Short answer
A cannabis clone is a rooted cutting taken from a mother plant. Buy from a licensed nursery or cultivator, confirm your state allows the purchase and the plant count, ask for pest and pathogen test results, inspect roots and leaves in person, and quarantine the plant for 7 to 14 days before it enters a grow space.
Cannabis Clone Selection Guide
Check the law first
US cannabis rules sit at the state level. Plant counts, home grow limits, and legal transfer of plants differ by state. Hemp clones, defined as plants at or under 0.3% THC, follow USDA rules and a state hemp plan.
cannabis clone buying guide for beginners
Two checks to run before you pay:
- Does your state allow home cultivation, and how many plants?
- Is the seller licensed to sell clones or nursery stock?
Moving plants across state lines is a federal matter. Do not assume a clone bought in one state is legal in another.
Rooted clone or unrooted cutting
Sellers offer both. A rooted clone has callused and formed roots, sits in a cube or small pot, and runs 4 to 8 inches tall with 2 to 5 nodes. An unrooted cutting needs your own propagation setup.
Beginners do better with rooted clones. Expect to pay $12 to $50 per clone in legal US markets. Rare cuts cost more.
Inspect before you buy
- Turn the pot over. Look for white root tips at the drain holes. Brown, stringy roots mean root rot.
- Check the underside of leaves with a 30x loupe. Look for mites, eggs, and webbing.
- Look for white powder on leaf surfaces and stems. That points to powdery mildew.
- Check leaf shape. Flat leaves and firm stems are the target. Cupped, twisted, or yellow leaves are a pass.
- Ask the light schedule and hold the plant to it. Most vegetative rooms run 18 hours on, 6 off.
Questions for the seller
- How old is the mother plant, and how many cuttings has it given?
- When was the last pest and pathogen test, and which lab ran it?
- Was the mother tested for hop latent viroid?
- What media and nutrient line did the clone get?
- What is the refund policy if the plant shows pests in the first week?
Hop latent viroid has no cure. It spreads on tools and through cuttings. A clone carries every virus and viroid its mother carries. Seed-grown plants avoid that path.
Red flags
- No strain name and no test records.
- Roots brown or growing thick out of the pot.
- Clones stacked leaf to leaf with no spacing.
- Seller will not name the light schedule.
Transport
Keep the clone upright, cool, and out of direct sun. Cover it so leaves do not tear. Keep the trip under 24 hours. Do not water right before the trip.
First week at home
Keep the clone in a separate room from other plants for 7 to 14 days. Run 18 hours of light and 6 hours of dark. Hold humidity near 60% to 70%. Feed at half strength. Watch for mites, spots, and stalled growth. A clone that stresses in week one is cheaper to replace than to treat.