Renewing bonsai mother/ vitality

Dear Gentlefolks,

This forum is probably not the best place for this post, yet I prefer to hear from people who post here as I feel we share a common sense when it come this amazing hobby/plant.

I would like to know your opinion on bonsai mother vitality.

• How often do you reclone yours?
  
• What are the signs indicating it is time?
  
• Is it worth flowering the BM once you have replaced it? Right brain says it should be given a chance to complete its life cycle but my left brain says why bother if she is weak?
• Any other things you would like to share on BM?

Clonningly yours
M

Good questions, I'm interested in this as well.

Mazer said:

Dear Gentlefolks,

This forum is probably not the best place for this post, yet I prefer to hear from people who post here as I feel we share a common sense when it come this amazing hobby/plant.

I would like to know your opinion on bonsai mother vitality.

• How often do you reclone yours?
  
• What are the signs indicating it is time?
  
• Is it worth flowering the BM once you have replaced it? Right brain says it should be given a chance to complete its life cycle but my left brain says why bother if she is weak?
• Any other things you would like to share on BM?

Clonningly yours
M

Click to expand...

I never run a mother, just take perpetual cuts from the same strain. I am allowed a fixed number of plants, so I can't keep mother plants with my low plant count. Really as long as health stays fine, you can keep taking cuts off a mother plant as long as you like. and, should you decide to flower her, just make sure she is in good health, and that you have a good even canopy and plenty of air circulation and she'll be great to flower.

Dear shLUbY,
I have serious doubts about the long term stability of bonsaï mother.
If I m not mistaken, medical hemp is an annual plant. Indoors, we take over her natural cycle by controlling as much as possible as many environmental factors as possible. I have a deep down inside feeling that by doing so, we must be "using up" something inside that is vital to her. It must be.

Eternally yours,
M

Mazer said:

Dear shLUbY,
I have serious doubts about the long term stability of bonsaï mother.
If I m not mistaken, medical hemp is an annual plant. Indoors, we take over her natural cycle by controlling as much as possible as many environmental factors as possible. I have a deep down inside feeling that by doing so, we must be "using up" something inside that is vital to her. It must be.

Eternally yours,
M

Click to expand...

doubt if you will/want... but genetics are genetics, and as long as the plant stays healthy, the genetics will likely be stable and you will not experience epigenetic changes so it should express its genotype and phenotype just fine. I mean how else have people been keeping strains around for 20+ years from taking cuttings? Yes it's an annual plant... but all it knows is what you tell it... if you keep it in veg, it's going to stay in veg due to the photoperiod response of phytochrome. So flower a healthy mother plant, and if health is an issue, then dont. just be sure to give it a transplant before flowering so the roots have room to grow out some more and she can grow for the first several weeks with no issues.

ShLUbY said:

...I mean how else have people been keeping strains around for 20+ years from taking cuttings....

Click to expand...

Dear ShLUbY,

Let us have an empirical approach and talk again on the 21th of march 2038?

20yearingly yours,
M

Mazer said:

Dear Gentlefolks,

This forum is probably not the best place for this post, yet I prefer to hear from people who post here as I feel we share a common sense when it come this amazing hobby/plant.

I would like to know your opinion on bonsai mother vitality.

• 1-How often do you reclone yours?
  
• 2-What are the signs indicating it is time?
  
• 3-Is it worth flowering the BM once you have replaced it? Right brain says it should be given a chance to complete its life cycle but my left brain says why bother if she is weak?
• 4-Any other things you would like to share on BM?

Clonningly yours
M

Click to expand...

1-whenever a copy is needed limited only by new mother plant meristem growth
2-time for what? to copy? (whenever you wish) transplant? depending on your expectations, a broken pot, gardening habits, etc.
3- any healthy plant is worth flowering if weed is worthwhile to you. why would a mom be weak? proper care for all vegging plants is paramount to flowering to potential. an unhealthy plant can be nurtured to health again, do that.
4 I've kept a mom in veg for many years in a 3 gallon pot, roots twirling to the top of the soil all the time.
I dip it to water/feed about once weekly.
When you can no longer supply needed resources to your container size in a timely manner
it may be helpful to up pot to a larger size container. water with 1/4 container volume every time you do.

When/if flowering a simple up pot/transplant to a larger container with fresh substrate, amendments(assuming soil/peat) will
be successful.

chiqifella said:

2-time for what? to copy? (whenever you wish) transplant? depending on your expectations, a broken pot, gardening habits, etc.
....

Click to expand...

Dear chiqifella,
Thank you for your reply.
Seems like your Gentlefolks are converging to the same main ideas: a BM can last for a LONG time. That is good news.
In my second item I was really asking whether there are some identifiable signs of BM weakness and necessity to renew/reclone her. I guess the short answer is NO!
Well Thanks again for all the info.

I wonder what the oldest BM is amongst the organic growers. My is about 12 months old and looks like a 12" tree from a horror movie. will try to post pics later.

Smarterly yours,
M

identifiable signs of weakness=

these(deficiencies, virus, pests,root rot, over/under fed, yellow leaves, mold etc) will show whenever a vegetative plant is not being cared for correctly, regardless of how many times you've cloned it, it's age, or your intentions for its future.