Have you ever dreamed of leaving your corporate job to pursue your passion? Meet Paul Valenzuela, a dedicated clone and cultivation expert who did just that in 2015. 

As a medical cannabis patient in California since 2008, Paul recognized the need for a reliable and consistent source of genetics. He left his corporate job to focus on developing just that and built a brand, making sales calls and visits, becoming a part of the industry. When the Prop 64 Law was passed in 2018, Paul’s career took a turn as he joined a licensed facility in the Coachella Valley and became a reliable supplier of clones. Today, he manages nurseries for green clones in different licensed facilities and has now built his own brand, Clone Coach.

In this article, we’ll dive into Paul’s journey from corporate life to becoming a dedicated clone and cultivation expert. We’ll explore his vision for Clone Coach, which is to create a reliable, consistent, and high-quality source of genetics and clones for small and large-scale cannabis growers alike. Clone Coach isn’t just a supplier of clones, but a trusted partner and resource in the growth of their client’s businesses. We’ll explore Paul’s dedication to providing quality genetics and clones, allowing growers to create their unique cultivars and build their brands from the ground up. Join us as we follow Paul’s journey and discover how he turned his passion into a successful business in the cannabis industry.

Paul’s Online Presence

Paul has utilized online platforms from the beginning to help grow their business. When asked about his online presence, he shared that they were always on Instagram. At the time, Instagram was the perfect platform to post menus, product information, and where their products could be found. He was able to interact with potential customers through direct messages, and it helped them gain new medical patients.

Initially, Paul’s content on Instagram was primarily focused on showcasing their products and building up their base of patients for the collective. He has also utilized email marketing to promote their clones by gathering emails, and when the clones were ready, he would send out a batch email. This proved to be a successful method as it would generate orders, which they would then deliver, and the cycle would repeat.

By taking his business online, they were able to reach a broader audience and build relationships with potential customers. This allowed him to provide valuable information and support to his customers and grow his business in the ever-changing cannabis industry. The use of online platforms has become an essential aspect of their business, and they continue to utilize them to connect with customers and expand their reach.

What is Weed Cloning?

Cloning in the world of horticulture is a fascinating concept that has been around for quite some time. In simple terms, cloning is the process of duplicating a particular plant by reproducing it. The idea behind cloning is to grow more of the same plant that has specific characteristics and traits, which makes it appealing to growers. So you’re taking these cuttings from what is referred to as a mother plant. 

The process of cloning involves taking a piece of a plant that you want to replicate, called a cutting, and putting it through a rooting process. During this process, the cutting will develop new roots, and the plant will grow back into a miniature duplicate of the original plant that was cloned.

One of the biggest benefits of cloning is that it enables growers to get more of the plant that they know and love, which works well for them. Cloning allows them to create an abundance of that particular genetic strain, and this can benefit other gardens too. This is why cloning is a popular choice for growers, especially those in the cannabis industry, as they can maintain the genetic purity of their plants.

The process of cloning is relatively simple, and it involves increasing the humidity and warmth, which creates the perfect environment for the root zone to develop. Once the roots have established themselves, the cutting is ready to be grown into a vegetative plant, which will eventually grow into a full-sized plant.

What is a Mother Plant?

A mother plant is a plant that is kept in a vegetative state. Essentially, the plant is kept in a perpetual state of summertime, with long days and plenty of light, which prevents it from entering the flowering stage that produces buds that can be consumed. The mother plant serves as the source of all cuttings that will be grown into new plants.

As the name suggests, the mother plant is like the matriarch of the plant family, and all the cuttings are like her offspring. Cloning from a mother plant ensures that the new plants have the same genetic and trait qualities as the mother plant, without any variation or fluctuation in the plant’s traits.

Since there is no reproduction happening between male and female plants, the genetics of the plant is preserved, and the new plants will be genetically identical to the mother plant. This is why growers keep mother plants in the vegetative state and use them to make new clones that will have the same qualities as the original plant.

Does the mother plant ever get tired?

When it comes to keeping mother plants around for an extended period of time, it’s common to wonder if the plants can get tired or degrade. While there are some previous myths attached to this question, the answer is that with proper care and attention, a mother plant can remain healthy and produce clones for months on end. 

According to Paul, it’s essential to keep the mother plant free from pests and disease, maintain a healthy root zone, and provide a stable environment. By providing the plant with everything it needs and taking care of it, the mother plant should continue to regrow what is cut off and maintain a healthy cycle of vegetative growth. However, it does take effort and work to ensure the mother plant remains healthy and productive over an extended period.

What can be done to preserve the genetics of a rare and stressed mother plant that is the only source of a certain strain?

At a basic level, taking cuttings of a mother plant and growing them into clones is a good way to preserve genetics, while ensuring healthy growth during the vegetative stage. For more advanced preservation, tissue culture can be used to store genetic snippets for future use in case of mother plant loss. However, it is always recommended to have multiple mother plants to avoid losing the genetics altogether, by duplicating the plant through cloning or growing additional mothers for insurance.

