This is part 1 of our week-by-week series on growing marijuana in the Vegetative Stage using hydroponic methods.
In this Episode, you will see the following:
- How we start the process with clones
- How long we maintain the clones in the hydroponic cloner
- Knowing when the clones are they ready to be transplanted
Beginning the Vegetative Process: Should you start from Seed or Clone?
We always start with clones. We only use seeds when we are bringing in new strains to our catalog. If we are choosing to bring on new strains, we first pheno hunt those seeds in our R&D room. Once we have selected the pheno we intend to keep, we first create a mother plant. From there, we take clones off of that mom.
For all other strains that we regularly run, we start with clones. In order to have regular sets of clones, we must have mother plants for each strain. Our mother plants must be large enough to give us clones on a regular basis (every couple weeks).
Starting the Vegetative Process with Clones
To begin the vegetative process, we cut a new clone from our mother plant. We then place that clone in our EZ-Cloner so that it can develop healthy roots. We usually keep our clones in the EZ Cloner for about 2 weeks. At that point, the plant has a large root base and is ready to be transplanted into a pot.
The Benefits of Using an EZ-Cloner to help with root development
We like using these aeroponic systems for aiding our clones in producing roots. Basically, your clone is “planted” into a container, with the top part of the plant above the container (same as being above the ground).
Underneath the surface, the plant has access to nutrient-rich water and oxygen. There are jets that spray a water/mist on the plant, and this humid environment encourages root growth.
There are, of course, other ways to achieve root growth for new clones. This is just one method, and this is how we have done it for several years now.
How long does it take for clone to develop roots
Most clones will develop roots within 10 to 14 days, and sometimes sooner than that. We have developed a schedule for our veg room where we leave the clones in the cloner for 14 days. After two weeks, the clones have developed a large root base, and are ready to be transplanted without any issues.
Using basic vegetative stage nutrients
During the vegetative stage, we use a traditional salt formula for nutrients. As of this writing, we use the Grow formula, Part A and B, from Front Row Ag.
We use nutrients in our water right from the start, including with seedlings and clones. We may dial it down or back, but these baby plants are still fed some level of nutrients.
Grow the Clone until it is tall enough to be transplanted
Once the clone is about 8 inches tall and has a decent root base, it is time to transplant. We usually wait about two weeks before transplanting the clone from the EZ-Cloner to a pot.
We explain the process of transplanting clones into pots in the next article, Week 2 of the Vegetative Stage.