Showing Our Mother Plants Some Love

This Mother’s Day, we’re shining a spotlight on the mother plants that produce the strains you love. We talked to head grower Bobby Bains to learn more about these plants and find out what makes a great mother.

How can you tell if a plant is mother material?

At Delta 9, we produce cannabis plants via cloning. That means we cut live branches off a mature female plant (called a mother), root them, and grow them into a crop of plants that are genetically identical to each other. Quality matters in this kind of growing system. Here are a few of the features we look for when selecting quality mother plants to clone:

• It’s a female plant: Only females can produce flowers, which are trimmed and dried to make the cannabis buds sold in cannabis stores.
• It’s in demand: The mother plant is a strain that people want to buy, such as CBD Skunk Haze or Blue Venom – two of our most popular strains right now.
• It’s a “unicorn” or a “keeper”: This means the mother has all the best qualities we look for. She produces a high yield, she has the right THC percentage for her strain, she’s easy to grow, and she smells great!

What is the most important trait a mother should have?

A good mother is able to adapt to anything the environment throws at her. She’s flexible, she’s dexterous, and even if conditions are a little too dry or a little too wet, she continues to thrive. A good mother can withstand pests and mould. She also has a good immune system – she can produce a lot of babies and keep growing strong.

Is a mother’s job ever done?

Mothers rarely retire. Even if a strain falls out of popularity, we still keep 10-12 mothers of that strain alive and well in our growing pods. We never know when a strain will be in vogue again, and those mothers will have to get back to work producing new generations of clones.

How can you show your mother some love?

When caring for mother plants, use modest lighting (they don’t like intense light). Keep them healthy by feeding them simple nutrients, and make sure those nutrients are readily available. Trim back the canopy – don’t let your mothers get too tall or bushy. Mothers can be prone to funguses and moulds, so consider introducing a biological control such as predatory mites to keep her roots, stems and foliage clean.

Most importantly, shower your mothers with appreciation. Without them, we wouldn’t have Canada’s vibrant cannabis industry.