It happens to every grower at some point. You flip your grow lights to the flowering stage. A few weeks go by, and one of your plants suddenly looks like an absolute superstar. It smells incredible. It is growing perfectly.
You desperately want to keep those genetics around for your next run.
But you think it is too late to take a clone because buds are already forming.
Most growers just sigh and let that amazing plant go. But there is a secret cheat code you can use to save it. It is called monster cropping.
Monster cropping means taking a cutting from a weed plant that is already flowering. You take that cutting and force it back into the vegetative stage.
The first time I tried this, I thought I completely ruined the clone. It looked like a weird, mutated alien for weeks. I almost threw it in the trash. But I left it alone, and suddenly it snapped out of it.
It exploded into a massive, bushy monster with dozens of branches. I did not even have to use my scissors to top it.
Ready to save your best plants and grow some absolute bushes? Let's break down exactly how this crazy technique works.
Key Takeaways
- What it is: Monster cropping means taking a clone from a weed plant that is already in the flowering stage and forcing it back into the vegetative stage.
- The main benefit: The clone grows back with a crazy amount of side branches. It turns into a massive, bushy monster without needing any topping.
- The perfect timing: The best time to take your clone is during week two or week three of the flowering stage.
- Photoperiods only: You absolutely cannot monster crop an autoflower. This only works with photoperiod seeds.
What Exactly is Monster Cropping?
Monster cropping sounds like a crazy science experiment. But it is actually a very simple trick. You just take a small branch from a weed plant that is already making buds.
Then, you put that cutting under a vegetative light schedule, like 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness.
When you do this, you completely confuse the plant. It thinks the seasons just changed backwards. So, it stops pushing energy into those little flowers.
Instead, it switches gears and goes back to making leaves and stems. Growers call this process re-vegging.
Because the plant is so confused by the light change, it panics a little bit. It starts pushing out a ridiculous number of new nodes and side branches all at once.
You do not even have to top it with scissors. It naturally grows into a massive, wide bush on its own.
This trick also solves a huge problem for indoor growers. You do not need to keep a dedicated mother plant alive all year just to take clones. Keeping a mother plant takes up a lot of space and wastes a ton of electricity.
With monster cropping, you just take cuttings from your flowering tent exactly when you need them.
Why Should You Monster Crop Your Weed Plants?
Taking a clone from a flowering plant sounds like a lot of unnecessary stress. Why put yourself through the hassle? Because the payoff is absolutely huge. Here is exactly why you should try it.
Explosive Branching
Normally, if you want a bushy weed plant, you have to top it with scissors over and over again. Not with a monster clone. When the cutting snaps out of its confused state, it goes into total overdrive.
It pushes out dozens of new side branches all on its own. It turns into an absolute bush without you having to make a single cut.
Massive Yields
More branches mean more bud sites. When you eventually flip a monster cropped plant back into the flowering stage, every single one of those crazy side branches turns into a heavy cola.
If you want to fill out a ScrOG net quickly and pull a massive harvest, this is the absolute best way to do it.
Saving a Great Phenotype
This is the biggest reason I use this trick. Sometimes you grow a plant from a seed and it just blows you away. It grows perfectly, resists bugs, and smells like absolute gas. But you already flipped it to flower, so you think it is too late to save it.
Monster cropping acts like a save button for your favorite genetics. You can keep that exact same plant going for your next run.
When is the Best Time to Take a Monster Clone?
Timing is everything. You cannot just chop a branch off whenever you feel like it. The absolute sweet spot for monster cropping is during week two or week three of the flowering stage.
At this point, your plant is just starting to show little white hairs. It is definitely in flower mode, but it still has enough vegetative energy left in its system to bounce back and grow new roots.
Do not wait too long. If you try to take a clone in week six or week seven, you are asking for trouble. By that time, the plant is pouring 100 percent of its energy into making thick, sticky buds.
If you cut a branch that late, it will not have the energy to grow new roots. It will just sit in your cloner, turn yellow, and die. You have to catch it early.
How to Monster Crop (Step-by-Step)
Let's get to the fun part. Taking a monster clone is basically the same as taking a regular clone, with just a few small tweaks. Here is exactly how to do it without messing up.
Step 1: Pick the Perfect Branch
Do not chop off your beautiful top colas. Go to the bottom of the plant. You want to find a small, lower branch that is still green and flexible. If the stem is thick and woody, it will struggle to grow roots. Stick to the soft green branches.
Step 2: Make the Cut and Prep
Grab your sterile pruning snips. Cut the branch off at a 45-degree angle. Cutting at an angle gives the stem more surface area to suck up water and cloning gel. Dip the cut end straight into your favorite rooting hormone.
Then, pop it into a root cube or your aeroponic cloner.
Step 3: Flip the Lights Back
This is the most important step of the whole process. You have to take that clone out of your flowering room immediately. Put it in a veg tent under an 18/6 or even a 24/0 light schedule.
This long light cycle is exactly what forces the plant to stop flowering and start re-vegging.
Step 4: Wait Patiently
Normal clones might show roots in a week. Monster clones take their sweet time. They are confused and stressed out. It might take two or even three weeks to see any roots popping out.
Keep the humidity high, keep your humidity dome on, and just leave the clone alone.
The Ugly Duckling Phase (What to Expect)
I need to warn you about what happens next. When your monster clone finally grows roots and starts pushing out new leaves, it is going to look terrible. It goes through a serious ugly duckling phase.
Normally, weed leaves have five or seven jagged fingers. But your monster clone is completely confused. When it starts growing again, weird leaves will shoot right out of the middle of the little buds.
These new leaves will be completely smooth. They will only have one single round finger. They look more like basil leaves than weed leaves.
Good lord, it looks like a mutant alien plant. The first time you see this, you will probably think you ruined the clone. You will be very tempted to throw it straight in the trash.
Do not panic. Put the trash can away.
This weird, ugly growth is the exact sign that monster cropping is working perfectly. The plant is just working through its confusion. Give it a few more weeks.
Eventually, it will snap out of it. It will start growing normal, jagged leaves again. And when it does, it will explode with dozens of new branches.
Can You Monster Crop Autoflowers?
This is a question I hear all the time. Can you monster crop an autoflowering strain? Let me save you a lot of time and heartbreak. The answer is a hard no.
Autoflowers are built differently. They have a strict genetic timer. Once they start flowering, they will not stop. You cannot trick them by changing the light schedule back to 18 hours. They simply do not care what the lights are doing.
If you chop a flowering branch off an autoflower and put it in a cloner, it will not go back to the vegetative stage. It will just sit there, grow a tiny little bud, and die.
You will waste your time and ruin a branch on your main plant for absolutely nothing.
If you want to try monster cropping, you absolutely must use stable photoperiod seeds.
The Wrap Up
So, there we go. That is the wild world of monster cropping.
I know it takes a lot of patience. Sitting around and staring at a mutant plant for weeks can really test your nerves. But once that ugly duckling phase is over, the payoff is absolutely massive.
You get to save your absolute favorite genetics. You get to grow a crazy, bushy monster without making a single cut. And you get a massive yield at the end of it all. It really is the ultimate cheat code for indoor growers.
Just remember to leave the autoflowers alone and stick to the photoperiods.
Ready to try it out for yourself? Head over to the WeedSeedsExpress shop right now. Pick up a pack of our best photoperiod seeds, find your favorite phenotype, and get ready to grow some absolute monsters.
