Can anyone walk me thru cloning? I can't seem to get it right.(newbie)

GFUNK412

Active Member
Can I get step by step directions on cloning.I have about 30 plants .alot of different strains.I am looking to keep some mothers for future growing.this is my 1st grow so I can use all of the help I can get.my current plants are starting to take off,so much it's time to change the light cycle.I have tried cloning using rock wol and root tech cloning gel.adjusted my ph down to 5.5.they are under a humidity dome and cfl lights.the cubes have been pretty soaked.I think that is my problem but not sure that's why I'm starting this thread.they all have wilted except for 4 out of 25.I can also use some help on best location to take clones from a plant/w pics if possible.and can you only clone from a plant when it is in the veg cycle?I know these are all things I should know. Kinda rushed into it.thanks for help.I will post pics soon.I haven't figured out how from my iPad.
 

TechnoMage

Well-Known Member
So here's how I do my clones. In fairness, I only do 4-6 at a time but I never seem to have issues.

Tools:
Small tray/humidity dome
Heating pad
Rapid Rooters
Scissors
Exacto Knife

  1. I soak the Rapid Rooters in some water and then make a slit down one side.
  2. I take one of my cuttings and cut the bottom of the stem at a slant with the Exacto Knife. I also scrape the stem a little with the knife.
  3. I dip the cut stem in water and then dip in rooting powder making sure I have a good amount caked on
  4. I then take one of the Rapid Rooters and "wrap" it around the cut end of the stem. This is why I cut the slit down one side. Wrapping the Rapid Rooter around the stem instead of sticking the stem down the hole makes sure you don't scrape the rooting powder off.
  5. Put the cutting under a dome, on a heating pad, under weak light.
  6. Check ever few days to make sure humidity level is staying high. Takes about 1 week for roots to show.

Here's some clones in my clone/mother cab. Notice all the condensation on the inside of the dome from the high humidity.


At this is what they look like a week later
 

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It really doesn't matter where you take cuttings from. Stems will root from any portion of the plant. Having too much moisture in the rock wool can be a problem. That stuff retains moisture VERY well, which makes it a perfect target for root rot. Which may be what happened to your last batch. I use to have that problem when using rock wool but learned of Clear Rez that you can add to the water and avoid those problems. When diluted in water, it does amazing things. Good luck and remember to not oversaturate your rock wool!
 

wiimb

New Member
Don't know if any one has done it before, but i was thinking and instead of taking a cutting like normal try this way.
same as before 2 or 3 nodes down the branch and a 45 degree angle cut yer that is the same but, previous of this i have fimmed the same branch and two new growth shoots have been growing instead of one, maybe this is a idea to think about or if it already been thought of.
Peace!
 

slump

Well-Known Member
what do ya suggest is best for cloning... gel or powder??
Either and any of them...I've used every kind and have been very successful with all of them. It eventually just comes down to a personal preference. When I first started doing clones, I'd dip it in gel then in powder :D
 

Lord Dangly Bits

Well-Known Member
I would just like to add. You should also get a spray bottle and mist them about 2-3 times daily.

Not all area's around the world have the weather conditions to allow you to mist a clone 2-3 times a day. I have found that if you mist your plants to much, they do not work as hard to build the roots to get the water. Where I live I only mist once a day when the clones are first cut, then after maybe 5-6 days, I only mist if they start to wilt. I find that the less I mist the faster my clones show roots. When I lived in the hot & dry Nevada desert, I had to mist my clones twice a day for the first 5-6 days or so.
 

catfish1000

Member
I have been told that the cloning gel is recommended because it will stick to your cutting better. Also remember that you should not just dip the cuttings in the bottle of cloning agent itself. Pour some out into a small bowl or cap and dip the cutting in there as to avoid the spread of contamination should one plant be ill unknown to you. Happy growing :)
 

samchesser

Active Member
Thanks everyone for all your answers.sounds like the my cubes retaining to much moisture is my problem.
You'll notice that if you let the cube dry out a little more, it'll start rooting right away, assuming you've been going for over a week or so already. its no different than your plant, wet and dry are bad, damp is good.

