Cloning this week. Some questions.

[C20H25N3O]

I would like to take some cuttings relatively soon.

things to know:

• I am a first time grower
• currently having 4 plants that I like to switch to flower in the coming week.
• I plan to take 8 cuttings. 4 with rooting hormone, 4 without. 2 per plant
• the plants are currently in FFOF and the cuttings will be placed in 1.5 grodan rockwool

I have the following questions:

1. Should I give the water any nutes? Some guides say yes, others say no. I only have the FF trio available. I figure something high in P to promote root growth, but I am leaning towards straight water.
2. What PH should I aim for. I normally aim for 6.2 when watering, but I am reading that 5.5-5.7 might be better for cuttings.
3. Light? How much, I have a "daylight" bulb laying around. That has more blues, is that ok? Its only a 23w CFL. I need another tent or a place to put these after they root. So slow walking them, if possible would be ideal.
4. Is it ok to switch the other plants to 12/12 this week? I was aiming to do it jan 1, but was trying to deal with some plant issues first.
   • the plants I want to take cuttings from have not had any nutes in 2 weeks. Instead, I was dealing with nute burn and flushed them last weekend, and have been watering with only water ph'd to 6.1-6.4 since.
5. Where about should I take cuttings from? I've seen tek's say top of plant, lower on plant, middle of plant. My hunch is it doesn't matter too much. I am going I think towards more the middle.

Things I have read:

• Snypes Guide to cuttings in rockwool
• Mr. HIGHway?s Cloning Method In Rockwool
• 
  thc24's Rockwool Cloning
• Snoofer's illustrated rockwool cloning technique
• Various other teks and dozens of youtube videos.

 

[C20H25N3O]

Last question. It seems like half the things i read mention bleach. I don't have any. Is that ok, I do have some hydrogen peroxide...

 

[HerbChambers]

A small amount of nutrients won’t hurt and will probably give you more roots faster, but I’ve had success with water only as well.
I aim for a ph of 6.0 that way I can be off in either direction and still be in the range for proper ph.
I use 18 hours of light, but have also used 24 hours when I needed the extra heat.
The most important thing is to use clean scissors and set up a clean environment to take cuttings. Clean the scissors in peroxide or rubbing alcohol between cuts.
If the cuttings make it the first 24 hours then you will most likely need nothing more than patience to wait another 10 to 14 days for a successful round of clones.

As for where to take the cut, that really depends on how you’re trying to shape the plant for it’s environment. That being said the branches with apical dominance seem to root fastest for me.

 

[starke]

First a disclaimer: I clone in perlite/hydroton and don't know shit about rockwool. That being said here are my answers. YMMV.

1. I am a member of the no nutes until rooted team. I have tried both and found better results with plain water.

2. I have rooted clones in my 7.6 to 8.2 ph, .2ec well water, that same water adjusted to 5.6 to 6.0 ph and that water run through my RO unit at 0ec and 6.0 ph. There has been no difference in rooting time or number of successful clones based on the water used.

3. Clones do not need much light. Mine are illuminated 18/6 just by the reflected lighting in my veg area. My meter shows they are receiving about 70 - 100 umols. Your cfl should be fine.

4. I'm not in your shoes so can't offer even an opinion on that one. Generally you want to go into flower with healthy plants so I would let that be your guide.

5. I tend to take cuttings from the middle and upper parts of the plant simply because the stems are far less woody than lower growth and therefore root faster. Woody cuttings will root, just be prepared to wait.

Bonus Question. I wipe off whatever utensil I use to cut the clones, sometimes a razor blade and sometimes my trimming shears, with alcohol. That's it. No bleach or H2O2 in the cloning water.

I have a very casual approach to cloning compared to many, but I also have a 90+ percent success rate. This plant truly will grow like the weed that it is if we just let it. Cloning is not rocket science.

 

[Boob McNoob]

My sloppy handling has lost more cuttings than I'd like to admit so I'm trying Air Layering; a technique I've seen used to propagate lime trees. First try here has two branches jammed through the drain holes in the bottom of a small container, filled with soil and well dampened; now we wait.

 

[Bobby Boucher]

I hate cloning without locking lids and rigid containers. Those flimsy propagators are a pitfa. They are always just a slight bump or warp away from holding zero humidity. The crinkling and crackling and folding and flopping.. christ. Just waiting for the slightest mishandling of the lid to crush all my clones. Gives me anxiety just thinking about it.

I'll use translucent plastic cereal containers if I'm only taking a few cuttings, or the clear sterilite gasket boxes for larger hauls. Easier to pick up and carry around, lift up and check the underside for roots, better insulation and light diffusion..

