Start with the legal check
Cannabis clones contain THC. Federal law lists cannabis as a Schedule I substance. The rules you follow at the counter come from your state. Buy from a licensed retailer or nursery inside your state, and ask for the license number. Check the plant count limit for your household before you pay. Most legal states allow 3 to 6 mature plants per adult, with a lower cap per household. Do not carry clones across a state line.
Cannabis Clone Health Check: What to Inspect Before You Buy
Buy rooted cuttings, not snips
A rooted clone has a root mass. The stem holds itself upright in the pot. An unrooted cutting needs a humidity dome and 7 to 14 days to root. Retailers sell both and call both "clones." Rooted stock costs more and fails less. Ask which one you are buying.
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Inspect the plant in person
- Stem: 3 to 5 mm thick, firm, no soft spots
- Nodes: three or more sets of true leaves
- Roots: white to cream, visible at the drain holes
- Leaves: even green, no yellowing between the veins
- Undersides: no webbing, no white or brown specks
Turn the pot over and look at the drain holes. Spider mites and thrips live on the underside of leaves and in the stem crotch. Reject any plant with webbing or with a sticky film on the leaves.
Ask for pathogen test results
Hop latent viroid (HLVd) is the main risk in clones. An infected plant can look normal for months, then produce small, weak flowers. The viroid spreads on sap, tools, and hands. Ask for a PCR lab result from the mother plant, dated within 90 days. A negative test on one branch does not cover the whole plant. Buy from a seller who tests each mother.
Cannabis Clones vs Seeds: Which Is Better for Your Grow?
Check the genetics
Ask for the cultivar name, the breeder, and the age of the mother plant. A verified cut runs $100 to $500. Standard retail clones run $15 to $60. If the seller cannot name the breeder or the source, treat the plant as unknown genetics and price it that way.
Pitfalls
- A plant grown from seed is not a clone. Seed plants vary.
- Unrooted cuttings sold as ready clones.
- No refund or replacement policy. Ask before you pay.
- Shipping across state lines. Illegal under federal law.
- Powdery mildew on leaves sold as "trichomes." Mildew wipes off. Trichomes do not.
The first 14 days
Isolate new clones from your other plants. Keep them in a separate room for 7 to 14 days and watch for mites, mildew, and stalled growth. Vegetative light runs 18 hours on and 6 hours off. Most clones need 4 to 8 weeks of veg before you flip the light cycle to flower.