Growing clones outdoors....

I wish i was here to tell you all how to do it...But I'm looking for more knowledge on this subject myself...

I'd like this thread to be a place for members with experience to share what they've learned..

I've been growing outdoors, on and off, since the '80's.. And I'm pretty good at it.
However, I've always been a seed guy...That said, I only use good seeds...

I've got little indoor experience, but I am experienced and successful at taking and growing clones...
Last July I took cuts from everything in the outdoor garden..
I rooted them and kept them all alive until after I sampled my harvest in late Oct...
I decided to only keep the clones that were from two of the outdoor plants...
I choose those two plants based on these factors:

-Overall size and structure of the plant...I want large plants in my outdoor holes..
-Natural resistance to bugs and fungi (mold)...in my humid environment, that is usually sativa dominant hybrids
-Bud size and overall plant yield...we all want a nice a nice yield
-Trichome count (density) on the buds...Yeah, baby!!
-Taste and final smell of cured product... who cares about quantity if the quality isn't there...


I'll keep taking more cuts off the clones and have plenty to go outside in May...

But I have some questions:

I know clones from the same mother are genetically the same, but I know that some seem to grow better than others.
Is stucture all I'm looking for in two clones when deciding which to plant and which to trash?

Can some clones from last years outdoor girls get as big as their mother's were last summer?

What other kind of important tips can you experienced outdoor clone growers share with me...

Thanks, I hope we can turn this into a very informative thread...

..

I'm just tagging along for the information, I haven't had clones outside multiple years yet, this year will be my second year of GG#4 all from the same mother. I did run an Irene clone inside and outside, and the outside plant got bigger. but I'm gonna assume that's just because it had more space to grow into.

I mianly grow out side from clone for 1 reason and that is i know what i am getting . my opinion is clones can do just a good as a seed plant . i detailed how i go about out door clones in my 2020 female seeds outdoor grow thread .

I am way more. Woried about planting time s and weather the clone or seed as far as size goes . always take more clones then you need and just select the best ones . transplant often when small so you dont end up with a not of roots limitting your plants potential when it gets big .also i always pic the ones with out any lean to them .



If i think of any think of anything else i will add to thread .

Pics of some previous years clone outdoor grows.



My 2020 game plan

The plan .
a) when are you planning to start the grow?

Stage 1 : I plan to start seeds indoor around February 1st - end of March. Then I will select the best plant of each 4 strains, you send, leaving me with one of each for all 4 potters ( all others will be flowered out inside).


Stage 2 :* Those 4 selected plants will go under a 400 watt hps inside until end of April. They will be topped/trained at this point.

Stage 3 : Plants will go in a glass green house in 30-50 gallon potters. With supplemental lighting/heat source until end of May, weather depending of course. Plants will be topped and shaped while in green house.

Stage 4 : Plants go out into 2200 gallon amended potters,*with proper caging for support. They will be topped, netted and shaped 2 to 3 times. ( flowering starts around August 1st through 10th for most strians (45th parallel) ) at this point I plan to put the auto speed bud and Marco in green house .

Stage 5 : Harvest plants in late September early October. Flush the last 2 weeks.

Stage 1-5 : Organic fertilizer and trace minerals will be applyed through out all stages.*Pest control will be handled organically through out season as part of my normal periodic maintenance program.


B) How long is the Outdoor season there? I mean, do you need something super fast flowering/early flowering or is it a long season? And is it humid or not?

I would like to harvest by October 10th at the*very latest. Reference above answers for additional season information. Geographically it is described as high desert 4000 ft elevation 45 th parallel.

Cold nights are common spring and fall (30°- 50° degrees Fahrenheit). Hot days from end of July though mid September (70°- 90° degrees Fahrenheit)

It is very dry here 90% of the time as far as humidity is concerned. Very rarely do I have mold or powdery mildew issues.


C) What sort of varieties you have in mind?

1: I am interested in anything sour, skunky, gassy/diesel, pine and lemon terpene dominant strains.

My personal terpenoid wants are skunky and pine.

2 : Extremely fragrant strians preferred.

3 : Harvestable by October 1st preferred.

4 : Plants must be able to reach 6 ft x 6 ft* if at all possible, more would be nice.

5 : Something harvestable by middle September would be great.

Strains don't have to meet all that's above.

I am very open to suggestions, on strains and will do my very best to showcase your genetics in the best way possible. Thank you and I look forward to your recommendations.

Strains that seem to fit the bill in my opinion .

1 skunk special
2 white widow big bud
3 chem,of
4 ice

Sent strians are pictured above


I will add more detialed info as time goes on . if any one has any question fell free to ask .here is a link to this years thread for thouse are interested.
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=367853

Growing clones outside is a bit different. Yes, you should start 2x to 3x as many clones as you need and pick the best. Not so much structure as vigor. The ones that really go for it are the ones u use.

