few behind for cuttings, later on.

For instance, this is the sister of the above plant, taken from a lower point of the same branch...




Those last two were taken just before the harvest, so it's certainly possible and just about as easy, but taking cuttings at
20 - 25 days 12/12 usually allows for the fastest turn around; they are more easily reverted back to a vegetative state
at this time, than if the cuttings are taken any later, or during the harvest. In conjunction with a very dialed-in
environment, flowering cuttings can provide the below results in a 11 - 12 week growth cycle, counting from cutting,
to harvest.


A nug from the upper left-middle portion of the above plant, one of five or six 'major colas' like it (in a room of six ladies
of the same size/strain... this is 'Feralocity' though, aka Aussie Big Bud ).






If you use the search feature I'm sure you'll find loads of tutorials, but here are a few cloning pointers....


- Just search around the lowest portion of your plant, for those smaller branches that are still green, but aren't really
producing as much.


- Select branches that have at least three, but preferably four or five nodes and three or so inches long.


- You'll want to cut just below the last node (where the new branch/bud and leaf forms from the stem), making
that last node the base of your cutting.
Clean it up by removing the green growth, not too close to the stem itself, but just removing the new branch/bud
growth and the leaf. Some people like to lightly scrape the sides of the base of the cut to expose more of the cambium
layer, which forms a kind of callus where new root growth can form.


tip - If you're cutting a bunch at once, bring a little cup of water with you (I pre-label my cups and bring
several at once with a jug of RO water).. as you cut the branches, immediately drop them into water like cut flowers,
to keep them fresh until you're ready to place them into your desired medium.


- Once you've collected and cleaned your cuttings, dip them in rooting hormone if you like (I usually don't bother), then
insert them into your well-moistened but not over soggy medium, about a half inch to 3/4" deep.



- Now look around your house (or go to a department store) for a crate, preferably a clear or translucent one.

You have two options... you'll want to arrange your cuttings and their medium either inside the crate, then cover the top
with the lid / a clear plastic sheet, or you can arrange them directly on the ground/floor so you can place the
crate upside down, on top of them.
This will protect them from wind, and it will act as a humidity tent to keep them from drying out. If your crate isn't
clear, then you're better off putting them inside, with a clear plastic sheet secured over the top so enough diffused light
can enter... cling wrap, if it's all you have, will work.


Now, just keep them vegging under an 18/6 - 20/4 light cycle until you're either ready to bloom, or transplant outside again.


Anyhow, this is probably long enough.... good luck!