An intensive, high-yielding cannabis training method called monster cropping lets producers revive fresh, bushy plants from flowering clones. Applied precisely, the advanced method can greatly increase the canopy density and yields. From biological concepts to exact cloning techniques and integration with other training systems, we cover all important aspects of monster cropping across this whole book.
What is Monster Cropping?
Usually, at week three or four of a flowering cannabis plant, monster cropping is a specialist technique of growing cannabis when clones are removed from a flowering plant and subsequently re-vegetated. Unlike the conventional cloning flowering plants, whereby cuttings are collected from the vegetative stage, monster cropping entails a significant degree of stress. This approach causes hormone swings that stimulate plenty of lateral expansion and bushing growth and strains the plant back to vegetative growth from flowering. The resulting branches are suitable for obtaining a sturdy, high-yielding canopy able to support large crops.
Plants put out as clones in the flowering phase will have strong branching and a “Monster” sort of development that would otherwise not be felt if cloning were carried out in the vegetative phase, returning to vegetative growth. Growers who want to produce the best crop without constantly tending mother plants will find great demand for this quality. Re-vegging creates a new, bushy structure that significantly increases the number of sites for buds, thereby improving the overall efficiency and production of the plant.
When and How to Take Flowering Clones for Monster Cropping
Timing for the flowering clones for monster cropping is critical. Monster clones must be collected during week three or four of the blooming phase, after the plant has completed its vegetative development transition but before it reaches the stage of strong resin production. The plants are then in their best stage, with a known hormonal profile that will cause amazing branching when reversed.
Cloning Monster Crops Step-by-Step Method
Select a healthy donor plant. Look for a strong, pest-free flowering female with outstanding lateral development.
- To prevent contamination, prepare sterile tools using alcohol-sterilized scissors or a scalpel.
- Cut branches between 4 and 6 inches long, ideally with little floral patches.
- Cut off extra bud material and big fan leaves; retain just a few tiny leaves to lower transpiration.
- For best root development, dip the cut end into rooting gel or powder.
- Plant the cuttings in a humidity dome loaded with rockwool cubes, quick rooters, or another cloning medium.
- Give perfect conditions. Maintain a 72–78°F (22–26°C) temperature and an 80–95% humidity. For best efficiency, use low-intensity light sources, including LED bars or CFLs.
A bonus technique is spraying the cuttings with plain water for the first few days to reduce wilting and preserve turgidity while roots grow. Steer clear of nutrient water at this point; until roots grow, use distilled or pH-balanced water. Once roots have established, progressively add a mild vegetative nutrition solution to encourage early leaf development and chlorophyll production.
Advantages of Monster Cropping
Explosive Branching and Canopy Coverage
Re-vegetated clone flowers will have a natural compact growth habit and a thick, bushy canopy with high densities of lateral branches. This habit generates the optimal light penetration structure and the most possible bud locations.
Increased Yield Potential
Growing monster-cropped plants in combination with low-stress training (LST), topping, or SCROG procedures results in a more balanced canopy and better light use, therefore outyielding conventional plants.
Continuity of Genes
Monster cropping lets farmers perpetuate the life cycle of a photoperiod strain without moms. Monster cropping offers a sustainable source of clones with the same phenotype after blooming has started.
Ideal for Constant Harvesting
Using a two-tent arrangement, growers can alternate flowering and vegging monster-cropped clones to get endless harvests without separate mothers.
Still another big benefit is space saving. Especially for farmers following legal plant counts, monster cropping offers a consistent approach to fleshing out the grow space without raising plant numbers for those with limited horizontal or vertical space. Furthermore, monster cropping helps to conserve exceptional genetics that farmers would otherwise throw away following harvest.
Drawbacks and Things to Think About
- Longer Recovery and Veg Time: Monster-cropped clones usually take 4–6 weeks to root and re-veg until leaf development is normal again.
