How do I create marijuana clones?

Clones are actually really easy to make once you have an established female marijuana plant.

How it Works

Basically a clone is a little piece of plant that has been cut off from a parent plant and then given the opportunity to root on its own. You will want to take clones off a plant when it's in the vegetative stage, and you will tend to get better results if you use clones from a well-established plant (at least two months old). If you grow a plant in the vegetative stage for about 2-3 months, you will be able to get dozens of clones off it.

If you plan on just taking a couple of clones from a plant then letting it continue growing, it's best to take the clones off the bottom of the plant since these clones tend to take root in about half the time as clones taken from the top of the plant. Clones will grow better/faster if they are on the smaller side and are made of pieces of new growth that has thinner stems and fewer leaves. If possible, give a potential mother about 10 percent less nitogen then usual when feeding as this will promote better rooting in her clones.

When creating clones, many people prefer to use some sort of cloning solution or powder, which contain hormones that help the clone root and can be purchased from a grow shop, garden store, or off the internet. I recommend Rootech Cloning Gel. Gels tend to evenly coat the plant much better than powders.

Here's a video which clearly shows how to make a clone using scissors, cloning gel, and rockwool cubes.

In his video, WEEDYBUDS recommends misting your clones with water after you're done to keep them moist. Some people recommend that you put a clear plastic top over your clones to keep them moist though you need to be careful of mold. If you can mist your clones a couple of times a day so they don't dry out, I'd recommend skipping the clear top altogether. Another option is put the clear top over your plants while you're away from your grow area(like when you're at work), then take it off while you're around to check on your clones and mist them regularly with water.

To promote root growth, try to give new clones a minimum level of nitrogen and possibly increased levels of phosphorus. Basically, any sort of flowering nutrients would be well suited to give to new clones. However, make sure if you're feeding them nutes to give them only 1/4 or 1/2 the normal recommended amounts!

The most important thing is to keep a close eye on your new clones until they've become well-established. For the first 10 days  and especially for the first 3-4 days, you will want to use gentle lights on your new clones. I recommend using florescent tubes or compact florescent bulbs (CFLs) as lights during this stage. You can also use full-strength lights but keep them much further away from the clones then you would for a more mature plant. Clones are VERY sensitive to light until they've developed a few roots, and giving them too much light will cause them to wilt over and die.

After the first 3-4 days, you can start giving your clones more light and see how they react. Once your clones have been growing for 10 days to 2 weeks and have created some roots, they're ready to be transplanted to their final destination with a full amount of light.

However, some clones take longer to root. I've had a clone that didn't really do anything for almost a month (it didn't wilt or grow) and I was just about to throw it away, before it suddenly exploded with new growth and became a healthy adult plant.

If you're growing in rockwool cubes or other starter cubes, then you know your clones are ready to be transplanted when you actually see the roots coming out of the cubes.

Jump to...

Step-by-Step Picture Guide to Cloning Marijuana

Mr Green's Cannabis Cloning Made Easy, Roots in 7-10 Days

How to Control Relative Humidity In the Grow Room (keep high humidity for happy new clones)

What's wrong with my plant? (symptoms guide with pictures)