Whether you are just starting with your first home grow kit or are ready to move up to larger-scale production, eventually, every cultivator considers whether they should start cloning. Clones are an inexpensive way to farm seedlings quickly. It is economical, efficient, and it takes many of the variables for larger-scale production out of play.
With the right set-up and access to a good series of “mother plants,” clones can help ensure a marijuana grower many harvests. Eventually the genetics of your crop will degrade and will will be time to order new cannabis seeds and start the process over again.
Rather than give a step by step “how-to” manual on clone production, this article will show you how to create your clone box. By controlling the environment and managing the conditions in which we grow the clones, it will produce healthy and consistent plants season after season for growers from Oregon to North Carolina, and everywhere in between.
This is one easy method to produce an effective and efficient, low-cost and low maintenance clone box and use it continuously for years. The setup is simple, but you must follow the process carefully. Maintaining the proper conditions and environment for growing clones is an exact science and one should approach this project as an investment of both time and money.
Always remember to check with local laws before beginning a project like this.
Selecting A Grow Box
Finding the right container for making a clone box depends on several factors. Considerations such as location, hardware availability, cost, and desired production output will all come into play. However, all germination and incubation chambers have certain things in common because of the specific nature of cannabis plant cloning and cultivation.
This article will assume that anyone who wishes to create a cloning chamber will have already overcome the consideration of location, the availability of materials and considers that at least a moderate cost will be invested into this project. This leaves only the question of scalability in terms of the volume of clones you wish to produce each week and the size of the associated cabinet or storage container.
Resourceful growers can make any cabinet or closet into a cloning chamber. However, if it is too small, it may make it challenging to work inside such a limited space. You must be able to move trays and plants into and out of each level without upsetting or damaging light fixtures or disturbing the other trays. Also, these light fixtures will produce heat, and if they are too close to the plants, they can easily damage them and ruin an entire production cycle.
For ease of access and simplicity of design, growers should start with a cabinet at least 1.5 meters tall, 1 meter wide, and with a depth of at least 40 – 50 centimeters. Depending on the location, it is also advisable that the front doors of the cabinet have a locking mechanism and can be secured. This is especially useful if your clone box is inside a commercial location or if you place it in a residence with children or flat mates.
With even a modestly sized clone box, one person should be able to produce around 250 – 300 clones each week. This creates a sustainable rotation for your outdoor Colorado greenhouse or indoor Tennessee grow-room.
Ventilation and Power Considerations
Cannabis seedlings require very specific conditions in which to thrive. This is true whether you gro from clones or from original 420 seeds or 710 seeds from our website. They require adequate light, water, and a steady supply of CO2 to perform the photosynthesis necessary to produce the sugars and chemicals they need. They also need to remain within a specific temperature range. If any of these variables are absent or excessive, the seedlings can suffer and eventually die. It is crucial to ensure that your clone box has adequate ventilation and enough power to manage the light, CO2 levels, and temperature of your workspace.
You can achieve good ventilation by installing a vent fan high in the back wall of the cabinet. Place it high in the back, because the heat created by lighting fixtures will rise as a result. Use a fan with an efficient carbon filter that continually draws air from inside the cabinet and expels it out into the room.
This will also ensure that it neutralizes the pungent smell of growing cannabis plants before being released into the room through the ducting. Many cultivators also find it helpful to attach a piece of flexible vent ducting to direct the chamber exhaust out of the immediate area.
This is a good time to drill holes in the back of the cabinet for when it comes time to install and wire the light fixtures. As detailed below, there will be three sets of lights used in this setup, so we must make adequate power available – depending on the choice in fixtures for each section.
Do not worry about creating holes in the back for the electrical. No scent should escape the clone box. Once we have mounted the exhaust fan, it will create a slight vacuum in the cabinet, prohibiting any air or odor from escaping. By ducting the exhaust through an efficient carbon filter, it eliminates all scent while continually drawing CO2 rich air from outside the cloning box.
No matter what the specific situation and location, creating a clean and contained work environment will help to minimize damage and threat to your marijuana clones.
Creating a Reflective Interior
Once we have completed all penetrations to the exterior wall, it is time to line the interior with a suitably reflective substance, such as mylar or aluminum foil. Growers can also use mirrors and reflective metal if desired. The goal here is to reflect and redirect light back onto the growing seedlings. We do not want the light absorbed by the walls or to escape through cracks in the cabinet.
This will reduce power consumption and the need for more fixtures. It will also allow the plants to receive light from multiple angles rather than from directly overhead. Being “wrapped in light” allows the clones to absorb and grow quicker, as the chlorophyll converts the light into growth.