This thread is great in that all the info previous posted is spot on. Here's some detailed explanation, some may be repeat.
the humidity dome is key, a well spend 2 bucks....i wouldn't skip that....in some cases when you finally take it off, you will have to acclimate the babies to drier air with time on time off after rooting.
heating pad...mandatory in cool temps and you should have it it warmer temps too but its not 100% mandatory in the summer
I like gel cause it seems easier but both gel and powder have the same hormones in it.
Misting plants allows the plant to take up water, they have no roots so they are absorbing it through the air. Always mist, your temps in rh will dictate how much you need to
Rockwool and rapid rooter are a personal choice, they hold water at different levels so try both and pick what you like.
Rapid rooter have very large holes so if you are cloning very thin stems, you'll need to split the cube so you have some contact with the cube.
I've cloned inch long shoots before, anything with a growing tip will root but its easier to work with if its a bit longer, i've actually also seen foot long clones with pencil width stems at oakland dispensaries.
You should try to be as sterile as possible when cloning but i never follow that advice, I usually use my trimming scissors that are dirty with resin that won't come off...but again you're not supposed to...risks infection.
After cutting, do your scrape and dip as fast as you can because air entering your stem can cause problems, this may be a wives tale but go fast anyway just in case, won't hurt.
I've also read that splitting the stem up an inch helps them root faster but this may be false, never tried it personally. Maybe someone else can chime in on this that has tried it.
Whitetrash style.....A shoot will also root with no hormones, no dome, no pad etc....straight in a glass of water than you change daily, not the ideal way to do it but it will work if someone reading doesn't have access to any of the supplies. Stick some plastic wrap across the top of the glass and hang the stem into the water.
Important point....when throwing the clones under a HPS or outside, make sure you acclimate them to the light, indirect HPS 4 feet away or in indirect sun otherwise they'll collapse.
 

samchesser

Active Member
what brand name gel did you use?? cuz my friend used a gel and it didnt really work
I use clonex, its more probable that your friend didn't have the root zone warm enough, keep the plants misted or in a humid environment or the medium was too wet. I'd look at technique before blaming the gel cause the gel actually isn't even mandatory, it just heightens success rate and makes them root faster. Back in the day people still coned plants and the hormones weren't even available.
 

slump

Well-Known Member
I use clonex, its more probable that your friend didn't have the root zone warm enough, keep the plants misted or in a humid environment or the medium was too wet. I'd look at technique before blaming the gel cause the gel actually isn't even mandatory, it just heightens success rate and makes them root faster. Back in the day people still coned plants and the hormones weren't even available.
This one ^
 

doser

Well-Known Member
Don't know if any one has done it before, but i was thinking and instead of taking a cutting like normal try this way.
same as before 2 or 3 nodes down the branch and a 45 degree angle cut yer that is the same but, previous of this i have fimmed the same branch and two new growth shoots have been growing instead of one, maybe this is a idea to think about or if it already been thought of.
Peace!
Ya know, I've been thinking of something similar but what I was thinking is let's say you take a branch and cut the tip (first clone) and then cut it again for a second or even third clone instead of using just the tip. works well for ornamentals, don't see why it would be an issue with mj. You would end up with a clone with more than one branch on the second and subsequent cuttings.
 

Zeplike

Active Member
I would just like to add. You should also get a spray bottle and mist them about 2-3 times daily.
do you mean just mist with some high quality h20 or a mix? the main stem of my baby cracked and almost snapped, whichhh i have in a plastic straw cast. anyway do you think I should just leave her be and maybe mist (only 2 and 1/2 feet right now) or cut the thing in half but as a clone for the top the try n grow out the bottom part?
 
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