FWIW, I've haven't seen a clone NOT root since I dropped the rockwool and invested in oasis cubes some 5-6 years ago. Pre-charged and ph correct out the box. Totally idiot proof. Just add water. Keep between 75-80f.

Never even got around to playing with rooting hormone. Lately I've been dipping my cuts in a mixture of cinnamon and honey. Seems to give them a little jump start. Total speculation. Might finally pull the trigger on a $20 bottle of clonex this week.. I dunno. Seems just like another added expense to the guy who never loses a clone.. but, even after all these years, I'm still curious to try it.

And you'd do well to just buy a 100 pack of individually wrapped sterile scalpels. I use #16's. Not just for the sake of sterility, but for sanities sake as well. Gone are the days of marching around the house looking for the cleanest razor blade.

And a pair of dedicated tongs! Don't forget the tongs!

 

[C20H25N3O]

First a disclaimer: I clone in perlite/hydroton and don't know shit about rockwool. That being said here are my answers. YMMV.

1. I am a member of the no nutes until rooted team. I have tried both and found better results with plain water.

2. I have rooted clones in my 7.6 to 8.2 ph, .2ec well water, that same water adjusted to 5.6 to 6.0 ph and that water run through my RO unit at 0ec and 6.0 ph. There has been no difference in rooting time or number of successful clones based on the water used.

3. Clones do not need much light. Mine are illuminated 18/6 just by the reflected lighting in my veg area. My meter shows they are receiving about 70 - 100 umols. Your cfl should be fine.

4. I'm not in your shoes so can't offer even an opinion on that one. Generally you want to go into flower with healthy plants so I would let that be your guide.

5. I tend to take cuttings from the middle and upper parts of the plant simply because the stems are far less woody than lower growth and therefore root faster. Woody cuttings will root, just be prepared to wait.

Bonus Question. I wipe off whatever utensil I use to cut the clones, sometimes a razor blade and sometimes my trimming shears, with alcohol. That's it. No bleach or H2O2 in the cloning water.

I have a very casual approach to cloning compared to many, but I also have a 90+ percent success rate. This plant truly will grow like the weed that it is if we just let it. Cloning is not rocket science.

Thank you. This seems helpful.

 

[C20H25N3O]

I hate cloning without locking lids and rigid containers. Those flimsy propagators are a pitfa. They are always just a slight bump or warp away from holding zero humidity. The crinkling and crackling and folding and flopping.. christ. Just waiting for the slightest mishandling of the lid to crush all my clones. Gives me anxiety just thinking about it.



I'll use translucent plastic cereal containers if I'm only taking a few cuttings, or the clear sterilite gasket boxes for larger hauls. Easier to pick up and carry around, lift up and check the underside for roots, better insulation and light diffusion..

I was thinking about going with a sterilite or rubber maid toat. Having grown mushrooms before I am well aware that these things hold humidly just fine. This is a project my wife and I are taking on together and she always gets nervous when I tell her I can engineer something. Couldn't imagine why...

FWIW, I've haven't seen a clone NOT root since I dropped the rockwool and invested in oasis cubes some 5-6 years ago. Pre-charged and ph correct out the box. Totally idiot proof. Just add water. Keep between 75-80f.

Your not the first person to tell me this today. I plan to take more clones in the future, so maybe I'll switch it up. Ulitmately, I am taking 8 cuttings and can really only accommodate 4, maybe six max in my tent. Unless I really go for a shorter veg. Bascially, I need only a 50% success ratio.

Never even got around to playing with rooting hormone. Lately I've been dipping my cuts in a mixture of cinnamon and honey. Seems to give them a little jump start. Total speculation. Might finally pull the trigger on a $20 bottle of clonex this week.. I dunno. Seems just like another added expense to the guy who never loses a clone.. but, even after all these years, I'm still curious to try it.

Does the honey need to be anything fancy, or just cheap comes-in-plastic bear honey work? I reluctantly bought the keeps rooting hormone from amazon. And only plan to use it on half. These things do not need to root in 3 days or anything crazy and I can lose half and still be happy.

And you'd do well to just buy a 100 pack of individually wrapped sterile scalpels. I use #16's. Not just for the sake of sterility, but for sanities sake as well. Gone are the days of marching around the house looking for the cleanest razor blade.

Not a bad idea. I was planning to make my 45 cut with sheers....Hope I don't regret that.

And a pair of dedicated tongs! Don't forget the tongs!

Tongs huh. Didn't think of that. How do you use the tongs. To handle the cuttings?

 

[C20H25N3O]

My sloppy handling has lost more cuttings than I'd like to admit so I'm trying Air Layering; a technique I've seen used to propagate lime trees. First try here has two branches jammed through the drain holes in the bottom of a small container, filled with soil and well dampened; now we wait.
[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=81696&pictureid=2003546&thumb=1]View Image[/URL][URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=81696&pictureid=2003547&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]

Interesting. I cannot tell from the picture. How do you increase humidity. Is there a cover?

