A mother plant helps guarantee your long term growing goals. But what is a mother plant exactly? And how should you handle it?
A mother plant is a plant from which cuttings are taken. A cutting is a (side) branch with some leaves on it that you cut from the mother plant. Cuttings help you grow the next generation of plants. It’s important that your mother plant is of high quality, because cuttings will have the same genes as their mother plant.
A mother plant is constantly kept in its grow phase. Stalks and leaves always keep growing. This makes taking good care of your mother plant very important. This way, your cuttings will also be of the highest quality. Taking cuttings costs your mother plant a lot of energy. Because of this, you could consider turning a cutting into a new mother plant. This way, you can keep your plants alive for many years. By doing so, you’ll spend less on new plants or cuttings.
To get the best quality mother plants, it’s important that they do not suffer from stress or disease. Because of this, you should always make sure to clean up leaf litter quickly. Additionally, always work with clean material. You can use pure alcohol to clean your tools. A sharp (razor) blade is ideal for taking cuttings. Change your knife regularly, so you won’t transmit diseases when cutting. Is your plant suffering from stress? Use Sugar Royal! The amino acids in this product help your plant recover from stress.
Make sure your mother plants always receive enough nutrients. This is especially important because mother plants are constantly kept in the grow phase. The right nutrients help them grow optimally and form many branches. Apart from a base nutrient you can also give your plant additives. For instance, you can use Vita Start for a quicker growth and Fish Force for a better resistance of your mother plant. Want to know which (basic) nutrient best fits your plants? Use our Substrate Selector!