Mother plants are stock plants specifically raised to provide cuttings for starting new plants. The cuttings, also known as clones, are genetically identical to the mother plant, and if grown in a controlled environment will develop into daughter plants with the same superior characteristics as the mother plant. Since cuttings take time to develop roots, the clones must rely on stored water and carbohydrates in the stems and leaves to provide the energy necessary to develop vigorous, new roots. Therefore, the nutritional status of the mother plant is critical to the rooting and recovery time of the tender clones.
The nutritional requirements of mother plants are significantly different from those of production plants. Mother plants require a balanced nutrition specifically formulated to slow down excessive vegetative growth and increase the carbohydrate reserves in the shoots. If a mother plant is fertilized with too much nitrate-nitrogen, it will grow quickly, but it will produce large cells with poor carbohydrate reserves. About 25 to 30% of a plant’s energy is burned up just to assimilate the nitrates! So an over abundance of nitrates will deplete the sugars in the shoots and leaves, reducing the amount of stored fuel available for producing healthy clones. Therefore, a good mother plant fertilizer should provide just enough nitrogen to support a healthy root to shoot ratio, but not so much nitrogen that the plant has to burn up most of its stored sugars just to assimilate the nitrates.
Once the nitrate levels are under control, a good mother plant nutrient formula should concentrate on the uptake of calcium and other essential nutrients. In conventional hydroponics, calcium ions are dissolved in the nutrient formula and are taken up into the roots through simple osmosis. But if a blend of specific amino acids are added to the nutrient solution, calcium ion channels in the roots are opened, allowing calcium to be taken up thousands to millions of times faster than simple osmosis! The calcium is then used to build strong, new cell walls and to improve the plant’s natural resistance to environmental stress and disease. Higher levels of calcium also tend to restrict the transport of excess nitrates to the shoots, producing smaller cells with thicker cell walls, ideal for vigorous clones.
The next step is to try to enhance the levels of natural plant protection agents in the growing tips of the mother plant. Adding a combination of humic acid and seaweed to the nutrient solution can be a big help! Research shows that combining humic acid with seaweed extracts in a 5:2 ratio results in greater root mass and better protection against environmental stress. The combination also stimulates the plants to make 50% more superoxide dismutase (SOD), a powerful antioxidant enzyme. Additional SOD protects the cell membranes, the chloroplast membranes and the mitochondrial membranes during times of heat and drought stress. Since cuttings from mother plants are under extreme stress, the heightened levels of plant protection agents accumulated in the tissues will help ensure the survival of the clones until they can initiate their own root structure. So do your mother a favor. Keep the nitrate levels down and supplement her nutrients with amino acids, humic acids and seaweed extracts. Healthy moms make healthy clones!
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