To cut or not to cut: that is the question....
To cut or not to cut: that is the question....
Raist: The cutting off of superflous or extra material on clones is a good idea when first cutting them.
Once they're in a medium (rockwool, soil, coco, peat, etc....) I usually let them do their thing.....
Consider the extra leaves like "fat storage" for a hibernating bear. The plant won't be able to really get any nutrients...water is fairly easy because it can "transpire" (pass through the membrane of the plant cells). Nutrients absorbed that way can cause pretty harsh damage rather immediately.....that's why it's always suggested that clones don't need nutrients or only weak nutrients.
While the big fan leaves can be a detriment to fast plant growth, they also undoubtedly provide some safe nutrients that the plant can absorb as it is forming roots.
Basically it's a fine line that you will see as you start to take alot of clones. The other thing is that you'll see fan leaves dying off....this really isn't a bad sign...it happens even during flowering or later stages of vegative growth. The plant is just taking back what it needs.....
Human bodies do exactly the same thing with calcium from bones and other nutrients when necessary.
Ultimately the process of cloning is as ancient as plants themselves.....imagine a pre-historic animal munching on some plants....and a few get chewed and pieces get dropped to the ground in a semi-tropical moist environment.....there is a strong likelihood that roots would eventually form and a new plant would develop.
One of the best things you can do when you're having difficulty maintaining healthy clones is to take a bunch of them. In this scenario it's QUANTITY over QUALITY.
Invariably a few will live. Even inexperienced cloners should expect a 20-30% success rate......mild to moderate should be 40-40%....moderate should be 50%+. Expert cloners should be seeing around 80%+ success. The key for all of these categories is once again quantity. Every month I have at least 20-30 clones I could just throw out. Instead of doing that...I gift them to a few people that don't clone and just want to grow a plant in their living room for yucks. Other times I'm like Johnny Appleseed and I put plants in random places hoping for them to stick and grow....I'll make rounds in October to see who's left. Sometimes I have no choice but to throw them out....
You'll always want extra clones because you'll need to replace your Moms every few months....or they'll outgrow their containers and growth will become too irregular and bushy to get nice cuts. Plus having alot of clones allows you to select the most aggressive and healthy ones.....the ones that have tons of roots and are growing like animals.
By the way: after reading this thread....it appears as if I've caused a sh*t storm of suggestions to get an ez-cloner.....that wasn't my intention. It's certainly not the only way....but it is simply the easiest way. It was only after my friend who's a newbie grower (less than 2 years) was having marked difficulty getting clones to root....convinced me to get one after he did. I was amazed....but could get by without it if I needed to. They're kind of like a GPS system.....before I had one...I made due.....now that I have one...I can't get to the damn bathroom without it. Technology...sheesh.
By the way, I'll send you a PM whenever I have something kooky to ask.....but I noticed there's an IM feature here on IC mag....(the things you learn when you really look eh>?). We may want to take advantage of that.
Maybe we can do that sometime. :friends:
P.S.-This apology goes out to everyone that needs a pair of glasses or visine
after my posts....I know they're lengthy and long winded.
To cut or not to cut: that is the question....
Raist: The cutting off of superflous or extra material on clones is a good idea when first cutting them.
Once they're in a medium (rockwool, soil, coco, peat, etc....) I usually let them do their thing.....Consider the extra leaves like "fat storage" for a hibernating bear. The plant won't be able to really get any nutrients...water is fairly easy because it can "transpire" (pass through the membrane of the plant cells). Nutrients absorbed that way can cause pretty harsh damage rather immediately.....that's why it's always suggested that clones don't need nutrients or only weak nutrients.
While the big fan leaves can be a detriment to fast plant growth, they also undoubtedly provide some safe nutrients that the plant can absorb as it is forming roots.
Basically it's a fine line that you will see as you start to take alot of clones. The other thing is that you'll see fan leaves dying off....this really isn't a bad sign...it happens even during flowering or later stages of vegative growth. The plant is just taking back what it needs.....
Human bodies do exactly the same thing with calcium from bones and other nutrients when necessary.
Ultimately the process of cloning is as ancient as plants themselves.....imagine a pre-historic animal munching on some plants....and a few get chewed and pieces get dropped to the ground in a semi-tropical moist environment.....there is a strong likelihood that roots would eventually form and a new plant would develop.
One of the best things you can do when you're having difficulty maintaining healthy clones is to take a bunch of them. In this scenario it's QUANTITY over QUALITY.
Invariably a few will live. Even inexperienced cloners should expect a 20-30% success rate......mild to moderate should be 40-40%....moderate should be 50%+. Expert cloners should be seeing around 80%+ success. The key for all of these categories is once again quantity. Every month I have at least 20-30 clones I could just throw out. Instead of doing that...I gift them to a few people that don't clone and just want to grow a plant in their living room for yucks. Other times I'm like Johnny Appleseed and I put plants in random places hoping for them to stick and grow....I'll make rounds in October to see who's left. Sometimes I have no choice but to throw them out....
You'll always want extra clones because you'll need to replace your Moms every few months....or they'll outgrow their containers and growth will become too irregular and bushy to get nice cuts. Plus having alot of clones allows you to select the most aggressive and healthy ones.....the ones that have tons of roots and are growing like animals.
By the way: after reading this thread....it appears as if I've caused a sh*t storm of suggestions to get an ez-cloner.....that wasn't my intention. It's certainly not the only way....but it is simply the easiest way. It was only after my friend who's a newbie grower (less than 2 years) was having marked difficulty getting clones to root....convinced me to get one after he did. I was amazed....but could get by without it if I needed to. They're kind of like a GPS system.....before I had one...I made due.....now that I have one...I can't get to the damn bathroom without it. Technology...sheesh.
By the way, I'll send you a PM whenever I have something kooky to ask.....but I noticed there's an IM feature here on IC mag....(the things you learn when you really look eh>?). We may want to take advantage of that.
Maybe we can do that sometime. :friends:
P.S.-This apology goes out to everyone that needs a pair of glasses or visine
after my posts....I know they're lengthy and long winded.
Last edited:
hey man whut up 
LOL
....But you know i going to get another chance at it..I know peoples i have friends :friends: in all the right place
they could take three months to root for all i care LOL