Clones can get as big as the seed mothers but structure will be different. The clone will be easier to get wider then tall. Branching is not symmetrical like seed.
Clones are more inclined to flower early in the spring when u put them out.
I think the biggest difference is you just have to be more on point with clones. They are less forgiving. You need to keep the plant in an aggressive state of growth it's ENTIRE life. Also true off you want the biggest seed, but more for clones. You never want roots to circle even a little. They should always be growing out and reaching for the edge. You can't transplant it a bunch. If u start in a cup then go to a 1 then a 5 then plant, it will suck. Put the clone directly in a big fabric pot. Then that into your hole. You don't want your root ball to be all tangled. Don't start it earlier then your veg infra structure can handle. Most of the time you will see guys that plant baby clones June 1st get wayy bigger then the guys pre-veging for a long time. You don't want to veg inside for a while. You want to pre veg in an uncrowded hoop house. You don't want a delicate indoor plant.

Once you get it down, it can be much more rewarding then growing from seed. Better yield and wayy better quality. F**%k using unproven pheno's.

Dankwolf: thank you for your reply...

That is exactly the reason I want to grow clones in my outdoor hideout.. To know what I am getting!

The plant in your picture is massive and that's what I wanted to know if it was possible.
My holes are not as large as yours, (I'm in an illegal state) but they are about 120 gallon holes in the ground..
I am an organic gardener and am pretty good at it from seed..
I am able to easily grow 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pound plants in them from seed...
I just didn't know if the clone had the capability to get as large as it's donor mother..

I'm at 36 degrees north so my day vs. night hours don't change as much through the year as yours..
my weather is warm enough to plant outdoors on May 1st, but my day length on that date is only 13 1/2 hours (sunrise to sunset) plus half hour of light in morning and evening
I usually move my seed grown plants outside between May 15 to May 31...
On May 15 I have 14 hours daylight...

I have hot humid summers here...
We don't usually get our first killer frost (25 degrees) until early November, but I like to harvest the first week of Oct. because the cool, rainy, overcast weather usuall starts around then...

Again, thanks for your reply,,, lots for me to think about...

..

Crushn: some more great tips for me to digest,,,thanks...

I'll be looking for the most vigorous clones,
and making sure they don't even start to get rootbound before they go outdoors...

I know that once I put them out in the holes, i know how to take care of them.
If I can get them to grow into 8 x 8 foot bowling balls, that's exactly what I want..
I've grown 12 ft X 6 and 8 x 8 ft from seed and the shorter fatter ones are much easier for me to take care of...

..

So growing from seed either you wanna have a more hearty plant or you are pheno hunting?


Seems like the only two reasons why someone would go that route versus using clones

smokinfat024 said:

So growing from seed either you wanna have a more hearty plant or you are pheno hunting?


Seems like the only two reasons why someone would go that route versus using clones

Click to expand...

For me it's ease of long term storage. Clones are wonderful, but taking care of them at the same time you are taking care of your other plants adds in more work. I can just throw some seeds in the freezer and come back next year and plant them and bam I got healthy plants. I had an orange mite scare and if I didn't completely separate GG clone mother I fear I would have lost it completely. Clones rock for trading genetics, but for long term storage seeds have them beat in my opinion.

I can see that AP. Are you generally happy with the final product of the seeds you’ve used?

smokinfat024 said:

I can see that AP. Are you generally happy with the final product of the seeds you’ve used?

Click to expand...

Yeah I'd say over all everything from seed has been good smoke. But that GG is just the best I've found so far, so I've been neglecting my seed stock and just keep growing GG I did cross it with a hybrid haze and am looking through those for some fire, but that's so much work.

On another thread someone posted a "field" of small plants, that might be what can happen if you buy inexpensive auto or feminised seed or grow in too heavy or wet or depleted soil or the weather isn't warm enough or less sunlight. Clones selected for smoking quality with small individual veg lights over their apical meristems, outdoors, helps them get started. Sometimes the clone you receive may be more like a genetic preservation slip, less of an established plant, in which case it is important to treat them as seedlings for the first few weeks or so. A seed has a lot of energy stored inside it's coat while a cutting is a branch or shoot that's grown new feet or shoes essentially.

CrushnYuba said:

Growing clones outside is a bit different. Yes, you should start 2x to 3x as many clones as you need and pick the best. Not so much structure as vigor. The ones that really go for it are the ones u use.

Clones can get as big as the seed mothers but structure will be different. The clone will be easier to get wider then tall. Branching is not symmetrical like seed.
Clones are more inclined to flower early in the spring when u put them out.
I think the biggest difference is you just have to be more on point with clones. They are less forgiving. You need to keep the plant in an aggressive state of growth it's ENTIRE life. Also true off you want the biggest seed, but more for clones. You never want roots to circle even a little. They should always be growing out and reaching for the edge. You can't transplant it a bunch. If u start in a cup then go to a 1 then a 5 then plant, it will suck. Put the clone directly in a big fabric pot. Then that into your hole. You don't want your root ball to be all tangled. Don't start it earlier then your veg infra structure can handle. Most of the time you will see guys that plant baby clones June 1st get wayy bigger then the guys pre-veging for a long time. You don't want to veg inside for a while. You want to pre veg in an uncrowded hoop house. You don't want a delicate indoor plant.

Once you get it down, it can be much more rewarding then growing from seed. Better yield and wayy better quality. F**%k using unproven pheno's.

Click to expand...

This is a man who knows his stuff. I wish I read this before I started this years grow. We've got a Jack Herer that was planted mid December that's bigger than ones that have been in the ground since start of Nov. Southern Hemisphere grow btw