Growing a plant to become a mother..

Hey guys, I was wondering what the steps were to growing a mother plant from seed and also from clone? I'm mostly wondering how and when to prune to produce lots of clones? I'd also like to know what people think is the best way to start a mother plant; either from seed or clone?

Good question. You want a clone mother, from seed or clone, to be bushy and on the short size. So use pots that are at least as wide as they are tall. Tall, skinny pots grow tall skinny plants. Being a mom also means extra veg time. That is because at about 3 weeks in dirt for seedlings (and 2 weeks for clones), you should FIM the top of each mom-to-be. This will cause the plant to grow more side branches. The side branches are going to be your cuttings for clones. Also, the FIM'ing will keep the size down. Start them in solo cups for about 10 days until the plant is taller than the solo cup is wide. Then transplant into another container that is wide. When the leaves reach the outside of the second pot you TP again into the final pot. I suggest something n the 3-5 gallon size for the final pot. TP'ing twice cuts down on the time you have to wait for the growing plant to fill the pot with roots. Remember - plants grow very little aboveground until the roots have filled the pot. That's why you don't TP straight into a large pot. You would end up waiting extra weeks for the roots to fill the pot if you don't. Good luck and keep us posted. Works 4 me, BigSteve.

Thanks Bigsteve! That's some helpful information. When I choose a mother plant I'll try to remember to post a pic on this forum

Bigsteve, Is it still ok to FIM the top of your plants around 4-5 weeks in? Or will it not grow as motherly?