Making a Bonsai Mother Plant for Cannabis Cloning 

When you’re growing cannabis, you tend to explore various techniques to maximize yields and preserve the best genetics. Among such methods, cloning comes out at the top as being an excellent method for not only growing cannabis for cheap but also maintaining the desired traits of the strains you love. 

But not everyone has the space to maintain mother plants, especially if you’re growing at home. So, does that mean cloning is out of the question? No, not really. 

In this guide, we delve into creating and maintaining a bonsai mother plant for cannabis cloning. If you’re looking to produce infinite clones from a single mother plant, bonsai is the way to go. 

Read on to learn everything about creating and maintaining a bonsai mother plant for cannabis cloning. 

What is a Cannabis Mother Plant?

A mother plant is the backbone of cloning; it perpetually provides. It is a plant you nurture and treasure, not for its buds, but for its capacity to spawn clones at your command. These clones, lovingly dubbed "offspring," owe their existence to the steadfastness of their mother.

Why do growers bother with mothers? 

Genetics. 

Imagine if you have a plant that’s the epitome of perfection, yielding top-tier buds with every harvest. You'd undoubtedly want to immortalize those genetics, right? That's where the mother plant comes in, allowing you to produce the same phenotype in future grows.

On the other hand, you have seeds. They're excellent for growing cannabis, no doubt, but also a genetic gamble. You never know how your plant will surprise you. Clones, however, offer a different story. They're akin to carbon copies of the mother plant, mirroring its traits with astounding precision. 

Now, let's talk technique. Cloning isn't rocket science, but it does require some finesse. It all begins with a snip — taking cuttings of branches and encouraging them to sprout roots. These cuttings, or "clones," are essentially miniature replicas of their mother.

Why Use Bonsai Mother Plants?

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For home growers, space is often a precious commodity. Unlike their commercial counterparts, they can't afford to dedicate vast expanses solely to housing mother plants. Enter the bonsai mother technique, a game-changer for you if you’re seeking to maintain a diverse array of genetics within a confined cannabis garden. 

By keeping each mother plant small, like a bonsai tree, you can effectively manage a plethora of genetic variations without sacrificing a lot of space or electricity. This technique has become a cornerstone for indoor cultivators aiming to maximize genetic diversity within limited grow spaces. 

In the following sections, you will learn the know-how to establish and sustain numerous small mother plants within a compact grow area. Each mother plant possesses the remarkable capability to generate hundreds of new clones over time, granting you the ability to propagate an unlimited number of plants at virtually no cost.

How to Create a Bonsai Mother Plant?

Now that you know what a mother plant is and why you should use bonsai mother plants, it’s time to learn how to make bonsai mother plants for your cannabis cloning journey. Follow these steps. 

• Get A Small Pot 

Start by choosing a small pot suitable for growing bonsais. For easier training, some growers opt to drill holes around the pot's perimeter for string or twine. Ensure these holes are large enough to accommodate the material you want to use to avoid any setbacks during training.

• Plant Your Cuttings 

Carefully place the selected mother plant cutting into the prepared pot. It's crucial to choose a healthy and robust cutting capable of producing quality buds. Since clippings can be taken multiple times per year, ensuring the mother plant's vigor is essential for successful cloning.

Once the mother plant is nestled in the pot, it's time to introduce a wooden stake to aid in training the main stem. Gently position the stake alongside the stem, taking care to avoid any potential root damage. Secure the stem to the stake using string or twine, using the previously drilled holes in the pot for added support.

• Train the Plant

Next, you need to train the branches of your cannabis bonsai. Similar to training the stem, use gardening strings to tie down the plant's branches. You can adjust the tension of the ties according to your desired branch orientation — tighter for horizontal branches and looser for vertical ones. Ensure there's ample room for branch growth to prevent excessive constriction.

• Start Pruning Your Plant

Now, you must prune the branches of your bonsai mother plant. Your goal is to restrict branch growth to preserve the classic bonsai shape and maintain airflow to the main stem. Focus on pruning offshoot branches while avoiding cuts to the main ones, as this could significantly impact the plant's health and growth.

How Long Does A Single Bonsai Mother Last?

