Keeping mothers in an RDWC setup

[GrumpAzz]

Hey folks. I'm a LONG ways out from realizing my goal of keeping 4-6 mother plants for my future "forever rotation," but I'm curious as to how to go about keeping mothers in a hydroponic setup. I will eventually be building out a few rooms in my basement to go perpetual and I've got a couple questions.

I understand keeping mothers in a soil pot, but have any of you attempted it in an RDWC? Will their roots ever stop growing? Will they end up growing to the point of needing a trickle system? I assume that they'll eventually displace all the water in their buckets and really snuff the water flow. Do you just clone the mother before that point and start anew each time they begin to crowd the rootzone?

I will likely keep them in a 4-6 site system being fed the same nute ratio. If I need to clone the mothers often, I assume they'll need a low ppm nutrient solution to satisfy the newish clones and the older mothers yet to be cloned. I realize that certain strains will have different preferences when it comes to nutrient ratios, but is that nearly as important when it comes to mothers? Like... does it really matter if a mother plant is as happy as can be, or would the goal be to just keep them satisfied enough to continue living?

When the time for a phenohunt comes, is my thinking correct? I plan on dropping some beans and growing them out as usual. However, I'd need to take a few clones of each pheno before flowering so that, after the harvest is sampled, I already have the next round prepared. Then what, keep one of the clones as a mother and run the rest?

I'm sure I'll have more questions when I get there, but is my initial understanding on the right path? Like I said, I'm a LONG ways from this project, but I'm a "plan ahead" kind of guy and have started the drawing/pricing stage of the new build, so I'd like to avoid as many issues as possible before they even arise. I really want to get away from seeds eventually and wouldn't need more than 4-6 strains in rotation to satisfy my need for variety. I don't even know the strains I want to include but I'm leaning towards strains I've enjoyed the most from the past. I've got a pack of Kitchen Sink seeds that were pretty hard to come by. That's the only strain on my list so far. My favorite to date. I loved Island Sweet Skunk as well, but haven't even looked for those seeds yet. Any other relatively iconic strains that I should consider for my rotation? I really love the dankness of some good PLCG. Maybe that'll get thrown in the mix. What would you suggest? My goals are for a variety of terpene profiles, since that's the most important part of a strain to me. Taste and smell over high and affects. I doubt I'll grow anything that's followed the Tangie terp profile, like Trop Cherry. I can only smoke about a half-o before I'm tired of that terp.

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[MDK]

Ya know from all the grow journals I've seen scouring the internet. I don't recall a hydro grower ever showing how they keep moms.

Interesting thought curious how it gets answered

 

[Chemistry]

When I had my big veg room I had three mothers to a bucket, you have to keep them small, and even if they do get out of hand, you just take cuttings and start again.

 

[GrumpAzz]

When I had my big veg room I had three mothers to a bucket, you have to keep them small, and even if they do get out of hand, you just take cuttings and start again.

Hell yeah, thanks. With that in mind, I could essentially just set up one large tote with multiple mothers. That would allow for a smaller footprint and less water necessary. Going that route, I'd just be cloning more often than if they were in their own site. I wouldn't mind that one bit. This is my only hobby so, aside from taking care of my toddler, all my spare time can be focused there.

Hey @moe.red, you start your plants in a multi-site tote, eh? If I'm keeping mothers in a setup like that, how often would you recommend cloning and starting over? Every month or two? Would you clone all the mothers and reset the whole tote every time, or just the ones that are outgrowing their space?

 

[moe.red]

Hell yeah, thanks. With that in mind, I could essentially just set up one large tote with multiple mothers. That would allow for a smaller footprint and less water necessary. Going that route, I'd just be cloning more often than if they were in their own site. I wouldn't mind that one bit. This is my only hobby so, aside from taking care of my toddler, all my spare time can be focused there.

Hey @moe.red, you start your plants in a multi-site tote, eh? If I'm keeping mothers in a setup like that, how often would you recommend cloning and starting over? Every month or two? Would you clone all the mothers and reset the whole tote every time, or just the ones that are outgrowing their space?

