Propagation and Growth
Propagating from Seed or Cutting/Clone
Propagating from Seed or Cutting/Clone
Whether you grow from seed or from clone/cutting you need to know how to propagate plants. (A clone is the same thing as a cutting but as people use both terms we will use both aswell.) Propagation is basically all about trying to give young plants the best start in life. Seedlings and clones/cuttings are very fragile and need to be slowly adjusted to the growing environment. A good quality propagator is an essential piece of kit - this helps to keep your humidity levels high which helps to keep plants warm and moist and prevents against drying out.
Propagation, be it for seed or clone/cutting is done the same way. The seed needs high humidity as it has no roots as of yet. In the few first days of a seedlings life it will use the extra humidity in the air as it cannot take up much water through its roots and can dry out very easily. The lid of the propagator can be removed once the seedling has the roots to take up water itself, this will also prevent damping off a.k.a. rot as the plant can take up too much moisture.
Clones/cuttings are propagated in a similiar way. First it is taken from the "mother" plant, dipped in a rooting gel and then placed in whatever grow medium you've chosen. The clone/cutting then goes straight into the propagator. Maintaining high levels of humidity of around 80% for the first 5-7 days is crucial for the clones/cuttings survival. Once roots start to develop, the air vents can be gradually opened over a few days, as the plants adjusts. Once the clone/cutting has rooted it can ber removed from the propagator. Once you have good strong roots, the seedling or clone/cutting is ready to be transplanted.
Mother Plants
Growing from a clone/cutting is much more productive than growing all your plants from seed.
Generally speaking plants grown from seed have to wait 4-5 weeks before they show their sex (if the plant has visibly different male and female plants). Only at this stage are they mature enough to be put into flowering. A clone/cutting however is exactly the same age, sex and has exactly the same genetics of the mother plant - which helps as you know what to expect from a clone/cutting. Once your clone/cutting has rooted it can be put into flowering immediately or after a few weeks of vegetative growth, depending on the intended final size of plants.
So what are desirable characteristics for a mother plants?
If you buy a pack of seeds you will probably notice at around week 3 that some plants will just stand out as "special". Maybe its the vigourous growth or maybe its the tight internodes, maybe its just the leaves are shaped or maybe its a particular aroma you like. Some of these plants will just look better than the others.
What we look for in a mother plant is hardiness, vigour, tight internode structure, alternate branching and heavy feeders to name a few. The beauty of having a plant like this is it can be kept for years and clones/cuttings can be taken at any time.