Monster cropping, sometimes known as ‘flowering clones,’ is a high-yield cannabis cultivation technique that has garnered considerable attention within the cannabis growing community in recent years. The practice involves taking cuttings from a cannabis plant during the flowering stage, rather than the traditional method of obtaining cuttings during the vegetative stage. The resulting clones exhibit unique growth characteristics, hence the term “monster cropping.” These characteristics may include bushier growth, increased bud sites, and the potential for greater yields. This article delves into the process, benefits, and considerations when implementing monster cropping in cannabis cultivation.
Monster Cropping: The Process
Typically, clone cuttings are taken during a plant’s vegetative stage. In contrast, monster cropping involves taking cuttings during the flowering phase, specifically between days 21 to 49 after switching to a 12/12 light cycle. Once cut, these clippings are then rooted, and in about 1 to 2 weeks, new growth should become noticeable.
Next, the flowering clone is reverted back to the vegetative state—a process known as ‘re-vegging’—by placing it under 18-24 hours of light. This transition can take several weeks to occur and is often characterized by odd, leafless growth, which may make the plant appear unhealthy. However, as the plant fully reverts to vegetative growth, the leaves will return to their usual appearance and the plant will begin to take on its characteristic bushy growth.
Re-vegged plants often exhibit uneven, prolific branching, creating multiple bud sites and a general ‘bushier’ growth habit. This is the primary characteristic that makes monster cropping an attractive technique for growers seeking high yields.
Advantages of Monster Cropping
There are several benefits to the monster cropping technique, primarily centered around yield optimization and plant architecture.
Increased Yields
Due to the bushier growth habit of monster cropped plants, the number of bud sites significantly increases, leading to potentially greater yields. Moreover, these plants tend to produce larger, denser buds when compared to those grown from clones taken in the vegetative stage.
Unique Plant Architecture
Monster cropped plants often display unusual and beneficial growth patterns, including an abundance of branches and bud sites. This unique plant architecture lends itself to growing techniques such as ScrOG (Screen of Green), which further enhances light distribution and utilization, improving yields.
Perpetual Harvest
Using monster cropping allows for a perpetual harvest cycle. As clones are taken from flowering plants, they can be re-vegged while the mother plant continues to flower. This cycle enables a continuous harvest with less downtime between yields.
Considerations and Challenges
Despite the clear benefits of monster cropping, there are some considerations and challenges that growers should be aware of before implementing this technique.
Time Requirement
The process of re-vegging a plant can take several weeks, which could potentially prolong the overall grow cycle. Therefore, growers should carefully plan their schedules to accommodate this additional time when utilizing monster cropping.
Stress to the Plant
Monster cropping can be a stressful process for a cannabis plant. The process of reverting a flowering plant back to vegetative growth is an unnatural one, and can lead to plant stress. This could potentially impact the health of the plant and subsequently, the yield. Therefore, growers need to ensure proper care and monitoring of the plant’s health during the re-vegging process.
Genetic Stability
The process of monster cropping should ideally be done with a stable strain of cannabis. Unstable or weak genetics may not respond as favorably to the stress of monster cropping, leading to lower yields or even failed clones.
Conclusion
Monster cropping is an intriguing and beneficial cultivation technique for those seeking to optimize their cannabis yields. By inducing unique growth patterns, this technique can lead to bushier plants, an increase in bud sites, and subsequently, larger yields. However, like all cultivation techniques, monster cropping should be undertaken with careful planning, as considerations such as time, plant stress, and genetic stability can all impact the success of the grow.
Despite these challenges, with careful implementation and attentive care, monster cropping presents an exciting avenue for experienced cannabis growers seeking to push the boundaries of their cultivation efforts. The technique’s ability to boost yields and create unique plant growth patterns marks a valuable addition to the repertoire of advanced cannabis cultivation strategies.