Monster Cropping

What monster cropping is

Monster cropping is the practice of taking cuttings from a cannabis plant that has already been switched to a 12/12 flowering photoperiod, then rooting those cuttings and returning them to a vegetative light schedule (typically 18/6 or 24/0). The plant reverts from flowering back to vegetative growth — a process called re-vegetation or 'reveg' Strong evidence.

During reveg, the plant produces unusual, often single-bladed leaves and multiple new growth tips from what were budding sites. The result is a shorter, bushier plant with far more branch points than a normal vegetative clone Anecdote. The 'monster' in the name refers to this dense, multi-headed structure — not to size or potency.

The underlying biology is well documented: cannabis is a photoperiod-sensitive short-day plant, and reversing the light cycle can push it back into vegetative development ^[1][2].

Why growers use it

Growers cite three main reasons:

1. Bushy structure with many bud sites. Revegged clones tend to branch heavily without needing as much topping Anecdote.
2. Preserving a phenotype late. If you didn't take clones before flipping and you find a keeper, monster cropping is a way to rescue that genetic line [evidence:strong — this is simply how reveg works].
3. A perpetual harvest workflow. Taking clones from flowering plants means you always have mothers-in-waiting without dedicating space to a separate mom room Anecdote.

What the technique does not reliably do: increase potency, change cannabinoid profile, or produce measurably higher yields per watt than a well-trained standard clone. Those claims circulate on grow forums but have no controlled evidence behind them No data. Treat yield-boost claims as folklore.

When to start

The consensus window in grower communities is week 2 to week 3 of 12/12, after pistils have clearly formed but before the plant commits energy to dense bud development Anecdote^[3].

• Too early (week 1): the plant hasn't fully shifted hormones, so you don't get the characteristic reveg branching.
• Too late (week 4+): cuttings are full of resin and developing calyxes, root very slowly, and often fail.

Take cuttings from lower branches that receive less light — these tend to be less committed to flowering and revert faster Anecdote.

How to do it, step by step

1. Pick a donor plant in week 2-3 of flower. Healthy, pest-free, and ideally a phenotype you've already decided is worth keeping.
2. Select lower branches with at least two nodes and a growing tip. Avoid branches with heavy pistil formation.
3. Cut at a 45° angle with a sterile blade, just below a node. Aim for cuttings 10-15 cm long.
4. Strip lower leaves and trim remaining fan leaves in half to reduce transpiration.
5. Dip in rooting hormone (IBA-based gels or powders are standard) and insert into pre-moistened rockwool, peat plug, or aeroponic cloner ^[4].
6. Place under a humidity dome at 70-80% RH, 22-25 °C, with low-intensity light on an 18/6 or 24/0 schedule. Fluorescent or dimmed LED works well.
7. Wait. Rooting typically takes 10-21 days — noticeably longer than vegetative clones, which root in 7-14 days Anecdote.
8. Expect weird growth. New leaves will emerge single-bladed, twisted, or smooth-edged. This is normal reveg morphology and resolves once the plant fully returns to veg Strong evidence.
9. Veg as normal for 3-6 more weeks until the plant produces standard serrated, multi-blade leaves. Only then is it ready to flip back to flower or be used as a mother.

Common mistakes

• Taking cuttings too late in flower. Resin-loaded stems clog xylem and rarely root.
• Expecting fast turnaround. Reveg adds 2-4 weeks compared to standard clones. If you're on a tight schedule, this technique costs you time.
• Flipping to flower before full reveg. If leaves are still single-bladed, the plant isn't ready. Flowering a half-revegged plant produces inconsistent, often airy buds Anecdote.
• Assuming higher yield. No controlled study supports this. You may get more bud sites, but per-plant yield depends on canopy management, light, and genetics — not the cloning method No data.
• Skipping sterilization. Cuts on flowering tissue are more prone to fungal infection (especially Botrytis) than on vegetative tissue ^[5]. Clean blades and clean environment matter more here than usual.

Related techniques

Monster cropping sits in a family of training and propagation methods that aim to increase bud sites and canopy uniformity:

• Topping — cutting the main apex to force two colas.
• FIMing — a partial top that can produce 4+ new tips.
• Low-stress training — bending branches to flatten the canopy.
• Mainlining / manifolding — a symmetrical topping schedule to build a manifold of equal colas.
• Re-vegetation — the underlying biological process monster cropping exploits, also used to re-flower harvested plants.

If your goal is simply 'more bud sites on a shorter plant,' topping combined with LST achieves that faster and with a higher success rate. Monster cropping is most useful when you want to rescue a phenotype discovered mid-flower or integrate cloning into a perpetual harvest cycle.

Sources

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Related

• Low-Stress Training (LST) — A gentle plant training technique that uses bending and tying to flatten the canopy and ex...