Where would any of us be without our Mothers? That’s right, nowhere! They symbolize the inception of all life on Earth. Of course this rings true for the beautiful plants here at ACS as well! Each individual plant we harvest begins its life as a small cutting from one of our Mother plants, also affectionately called “Moms”.
A Mother plant is a cannabis plant that is kept in the vegetative state to make sure that it does not flower. This way, growers can cut off small pieces of the plant that will be cloned and grown into new but still genetically identical plants. Due to this relationship between the Mother plant and the newly cloned plants (aka “clones”), choosing a healthy Mother plant is vitally important and directly correlated to the quality of future harvests. When selecting a Mother plant, it is important to look for healthy established roots, a strong base, hearty foliage and plenty of nodes. Mother plants can be grown to a very large size and because of this, they require diligent watering, continuous pruning and care to maintain optimal health. Luckily, cannabis plants are resilient to and even benefit from the process of taking cuts for cloning.
There are various benefits to growing this way. Taking cuts and growing from clones enables growers to obtain substantial consistency in the look, smell, taste and effect of several different strains. This method can also allow for relatively accurate timing, planning and preparation so that we can ensure the continuous production of medicine for our patients.
Mother plants were undoubtedly dubbed as such because they possess many of the best qualities exemplified in motherhood of all kinds… They are strong, consistent and reliable. They establish roots and facilitate the growth of their offspring. They are resilient and they deserve continuous care, love and appreciation.