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Determining the longevity of bonsai mother trees is subject to debate. Since canna-bonsais remain indefinitely in the vegetative stage, they can theoretically persist for as long as they're alive. 

However, expert growers recommend replacing cannabis plants every 3 to 5 years, depending on the genetics and strain type. 

How to Maintain a Bonsai Cannabis Plant?

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Your work isn’t done yet. You now need to take care of and maintain your bonsai cannabis plants. It’s easy but a crucial step nevertheless, so do not overlook this. Follow these steps.

• Prune Inward Growing Shoots 

The first thing you must do is keep an eye on your plant's growth, particularly for shoots that grow inward. Promptly trim these off to maintain an open structure, maximizing the number of nodes available for taking clones.

• Take Cuttings Often

Even if you don't immediately require them, ensure to take cuttings every 2–4 weeks. This practice helps maintain an open shape and reduces the need for excessive nutrient administration for the bonsai mother plant.

• Feed The Mother Plant Lightly

Mother plants don't demand hefty feeding schedules. So, you should provide nutrients at half-strength twice a month; this should suffice to sustain healthy growth.

The nutrients needed by mother plants are quite different from regular plants you grow for buds. First off, you should start with a balanced nutrient plan that slows down the plant’s vegetative growth while ensuring the right balance of carbon and nitrogen in the plant’s stems. 

Yes, nitrogen is great for vegetative growth as the plant starts putting out a lot of leaves and stems, but providing too much nitrogen results in tissues with reduced carbohydrate reserves. A lot of the plant’s energy is used to convert nitrates into their organic form to expand and grow. As a consequence, excessive nitrates can deplete sugars in the leaves and stems, limiting resources for root growth.

A good fertilizer for mother plants should not only be able to reduce extensive vegetative growth, but it should also strengthen cell walls and improve the plant's ability to handle stress. After all, the plant goes through immense stress when you take clones repeatedly and let it stay in its vegetative stage indefinitely. Most nutrients have excess nitrogen, which can make cuttings taken from plants weaker and more prone to wilting and fungal infections. So, choose something with less nitrogen but it should also contain all macro and micronutrients to help the plant survive. 

Most importantly, it should contain good amounts of calcium. Calcium is extremely important to strengthen the cell walls. With this, the mother plants will be able to develop cell structures that aid in efficient nutrient absorption and storing sugars and nutrients for later use.

• Prune the Roots

Ensuring the vitality of your cannabis bonsai mother requires regular root pruning. The good news is that this thing is typically required only once or twice annually.

To start, trim the majority of the top growth of your mother plant, reverting it to its fundamental bonsai silhouette, and retain one or two small shoots on each branch. 

Next, carefully remove the trimmed plant from its pot. With a large knife, trim about 25% from each side of the root ball, along with 25% from the bottom. This will effectively reduce the root ball to approximately a third of its original size.

After trimming the root ball, refill the original pot with a 2–3cm layer of fresh potting soil. Place the trimmed root ball on top, then fill in the sides and top, tightly packing the soil to eliminate any air gaps. Remember, it typically takes just a few days for the roots to readjust to the soil.

How to Take Clones from a Bonsai Mother Plant?

Finally, the time has come to take clones from your bonsai mother plant. Follow these steps. 

To start, get your hands on sharp scissors for easy and efficient trimming. These scissors can zip through 2 to 3 cuttings per minute, making the process a breeze. Just ensure your scissors are sharp so you don’t end up harming the plant and cutting. 

Remember, you must maintain hygiene here. So, make sure you clean and sanitize your scissors and other tools before and after every use. 

Now, let's prepare the cuttings for rooting:

1. Snip off the side shoot and leaves, leaving the node you intend to root intact
2. Trim just below the selected node
3. Dip the trimmed node in the rooting hormone for enhanced rooting success

Next, let's insert the cuttings:

1. Use a 3.5-inch square pot for rooting.
2. Fill the pot halfway with a mixture of perlite and compost or rich potting soil.
3. Pre-soak the mix with water dosed with 1 ml of 35% or 2 ml per liter of 17.5% hydrogen peroxide and 5 ml of Maxicrop Liquid Seaweed.
4. Carefully dip the cuttings into the compost, spacing 9 to 12 per pot.
5. Water the dipped cuttings with the same pre-soaked mix to settle them in.
6. Cover the pot with a plastic bag and place it under constant 24-hour lighting.
7. Opt for cool-white fluorescent lighting at 20 watts per square foot and maintain a temperature of 70 to 80°F for optimal conditions.

