Interview with Flora Terra’s Director of Propagation, Jess Castiglione
Caring For Clones
Spring marks the start of the outdoor growing season and Sonoma Dispensary Flora Terra’s Nursery is currently buzzing with little female marijuana plants and clones. The best dispensary in Sonoma, Flora Terra’s space allows for endless cloning possibilities. Always keeping genetics fresh and staying ahead of the trends, Flora Terra is constantly shifting which clones are available for purchase.
As you begin the journey of growing your own dank medicine, we want you to feel prepared to care for your clone. So we sat down with Flora Terra’s Director of Propagation, Jess Castiglione, to get some tips on helping your cannabis clone grow into a healthy and strong plant.
In the industry for over a decade, Jess Castiglione has worked with multiple Bay Area dispensaries and has experience managing all different aspects of cultivation. She is committed to propagating healthy, disease and pest-free plants that can be used for both medical and recreational benefits. Cannabis clones are very sensitive in the early stages and special care is needed to ensure that they grow into a healthy flower.
Tips For Caring Cannabis Clones
What should you look for when buying cannabis clones in Santa Rosa?
Thick white roots are probably the most important thing to look at, followed by making sure that there are healthy leaves with at least a few nodes. A node or shoot is where new branches will form when the clone is planted. If you aren’t buying clones at a high class dispensary like Flora Terra, I would check for the presence of pests, fungi and powdery mildew.
When you buy a clone from Flora Terra, it comes in a Rockwool cube. Can you tell us what that is?
Rockwool is essentially glass spun at a high temperature to create a woven fiber, similar to fiberglass, which is what’s used to insulate your home. We use Rockwool because it can hold a lot of air and water, and the air is great for root formation. It is also a neutral base, meaning you can control what is put into it. It’s easy to work with and provides our clones with a consistent environment. We can manipulate Rockwool more efficiently than we could with soil.
Walk us through the process one would take once they’ve purchased a Flora Terra clone. Specifically, what materials would you recommend someone have ready when they bring their Santa Rosa clones home?
Step 1: Get your clone home ASAP. Do not leave your clone in your car! Too cold or too hot of an environment most likely will kill your cannabis clone.
Step 2: Put on your gardening gloves — your clone will need to be transplanted into its future home ASAP. That can be soil or more Rockwool. I like using FoxFarm Ocean Forest or Happy Frog potting soil and a clean, one-gallon pot.
Step 3: After your clone has been transplanted, make sure that you are providing it with at least 16-18 hours of light. Remember, your clone has been under 18 hours of low intensity LED light at Flora Terra. If you want your clone to grow properly without unnecessary stress, you will have to wean her off of this artificial environment and acclimate her to the outdoors.
Step 4: Getting your plant acclimated to the outdoors may take a bit of work. This process is called hardening off your clone. I recommend waiting for a nice, sunny day when the temperature is between 72-82 degrees. That morning, put your plant out in an area of partial shade so that it starts to get used to the sun, but is shaded enough that the sun will not burn the plant. Bring the plant back into an area with supplemental light before dark, so that your plant doesn’t get more than ten hours of darkness. Marijuana plants are photosensitive, so they will start to flower if they receive less than 14 hours of sunlight. If you notice your plant’s leaves drooping or curling, get her into the shade immediately. Making sure that your plant is thoroughly watered, prior to mid-afternoon heat, is important for her roots and overall health.
Step 5: After a week, to a week and a half of this process, you can try putting her out in full light. I like to do it on a day that I am home to watch for any signs of heat shock. Again, if her leaves begin to droop and curl, just put her back to her shady area and try again another day. I like getting her to her final destination, typically outside, by May 30th so that she can enjoy a full season outdoors.
How do you know when your plant needs to be watered?
Some indicators would be the leaves curling down or drooping, and, overall, looking super unhappy. Usually a plant that is full of water is lively looking, standing up straight and moving with the breeze. A dehydrated plant will appear wilted and floppy. Another thing to look for would be the soil pulling away from the pot. If you are overwatering, the leaves will take on a shade of yellow and be a bit droopy. A brown and rotting stem along the soil line is another indication of overwatering. Typically, in a one gallon pot that’s placed in partial shade, you should be able to water your cannabis plant once in the morning and, depending on the heat of the day, if over 90 degrees, a little more before the sun goes down.
What cannabis clones do you have available for pick up at Flora Terra? How can I check what strains you have in stock? What if I want a strain that’s not in your Sonoma County dispensary?
Currently, the Santa Rosa clones we have available for purchase are Cherry Bomb, Tiger Bomb, Face Mintz, Gorilla Glue, and Mendo Sunrise. It is an ever-changing menu, so you can check which strains we have in retail by heading to our online store. Flora Terra’s website is always updated with current stock levels (floraterraca.com/shop) Also, under the “About us” section, there is an “Our Clones” tab that pulls up a bunch of important information about our clones. Find additional insight on cultivation methods and strain-specific tips. If you don’t see the strain you want in our retail store, reach out to us. There’s a chance I might have it in Flora Terra’s nursery for you!
Did You Enjoy These Caring Cannabis Clones Tips?
Along with every clone purchase at Sonoma County Dispensary Flora Terra, we provide you with an informative card that includes links to our clone page and details on how to on special order clones in Santa Rosa. Happy growing!