Is tissue culture something that somebody can learn to do on their own?

In the world of cannabis cultivation, tissue culture is a valuable technique for preserving genetics and ensuring the long-term success of a crop. While it may seem like a complex and specialized process, it is possible for a motivated individual with some experience in the cannabis industry to learn and implement tissue culture on a small scale in-house. This could be done as a one-person operation with the right skill set and equipment. 

However, it’s important to note that calling on an expert may be necessary if there is a significant monetary value or if it’s part of a larger operation that relies heavily on the success of the process. Ultimately, it’s up to the individual to determine if they feel confident and competent enough to undertake tissue culture on their own, or if they should seek the assistance of a third party to ensure the best possible outcome.

The Process of Weed Cloning

Here’s a step-by-step process for cloning a cannabis plant:

1. Gather all the necessary equipment, including gloves, clean scissors, and a mother plant.
2. Select a branch from the mother plant that is ideally six to eight inches tall.
3. Remove all nodes and leaves from the lower portion of the cutting, leaving only the top third or top quarter of the plant intact.
4. Snip the cutting with clean scissors and place it in a cup of the solution immediately to prevent it from drying out.
5. Pre-soak some cubes in the same solution as the cup.
6. Using the ketchup bottle tech, fill the cubes with rooting gel.
7. Cut the base of the stem at a 45-degree angle with a fresh or sanitized blade and plug it into the pre-made hole in the cube filled with rooting gel.
8. Repeat the process until you have filled a tray with clones.
9. Cover the tray with a dome and keep it in a warm environment with a temperature of around 80 degrees Fahrenheit and a humidity level of 65-70%.
10. Make sure to burp the dome every so often to avoid stagnant air.
11. After 7-10 days, the clones should develop roots.
12. Remove the dome and start watering the clones regularly while providing them with more light to bring them back to a vegetative state.

Remember that there are nuances and little details that need to be considered, so be sure to research and understand the cloning process thoroughly before attempting it.

Solution and Gel

In the past, the cloning solution used for pre-soaking cubes or cloning media was a very light solution, typically ranging from 0.2 to 0.5 EC, which equates to only a few hundred PPM of nutrient solution. According to Paul, he started experimenting with different ways to approach this. You can use the same vegetative nutrients that you’re feeding your mother stock, or a slightly diluted version of the same food, as your cloning solution. If you provide the same nutrient solution to your clones as you do to your mother plants, you can expect the same predictable growth from the rooted clones. This is a huge tip that will help you maintain healthy green clones throughout the rooting process.

The rooting gel is a common hormone used to propagate plants and comes in liquid, gel, or powder form. Most people use a gel form, which contains active ingredients like indole three butyric acid (IBA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) to encourage root growth. However,Paul noticed a cross-contamination problem when managing a nursery where they dipped every stem in a shared gel, leading me to create a solution. Paul  filled pre-made holes in the cloning tray with gel using a ketchup bottle, eliminating the concern for cross-contamination.

Cloning in Nursery

Cloning and nursery management have always been an afterthought, even in large cannabis cultivation operations. Paul noticed that many growers put all their effort into designing every aspect of a flower growth, but neglect to prioritize nursery space and cloning. However, the nursery is the starting point of the entire cultivation process and is critical to the success of the next 90 to 120 days of manufacturing and cultivation. It is important to have the right amount of nursery space per cultivation room to maximize growth and canopy and, ultimately, profitability. If there is not enough nursery space, growers may need to solicit clones from other places, resulting in different genetics in the same room and possible contamination, as different strains require different nutrients and schedules.

To address these issues, the best ideas would be a solid canopy and predictable production per square foot of canopy for mother plants on a predictable schedule. This can help growers plan accordingly and avoid overdoing it, thus saving extra light and space resources. In summary, it is essential to give proper attention and planning to the nursery and cloning process to achieve successful and profitable cannabis cultivation.

What are the capital requirements?

While paul does not have the specific figures available, he compares the power usage required for a bedroom to that of a flower room. A flower room requires about 40% more power usage due to the need for more light, AC, and equipment to address fluctuations caused by daytime and nighttime swings. In comparison, a bedroom is a simpler space to build and requires less equipment and power usage. Although the capital investments in real estate and equipment may be similar, there is less ongoing cost associated with a bedroom due to the lower draw on equipment.

When it comes to running a nursery, there is a lot of potential for maximizing space and improving cash flow in comparison to a flower room. Ideally, a nursery should be cloning every week, creating a weekly inventory that is ready to be sold, resulting in consistent cash flow. This is in contrast to the large swings that come with bringing down a flower room. Additionally, regulations for nurseries usually have fewer restrictions on things like square footage and canopy size, which can be beneficial for business operations.

Certainly, if one can manage the production, costs, labor, and success rate effectively, a nursery business has the potential to be a high-margin business. All in all, it’s a fantastic business opportunity.