How Many Clones Can a Single Mother Plant Produce?

A mother plant has the potential to produce infinite amounts of clones. However, you should ensure she’s always healthy. To do so, the moisture levels should be adequate and the temperature should be steady between 75 to 85°F (24°C to 29°C). For clones, the temperature should be slightly different, as mentioned above. 

Next, she should get 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness daily from a grow light to encourage growth. There shouldn’t be any interruptions in the light or dark cycle or the plant will start facing issues. 

Also, you can take clones whenever you want, but you should allow the plants to rest a bit. For example, a gap of at least two weeks between cloning sessions enables the mother plant to recover and prevent excessive stress. 

Furthermore, many growers choose not to use the same mother plant but instead opt to replace it periodically usually every 6 to 12 months with a new clone. Some do it every few years, as mentioned above. This approach allows for stable production while reducing the risk of exhaustion and decline of the mother plant. Some growers claim that the mother plant becomes better with age and produces more robust clones, so this is something you can check by experimenting. If the mother gets better, keep the same plant, but if you see signs of exhaustion, you can switch to a new one. 

Choosing the Right Strain for Your Bonsai Mother Plant

Selecting the right strain for your mother plant is a crucial decision that greatly impacts the success of your cloning efforts. Here are some key factors to keep in mind when selecting the strain.

Genetic Consistency

Opt for strains renowned for their consistency and predictable growth patterns. Varieties with good genetics ensure consistency among clones, making cultivation and maintenance tasks easier. Look for seed banks or breeders with a proven track record of producing amazing genetics. If you get this right, the remaining process will be smooth. 

Size and Growth Traits

Evaluate the characteristics of the strains to see whether they are a good fit for you. For example, if you have a grow tent that doesn’t allow tall strains, you can go for short and compact strains. Remember, even short strains produce good yields. They are ideal for cultivation as they make maintenance and pruning straightforward. Once you purchase the seeds, you can’t make changes in your grow room, so it’s best to evaluate all this before placing an order for new strains that you want to convert to a mother plant. 

Potential Yield

When considering strains for a mother plant, consider the yield potential of each strain while keeping your cultivation goals in mind. Although high-yield strains may be enticing, make sure you can manage them within the limitations of your grow tent or room. Aim for a perfect balance between yield potential and ease of management to maximize productivity without compromising plant health.

Flowering Duration

Assess the flowering duration of strains. Opt for one that fits well with your cloning schedule and preferences. For example, you can get more clones from strains with short flowering periods. If you don't have the space for too many clones, you can choose strains with longer flowering periods. Ultimately, it all boils down to your growing setup and how you can grow the clones, so choose the ones that suit you. 

Resilience and Disease Resistance

Give priority to strains recognized for their resilience to various types of stress associated with cannabis plants. If possible, look for strains that can resist pests and diseases as well. Although this doesn’t guarantee that your plants will be completely safe from stress, pests, and diseases, you will reduce the likelihood of the plants succumbing to them. 

Tips to Clone Successfully

Cloning mother plants is an easy process once you get some experience. Yes, you will have to experiment with a few plants before you get the hang of it. Once you’re confident, you can then start making bonsai mother plants. Here are a few tips to help you clone some of the best possible cannabis plants. 

Select Healthy Mother Plants

Begin with strong and healthy mother plants as the basis for cloning. Although you’ve created a bonsai, it should be vibrant with healthy leaves. There shouldn’t be any signs of stress or disease. Remember that a healthy mother plant will be able to produce equally healthy high-quality clones. Similarly, if she’s affected by diseases, they can be transmitted to the clones. 

Handle Cuttings with Care

When you're taking cuttings from the plant, be gentle to avoid harming the tissues. These clones will grow into big cannabis plants and produce the yields you seek, so make sure you're gentle when handling them. Use sterilized tools for cuts that minimize stress on both the main plant and the cuttings. Treating them properly helps to make sure they remain viable for a long period and also encourages root growth.

