For those who have a Phd in cloning...

[lawnboy123]

Whats up everyone!? I need a Phd in cloning in two months. I just began flowering my random seeds that I recieved when I bought my Jack Herer. When these babies are done im moving in with a buddy of mine. Our plan is to have a mother and clone chamber, a veg chamber, and a flower chamber. I know how to veg. and flower my plants, however cloning is a new hobby to me and I need all the info possible. I've heard they are fragile and can be tough to keep alive. Any info is a great help and will be very much appreciated. Any sites that you guys know of would also be very helpful. Thank you in advance and I can't wait to get my new degree!

-lawnboy

 

[THC123]

hmmm i have no phd lol

but i can give you some advice

i clone mine in a propagator with a heating mat , i make sure the temps are constant 22-26 degrees and with lights out about 18-20.

I take a branch i want to clone and cut it at a 45 degree angle to get a bigger surface for root forming. afterthis i put it in water for 30 seconds.

I then peel of the bottom centimeter of "skin" on the branch. I then dip the bottom of the branch where i peeled it in clonex rooting gel for 5 seconds

And then i put the future clone in a small pot with soil for seedlings and clones(unfertilised) and put it in the propagator with both the areation windows shut completely.


I jsut leave the propagator there for a week and i remove the cover once per day (to allow fresh air in)and i mist the clones with water.

Remember , they don't have roots so in the beginning they drink with the leaves .That's why you need such high humidity.


After a week i open the aeriation windows 1 millimeter each day untill they are completely open.

And then after about 2 weeks they are ready and fully rooted.


As light i use TL color 33 or a duo fluor or a MH at great distance.

In the summer i often just put the propagator in my kitchen in the shadow , that also works.

So be sure to avoid too much heat , nutes light intensity and low humidity and you should be fine

ok i think this was it , could be that i forgot something but i am sure someone else will chime in.

And of course there are many ways to make clones , this is jsut one of them. It's low cost

 

[Dr Dog]

Top of this forum there is a great sticky that shows and tells you how to clone

I use this method, works great

 

[lawnboy123]

Thanks THC123 and Dr Dog, all info is welcome. Can't learn enough! ++rep for the two of yas.

 

[lawnboy123]

Feel free to keep contributing guys, I checked out the sticky but can always use more info!

 

[LJB]

I've heard they are fragile and can be tough to keep alive.

It's much easier than you think. From my experience, they can be treated like shit and still survive and thrive. I use the DIY bubble plans that can be found on these forums. Those things work so well, one can leave the clones in them for literally weeks on end under one 14w CFL without a water change. Granted they're not in the greatest shape, but they'll live and grow in that condition. Imagine what can be accomplished if they're treated right.

 

[lawnboy123]

Well then ive heard wrong, although id like them to be as healthy as possible. Im looking for more info though, can I use two fluorescent bulbs each at about 40W making a total of 80W on the little guys? If so what shuld my light cycle be? As far as watering goes, do I just spray them once a day along with the humidity dome? Im going to be using Rapid Rooter plugs, whenthe roots are developed can I just place them in the soil and put them in the veg. chamber? These are just a few things i'm having trouble with. THC123 did a great job of getting into detail but i'm still looking for more. I'm not a greedy person but knowledge is something I always want more of.

 

[Hank Hemp]

Looky here http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=46778

 

[cashmunny]

I have my GED in cloning

 

[chef]

I've found clean scissors or razor blade is important, as is getting the cuts into water ASAP, so no air bubble gets up the stem. Snip & into a glass of water until you're ready, then snip a node, do your 45 cut & into your hormone.
I use RapidRooters too & they are almost foolproof, I get 100% 99.5 % of the time lol
I'd say a fast, lite dip in whatever rooting hormone is better than a long heavy dip too.

I use Dipngrow hormone @ 25-30:1, dip & stir for 1001,1002,1003 not any longer & stick'em in the plugs.
Keep enough water in the tray so water barely touches the bottom of the plugs, add 24hrs of light & you should be good to go in a week or so.
I put enough kelp in my tray water jug so its barely noticeable, super lite tea color, seems to speed'em up a bit & keep them healthier.

A few batches & you'll have it down Good luck!