The foil or sheeting should be as reflective as possible and can include certain forms of insulation. Be aware, however, that this is to be a growing environment and will be humid. Fibrous or organic materials used as insulation can trap moisture and grow mold.
As with every other step in this process, research your options well and choose according to your budget and needs.
Shelving and Containment
Once we complete and prepare the interior walls, it is time to divide the cabinet space into three separate sections. Each of these areas will be a self-contained environment, uniquely suited to the three stages of marijuana seedling development and growth.
- The top section will be for seed germination.
- The middle sections will be for clone cuttings and seedlings.
- The lowest section will be for mother plants and those in the vegetative state.
Top Section – Seed Germination
The uppermost section of the cabinet, closest to the exhaust vent, will be for seed germination and sprouting. The seeds require minimal light here, as you will move sprouts to the second section after they have emerged from the soil. Temperature control and humidity will be important considerations since marijuana seeds will not sprout if it is too hot or too cold.
There needs to be about 25 cm between the shelf and the top of the cabinet in this section. As it is unlikely that you will use the entire surface for germination, it is helpful to have at least one or two light fixtures in this section for autoflower or CBD seedlings. This increases your production rate and maximizes your space.
Middle Section – Seedlings and Clones
After germination, we will move the seedlings to the middle section. They require ample light, averaging about 1 to 3 watts per plant. There should be adequate space, approximately 40 centimeters between the shelf and the one above it. This will allow you to move trays into and out of the area without touching the light fixtures or overcrowding the other plants.
This will offer adequate space to attach the lighting fixtures to the shelf above, and enough room to move trays in and out of the shelf without difficulty. Using the modestly sized cabinet described above, it is realistic to project a production rate of approximately 200 seedlings or rooted clones each week.
Bottom Section – Mother Plants
The bottom section will be the largest. This section will hold the mother plants from which the clones will be taken from each week. It will also hold any vegetative state plants we will use for interior grow tents, greenhouses, or used for techniques such as the SCROG method of cannabis plant training. This chamber will require the most direct light and the largest amount of water.
Installing Lights
Once you have the shelving in place and the cabinet is otherwise ready, it is time to install the lighting fixtures for each level. Attach them directly to the shelf above by drilling holes for eyebolts and securing them with nuts and washers on either side of the metal shelf. Once secured, hang the fixtures directly from the eyebolts.
It is time to decide on the light fixtures you will use in this clone box. Growers commonly use compact fluorescent lights or CFL fixtures for these types of clone chambers. But recently LED, or light-emitting diodes, have taken center stage in interior cannabis growing operations.
While LED lights are more expensive initially to install, they cost less in terms of power usage and produce less heat per fixture. They also last significantly longer and are far less prone to breaking and damage. California, as well as many other states, offers rebates and other incentives for those switching their household lights over to energy efficient LED lights
The germination level will require very little light unless you intend to use it for seedlings and clone cuttings. Two 40 watt CFL lamps or equivalent LED panels should be more than adequate to manage light levels in this section.
The seedling level should have lighting levels that correspond to the number of plants that will grow there. Plan for approximately 200 watts worth of lighting fixtures, spread out across the bottom of the shelf above. Remember, these need to be full-spectrum lights, so that the seedlings are receiving all the different light that they need to grow.
Finally, at the mother plant level, another 200 watts of lighting should be sufficient. While there will be fewer plants in this area, plants in the vegetative state will require significantly more light than seedlings and clone cuttings. Two 100-watt lamps with a reflective metal hood should provide enough direct light for the marijuana plants growing at this stage.
Once you have all the lighting setups installed, carefully run the power cords through the back of the cabinet to plug into whatever available power strips you plan to use. Remember to account for the electrical load that your grow chamber is now pulling. You do not want to overload your circuit breakers and cause a short in the system.
Cover Up and Conceal
Once you have finished the initial setup of your clone box, it is time to camouflage it. Use flowering plants, books, lamps, tablecloths or other decorations to normalize the cabinet’s appearance. Do your best to make it look like part of the background. This will draw attention away from the clone chamber and your investment held within.
Closing Thoughts
Taking the time to set up and regulate a marijuana clone box is a project that pays for itself in no time. Not only does it save time and money of purchasing seeds and clone cuttings, but it has the potential of turning a significant profit selling those same clones to other cultivators.
The cannabis industry is a big business. A “growing” market if you will. Creating your clone box ensures that it meets your own production needs each week and that others can likewise enjoy the fruits – or flowers, rather – of your labor.
