Cannabis Clone Buying Guide
Discover everything you need to know about buying cannabis clones and find the best brands for your needs.
Where to buy marijuana clones legally
A cannabis clone is a rooted cutting from a mother plant. It is the same plant. Under U.S. federal law it is cannabis and a Schedule I controlled substance. State law decides where you can buy one, who can sell it, and how many you may own.
Start with your state, not the seller
More than 20 states and Washington, D.C. allow adult-use cannabis sales as of 2024. Medical cannabis programs operate in 38 states. Clone sales follow those programs. In most adult-use states, a licensed retailer can sell rooted clones to anyone 21 or older. Some states sell clones only to medical patients. A few do not allow retail clone sales at all. Washington is one example: recreational stores there do not sell clones, and home grow is limited to registered medical patients.
Plant count limits apply the moment you buy. California allows six plants per private residence. Oregon allows four per household. Colorado allows six per adult and twelve per household. Michigan allows twelve per household. Clones count toward that total. If your household already holds six plants in California, a seventh clone puts you over the limit.
how to pick healthy cannabis clones
Where licensed clones are sold
- Licensed retail dispensaries. Medical and adult-use. Ask to see the state license.
- Licensed nurseries and clone producers. Some sell to consumers. Others sell only to licensed cultivators and require a cultivation license number.
- Medical dispensaries in medical-only states. Some require a patient card and a state ID.
Parameters to check before you pay
- License number. Every legal seller holds a state license. Look it up in the state licensee database before purchase.
- Pathogen test results. Ask for HLVd (hop latent viroid) testing, plus powdery mildew and mite screening. HLVd spreads by contact and cuts yield.
- Root medium. Rockwool, peat plug, or soil. Match the medium to your grow.
- Label. Strain name, chemotype, mother plant age, and cut date.
- Price. Retail rooted clones run about $15 to $60 each. Wholesale trays cost less per unit and often carry a 10-clone minimum.
- Light cycle. Clones need 18 hours of light and 6 hours of dark to stay in vegetative growth.
Pitfalls
- Unlicensed sellers on social media, delivery apps, and classified sites. No license number means no testing and no recourse.
- Shipping clones by mail. Moving cannabis across state lines violates the federal Controlled Substances Act.
- Autoflower clones. Autoflowering plants flower by age, not light cycle. A clone starts at the mother's age, so it flowers fast and yields little.
- Mislabeled genetics. A plant sold as Gelato from an untested source may be a different cultivar.
- Buying more than your plant count allows. The excess plants are a violation in every legal state.
Federal status
Clones stay Schedule I under federal law. Do not carry them across state lines, even between two legal states. A state license protects you only inside that state's borders.