Time it takes from seed to clone

[Bagels]

Alright, so I am trying to think ahead for the coming spring when I will attempt my first grow outdoors. I have some 50 bagseed that will suit me fine. I am really interested in germinating them, sexing them, and then trying to get as many clones as I can of the ladies before I put them out sometime in May. I am curious as to an estimate of how long I have to wait from seed before I can sex the plants. Would I determine it by number of nodes or just overall height or age in general? Also, would it be safe to cut clones right after a forcing flower or would it be better to revert them to veg again first? Sorry this is long, I would really appreciate some help from all of you weed warriors.

Thanks,
Bagels

 

[Stoney Bud]

Hey Bagels, here's the routine:

1. Grow your seedlings. It'll take about 6 weeks before the plants are sexually mature and they won't flower before then. The way you tell when they're sexually mature is when they develop alternating nodes. This is when the branch nodes are staggered instead of directly across from one another.

Once they are sexually mature, you should take one cutting from each plant and put it into a small cup of plain water.

The host plants should be numbered and labeled the same as each cutting. Leave the host plants on 24/7 lighting.

Then put all of the cuttings into a flowering light schedule of 10 on 14 off. This will force them into a fast flower.

In ten days or less, you'll notice small preflowers on each cutting. Male or female. Keep them flowering until every one of them has shown sex.

Pitch all of the cuttings and the male host plants and grow the female host plants until they are large enough to take clones from. The rule is to never take more than 30% of the tops at once. Take the cuttings and root them.

How long will depend on your lighting, nutes, the strain and the method of growing.

Good luck man!

 

[Bagels]

That sounds great, exactly what I needed to hear. The only question I have left is whether or not the first cuttings are saved and rooted? Or are they just used to find the sex and then discarded?

 

[Stoney Bud]

That sounds great, exactly what I needed to hear. The only question I have left is whether or not the first cuttings are saved and rooted? Or are they just used to find the sex and then discarded?

After creating a forced flower, you would have to put the plants back into a vegetative cycle to root them. If you were to add rooting hormones AND flower at the same time, the plant would divide it's energy both ways and stress like hell. That would be a great way to create a hermie.

You throw the sexed cuttings away. I know that sounds cruel, but they aren't needed for anything after flowering them.

After throwing away all of the cuttings and all of the males, you have known females that have never left the vegetative cycle and are still as happy as can be.

Then you think about your next cuttings.

By the time your cuttings have sexed, the host plants will have healed. You can then take 30% of the tips again.

This time, root them into clones of their Mothers.

Make sure to mark them so that if you get a really good plant that has characteristics you like the most, you can start more host plants for future cloning of the genetically identical plant.

 

[leelow]

so stoney,
your saying to put the test cuttings in small cups of plaim water put them on 10-14 light cycle, same plain water and wait for indicating flowering. plain water is adedqueate for the 10 days, or maybe some b vitamamn or 1/4 strength flower would help.
this sound great just want to be clear.,

 

[Stoney Bud]

so stoney,
your saying to put the test cuttings in small cups of plaim water put them on 10-14 light cycle, same plain water and wait for indicating flowering. plain water is adedqueate for the 10 days, or maybe some b vitamamn or 1/4 strength flower would help.
this sound great just want to be clear.,

Nothing but water is needed. I've done this so many times....sexing is easy. The light has to be VERY strickly applied. One light leak will waste a lot of time for you.

 

[TURKEYNECK]

50 seeds? how many mothers are you planning to grow?