Best way to maintain a mother plant?

I have been growing this mother plant for quite a few months now and I am looking for some feedback on it.

I have been trying to clone and doing some experiments so far I have had one clone root and I am trying the clone in water technique now.

Any suggestions to cause more branches or to shorten the plant up a bit? It is quite tall

How should I maintain the healthlness of the plant?Do I need to change the soil? Right now I have it in a 5 gallon pot do I need to upgrade to a 10 gallon?

http://img413.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=1000491.jpg

Using natural light?

Using CFLs 6 up top 2 to the side.

how many cutting do you need for each cicle?
if its 4-6 you might consider making a clone and then make a mother out of it in a much smaller container.
this plant is huge and you can probably take over 50 cutting from it. let it grow more and it will become bigger. but do you really want it that big, wasting nutrients and light energy?
I keep my mothers (I need 2-3 cuttings every 2 months) in 50cc containers to limit their growth and it works great. They are in a PC with my other vegging clones and the whole PC uses 1x45W CFL.

Mother plants you don't have to worry about too much, you can keep it under one CFL if you want. When you are pulling branches off for clones then it will become bushier, becuase where ever you break it off two more branches should start. If you feed it nutes you don't have to worry about the too much.

As far as cloning goes, I just use a container with an airstone in it. One thing I discovered the other day that goes along with cutting at a 45 degree angle. I was having trouble getting clones to root, I thought it was the temperature. I had some for 2 weeks with no roots. When I got clones this time part of the plant was green where I pulled it off and it left part of the skin from the stem on it. Does that make since to you ? Not a clean break, kinda torn. That one rooted overnight. So I did some more the same way and had the same results. Try that and see if it helps. If I need to describe it further let me know.

Use the FIM technique to get more branches also I suggest using a clone as the new mother and just put it in a small pot to limit growth

you don't need to FIM as you will top it alot anyway.
when you tear it you expose more inner core and make it easier to pop. I cut at about 20deg angle 0.5cm below a node, and remove the leaves slowly on that node to expose the inner part. sometimes I cut some shallow cuts with the scalpel all over the bottom part.
Works great.

I have been cutting the clones pretty much right off the main stalk. No new clones have yet to sprout from the previous cuts.

What do I do when my mother plants roots have engulfed the pot? Right now I am starting to see roots coming out of the bottom drainage holes, is this a problem? Should I upgrade to a 10 gallon pot?

Also how would I get more branches to grow for clones? Should I top some branches, so there are two shoots from one branch or what?

My first clone is now starting to go into flowering stage and is starting to show the first signs of buds. I still have 3 clones sitting in a cup water hope this technique works out.

I am not worried about size of plant, it can grow another 3-5 feet but my question is, is that a problem and how would i reduce the size or stop it from growing past there?

Also I am about to take down my 6 CFLS and just hang a 125 watt CFL in a bat wing above it instead, like this is a better choice?

Thanks everyone for the feedback and answers. Reps for all!

bumplta!!!!

the cup of water may perserve your new cuttings, but that technique

whoops...id add an airstone to ur cuttings, or make a DYI bubbler cloner. i found this to be the fastest rooting technique. ive tryed them all, except rockwool.