Cloning From Tops vs Bottom Branches

I prefer to take clippings from the tops and my question is, "Do you get a more potent clone"? I just want to make sure it is not just in my head but I swear I'm each time I do I end up with a more potent plant. The only thing that sucks is that my success rate of cloning tops is about 70% and about 90% when I do the lower branches. Am I just crazy, all of my friends say that I am.

lotharium said:

I prefer to take clippings from the tops and my question is, "Do you get a more potent clone"? I just want to make sure it is not just in my head but I swear I'm each time I do I end up with a more potent plant. The only thing that sucks is that my success rate of cloning tops is about 70% and about 90% when I do the lower branches. Am I just crazy, all of my friends say that I am.

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hmm awsome question im sub'd for info, and planning to start my first cloning in 5-6weeks. i hope we can get your question answered.

no you do not. they are all the same and it is depending on the place and how you grow them that determines potency. i can grow more potent schwag in the right setup than some1 growing bomb chronic strain in a messed up setup & enviro.

Should be the same right? The tops will eventually alternate nodes like the lower branches do. I would cut the top wait for a week or two, then cut some of the lower branches because the plant senses that the apical part of the main stalk is gone and forces lower growth to become the "new tops". I really don't know though, just educated guessing.

the biggest n best buds are on the colas(tops)

i can see wer one would would think the plant pushes its best genetics up top. my guess is it doesnt matter, but am so willing to be proved wrong!

^NoR*CaL@420 said:

the biggest n best buds are on the colas(tops)

i can see wer one would would think the plant pushes its best genetics up top. my guess is it doesnt matter, but am so willing to be proved wrong!

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Not that the best genetics are on top, the tops closest to the lights, even if it's a bottom branch, will produce the biggest colas.

Edit: All colas are equal in potency on any given plant. All the elements combined needed for a proper grow is the key and not the part of the plant.

Xeno is right. i retract my previous statement

The one that doesn't get stressed during it's life/cycle will be best potential

this is a great question !! ive also wondered this ?? and havent noticed a difference in tops vs bottom cuttings, in growth or potency. ive also wondered why "they" say you should have a mother plant vs taking a cutting growing it out, then taking a cutting off that and growing it out and so on and so forth...??? because ive been through 3 grows doing it that way and havent had a problem, or a change in potency.... not trying to change the topic of your thread, i just feel as though these two topics go hand in hand.

when i've asked the same question from a hydro store, they believed that the top cuttings that had newer growth were better; something to do with the growth hormones (????) but i've heard jorge cervantes recommend taking the bottom (no clear explanation just directions on how to clone and where to cut from).

dante76 said:

when i've asked the same question from a hydro store, they believed that the top cuttings that had newer growth were better; something to do with the growth hormones (????) but i've heard jorge cervantes recommend taking the bottom (no clear explanation just directions on how to clone and where to cut from).

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The bottom branches supposedly have the better hormones for rooting, this is the thinking today. Who knows about tomorrow? I really don't think it matters all that much, maybe in rooting times but the genetics should be exactly the same. The only bad part about rooting the tops is ensuring that you are cutting low enough to obtain a suitable stem. I say a suitable stem because taking from the top, especially people new to cloning, can take a cutting where the stem is not mature enough to stand up to the wet environment of rooting. I take cuttings from all over the plant depending what is ready to cut when I am ready to take them.
Really the only part I don't ever use for cuttings anymore are the nondominate branches. Meaning that when you look at a plant and have opposite nodes one side is always bigger than the other, I always take the bigger side. When doing side by side rootings it always seemed to me that the bigger side stayed bigger and healthier throughout the grow cycle. Fact or fiction I don't have a clue, just my observation.

ive been told that if you take the clones from the top of the plant you loose genetics because at the to the plant is only growing as fast as it can and at the bottom it was "pure" if that makes any sense.

taking clones from anywhere on the plant is ok what you got to understand is that when you have a true female plant and you clone anywhere on her its a mature clone i dont keep mothers but clone of every plant prior to flipping to flower what i look for is a plant that appears to have good traits plants that grow faster then others i tag for cloneing hope this helps

Yeah there is supposedly a difference in rooting success between cuttings from tops and cuttings from lower branches. Im just reading Jorge Cervante's book on growing and he elucidates this by saying that the rooting hormone content is different in different parts of the plant. The lower branches contain more rooting hormones than the tops thus they are more suitable for clone cuttings. From the illustration provided one can assume the lower the branch the better it will root.

hope this helps

I have just cloned my first top, i try'ed doing it in spagnum moss after seeing one of our fello r,i,u user's post pics of his clones rooted in the moss, anyway it didnt root in it for me, i remember the guy say its all about how much water is left in the moss. I sucked at it simple lol so then i re-cut the stem and once again put it into the rooting gel and put it into soil and i think it rooted coz at first few days all the leaves where hanging down around the pot and then then they were just hanging around nice, so im taking its rooted.

I believe that once a plant is cloned, rooted and grows up the potency will come inherently from the strain and skill of growing. As for cloning location, I have read that the bottom part of the plant has more of the hormones needed for rooting. Makes sense to me.

I take cuttings from branches that are at least 8" long. I cut these down to 3-5" as I believe the branches next to stem are much harder and cutting the softer tips for cuttings just plain root faster. I have rooted tops and they will grow quite vigerously but can be a bit harder to root...that being said I get 100% success with whatever I put in my cloner. I use a areopontic cloner(Homemade). nothin but a pump and rubbermaid res and pvc pipe and 8 ezclone red 360 degree sprayers. The container must be 100% light tight for best results, I covered top and sides with gorilla tape. I use tap water ph'ed to 5.8 and thats all. No rooting gel no clonex.
Let me say one thing....THERE ARE NO POTENCY DIFFERENCES FROM WHERE YOU TAKE CLONES ON A PLANT. THE CLONES WILL BE GENETICALY IDENICAL TO THE PARENT PLANT!
Now that being said potency is 100% genetic. But the best genetics will suffer if not given optimum conditions to mature in.
ILast batch were all rooted in 8 days!

They should be genetically identical. Lower branches will root faster because they have more rooting auxins.

I do know from experience, that if I were to take a buncha cuttings from one plant and then flip that plant to flower after it recovers a bit it does take longer for it to reach "full flower" or be ready for harvest.

The hormones more geared towards cloning are more situated towards the lower branches , I clone from the lowers if possible. This does not mean a clone from the top wont root, Ime it just means it will take longer then one snipped from a lower branch would take given the same time BB