Mother Plant

Hey all been searching the site concerning mother plants and haven't been able to find what I am looking for so I thought I would throw out a few questions to you. I am sure these questions have been answered before but please take a moment of your time and respond.

I have a mother plant in a 5 gallon bucket. I use a mix of pro-mix and some other organic material. She is still very healthy but she is pushing the one year mark.

1. How long can you keep a mother plant?

2. How long would you personally keep a mother plant?

3. Since the mother is getting old is it ok to put her into flower mode?

4. Does the age of the mother affect the quality of the buds?

5. If the age does affect the quality, how does it a affect it?

6. How do you avoid having the plant get root bound?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

People have kept them upward of 15 years.
Not saying that's the norm, but I'd keep as long as I could if it was a good strain.
You can flower her whenever you want.
Potency generally goes up over time.
Pot up before putting her into flower.

I have only been able to keep my mothers for about 6-10 months in 5 gal buckets before they start to get unhappy. 4 of my 6 month mothers are actually in flower right now and are doing amazing, in 10 gal buckets ofc. The main reason I dont put them into bigger pots while being mothers is simply because I dont have the space. I haven't noticed any ill effects by flowering them, in fact they seem to be doing freaking awesome. Before I flower my mom I usually take one of the main tops right off her and start another mother plant.

budzrus said:

Hey all been searching the site concerning mother plants and haven't been able to find what I am looking for so I thought I would throw out a few questions to you. I am sure these questions have been answered before but please take a moment of your time and respond. I have a mother plant in a 5 gallon bucket. I use a mix of pro-mix and some other organic material. She is still very healthy but she is pushing the one year mark. 1. How long can you keep a mother plant? 2. How long would you personally keep a mother plant? 3. Since the mother is getting old is it ok to put her into flower mode? 4. Does the age of the mother affect the quality of the buds? 5. If the age does affect the quality, how does it a affect it? 6. How do you avoid having the plant get root bound? Thanks in advance for your responses.

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#1. Mothers can be kept for over a year or two if maintained...I replace them when I get cuts that are solid and healthy...the healthiest 2 at the end of a veg become the newest mothers. #2. Personally, I keep them usually 9 months or so...if it has undergone a lot of stress than less. #3 I try to send them into flowering with vigor still....mothers can produce!!!! #4 I dont know #5 I dont know #6 Transplant it, Use big pots, there are pots that air prune the roots when they grow to the container limit (Smart Pots or Air Pots????)

#1 I have a 5 year old mother in a 3 gallon pot and I keep her trimmed into a bonsai configuration. #2 As long as you want to have the strain available to you and as long as the plant remains healthy.#3 yes it is and they will do beautifully . If the mom is healthy and giving off lots of healthy clones keep using her until you notice a drift in genetics. Then you can fall back on one of her replacement mothers that you took from her.#4 Only with genetic drift occurring. #5 Age does not but tired genetics will.#6 I repot only until I reach the biggest size pot I will ever want to use then I replace the soil and trim the roots. you can do this as often as necessary but the plant will eventually stop tolerating it. any ones guess to how long. going on 5 years with mine

I know that to prevent the root bound issue, it's best to trim 1/3 of the root ball away, hence leaving new room for new roots to help uptake nutriets.

Hey all thanks for all the replies. I decided to go ahead and flower her. I already have a nice clone of her that should be ready to produce more clones in about 2 weeks. This was my first mother so I hate to see her go but I look forward to the bud

I know my pruning efforts weren't the best since I was learning and new to growing. I figure I will always learn something new and I look forward to that. This mother was topped and then lst. From what I can tell I should have 8 or 9 main colas from her. Ain't growing fun, I just love it.

Again many thanks to you that replied your advise is always welcomed.