You can keep moms for months if you turn the DLI way down. Is that the goal?

 

[Aqua Man]

I personally would not do mothers in hydro… they grow too fast and all you really want is to keep slow healthy growth.

Just my .2

 

[GrumpAzz]

You can keep moms for months if you turn the DLI way down. Is that the goal?

Yeah that would be the goal. So a low intensity light and likely a lower ppm solution would allow 3 or more months between necessary cloning?

I personally would not do mothers in hydro… they grow too fast and all you really want is to keep slow healthy growth.

Just my .2

Damn... I'm really interested in phenohunting a few strains to get away from using seeds eventually. I really don't wanna play in the dirt, though.

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So @moe.red, how's your tissue culture station coming along and how long could you keep a few strains in rotation going that route instead of using mothers?

 

[moe.red]

Full disclosure I kept a 4x4 4 pot RDWC mom tent for years. It is now my dry tent.

I was using a spider farmer 1000 simple quantum board at low for all 4 moms and they stayed clonable for a few months. Hack them back with a weed whacker once a month. They don’t need to look good just be healthy.

You can restart as often as you like.

I plan to use tc soon once I sort thru these seeds. But I got room form moms while I figure out what is worth keeping. Then yeah I’ll put the keepers in jars.

 

[GrumpAzz]

Full disclosure I kept a 4x4 4 pot RDWC mom tent for years. It is now my dry tent.

I was using a spider farmer 1000 simple quantum board at low for all 4 moms and they stayed clonable for a few months. Hack them back with a weed whacker once a month. They don’t need to look good just be healthy.

You can restart as often as you like.

I plan to use tc soon once I sort thru these seeds. But I got room form moms while I figure out what is worth keeping. Then yeah I’ll put the keepers in jars.

Hell yeah. Sounds like, going perpetual, you could run a harvest or two before restarting your moms.

 

[Aqua Man]

Yeah that would be the goal. So a low intensity light and likely a lower ppm solution would allow 3 or more months between necessary cloning?


Damn... I'm really interested in phenohunting a few strains to get away from using seeds eventually. I really don't wanna play in the dirt, though.

-------

So @moe.red, how's your tissue culture station coming along and how long could you keep a few strains in rotation going that route instead of using mothers?

If you are phenohunting it would probably be beneficial then as you can go theough them quicker

 

[GrumpAzz]

If you are phenohunting it would probably be beneficial then as you can go theough them quicker

Yeah that's my end goal. It wouldn't be very in-depth because I would only be hunting through a pack or two of beans, but I'd like to find the better pheno of the few plants I run. Then, just grow out the same few strains perpetually.

I'm to the point in my growing that I've automated and streamlined nearly every process. Adding a few cloning and clearing events to a mother tent/room would just give me more to do, adding to the hobby. I welcome the extra work.

I'm a couple years away from doing this, surely. There are a few pretty major expenses already on the books for the new house, plus another baby on the way, so the buildout is a ways down the road. Either way, I'll have you guys here to help me figure it out so I'm confident in making it work.

As of yet, I've been unable to make my product last until the next harvest. Going perpetual should help there and eventually get a decent stockpile going. A stockpile of 4 or so strains that are constantly being resupplied is the dream.

 

[steamroller]

Just want to say once you have a pest perpetual grow hopes fade away fast and for some forever.
I like breaking down and cleaning in between grows. It is easy and convenient.
I can't blame what is happening in my room on the clones but if the same situation occurred with just the seedlings I don't think it would have even been noticed?
Trying to keep something 24/7/365 can be a dubious task.
I like seeds.

 

[Bandit420]

Google search "Oldtimer1 Bonsai Mums"
It's an older but still relevant guide on several forums but that would be my choice if I got into keeping a mother around again.
Maybe copy and paste and bring it over here too.
I'd keep them in soil as well so you don't get a rootball the size of a Hyundai and you get in some cross-training for another medium. + It's just easier to slice the sides off the rootball in soil than it would be trying to decide what to cut off in DWC if you bonsaied them

 

[Stoneyluv]

i miss perpetual growing. funny thing is i had less bugs then than i do now!! (pure coincidence though!!)

i never kept moms, no need to. i had that ARC cut for almost ten years.

