Cannabis cuttings are cloned, or propagated, through the process of rooting. It is possible to produce genetically identical marijuana plants by cloning the mother plant from which the clone was taken. It is the goal of cloning cannabis cuttings to promote rapid and robust root growth while preserving the plant’s genetics. Additionally, seeds and cannabis tissue culture can be used in the propagation process. You’ll learn about the most popular methods for propagating cannabis plants in this article, and you’ll be on your way to growing your own cannabis starter plants in no time! Shoots ‘N’ Roots offers classes in Grand Rapids, MI to help you better understand the Cannabis cloning process.
What is cannabis cloning and why should you clone your cannabis plants?
Asexual reproduction in which cuttings from a mother plant are used to produce numerous young plants is referred to as “cloning” by cannabis growers. The most common use of this method is when you have desirable traits that you want to reproduce (i.e. favorable cannabinoid profile or yield that you want to reproduce).
It’s a simple and effective way to increase the genetic diversity of your garden by cloning your desired plant genetics.
Cutting propagation is the name given to this method of reproduction in other agricultural sectors.
Promote successful rooting when cloning cannabis
Cloning cannabis cuttings is a two-step process. A process known as wounding is used to prepare the cannabis plant. The next step is to stick the cannabis cutting into your soil or growing media. Remove a small amount of stem epidermal tissue to injure your cannabis plant. Undifferentiated cells will be able to form roots more quickly this way. Researchers at Ryerson University conducted a study on cannabis clonal propagation in growth chambers and found that wounded stems of three cannabis Sativa varieties were 162 percent more likely to root than unwounded stems of the same varieties.
With a clean, sharp scalpel, the procedure involved scraping the epidermal tissue from the bottom 5 centimeters of clone stems. Unwounded stems from two of the three varieties studied in the study took 1.5 days longer to root. Rooting hormones were not applied to the cuttings.
Environment to clone cannabis cuttings
An infant plant’s sensitivity to its surroundings is unparalleled. Before allowing your plants to enter the vegetative growth stage, where they become more resistant to their environment, you must carefully control their exposure to light, humidity, and temperature. Your cannabis cuttings should be placed in a mild but humid environment after you stick them.
We recommend a light intensity of 100 mol m2 s1, a humidity level of 100%, and a temperature range of 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit (16-21 degrees Celsius). Increasing light levels to 150-200 mol/m2s1 and decreasing humidity to 80 percent is safe once the plant’s roots have emerged in about 4 to 7 days.
Using a light treatment with a high ratio of blue to red light after your cuttings have developed roots can encourage root growth. Research has shown that blue light can aid root growth in a wide variety of crops. Before moving on to the vegetative growth stage, we recommend a light treatment consisting of 65 percent red light, 30 percent blue light, and 5 percent white light.
Alternative Methods
Tissue culture and seed propagation are the other two methods of marijuana propagation currently in use. Male and female cannabis plants are bred to produce seeds for the purpose of producing cannabis starter plants in seed propagation, also known as seed production While cloning is a form of sexual reproduction between male and female plants, seed propagation is not.
Unlike cutting propagation, tissue culture is a less well-known method of cannabis propagation. To create tissue cultures, a plant cutting is cut into small pieces and placed in an extremely dense nutrient culture, which can be agar. You can grow hundreds of clones from a small amount of plant tissue from your cannabis cuttings using the tissue culture method.
Seed Propagation vs. Cutting Propagation
When was the last time you heard about cannabis cloning as an effective method of preserving the plant’s DNA? Just the opposite is true when it comes to seed production. New plant varieties are created by combining the DNA of two different plant species. In order to multiply your plant population, you can use these seeds in seed propagation. One of the most important factors in improving desirable plant traits such as yield, biochemical profiles, and terpene development is to find the best seeds for your farm and source them from there. When working with seeds, you don’t have to maintain stock plants for cuttings or tissue. Seed propagation has some drawbacks, such as the fact that the plants aren’t identical to their parent plants, as they would be in cutting propagation or tissue culture.
As a result, after a plant breeder has developed a desirable cultivar with genetically identical traits, cloning is most often used as a secondary reproductive process to create starter plants.
Tissue Culture vs. Cutting Propagation
Today, the cannabis industry is embracing tissue culture as the most recent scientific method to gain traction. Cultivators can preserve living clones with minimal space thanks to this highly controlled method of propagation.
Large numbers of identical clones are created by harvesting small amounts of plant tissue from mother specimens. It is kept in agar until new hormones are introduced to activate different stages of growth and development in the plant.
It’s important to note that tissue culture differs greatly from traditional cannabis cloning in that it necessitates the use of highly sterile environments and specialized lab equipment.
To preserve the reproductive process of cannabis, growers can use tissue culture. Large-scale commercial operations can make use of the plant reproductive material that has been staged. Tissue, on the other hand, requires twice as long to mature as cuttings. This is a disadvantage of using tissue.
Before implementing a new agricultural method, it’s critical to test it out and see what works best. Propagation is done and you’re ready to move your plants into the vegetative stage. Contact us at Shoots ‘N’ Roots located in Michigan, to learn more!