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Water Cloning?

S

Spider Crab

Hello,

I tried cloning some plants in a glass of water like i have seen mentioned before but my cuttings just slowly lost colour and developed some tiny white calluses on the stem.

They didn't progress, and the water started to get some green algae at the bottom?

Any advice?

Thanks.
 

justanotherbozo

Active member
Veteran
...you could also try something a little more reliable, water cloning works but the failure rates can be high while this method should give 75% rooted clones or better within 14 days your first attempt if you follow a few simple rules, ...after a few runs 90% plus should become routine.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?threadid=42847World class cloner new at walmart

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...i've read some say that these ice-tube-trays are getting harder to find so i'd note that this thread was started by someone who brought this simple wick-style cloning technique salvaged from the old Overgrow site and that the container you use is less important than the technique itself, i've seen adaptations using several other containers, Tupperware popsicle molds comes to mind.

...anyway, like i said, this is a very simple cloning method that is easy to master and very inexpensive to run, ...and VERY reliable.

peace, bozo
 

justanotherbozo

Active member
Veteran
...yeah, these can be made to work but you'll note that this is a one piece unit unlike my original two piece design, ...with the removable blue bottom it becomes much easier to push your rooted clones out from the bottom, ...actually, with this two piece design the only modification you make is to put a few small holes in the blue bottom piece for each 'tube' so the liquid can be wicked up by the vermiculite.

...i haven't tried it yet but my grobro says he has been using coco in his cloners lately with good results, ...the rules change a little though with the change in medium and moisture retention abilities of said medium so keep that in mind, ...it is far better to master this the way it is taught in the thread then, once mastered, you can branch out and try any other method with confidence in your own abilities and if it fails, no big whoop, you just go back to the Walmart cloner.

...which simply means that once you master this Walmart cloner you'll be able to just take cuts, put them in coco and 10 days or so later you have rooted clones.

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...note that one of my 'hempy's' is filled with perlite only and the other has hydroton mixed in, i was trying to find something for the bottoms that would be as effective as the perlite but have some 'heft' to it, with just perlite they become VERY top-heavy in flower, ...i now use grorocks from the grow store but lava rock or 3/4 inch gravel works just as well.

anyway, have a great Christmas!

peace, bozo
 

LEDfoot

Member
Oh, REI used to sell the two-piece trays. Glad I grabbed a couple. The icetubes.com site (on the label) no longer exists.
 

Cobra420

Member
Hi SpiderCrab,

I've been using the water cloning method for a few months now. In fact, I've been using it with house plants and plants I find around the neighborhood as well, just to see what it can do. Just take cuts and place them in a window sill. My question for you, is what are your procedures for doing so?

I made myself a small makeshift cloner with items I had laying around the house. A large clear container with lid (holes drilled in it from other hobbies) and 2 x 15w strip lights. All I do is take the cuts like most guides show and place 3-6 of them into a baby jar or shot glass of tap water. I replace the water every 4-5 days. I've had great success with this method cloning cannabis and many outdoor plants.

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I feel the trickiest part for me was the transition. Unsure what your preferred media of growing is, but mine is homemade organic soil. Going from water to soil like that took some practice. After 1 or two attempts though, I feel I've struck gold. I'd say I get anywhere from 85-95% success now. On average, I get roots by 10-14 days. I've had some cuts show sooner and some show WAY later. Interestingly enough, all of the cuts have been from the same plant lol.

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Once the roots get a little longer than they are in the picture above, I plant them into plug trays of my mix and place them back in the container. I let the plugs root out and once rooted, I transplant into whatever size container I feel like playing around with at the moment and put them where ever they are meant to go.

One thing I've been doing for "practice" is keeping a mother plant and taking clones off of it and water rooting them all. In my experience, I've had the best luck with clones that were 5-6"+ I'm not saying smaller clones won't work, because they will and I've done it, but for me, the clones seem to look "healthier" once rooted when I've used slightly larger clones.

My best advice, would be to keep on trying it and to try other methods as well. Find that method that works for you. When I first started cloning, I tried many methods just to get the feel for them and to see how much maintenance would be involved. I like water cloning because there really isn't any maintenance at all. No misting, acclimating or anything like that. I've even had success with just topping off the jars with h20. As long as you use low lighting and fresh h20, you should be rooting in no time. Good Luck

-Cobra
 
S

Spider Crab

Thanks cobra.

Yes, i liked the water cloning method the best because it is the simplest, even though my results weren't great so far.....
 

justanotherbozo

Active member
Veteran
...another wick style option is this one and what you should understand is that wick style cloners are basically just like water cloning other than there is a medium surrounding the cut stem.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?threadid=10225Super Cheap Mass Cloner

...i've never made one of these but i'm absolutely certain they function beautifully and with these, all the required parts will always be available, probably at your local Dollar store.

peace, bozo
 
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