 

[Observer]

Yeah that's my end goal. It wouldn't be very in-depth because I would only be hunting through a pack or two of beans, but I'd like to find the better pheno of the few plants I run. Then, just grow out the same few strains perpetually.

I'm to the point in my growing that I've automated and streamlined nearly every process. Adding a few cloning and clearing events to a mother tent/room would just give me more to do, adding to the hobby. I welcome the extra work.

I'm a couple years away from doing this, surely. There are a few pretty major expenses already on the books for the new house, plus another baby on the way, so the buildout is a ways down the road. Either way, I'll have you guys here to help me figure it out so I'm confident in making it work.

As of yet, I've been unable to make my product last until the next harvest. Going perpetual should help there and eventually get a decent stockpile going. A stockpile of 4 or so strains that are constantly being resupplied is the dream.

Glad you're doing good man.

 

[Observer]

Just soil

Or "hedge" trim them down every few weeks, if DWC.

Take a few generations of clones, then you'd toss the moms, ie.

5gallon of SOIL or a MIX of coco, keep them in a more "dormant" state of growth, If possible..

I kept a "mom" for a year in a 5 gallon pot of FFOC (fox farm ocean soil) mixed with coco, it grew to my ceiling fan, about a 7ft roof or so), (have pics for proof)

Lol

 

[MDK]

Goin on 1.5 years with the lazy biker...I had thrips at one point but took care of them rather quickly, 2 weeks. Shit just sucks doing the spraying an hour after lights off...gotta wake up in the middle of the night once in a while.

Worth it tho, to know your gonna like the smoke...some people ain't so picky I'm starting to realize im not THAT picky but my wife is she wants the KO stuff all the time, can't blame her really with good weed everywhere smokin moderate shit isn't ideal

 

[Zen_seeker]

Hell yeah, thanks. With that in mind, I could essentially just set up one large tote with multiple mothers. That would allow for a smaller footprint and less water necessary. Going that route, I'd just be cloning more often than if they were in their own site. I wouldn't mind that one bit. This is my only hobby so, aside from taking care of my toddler, all my spare time can be focused there.

Hey @moe.red, you start your plants in a multi-site tote, eh? If I'm keeping mothers in a setup like that, how often would you recommend cloning and starting over? Every month or two? Would you clone all the mothers and reset the whole tote every time, or just the ones that are outgrowing their space?

When I was growing back to back to get weight I would take clones and grow to flip. Taking the next Gen clones and repeating. Each Gen is the mother of the next. I don’t have the space or legal limit to have dedicated mothers.

 

[GrumpAzz]

When I was growing back to back to get weight I would take clones and grow to flip. Taking the next Gen clones and repeating. Each Gen is the mother of the next. I don’t have the space or legal limit to have dedicated mothers.

Well one plant is already past my legal limit here

 

[MDK]

Well one plant is already past my legal limit here

I was gonna raise a middle finger to that, not at you, but at johnny law.

 

[Pipecarver]

When I was growing back to back to get weight I would take clones and grow to flip. Taking the next Gen clones and repeating. Each Gen is the mother of the next. I don’t have the space or legal limit to have dedicated mothers.

Yes I did that too for a while and spider mites took me out. I had 6 I was rotating, grow out Moms, take cuttings, flower moms, raise the kids, take cuttings flip the moms ect. Trouble I ran into was running out of space with monsters to flip. 2.5 mth old cuttings take up some space and crowded me out of my veg closet. Now I'm just starting seeds 5-6 weeks before I harvest my flowering crop.

 

[Aqua Man]

Well one plant is already past my legal limit here

well if the mother self identifies as human houseplant that would violate her human rights…. Just sayin

 

[MDK]

I'm gonna try to keep these around for a while in solo cups...just left one branch at the base of the plant, bet a dollar they live too

 

[steamroller]

I'm gonna try to keep these around for a while in solo cups...just left one branch at the base of the plant, bet a dollar they live too

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Love a man with a plan~!