 

[lawnboy123]

Hank Hemp - Thanks for the link man, I actually already checked it out though and was looking for more/other websites. Rep to you anyways though for chiming in.
cashmunny - Though only a GED and not a Phd, its more than what ive got.
chef - Good info man, thanks for the help. Your right, the more I clone the better I will get at it. I just don't wanna go into it blind. Thanks again you guys and feel free to post sites and or share good/bad stories about cloning along with what you learned of course.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Best advice I have is don't get discouraged. Took me months to get a survivor (pre IC days) I've been at 100% for years. No other area of growing sees such disparate results from identical procedures. Prime example: Used "correctly" my bubbler has a 600% failure rate, used "wrong" (with rockwool, gel, clone solution and nutes) 100% success. Moral of story? Don't get obsessed with a single method. If your method isn't working, try another way. Vermiculite, perlite, bubbler, ez cloner, air layering...

FWIW I use a modified bubbler with a 1/4 strength GH Flora solution. Start with short cuts and leaves well trimmed, soak each stem one minute in full strength clone solution (any IBA-NAA solution will do) gel, cube and into the bubbler, which has an aquarium heater to maintain a res temp of 75ºF.





Dome weaning was my #1 cause of death. I threw the dome in the trash and death went with it. I've cloned dome free in RH as low as 15%.

 

[LJB]

can I use two fluorescent bulbs each at about 40W making a total of 80W on the little guys? If so what shuld my light cycle be?

Clones need minimal light. One of the big mistakes I made at first was blasting them with too much. I don't think 15-20 need more than one 14w CFL in an area that measures 2' x 2'.

As far as the light cycle, that is one I haven't found an answer to yet. Do cuttings perform better with 24 hours, 20, 18?

 

[nvisionary]

Here's a good writeup by a guy named hyb. He has a PhD in cloning in soil.

THE MEDIA

You will need to get some good All-Purpose potting mix.

I recommend Black Gold Brand, All-Purpose, but you will have good success with Promix, Sunshine mix or any other high quality peat-based media. Do NOT add anything.
Do not use soilless mixes or blends that are “fortified” with dry organics, like Foxfarm Ocean Forest, Blackjack, or the like. Organics-laced media invite problems like low pH, low oxygen, and fungus gnats. Fertilizer is not required to root cuttings.

Do not adjust media pH. Use bottled water if your tap is that bad. Don’t add anything.

THE CONTAINER

You want a container that is generally tall(4-5”), and has about a handful of medium. The taller container provides more soil contact with the cutting. More soil contact facilitates water uptake and etoliation/tissue morphogenesis.
Some examples of good containers are 5inch plug trays(see pic), small plastic cups or drinking water bottles with the top cut off and good holes in the bottom, or any similarly-sized apparatus’ with very good drainage. The important factors here are media volume, height, and drainage.
Using less media volume requires more of your attention while rooting; more media can remain too moist. Find the right containers. They don’t have to cost money or be from a grow store.

THE MOTHER PLANT

Many people do not understand the importance of the condition of the Mother plant, or simply do not know what truly healthy plants look like. When people tell people “the Mother needs to be healthy”, that usually just goes in one ear and out the other. Don’t let it. Your cloning success is very much dependant upon the state of the Mother.
The Mother should be *healthy(there it was) and actively shooting. This means it must be putting on healthy new growth and elongation. It should be lush green with no burnt foliage, or bugs; you will have less success if your Mother is ill, nutrient imbalanced, or otherwise not healthy.
The condition of the stem for cutting needs to be pliable, not woody, for 5-6 inches.
You DO NOT NEED additional hormones when your Mother is healthy and actively shooting. I do not use rooting hormones except in rare occasions where the Mother Donor is not in good shape. You wont need it. Cannabis is a plant that roots just fine without supplements. No B1, B’Cuzz stimulant, Superthrive, or any of that kind of stuff. Use only plain water.
If your Mother is not actively shooting, you have serious problems that need to be addressed FIRST, before you attempt taking cuttings. Don’t underestimate the importance of a healthy Mother plant.

