cloning in soil

I took a clone and planted it in soil. initially it was drooping and then perked up. Now it is starting to droop again though. Does anyone have advise on watering clones in soil?

raqqball6 said:

I took a clone and planted it in soil. initially it was drooping and then perked up. Now it is starting to droop again though. Does anyone have advise on watering clones in soil?

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Does it have roots yet ?

I would assume not. It is only 3 days old. Does it matter that I didn't use a cloning solution?

I would recommend a soil-less mix, or Rapid Rooters/rooting plugs for clones over soil. Freshly cut clones need high humidity, achieved by keeping them under a dome (translucent plastic).

They need constant moisture until they root.

You don't absolutely need a cloning solution, or rooting hormone, but it certainly helps if you dipped the cut ends in rooting hormone (they will root faster). Also, after you take the cuttings, best practice is to make another cut at a 45* angle and then dip that in rooting hormone.

There are many cloning guides on here. Also, Greatwhite, feel free to have this moved to Newbie Central if you think that is a more appropriate place for it.

You don't need to clone in a water solution first if you can't afford a cloner.
I clone directly to soil all the time with no issues.
Yes you should use a cloning gel to get a better rate of successful clones.
Always use a clean cutting tool,scissors,razor blade,etc.
Always whipe the blade with rubbing alcohol before each cut so you don't contaminate the cutting.
Wet the soil thay you're cloning to until it is just moist.
make a hole in the middle and insert the end of the cutting into the soil.
I cover mine with a clear cup and remove the cup every day for ten minutes then after they start getting roots I remove the cup and move them closer to the light in my veg tent.
I have had a high success rate doing it this way and it can be done.
good luck and happy growing

The last two post's have said everything I would have.
Thanks guys !

You are welcome greatwhitenorth.

if it perked back up it's alive. keep humidity high to keep from wilting. You will have roots in a few weeks.(when you start seeing new growth)keep soil moist not wet.

raqqball6 said:

I took a clone and planted it in soil. initially it was drooping and then perked up. Now it is starting to droop again though. Does anyone have advise on watering clones in soil?

Click to expand...

I place a baggie over the top of the cup to keep the humidity up. I put one slit in it. As they root, i increase the hole, thenremove altogether for a few hours a day, and then altogether. While the baggies are on, I mist into them once a day.

I like a big plastic tote under a couple of cfl work lights with a plexi lid.
Seedling mat underneath - rooting powder & it's an easy evolution.

If you're cramped on space (my veg cabinet is not wide enough for most seedling domes. Just get yourself a couple of those 8" plastic high walled runoff saucers they sell at the local do it yourself store, and stack one on top of the other for a humidity dome. I use rapid rooters along with the domes and cloning gel. A heating mat underneath speeds things up as well, I usually get roots within 8-10 days max.

The nice thing about the rapid rooters is they hold the perfect amount of moisture when under the dome, I rarely have to give them any water. If they do dry a little I use a spray bottle and squirt about 4 full pulls of the trigger(about a teaspoon of water) in stream mode on them to bring it right back to that sweet spot for moisture level. The rooters right out of the bag are about perfect level, if you do soak them just give them a good squeeze.

For the first three days I don't remove the dome at all, except to mist the top part if needed. On the fourth day I start cracking the domes open for about 15-20 minutes a day, and mist the top as needed. By day 8 I can usually remove the dome altogether and look for roots which normally happen at 10 days max.

Hate to be the buy stuff guy but oxyclone makes a mean 20 site cloner for 50 bucks that gives me better rates of success than ez-clone does. "oxyclone". Its the best. If you need more than 20 you can buy more and hook it up to the same industrial air pump. No clogable parts. all biz. I use ez clone solution and Mad farmer 'root it' (pharmaceutical grade with no dyes, all hormone). Heres some pics from 2 days ago

I snip my clones with scissors, then straight to a bowl of water. (so no air gets in the shoots)
When I am done clipping the mother, I get ready for the next step.
I take a shoot out of the water, cut it at 45 degree angle with a razor, and dip into root gel, then straight to soil.
The soil is in solo cups, at a 50/50 mix of fox farms ocean forest, and soiless mixture.
I cut the big leaves off the babies, or at least the tips of the leaves, before I cover them with a clear cup.
My success rate is about 80% like this.

I love using hyponex soil mix for clones. Most, of my friends, advise against using soil and if your mix isn't right then the clone will rot in place. Another thing is that the moisture in any soil is harder to keep from being soggy.

im having the same problem but they wilting more and more.!

View attachment 3011554

I take my cutting,making sure there's about 15mm of stem under a leaf node before the growing tip.Cut the leaves off at the node,then cut the bottom at an angle,dip in rooting gel then strait intoa rapid rfooter.Spray with water,trim any large leads then put a clear poly bag over the top.Spray into the bag with plain water once a day.
2 important points.The clear bags important to maintain humidity and moisture,and even if the cutting wilts,don't give up on it!

I used to clone in a clear plastic box I used to have.
Kept a heating pad on a timer, so it would come on max power 15 minutes per hour, keeping the temps high, and the humidity really high. I'd open the box twice or so a day to let in fresh air and to mist them with a mix of "R/O, pH balanced water, one or 2 drops of super thrive, and a SINGLE DROP of bleach (to retard bacteria growth in a humid environment)".
I would take the cutting, and put it in water to prevent air bubbles. Then take a 45 degree cut from the bottom of the stem, and even run the razor (sterilized) and scrape the outside of the bottom 3-4mm of the stem, then i'd dip the stem 6-7mm into the rooting hormone powder, then put them into a warm soaked peat pellet. Took me about 9-12 days before I would see new growth. I'm sure I have some pics around here somewhere, let me see if I can track them down.

Here's the cloning setup, the heating pad under the box sat on a wire tray that held it up off the plastic on a timer to come on for 15 minutes per hr.
Always worked for me.

GreatwhiteNorth said:

The last two post's have said everything I would have.
Thanks guys !

Click to expand...

Only thing I'd add would be that you don't "water" clones, but rather "mist" the leaves occasionally keeping the humidity up in a dome like atmosphere as described above. I've yet to find something I couldn't root in 7-10 days using root riot plugs and a dome with a small t5 on top of it. (100% success rate so far.... lol... that's sure to end someday!)

I get 100% every time...
Like all here, we all think our own special way ... is well, so special...
If you are staying in soil, it is so much easier to clone into soil...
If you are going any other medium, do not start in soil, it's harder to go from soil, to Hydro, as an example...
Plugs to Hydro for sure...
I clone into a 50% Miracle Grow "Seedling" soil mix...
mixed with 25% Perilite...
And 25% Vermiculite...
100%... every time... I never mist LEAVES....
I mist under leaves onto medium...
I have found: misting leaves, only over waters leaves and promotes droop...
The Miracle Grow seedling mix has enough nutes to get your clone through the root stage...
I get roots in 7-14 days, transplant soon after...
Of course, perfect conditions... and light perfect...
CFL's.... Find what works 100% never loose one, perfect... then stick with it...