 

[NEED 4 SEED]

I never work that sterile when cloning. I sometimes use whatever blade lies around . Sometimes cleaning it and sometimes not. I have always 95-100% success just by using tap water which comes out at 0.2 ec and between 7-8 ph and a dip of clonex. Without clonex I was at 80-90% success rate. But that's it. I must add that I'm also using a small container for 14 clones and a small cfl between 15 and 36 W light on top of it for 20 hours a day. I have also made the observation that the top shoot of the plant doesn't clone as easy as the lower and middle ones do. In the clone box I have a watered layer of clay granulate on the ground which provides an even dampness to the coco pellets the clones are sitting in.
When you took the top shoot as clone or just topped the plant to make it more bushy you should wait a few days because the plant needs time to divert the hormones in their shoots and to develop new shoots or your top will be ugly. Thats why I tend to not top the plant right before switching to 12:12. Clones taken from the lower and middle branches shouldn't make such problems.

 

[Bobby Boucher]

I like to take big clones, usually from the largest and most unruly heads on the plant, in an effort to ensure that future generations don’t lose their luster.. Big clones need tall containers. Tall containers are a pain in the ass to work in wit’yer big oafy hands. Even if the clones are really well spaced out, there really still isn’t enough room to maneuver around.

Tongs just expedite the whole process of transferring the cubes in and out of their containers. You don’t need them, but you gotta move around like a f’n surgeon if you don’t have them..

Sterilite has actual gasketed containers called the “gasket box”, but if I were only taking 8 clones, I would just buy a few cereal containers. Easier to pick up any carry around, still.

Highly recommend the xl oasis cubes. I don’t even take extra cuttings anymore.

And about the honey.. I dunno. I half assume that I’m using the wrong kind to no ill effect. I think I just like eating it all out the shot glass when I’m done.

 

[G.O. Joe]

I had great success with Rootone so of course it's not made anymore, none of the hormone powders have fungicide now I think - and peat pucks in solo cups in ziplocs. The secret is not too much wetness or light.

 

[starke]

The secret is not too much wetness or light.

G.O. Joe hit the nail on the head there. I'm willing to bet too much moisture leading to damping off has killed more fresh cut clones than all other reasons combined. Newly rooted clones and seedlings are just as easily killed the same way.

 

[Bobby Boucher]

Which is why an idiot like myself finds such great success with oasis cubes. They're just impossible to overwater.

 

[C20H25N3O]

Thanks everyone. Taking the cuttings in the next few minutes.

 

[methias]

I know that by now you have clones growing and this is late.
Better late than never..
For next time.

I had a success rate of less than 5%. My cloning box was labeled a "hospice for sticks in dirt".

Then I read about areoponics..
Cloning with areoponics now gives me over a 95% SUCCESS RATE.
Here's how I did it.
I took a 2 gallon bucket, a small 12 VDC water pump, and a timer to make my rigs. I made three cloning buckets and gave one to a friend in need.
My buckets were white so I spray painted them black to block light inside.
I used two inch baskets and foam pucks. I drilled 7 holes in the lid for 7 clones at a time.



To keep the pump and spray heads from getting clogged I made a filter for the pump from a 2 inch basket and a piece of nylon stocking.

The pump feeds spray heads inside the bucket so all 7 baskets are hit by water.

I use a Sonoff basic to activate the pump for one minute on followed by 9 minutes off.
I PH the water to 6.0 +/_ and sometimes I add a little clonex to the bucket but not sure it's needed. I change the water out twice a month just for shits and giggles.
Most strains are rooted and ready for soil in 10-15 days. Sour Kosher takes up to 25 days but it works.
No dome ever.


To clone, I clip with my dirty Scissors, then with one of the many dirty razor blades on my workbench I cut a 45 degree angle just below a node, set that in a cup of clonex, trim the leaves a bit, and then dip the stem in rooting powder.
From there it's straight to the cup and puck then into an unfilled hole on the bucket.
Subdued lighting and time gives me a viable clone nearly every time.

Vape on kids

 

[methias]

I know that by now you have clones growing and this is late.
Better late than never..
For next time.
.
Subdued lighting and time gives me a viable clone nearly every time.

Vape on kids

Here is a shot of my cloning box. I have one bucket running and clones in soil waiting for their turn to flourish.
Now days I end up tossing out overflow.


My MOMF is on the left side with a graft in the bag.
Plenty of clones to choose from and share.

Now I always have a choice of what to flower next.


Vape on kids