Growing from Clones: From Cutting to Harvest

You've been given a clone — a rooted cutting from a known female cannabis plant. Unlike seeds, where you're working with unknown genetics until the plant reveals itself, a clone is a genetic copy of its mother. You know exactly what it will produce (same strain, same sex, same growth pattern). But growing from a clone is NOT the same as growing from a seed. The first two weeks are different, the veg timeline is different, and the mistakes that kill clones are different from the ones that kill seedlings.

What you're working with

A clone is a section of stem with a few nodes and leaves, cut from a mother plant and rooted. When you receive it:

• It's already female — no need to sex it (assuming the mother was female and healthy)
• It's genetically mature — unlike a seedling, a clone has the same biological age as its mother. This means it can flower immediately if put under 12/12 (even if it's tiny)
• It has no taproot — clones develop lateral root systems from the cut stem. No central taproot means the root structure is different from seed-grown plants
• It's fragile — a fresh clone is a wounded plant that's just regrown roots. It has minimal root mass and is vulnerable to environmental stress

Receiving and inspecting the clone

When you first get the clone:

1. Check the roots — if the clone is in a small container, gently tilt it and peek. Healthy roots are white. Brown, slimy, or absent roots mean the clone isn't ready for normal growing conditions
2. Check for pests — inspect leaves top and bottom with a loupe. Spider mites, thrips, and broad mites transfer with clones. Treat before introducing to your grow space
3. Check for yellow or drooping leaves — some stress is normal from transport. Severe wilting or yellowing may indicate root problems
4. Quarantine — if you have other plants, keep the new clone separate for 3–7 days to watch for pests or disease before introducing it to your grow

The first week (critical)

The first 7 days determine whether the clone thrives or dies. Fresh clones need gentler conditions than established plants:

Environment

Humidity dome (if roots are weak): if the clone is recently rooted and roots are sparse, place it under a humidity dome (clear plastic cup or cut bottle) for the first 3–5 days. The dome maintains high humidity around the leaves, reducing transpiration stress while roots establish.

Watering

• Water the medium lightly — keep it moist but not soaked
• Don't feed nutrients for the first 5–7 days (unless the clone is in an inert medium like rockwool or perlite, where a very dilute nutrient solution at 25% strength is needed)
• If the clone wilts despite moist soil, it's a humidity/root problem, not a watering problem. Dome it

What NOT to do

• Don't transplant immediately — let the clone acclimate for at least 5–7 days before moving it to a larger container
• Don't top or train — the clone is recovering. Any stress slows root development
• Don't blast it with strong light — start at 200–300 PPFD and increase gradually
• Don't put it directly into 12/12 — a small clone can flower immediately (it's genetically mature) but will produce almost nothing. Veg it first

Weeks 2–3: transition to normal conditions

Once the clone shows new growth (new leaves forming at the top), it's establishing and can handle gradually normal conditions:

Week 2:

• Remove the humidity dome (if used) gradually — open for a few hours, then overnight, then fully remove
• Increase light to 400–500 PPFD
• Begin feeding at 25–50% strength
• Monitor for signs of stress (wilting, yellowing, curling)

Week 3:

• Clone should be actively growing
• Increase light to normal veg levels (500–700 PPFD)
• Feed at 50–75% strength
• Transplant to the final container — once roots are visible through the drainage holes of the starter container

See our transplanting guide.

Veg timing for clones

Clones don't need as much veg time as seed-grown plants because:

• They start with a mature stem (no seedling phase)
• Multiple nodes are already established
• Root development is faster once established
• They can be trained immediately once vigorous

Typical clone veg times:

The fast-track option: clones can be flipped to 12/12 as early as week 2–3 of veg (once showing vigorous growth) for a "sea of green" (SOG) approach. This produces smaller plants with one main cola each. See our SOG guide.

Training clones

Clones can be trained sooner than seed-grown plants because they skip the seedling phase:

Topping

Top the clone once it has established in the new container and is actively growing — typically 7–14 days after transplant. Top above the 3rd or 4th node (clones already have the node structure from the mother).

LST

Begin LST as soon as the clone is vigorous (usually 1–2 weeks after transplant). Bend the main stem gently outward and secure to the pot edge.

SCROG

Clones are ideal for SCROG because you can take multiple identical clones and fill a screen evenly — every plant grows at the same rate with the same structure.

See our training schedule.

Clone vs. seed: key differences

The vigor difference

Clones from old mother plants (mothers that have been kept in veg for months or years) can show reduced vigor compared to seed-grown plants. This is normal — the clone is biologically old even though it's a new plant. Refreshing the mother line (growing a new mother from seed or from an early-generation clone) restores vigor.

See our mother plant guide.

The disease risk

Clones inherit any pathogens present in the mother. The most significant:

• Hop Latent Viroid (HpLVd): reduces THC by 30–50% and yield significantly. Symptomless in many plants — you can't tell by looking. The only detection is RT-qPCR testing
• Broad mites: microscopic pests invisible to the naked eye. Symptoms mimic herbicide damage (twisted, glossy new growth)
• Powdery mildew: dormant spores can transfer with cuttings and activate under the right conditions

When receiving clones from unknown sources, quarantine and inspect carefully.

Multiple clones from one mother

If you have access to a mother plant (or a vigorous clone you can take cuttings from), running multiple identical clones in a grow has advantages:

• Identical growth rate — every plant finishes at the same time. No mixed-maturity harvests
• Consistent canopy — uniform height and structure, perfect for SCROG
• Known outcome — you know what the flower will look, smell, and taste like

See our cloning guide.

Common mistakes

1. Blasting a fresh clone with full light — a clone with sparse roots can't support high transpiration. Start low (200–300 PPFD) and ramp up over 1–2 weeks
2. Transplanting immediately — let the clone acclimate for 5–7 days first. The root system needs time to recover from transport stress
3. Overwatering — clones have small root systems. A small root ball in a large pot of wet soil is a root rot setup. Water the area around the root ball, not the entire pot
4. Not checking for pests — clones from dispensaries, friends, or other growers can carry spider mites, thrips, or broad mites. Inspect with a loupe before introducing to your space
5. Flipping too early — a 6-inch clone flipped to 12/12 will produce 1–3 grams of flower. Unless you're running a deliberate SOG, give clones 3–5 weeks of veg to build size
6. Assuming identical treatment — even though all clones from the same mother are genetically identical, environmental position (closer to light, corner vs. center, intake draft) causes variation. Rotate pots weekly for even development

For the complete cloning process, see our cloning guide. For seedling care (seed-grown plants), see our seedling guide.