- Not Perfect for Autoflowers: Monster cropping isn’t suitable for autoflowering strains since they don’t re-veg from flower to vegetable.
- Altered early development: Early development may show malformed nodes and curled, single-bladed leaves. Though disturbing, such behavior is only temporary and a normal aspect of the revegging process.
Another issue is the higher chance of failing in the re-vegging and rooting techniques. Environmental changes affect monster-cropped cuttings more sensitively than typical vegetable clones. More readily, these delicate clones can be damaged by root rot, humidity swings, and nutrient imbalances. To succeed, growers have to keep a relatively constant microenvironment over the first few weeks.
Using Monster Cropping with Other Training Methods
Combined with other high-output training methods, monster cropping has synergistic advantages:
Green Screen of Vision (SCROG)
Intercropping busy monster-cropped stems on a screen helps gardeners guarantee a flat canopy and promote light efficiency.
LST, or low stress training
Under LST, opening monster-cropped plants reveals bud sites and encourages lateral growth. It improves air circulation and light penetration, thereby reducing excessive stress.
Super-cropping
Combining monster cropping with super cropping produces thick, gnarly plants with stronger internal structure and higher terpene expression from concentrated stress on them.
Topping and FIMing
Once a veg-stabilized monster clone has been produced, topping or FIMing helps to repeat the previously rich branches, hence promoting manic top-site development.
Once the clone is completely re-vetted, growers could wish to multiply or mainline. These disciplined methods provide great control over symmetry and canopy expansion and fit the runaway branching of monster-cropped plants. Timing is critical when training monster-cropped plants; if you start too early, the plant may become stunted; if you start too late, you can miss the opportunity to properly affect development.
Ideal Strains for Monster Growing
Given their high branch genetics and stress tolerance, some cannabis strains are more suited to respond to monster cropping. Perfect strains are
- Blue Dream: strong lateral force and enormous energy.
- White Widow: Bushes of development and stress-recovery
- OG Kush: Boasts outstanding yield response and stress-hardy genes.
- Northern Lights: Indica-dominant, little expansion for confined spaces.
Strong indica or hybrid profiles will display the most active regrowth and branching following re-veg. Excellent for monster cropping are also cultivars with strong cloning yields and disease resistance. If you are a novice, pure sativas or types with long blooming times are not advised since their slower rate of re-vegging can greatly postpone your grow cycle.
Perfect Conditions for Re-Vegging Clones
Establishing clones and preparing for vegetative development depend on particular environmental conditions for their survival. To maintain a natural habitat for a plant in vegetative development, there must be a minimum of 18 hours of light and 6 hours of dark kept. Temperature and humidity must be regularly watched since fluctuations significantly affect clones in the re-vegging process.
The growers should use nutrient solutions developed vegetatively to promote good root development and vigorous growth; nitrogen is preferred since it stimulates branch and leaf development. To prevent nutrient burns, we supply the nutrients sparingly and progressively, on the other hand. As the plants settle, we can raise the fertilizer levels with time.
Typical Mistakes to Prevent During Monster Cropping
New growers unfamiliar with monster cropping could run across many difficulties, compromising the effectiveness of this method. Among the most common errors are overfeeding, re-vegging by taking clones too far into the flowering cycle, and neglecting to keep environmental parameters equal. These errors can impair general yield, diminish plant health, and impede root development.
Monitoring the health of the plants and guaranteeing they get the greatest treatment at every level helps one prevent these problems. Growers can fully enjoy monster cropping and have strong, high-yielding cannabis plants by carefully timing, controlling the environment, and controlling nutrient levels.
Final thoughts on Cannabis Monster Cropping
For serious cannabis gardeners, monster cropping is a difficult but quite profitable method. Done right, it generates bushy, high-yielding plants that shine in trained systems like mainlining or SCROG. It clones, maximizes canopy efficiency, and uses space—all without a mother plant needed. Growers that have a strong awareness of the timing and technique can reach hitherto unheard-of levels of plant management efficiency and production.
