Cloning Sativa vs. Cloning Indica

Learn the difference in cloning sativa vs. cloning indica

When cloning cannabis plants, the process for cloning sativa and indica (or even c. ruderalis, actually, though cloning ruderalis isn’t all that common) is identical, but results

vary from breeder to breeder and from strain to strain. Your growing medium (soil, clay pellets, rock wool, etc.) as well as your rooting hormone, choice of lights and general growing environment all have a bit impact on your success rates with cloning, but genetics also play a role.

Most c. sativa strains and sativa-dominant hybrids are renowned among breeders for their ease of cloning. Indeed, many strains will take to the soil or rock wool and nutrient combination to form new roots without even using a rooting hormone, but there are always those strains that seem to resist cloning at great length.

For some growers, c. indica strains and indica-dominant hybrids prove more challenging to root. With that said, most indica strains are still reasonably easy to clone, even if you can’t just throw them in some wet dirt to grow roots like some sativa strains are apt to do.

There are a few differences when cloning sativa and cloning indica

Rooting Times When Cloning Sativa vs. Cloning Indica

Rooting times for each strain vary as well, especially among hybrid strains, but clones from sativa plants may root more quickly than clones from indica plants, on average. There are a lot of factors that influence rooting time, not least of which is the skill of the grower, but many growers have seen root growth on sativa (and some indica) strains as early as 4 – 5 days after cutting, with roots developed enough for planning by 11 – 13 days after cutting.

As a general rule of thumb, when properly handled you can expect to see new roots forming on your clones within 12 – 16 days from initial cutting. Some strains may start to pop out after 20 days, but when you get much more beyond 3 weeks (21 days from cutting), the viability of your cuttings is hugely deteriorated and it’s probably best to take new cuttings and start over.

For c. sativa and sativa-dominant strains, many growers will put clones into their flowering cycle as soon as they’ve grown enough roots to be planted. Rushing into the flowering cycle with sativa strains is particularly advisable for anyone growing indoors or within a small greenhouse, as sativa strains can easily double their size, triple it or more during their flowering stage.