Huge Mother!

[dejayou30]

I have a mother that I've been growing for almost 10 weeks now. It is starting to get really tall and bushy (hence why I chose it as my mother :jointsmile: ) and is starting to overgrow two of my clones. I can't move the plant, but can I cut it down at all so it will coexist with the smaller clones and not hog all the light? If so, what is the best way to go about it? I don't want to go hacking at it and make it herm or anything. Any help would be great!

dejayou30 Reviewed by dejayou30 on 11-27-2007. Huge Mother! I have a mother that I've been growing for almost 10 weeks now. It is starting to get really tall and bushy (hence why I chose it as my mother :jointsmile: ) and is starting to overgrow two of my clones. I can't move the plant, but can I cut it down at all so it will coexist with the smaller clones and not hog all the light? If so, what is the best way to go about it? I don't want to go hacking at it and make it herm or anything. Any help would be great! Rating: 5

[Hennessy1414]

I have a mother that I've been growing for almost 10 weeks now. It is starting to get really tall and bushy (hence why I chose it as my mother :jointsmile: ) and is starting to overgrow two of my clones. I can't move the plant, but can I cut it down at all so it will coexist with the smaller clones and not hog all the light? If so, what is the best way to go about it? I don't want to go hacking at it and make it herm or anything. Any help would be great!

get some T5's and some higher wattage CFl's right under the clone crops:rastasmoke:

[gainesvillegreen]

Do what you think makes sense: cut it. My friend pulls a lot of his cuttings from the top of his mother plants specifically to keep the height down. They typically take a little while longer to root than would a lower cutting, but the convenience can't be beat.

[PharmaCan]

Cut away, young Jedi! Practice your cloning with the cuttings you take. The clones that survive, if you have friends that grow, give them the clones and be popular, or sell them the clones for US$10 each and help cover your nutes and stuff.

But beware the power of the dark side ...clones can be like tribbles! :wtf:

PC :smokin:

[dejayou30]

So can I just go ahead and lop off the top six inches? I don't really know anyone I can give any clones to, so it will most likely be trim and toss. I have my method for cloning down and it served me well with 9/11 on the first shot, so I'm not to worried about practicing it. It was actually way easier than I thought it would be. I really just want to know how much I can cut off the top without stressing the plant greatly. The sides I've got a pretty good idea of how to do.

[GaGrown]

I have a mother that I've been growing for almost 10 weeks now. It is starting to get really tall and bushy (hence why I chose it as my mother :jointsmile: ) and is starting to overgrow two of my clones. I can't move the plant, but can I cut it down at all so it will coexist with the smaller clones and not hog all the light? If so, what is the best way to go about it? I don't want to go hacking at it and make it herm or anything. Any help would be great!

You really should have her under a light of her own.My mama is seperate. I know you said you can't move her.Everytime you make a cut on the mother you will increase the foliage at the top of the plant. It's kinda like topping when done ot a node. You can also tie the limbs back around the outside walls of your room. Use twist ties and secure to the walls with nails,tacks or something like that.That will get the mama out of the way some as to not hog the light from your babies.Pin the limbs to the wall.

Ga Grown!

[Weedhound]

Ha ha Deja now has too MUCH plant.....

[dejayou30]

Yeah, ideally I would like to put her in a DWC bucket under her own light but I just ran out of room in my grow room. The thing is, I built the room and didn't put anything (drywall, plywood, etc.) up on the inside except plastic, so there are no "walls", only studs, and there aren't any studs near where she's at except in the corner. I really just want to just lop off the top 6 inches and some of the outer growth but I need to know how much I can take off the top at once without stressing the plant too much.

[stinkyattic]

Mothers do well tended seperately since they have different needs. They live longer in the same pot, need more space, and are kept on a different feeding schedule that involves flushing, feeding grow fert, feeding bloom fert, taking cuts, and flushing again.
IF you 'lop' the top, check the main stem to see if you've exposed the hollow part. If you did, clip it shut with a sturdy binder clip or plug it a plastic toothpick or even a golf tee if it's a real big hole. This prevents disease entering the stem.

The actively growing upper shoots contain more auxins and make better clones. They take off very quickly after rooting compared to low-cut clones.

An unruly mother can be sheared like a hedge too... but I like to train mine to be wide, low, and have an open center so that light gets down into the plant where new shoots can grow off the mian stem itself.

Until she has her own home, tie her down.

You can also just keep re-generating your mother with a fresh clone and flower the old one as she gets too large. That's how I keep so many strains- mothers are never allowed to outgrow a QUART sized pot! That's rootbound at 12" and about 8" in diameter.

[Weedhound]

Yes I'm afraid of that too....how much is too much? Deja how tall and wide is the plant? PC grows moms.....I never have so don't know enough about pruning to really say. Do you have a photo and that might give everyone a better idea of how much you'd be taking off if you "lopped off six inches"