The benefit of growing from clones versus popping seeds

Expanding on your previous point, the process of growing from seeds requires a lot of time, resources, money, and energy. Additionally, there is no guarantee of the outcome or the quality of the plant. It can take up to five times longer for the plant to even start growing. In contrast, when buying a clone from a reputable nursery, there is a proven genetic that guarantees a certain level of quality. 

With seeds, one has to grow multiple plants to find a winner and maintain backups for genetic preservation. Once the winner is selected, the other plants are discarded, and the grower starts over with the new plant. By buying a clone, the grower is already at the beginning stages of growth, and can quickly start producing clones of their own. However, it is important to ensure that the clone is from a reputable source, as buying from an unreliable source can be counterproductive.

In order to find a viable winner from a seed, a grower would need to have genetic backups and maintain multiple plants over the course of a few months, constantly trimming and providing resources such as nutrients and water, which could also potentially attract pests and pathogens. This is where a reliable nursery can be beneficial. As the individual mentioned, it was once common for growers in Southern California to drive up to Northern California to purchase clones, as the area was known for its reliable genetics.

Things You Need to Know in Building Your Nursery

The importance of having nurseries of various sizes cannot be overstated. While big nurseries are critical to the supply chain of large cultivators, smaller boutique indoor growers also need nurseries that can cater to their needs by offering a menu of unique genetics that are not grown by big cultivators. 

The size of the nursery partner should match the size of the grower’s operation. For instance, a large flower cultivator requires one or two proven genetics that can cover an entire canopy, whereas a small boutique grower may only need a limited supply of certain genetics. If a nursery is going out of business, it could be due to targeting the wrong audience, failing to address pest and pathogen concerns, being inconsistent with production or orders, or mismanaging cash flow despite the high-profit margins in the industry.

Although not something Paul discusses often, having managed nurseries and sold clones to other nurseries, he has a deep understanding of the financials and the numbers that go into the business. With the spreadsheets and cost of goods he has had to manage, Paul knows that there is a healthy margin in the nursery business. While he does not want to shout it from the rooftops, he believes it’s a good business for anyone interested in discussing the industry.

What are the key telltale signs that indicate that something is amiss in a nursery and the management is not performing a particular action or function well?

If I were to enter a nursery and the lack of consistency in workstations, grow rooms, floors, tools, stations, and inventory layout caught my attention, I would consider it a clear indication of disorganization. This is particularly concerning for me as the nursery business requires a rinse-and-repeat approach, with the same tasks being performed week after week without deviation. Therefore, any variance or inconsistency would immediately grab my attention and raise a red flag.

The Importance of Social Media

Messaging through direct messages on social media platforms like Instagram has become a common practice. According to Paul, he has sent countless DMs over the years and has seen some develop into meaningful relationships. Some of these connections have even led to phone conversations.

Paul’s advice to anyone is to not hesitate to reach out to their favorite breeders or potential collaborators. It’s important to take the initiative and send an introduction message, highlighting the value you can offer them. However, it’s important to adopt a giving mindset instead of constantly asking for something. By nurturing these connections and consistently providing value, you can foster a mutually beneficial relationship that may eventually bloom into something significant. It’s like planting seeds – with time and effort, your connections will yield fruitful outcomes.

What are the common cloning mistakes among cultivators, and how can they be avoided?

One common mistake among cultivators is providing a nutrient solution that is too low in their cloning media. This can result in stunted growth, yellow and purple clones, and tight node and growth spacing. Another mistake is maintaining a cold and damp environment, which can lead to damping off, slow rooting, extreme pathogen pressure, and poor nutrient uptake. To avoid these issues, it’s recommended to keep the temperature consistent at around 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity at the mid-60s to high 60s.

The future of cloning in the cannabis industry

Paul believes there should be more research done on pesticide use and good practices in the nursery space. While advancements in the industry are exciting, there is still a lack of research in this area. He would like to see more research on viroids, genetics, and other important aspects of nursery operations to establish reliable sources of information.

In an ideal scenario where cannabis is no longer considered illegal, individuals could start their own small businesses and sell high-quality stock from a small warehouse or boutique nursery online. According to him, he would love to see the transfer of clones between countries become more common, as DNA Genetics did in the past by transporting clones in cargo airplanes. I think it would be amazing to be a part of such large-scale plant material shipments to countries like Colombia, Portugal, and Thailand.

Words to remember

Learning on the job is not recommended for this line of work. It is advisable to take a break and learn the necessary skills at home or in an environment where the cost is low. Once you’re ready to start a business, you need to be very strict about your expectations for every staff member, how they spend their time, and how much time is allocated to each task. Having such a tight standard operating procedure is essential to your business’s profitability. By doing so, you will be able to create a profitable business.

If you’re competing, or you’re thinking about competing for a license, but don’t know where to start, I went ahead and cleaned up all of my application material, and updated a lot of it and you can get your own copy here: https://highsalwa.com/business-downloads.  It is what I use to win licenses in multiple different markets. I have cultivation, production, and retail that are currently available and I’m looking forward to adding more to give you a head start.