Keeping clones long term for strain swaps

Hoping this all makes sense on here as it does inside my head
for the last 1 or 2 years I have had one closet for flowering and half of a closet for veg. I've had the same strain from the same seed this entire time. I just keep taking clones right before sending the vegged plants into flower.
Well now I'm over due for some new strains. I started new seeds. They have been cloned and they are ready when the flower room is done. I also received and popped 2 more seeds from a buddy. They are only 25 days old.
The thing is I also took clones like always from the original strain. I'm scared to part with it. But I don't have room to veg that many plants.
So... can I just keep a couple clones in a small box (1'x1'x2') or something. With a puny light and they will stay small. But alive. (Once they are fully rooted of course.) Until I want to put it back in rotation?
(Just noticing I don't have pics of current veg status. Will update when lights come on tonight)

Yes. Low light and low nutrients will slow down your original mom. Depending on how long you want to keep it, you may still need to clone it a time or two to keep it small, but it will work.

Yep. Something as simple as an led light bulb in a container works fine. With low light you won't need much for nutes or water. Ha someone beat me to it.

Cuttings root faster with ambient lighting. To much light is contra productive. When I grow in small spaces I just take a clones of the mother at the start of the stretch in flower when you get long nice internodes to take cuttings. It takes many runs before any strain/genetic line get "watered down".

I hardly keep anything alive longer than 3 years and if I want to keep something for the long run I make seeds.

That was quick. Thank you both. I usually use fabric pots. Is that fine or will I get prolonged slower growth from a solo cup?

I wouldn't use a fabric pot for a long-term mother. Go with a cheap bottom feed planter for house plants.

I keep my moms in hard sided containers to reduce how much moisture they lose, but you can keep a mom in a cloth pot. It will need more water because of the type of material, so you may end up feeding it too much, and it grows too fast. If you get the timing and feed strength right it's totally fine.
I chop branches off of this thing constantly, and feed it seedling strength feed and it still wants to grow into my little clone light.

Rsawr said:

I keep my moms in hard sided containers to reduce how much moisture they lose, but you can keep a mom in a cloth pot. It will need more water because of the type of material, so you may end up feeding it too much, and it grows too fast. If you get the timing and feed strength right it's totally fine.
I chop branches off of this thing constantly, and feed it seedling strength feed and it still wants to grow into my little clone light.
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Because of the miniscule amount of water I'd worry about the sides drying out much faster then the center. I also don't like the idea of keeping the top moist due to pests. And hit the soil with a neem spray every week or two.

Fallguy111 said:

Because of the miniscule amount of water I'd worry about the sides drying out much faster then the center. I also don't like the idea of keeping the top moist due to pests. And hit the soil with a neem spray every week or two.

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I don't have a rigorous IPM schedule because I am still bug and mold free, but I totally agree with you. Keep your mother in your personal IPM schedule if you have one, because if momma dies, there goes those genes you were saving!

Take some "fridge cuts". Put dry cuttings into a ziploc bag and pop it in the refrigerator. Because your plant is very much fully mature, the semi woody cuttings will hold up nicely, better & longer than the immature cut in this pic.

Because I said I would... here is the veg closet

I'm going to try that refrigerator clones. 8 week storage should be perfect