Have you ever started a batch of seeds and had a really top notch plant that just seemed better than the rest? Have you ever been to a friend’s place and seen an interesting plant you would like to add to your collection? It is actually relatively simple to do these things without going out and buying another version of the same plant. When a cutting is taken from a ‘mother plant’ and dipped in rooting hormone, roots will form and it will become a new plant. The new plant will be exactly like the old one in every way. That is the reason you hear people talking about cloning plants. There is no top secret cloning machine that pops out perfect plants ready to flower every time. Although. . . that would be nice… but that takes the method out of proper clone taking practices.
If you get a seedling that is just plain better than the others or is one you would like to keep for your next crop, keep it around. Once its established you can cuttings from strong stems to become healthy new plants. There is sacrifice when you give up your best plant, but it more than pays its self back. Your next harvest could be a set of clones from your strong mother plant. That means every plant will be as strong as the strongest one on your second round and however long you keep the mother thriving. You can take clones of clones for up to 20 generations. There are limitless ways to keep genetics around. Sometimes after so many cuttings are taken, the plant may become weaker and grow slower than it originally was. That means its time to get out the seed starting kit and look for a new mother.