How early can I clone?

Okay, so my plant is around 16-18 days old after germinated and being planted.

I was wondering how early I could clone. I read that cloning at an early age will allow me to tell the sex before I put the actual plant into flowering, which will be good for me since I'm going to top and LST this plant.

So would I be able to clone now, or in a few days? And when I do, could I just top and then use that as a clone?

The plant is right around 4 inches tall, with 3 good size nodes, 2 decent size ones, and 1 that's about half an inch if that helps.

I'd just take a picture, but the camera I have now requires a weird cord to hook it up, and my SD card reader broke on me because it was cheap Chinese shit.

Cloning can usually be done once the plant is mature. One way to tell the plant has matured is to look for alternating nodes. This usually happens around node 4 or 5. The only sure way I know to sex plants is to take a cutting, establish root system and place into 12/12 for flowering.

Little Tommy said:

Cloning can usually be done once the plant is mature. One way to tell the plant has matured is to look for alternating nodes. This usually happens around node 4 or 5. The only sure way I know to sex plants is to take a cutting, establish root system and place into 12/12 for flowering.

Click to expand...

Well, I've heard that that isn't true about the alternating nodes, so I'm not sure if I really want to use that method without hearing from someone else that it is.

I'm mainly wanting to do it to see the sex earlier. I have a feeling that it will end up a hermie anyways, since it's been through hell and back, but that's fine...I've never met anyone even remotely close to here that doesn't sell weed with seeds in it.

BUT, if it's a male...I'd like to know as soon as possible, so I can give up on it and buy another quarter bag and start some more bagseed until I get used to it all and start with the better strands.