Well-illuminated, strong clones grow fast and have less chance of being affected by pests and diseases. In fact, fast growing clones develop faster than spider mites can reproduce. By the time a spider mite infestation has taken hold, the plants are harvested.

Clones are also easy to submerge completely in a miticide when small. Submerging clones in a miticide before moving them into the flowering room greatly diminishes mite populations.

Short crops of clones in small containers are much easier than big plants in big containers to move in and out of a grow room for cleaning and sterilization. Rooms that are regularly disinfected have fewer problems with pests and diseases.

Experiments with clones are more consistent and easier to control. Genetically identical clones respond the same to different stimuli, such as fertilizer, light, bending, etc.

Hormone Signals and Cuttings

Cuttings respond to signals initiated by d hormones, temperature and light. Plants use these signals to interpret their environment and react to it. Growers control plant responses with synthetic hormones or influencing natural hormones.

Here are the five most common hormones that affect cannabis growth.

1. Auxins control whether plants grow leaves upward toward light or downward toward the center of the earth. Auxins are growth signals created in a plant with the main concentrations found in the growing tips. Concentrations of auxins make plant parts do specific things, like grow toward light or grow downward.

Auxins in growing tips and buds are redirected during the course of a week to the wound when a clone is taken. Once the auxin concentration is adequate it sends a signal to root primordial to grow.

2. Cytokinins stimulate cell division. They send signals from roots as to what to expect.

3. Gibberillins signal more than 90 events including cell elongation and new cell growth in seeds.

4. Abscissic acid (ABA) hormone, unless modified by other signals, is the general “stop” signal for plant growth.

5. Ethylene signals fruit ??? to ripen and season end.

Stress disrupts hormones and slows rapid growth.

Internodes Stretch Because

Giberillin concentration is improper

Day/night temperatures have disparity of more than 3-5 degrees C.

Low light concentrations

Plants receive too much light

Plants can stretch at internodes to become the same height as surrounding plants.

Plant Age and Young Growth

Hormone content dictates a clones rooting ability. A mother plant has three distinct hormonal “age” zones. The top of the plant and the tips of the branches are hormonally the oldest part of the plant. The base and the lower stems are the oldest regarding hormones. The best place to take cuttings is in this zone, where hormonal concentrations are the best for rooting.

Unevenly distributed growth hormones

Hormone content is different in different parts of a plant. Root growth hormones are concentrated near the base of the plant near the main stem. This is the oldest portion of the plant, but where the most root hormones are located. The top of the plant contains older hormones and cuttings taken from this part root slowly. The middle of the plant supports moderate levels of hormones.

A humidity tent keeps relative humidity around 95 percent. The bottom of this humidity tent allows for drainage and air flow.

Humidity domes are lined up to make thousands of clones.

Mother Plants

This clone will soon be a mother plant.

Mother plants grow in large self-contained hydroponic systems. The roots have plenty of area to grow and the plants can be moved individually.

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