MAINTAINING A MOTHER PLANT
Another essential element in a mother plant’s fertilizer regimen is calcium. The calcium in your fertilizer
is moved through the plant via the xylem from the
roots to the leaves and stems, where it helps produce
thicker stems and stronger cell walls. More robust cell
walls and thicker stems translate to stronger clones with
less disease susceptibility.
Other beneficial additives for mother plants include
amino acids, humic and fulvic acids, and bio-stimulants
like kelp or seaweed extracts. Amino acids can open
absorption pathways in roots, allowing for increased
absorption of elements such as calcium, which can
increase absorption a thousand fold. Humic acid,
when combined with kelp extracts in a 5:2 ratio and
applied to a mother plant’s root system, helps plants
produce the antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD),
which in turn helps protect plant cell membranes
from heat and drought stress. This additional heat and
drought stress can make a significant difference in the
survival rates of tender cuttings.
Foliar feeding mother plants a mixture of fulvic acid
and seaweed 2-3 times per week for a couple of weeks
prior to taking cuttings also makes for stronger clones.
The fulvic acid acts as a chelation agent, transporting
metal ions across cell membranes inside of plant cells,
where they are most needed, and stimulates enzymes,
increasing the rate of chemical reactions within plant
cells. When foliar feeding plants, remember to add a
wetting agent or surfactant to your foliar mixture for
better absorption into plants. It is a small price to pay
for increased efficacy!
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Maximum Yield USA | December 2015
Keep Track of Age
Many of the plants gardeners grow are annuals—plants
that complete their life cycles, from germination to the
production of seed, within one year. Keeping annuals as
mother plants for extended periods of time can result in
less robust cuttings that are more susceptible to diseases.
As plants grow, they keep track of their cellular age with
an internal clock based on their circadian rhythms. As
plant cells age, they naturally become less efficient as
their proteins and DNA break down. The breakdown of
proteins and DNA is a slow process with little impacts
early on, but the older the cells get, the greater the
cumulative effect this degradation has. Eventually, it
decreases the likelihood that an organism, especially a
clone, will survive. While a mother plant may make an
excellent donor for the first year or two, eventually it
will experience enough cellular degradation that the
survival rate of the cuttings will be greatly decreased.
To this end, keeping track of the age of your mother
plant and your cloning success rate will give you a good
idea of when and if it is time to choose a new mother.
Remember that a clone of a mother has the same
genetic age as the original mother and regenerating a
mother from a clone will likely result in the same issues
that the donor plant originally had.
To maintain a mother plant for extended periods
of time, fertilize properly, keep track of her age and
always keep back-up genetics around, because nothing
lasts forever!