THE CUTTING

The material to be used should be the actively shooting tips, around 5-6 inches, -or longer-, provided you have the proper pliability to take longer cuttings. Remove the growth and sink the cutting as deep as you can without sinking leaves. Don’t allow the bottom to be exposed to the air. Duhhh…
You do not have to worry about cutting at a 45deg angle. You don’t have to worry about cutting underwater to prevent an embolism. I have never had any problems by NOT sterilizing the knife.

TAKING THE CUTTING

You SHOULD have the containers WET and READY so that the cutting is immediately put into the rooting media. You should work fast. This ensures against any wilting. Wilting will not always be the end of your cutting, but it never HELPS. Try to take the clones in conditions of medium/low light, 75degF or lower. If you’re in a bind and need to take them in high light or some other less-than-desirable conditions, have a spray bottle(plain water) on hand to mist the cuttings as you go. Be aware and work FAST to get the cuttings out of the offending environment as soon as you possibly can.
You can even take all the cuttings quickly, set them in a glass of water and process/stick the cuttings in a more suitable environment somewhere else nearby. You can let cuttings stay in the glass of water for hours and hours, with no problems, IF the environment is cool and low lit. If not, don’t.
You should have LIGHTLY compressed soilless mix, but not so tight that you need to pre-drill the medium. Your mix should have a density that allows you to set the cutting without pre-drilling. If you cant stick it without pre-drilling, pre-drill it and make sure you marry the soil to the cutting adequately.
Stick the cutting deep. Lightly press the soilless mix down, to marry the cutting to the wetted medium. When you’ve stuck all the cuttings into their containers, flood the containers one last time with plain water, and allow to COMPLETELY run off excess.
Set them into either a humidity dome, a clear plastic bag, under LOW lighting and 75-80degF.

YOUR ROOTING ENVIRONMENT

No matter what method you use, your cuttings will not root successfully if your environment is wrong. People think their environment is fine, but often IT IS NOT. You need to make sure your temp and light level is right. The temperature should remain in tolerance(75-80degF), day and night.
You need a space that is low light. Fluorescent lights, or off the side of an HID will suffice. 18-24 hour photoperiod.
The dome will provide humidity. Wean the humidity down after 5 days by taking the dome off for a little bit every day, eventually completely removing it by the 7-8th day.

You should not notice any wilting, and your cuttings should not lose any color. They should remain green and appear normal/turgid during the entire process.(see pic) If you are losing color or getting wilt on the tips, something is wrong with your clone process somewhere, or in your environment.

Your cuttings will begin to root in as early as 6 days, however you shouldn’t pop them out to look for roots. LEAVE THEM ALONE, until you are seeing NEW GROWTH out the center of the cutting. Disturbing the medium when the cuttings are barely rooted will not be beneficial. Once you have new growth, you can carefully check the status of the rooting to decide if its time to transplant them. I like to leave them in the rooting container for another week. This makes for a good starter plant with a good start.

If your environment is proper, you will NOT need to re-apply water until the cuttings begin to root, around day 6. CHECK the status of the medium on about day 6.

No additives, no pH adjustments, no hormones, no stimulants, no organics,… nothing but a healthy Mother, plain water, plain soilless mix, a properly-sized container, and a dome.

Your cloning woes will be gone forever.

havagoodone,
hyb

 

[stonedar]

maybe sprout some bag seed and practice? get some jiffy pellets from walmart to practice in if you don't want to waste the rapid rooters. jiffy pellets take maybe 1 day longer to show roots, if that. I also recommend the low heat pad, humidity dome method. it's cheap and easy.

 

[lawnboy123]

Show em off!

Show em off!

Thanks FreezerBoy, LJB, nvisionary. Good info guys, ++respect! That's a good idea stonedar, I think im going to have to do that. Thank you all for contributing, I will take this info and practice it. I guess the only thing left to do is post some successful mother plants and clones!! It would be nice to learn visually as well, show em off!

 

[bonez]

i jst use sum underbed storage containers for my clones ive gt 4 mothers and cut about 100 off each. i only mist once and that was straight after ive done the cut after that the lid goes on and in ten days theyve rooted. i leave them under the same light as my mothers 400wt metal hellaide. i know it sounds too easy but thats the way i do it at about a 95 percent success rate too.