Getting Started With Your Cannabis Clones

Growing cannabis from weed clones or seedlings is a good entry point for the beginning cannabis grower. However, growing cannabis is different from cultivating kitchen herbs or flowers. If you’re interested in growing clones from dispensaries, follow these helpful tips on caring for your cannabis clones once you’ve taken them home from KindPeoples Dispensary. 

Frequently Asked Questions

When transferring the cannabis clone to soil, do I remove the clone from the rock wool?

When transferring your cannabis clone into soil, do not remove the clone from the rock wool or break up the rock wool. Make sure not to compact the soil too much. If transferring outside, make sure to allow the clone to adjust to sunlight by putting the plant in a semi-shaded area before direct exposing it to sunlight.

Can I plant my cannabis clones outside right away?

It is not recommended to plant cannabis clones outside right away. Instead, slowly transition the clone to natural sunlight and temperatures by placing the clone outside during the day and bringing the clone inside at night. It is recommended to keep your new clone under supplemental light for a minimum of 18 hours to avoid triggering the flower response. This can be as simple as a 12-watt bulb overhead at night.

Should I plant my weed clones in direct sunlight?

After the clone has been acclimated over the course of several days to natural light and temperature, you can transition the clone to direct sunlight. The transition process should be over a minimum of 1 week in a semi-shaded area.

Do clones need 24 hrs of light?

KindPeoples clones are exposed and acclimated to a 24-hour light cycle. Less than 18 hours of light can/will trigger the flowering response. 

Should I wean the plant off the 24-hour light cycle it has been exposed to at KindPeoples?

If you wish to keep the cannabis clone in its vegetative state, keep the clone under a minimum of 18 hours of light. You can safely taper the light exposure from 24 to 18 over a few days. 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness is an ideal light cycle to transition to. When you’re ready to transition your clone to the flowering stage, it will change to a 12/12 light cycle.

What are the different stages marijuana clones must go through before the flower is ready to be consumed?

The vegetative stage will be followed by the flowering stage. Once the trichomes have changed to a milky white color, the plant will be mature enough to reach to harvesting stage. After harvest, you need to dry, trim and cure the flower before it will be suitable for consumption.

What should I feed my clone right away?

Only light watering after transplant into soil. Give low nitrogen nutrient solution at 50 percent strength after roots push through – approximately 3-5 days. 

What does flowering time mean?

Flowering time is the time it takes for a plant to finish flowering after the first sight of pistils.

What amount of light does my plant need to be exposed to remain in flower and vegetative states.

For Flower: 12 hours light/ 12 hours of dark.

For Veg:  18 hours light/ 6 hours of dark.

What are the signs of under-watering and over-watering?

Under-watered plants: typically grow slowly and kill off lower growth 
Over-watered plants: tend to have brown roots and downturned leaves 

How can I identify basic pest and powdery mildew on clones?

Mites and powdery mildew are common issues when growing in the Central Coast. Mites will have dots on the tops of the leaves that are not patterned where the mite has eaten and hollowed out some of the leaves. Powdery Mildew leaves a white powder-like substance on top of the leaves. Fungus gnats when watering will fly out of the soil.

How to get rid of powdery mildew on clones?

The best approach for handling powdery mildew is to prevent it from attacking your clones in the first place as powdery mildew can make your harvest unsafe for consumption. Prevention methods include increasing ventilation, reducing humidity and leave space between clones. If a clone becomes infected, isolate it from other plants and prune infected leaves. There are a variety of pesticides that can be used to treat the infected plant to try to eradicate the powdery mildew prior to harvest.

How do I top a plant?

To top a cannabis plant, cut out the node wherever you want to stunt growth and create more branches. There are many methods for optimal growth.

What are the Pros & Cons of growing with cannabis seeds?

Pros: Seeds tend to grow into bigger plants, and since they have a tap root (main root), they intake water and nutrients better.
Cons: Seeds have genetic diversity and are on average 50% male which can be an issue when it comes to uniformity

What the Pros & Cons of growing with cannabis clones?

Pros: Weed clones are taken from proven mothers and should all be genetically the same. So the benefit of growing from clones is they are guaranteed to produce female plants; therefore, no time is spent removing male plants from the grow operation.
Cons: Clones tend to yield less flower compared to growing from seeds. Clones don’t have a taproot.

What is a seedling and how is it different from a clone?

A seedling is a plant start grown from a cannabis seed. They will have a taproot whereas marijuana clones will not.

What is a phenotype?

A phenotype is an “expression” or characteristic of a female plant. Usually, a phenotype is selected for its yield, potency or terpene profile.

How do I tell if my weed clones roots are healthy?

White and fuzzy roots indicate the clone is healthy. Unhealthy roots are often brown, black or reddish-brown. Without healthy roots, the plant won’t grow properly.

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Can I buy weed clones at both KindPeoples locations?

You can buy weed clones at only our KindPeoples Soquel location. All cannabis clones are available while supplies last.

Can I buy weed seeds at both KindPeoples locations?

You can buy weed seeds at both our KindPeoples Soquel Avenue location and our KindPeoples Ocean Street location. We are located at 3600 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA and 533 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, CA. All cannabis seeds are available while supplies last.

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What do you think, are you ready to start growing clones from dispensaries? If you’d rather skip the hard part and get right to the fun part, be sure to check out all the best weed strains in Santa Cruz at either of our two locations: KindPeoples Soquel or KindPeoples Ocean or at our sister-store, Highway Cannabis in Marina Del Rey.