Maintain Ideal Growing Conditions

Set up an environment that supports cloning. Although the clones are of the same age as the mother plant, they will not be able to handle high-intensity light like the mother as their roots aren't established yet. Thus, choose lights with less intensity, but they shouldn't be so low that the clones don't grow at all. They need some light to perform photosynthesis without getting overwhelmed in the process. 

While you can use CFLs, you can also use a combination of full-spectrum LED grow lights or high-output fluorescent lamps that are customized to meet the requirements of cannabis plants. Aim for providing 18 hours of light per day during the stage to support growth while maintaining a consistent light schedule to replicate natural conditions. You can even go for 24 hours as mentioned above.

Keep an Eye Out for Pests and Diseases

Regularly check for pests and diseases to protect your clone's health. Inspect both the cuttings themselves and their surroundings for any signs of pests like discoloration, holes, or webs. Also, look for wilting leaves or any unusual growth.

Temperature and Humidity Management

It is crucial to maintain appropriate temperature and humidity levels for the well-being and productivity of your mother plant. The same applies to the clones as well. Keep the temperature between 70°F to 80°F (21°C to 27°C) during the day and slightly cooler at night to mimic natural temperature changes. Avoid high temperatures and sudden fluctuations as they can cause stress on the plant and hinder its growth. 

Additionally, ensure humidity levels stay between 40% and 60% to prevent issues related to moisture like mold and mildew while also supporting transpiration and nutrient absorption. Mold will also invite other pests and you cannot smoke moldy buds, so pay attention to this factor if you want to use the buds without any issues. 

Air Flow and Ventilation

Talking of humidity and mold, one way to prevent them is to ensure proper air circulation and ventilation in the growing area. Not only will this keep the humidity in check, but it also fosters robust and healthy plant development. Install oscillating fans or ventilation systems to guarantee good airflow throughout the cultivation area.

Proper airflow in the grow tent or room will also avoid the accumulation of heat in specific areas. Known as hot spots, they can be detrimental to the plants. So, keep a couple of fans to imitate a gentle breeze and maintain proper environmental conditions for the clones and mother plants. 

Soil and Potting Requirements

Choosing good soil or potting mix is crucial to provide support, drainage, and nutrients for your bonsai mother plant. Opt for soil or potting mix that drains well but also retains enough water for the roots to increase aeration in the soil. You can add some coco coir and perlite. 

Next, use pots with ample drainage holes to prevent waterlogging and root decay. You can also skip this step and go for fabric pots or airpots as they provide ample aeration, helping the roots spread well. Add organic additives like molasses to help the plants flower more. 

Be Patient

When a grower realizes that a single mother plant can produce innumerable clones, he gets excited and starts taking cuttings immediately. While it's good to be curious and experiment as much as possible to understand the science behind how your plant grows, it's also important to exercise patience. 

Before you begin cloning, you have probably read that it takes a week for the clones to develop roots; however, only experienced growers with the right tools and knowledge at their disposal can achieve such quick results. Sometimes, it's tough even for them as every strain is unique and while some strains develop roots rather quickly, others may take their own sweet time. 

It's important to remember that it can take even 2-3 weeks for some clones to develop roots. Cloning requires patience and you need to observe the plants to understand how they are growing. 

Do not rush the process as transplanting the clones before they have developed roots can disrupt whatever root development has taken place. In essence, you will need to monitor the clones and mother plants regularly to check if there are any issues and take necessary actions. 

Summary: Making a Bonsai Mother Plant for Cannabis Cloning 

As you grow better as a cannabis grower growing cannabis, you’ll want to experiment more and more with the entire process. And making a bonsai mother plant is the next step in your journey. 

From its role in preserving genetic excellence to its space-saving capabilities, the bonsai mother technique offers a myriad of benefits for home growers like yourself. 

Follow the steps outlined in this guide, and you can unlock the potential to propagate an endless supply of cannabis plants without sacrificing a lot of space, either. So, roll up your sleeves, nurture your bonsai mothers, and watch as your cannabis garden flourishes with vitality and abundance.