How do you store over a dozen mothers long term?

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
Anyone use these?

I've similar ones I'm unsure of the brand but pretty much the same thing they work absolutely fine.
I've also one of these I'd recommend if your budget allows and it suits your space it is a quality unit.
.
 

Thundercat

Well-Known Member
4” pots for mothers? I find this very hard to believe.
I kept mothers in 6 inch pots of hydroton under HO T5 bulbs for a long time. I’d trim them back every 2ish weeks when I took clones and they would bush back out and be ready to clone again when needed. Once they finally got big enough or if they seemed to be growing slowly I would just use one of the previous round of clones to replace it. Usually about once every year or so I’d swap out for a fresh mom.
 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Take 2 clones of each. Reverse one clone with STS and pollinate the other for feminized seeds. You can save seeds for years. No need to grow a bunch of mothers of strains you won't be getting to for some time. Plus seeds are easy to store. When you want to grow that strain again plant some seeds.
 

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
I've similar ones I'm unsure of the brand but pretty much the same thing they work absolutely fine.
I've also one of these I'd recommend if your budget allows and it suits your space it is a quality unit.
.
Yeah trying to keep wattage down. Im planning on using a 3 tier shelf 1ft deep x 4 feet wide x 7 ft high.

Amazon sells 6 pks of those Barrina lights for $45 so $90 for 12 lights and using 4 lights per tier. Will have a shallow tote below to catch all run off and shallow totes where all the plants sit in pitched for run off to gravity drain to the tote using 1" bulkhead fittings and PVC fittings I already have on hand.

Looks killer in my head.
 

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
Honestly ive been meaning to change the way i grow for a while now. So i may finally ditch the DWC/RDWC way of life and just run all 12 different strains. Take a clone week 1 of 12-12 and use that clone as a new flowering plant and rinse and repeat.

With my med card I can have 24 plants. So could have one flower area finish while the other is mid way
 

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
Afaik the reason behind keeping bonsai mothers is to preserve vigour.
If it's long term thing it might be worth checking out, vigour isn't infinite it diminishes with generations.
 

bk78

Well-Known Member
I kept mothers in 6 inch pots of hydroton under HO T5 bulbs for a long time. I’d trim them back every 2ish weeks when I took clones and they would bush back out and be ready to clone again when needed. Once they finally got big enough or if they seemed to be growing slowly I would just use one of the previous round of clones to replace it. Usually about once every year or so I’d swap out for a fresh mom.
4” pots of soil was stated. Hydroton with irrigation definitely wouldn’t be a issue imo.
 

bk78

Well-Known Member
Anyone use these?

I have a 6 pack of these exact ones I use in my laundry room and utility room.
 

Puff_Dragon

Well-Known Member
I opted for bonsai/dwarfed Mother (clones) in small pots. Watering is done using Blumat soil drip feeders (primarily).
I managed to get nine of them huddled into a tent built for one single mother plant :)
fyi - I don't treat them like Bonsai, so they live around three to five years. At which point they show signs of withering (even when watered/fed).
If this issue starts, I just take clone cuttings and rejuvenate them.

I used three 6500K LED lights (eBay purchased) and one 2700K. 13 Watts each (fitted into a four way light fitting).
Running a 15 Watt 4" inline fan to suck air out/through the tent. With a 15 Watt 6" clip fan inside the tent (for circulation).
Thats 82 Watts all in :bigjoint:

Currently, I've slimmed down my mother collection to four plants (now looking for new editions).
Still keeping them in the same light/tent setup.

*see pics*
 

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firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
Afaik the reason behind keeping bonsai mothers is to preserve vigour.
If it's long term thing it might be worth checking out, vigour isn't infinite it diminishes with generations.
I thought that was a myth? Shhhitttt. Im sure by the time that happens weed will be smoking us
 

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
I opted for bonsai/dwarfed Mother (clones) in small pots. Watering is done using Blumat soil drip feeders (primarily).
I managed to get nine of them huddled into a tent built for one single mother plant :)
fyi - I don't treat them like Bonsai, so they live around three to five years. At which point they show signs of withering (even when watered/fed).
If this issue starts, I just take clone cuttings and rejuvenate them.

I used three 6500K LED lights (eBay purchased) and one 2700K. 13 Watts each (fitted into a four way light fitting).
Running a 15 Watt 4" inline fan to suck air out/through the tent. With a 15 Watt 6" clip fan inside the tent (for circulation).
Thats 82 Watts all in :bigjoint:

Currently, I've slimmed down my mother collection to four plants (now looking for new editions).
Still keeping them in the same light/tent setup.

*see pics*
Ill have to look into bonsai. When u say small pots how small we talking? Keeping a clone for 3-5 years is impressive.

How do people keep strains from the late 80s if clones lose vigor?
 

Puff_Dragon

Well-Known Member
Ill have to look into bonsai. When u say small pots how small we talking? Keeping a clone for 3-5 years is impressive.

How do people keep strains from the late 80s if clones lose vigor?
The pots (various shapes) are around one liter.

For me, I've never had a loss of vigour with my clones (taken to create new mothers). I've done this for four generations now (approx. 12years).
I have no idea but, maybe older (80's) genetics were not as stable/worked? IF, they do indeed degrade through cloning.
 
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