Cloning Issue

smooth88

Well-Known Member
about a week and a half ago i took cuttings for clones. I am misting the leaves multiple times daily have a small heat pad and a humidity dome over them, as well as a flouro. About a day ago i moved them and two fell over and the cuttings came out of the rockwool but none had roots growing. Ive read just about every cloning thread so i dont know what i did wrong.

Do they still have a chance now that they fell out of the rockwool even though i put them back in? What could i be doing wrong?
 

cowell

Well-Known Member
Spray the dome, not the plants.
#2, and this is the most important thing I do - gets me damn near 100% clone sucess.. Let the rockwool dry for about 3 -4 days after you take the cuttings before you dunk it in water.. it won't dry out completely, but it will stimulate the plant to start looking for water.
What you are trying to do is allow a humid environment for your clones to grow roots so it will survive - right? So what you have to do is keep the water to a minimum, while still keeping the cubes moist.

When I first started cloning I used to check how things were going by pulling a clone out of it's cube... I had some of them still take.. it's one of those "maybe"s you hear out here. Leave it alone, and it could still root for you.
 

smooth88

Well-Known Member
[h=2][/h]
"how did the stems look when they came out of the cubes? "


the stems were green except where i made my 45 degree cut. There it was kinda brown
 

smooth88

Well-Known Member
today i put the cubes in a thin layer of ph'ed water so the roots can start looking for it. But now i kind of want to try drying them out a bit.

Thinking maybe i should try rapid rooters as rockwool doesnt keep its shape as well. Some of the holes have gaps between the rockwool and stem.
 

cowell

Well-Known Member
Sounds normal.
Did you have any pics of them?
That was to your first post.

Edit: this is to the second one...

Don't set your rockwool in water to soak. To water your clones, just dunk the cube in a bowl of water. I usually let it sit for 20 seconds when I water.

Rockwool doens't keep it's shape? are you squeezing them?
Another trick I do with rockwool...
You know how most rockwool is smaller on the bottom than the top.. and they topple over alot.
If you turn the cube upside down, and take a small screw driver you make a new hole that's smaller than the original, and you have a more stable base for the cube to sit on. That way you don't have that gap around smaller stemmed clones. You can also take the edge of your scissors and stick them in the cube a little bit, off to the side of the hole and if you give the scissors a little twist, you can usually push some of the rockwool over to hold the clone, and make contact with the cube... don't know how well I'm explaining that.. but it makes sence to me :)
 

JWilson

Member
Yeah. same thing is happening to my clones. doing everything i was told. nothing seems to get them to root. Although they are still alive and green, they have no roots. And just like you, only the part i cut on my clones is a bit brown. its been like 2 weeks too and still no roots. i guess i'll just keep waiting.
 

smooth88

Well-Known Member
no i dont have any pics unfortunately. But im thinking some of the cuttings have a too many nodes on them yet if that's a real problem. I clipped a couple yesterday to that are only about 2 inches sticking out from the rockwool. Hopefully a little waiting will prove useful. I dont want to buy seeds again, this has already been an expensive hobby.
 

cowell

Well-Known Member
It can get that way pretty easy - You know you've got a problem when all you want for Christmas is a new light set up :)

What strain is it? Some strains are harder to clone than others. I had a big bud cross a few years back I got as a free seed that I couldn't get a clone off of to save my life.. and that's the only plant I couldn't get clones off so far. I have found out since it is one of the "harder to clone" strains.
http://how-to-grow-cannabis.info/grow/growing/marijuana-cannabis-growers-almanac-FAQ-79.html
 

colonuggs

Well-Known Member
different strains take different times to root .....sumertime they root quick.... winter time they take longer to root even with a heat pad.

In winter time... I have some strains that take 5-6 weeks to root.... most will root in 3-4 weeks






 

High Time 420

Well-Known Member
Spray the dome, not the plants.
#2, and this is the most important thing I do - gets me damn near 100% clone sucess.. Let the rockwool dry for about 3 -4 days after you take the cuttings before you dunk it in water.. it won't dry out completely, but it will stimulate the plant to start looking for water.
What you are trying to do is allow a humid environment for your clones to grow roots so it will survive - right? So what you have to do is keep the water to a minimum, while still keeping the cubes moist.



When I first started cloning I used to check how things were going by pulling a clone out of it's cube... I had some of them still take.. it's one of those "maybe"s you hear out here. Leave it alone, and it could still root for you.
Follow this members advise, it's solid.
 

cowell

Well-Known Member
I believe sativas are easier to clone than indicas.. The original NL was almost straight indica.. So it may be a more difficult one for you. By difficult, I mean you have to keep it going until it eventually throws roots.
The widow I know is a cross, and supposed to be "new grower friendly" so it should be a fairly easy one to get going.. I haven't grown either strain to know first hand though sorry.

Ok.. I feel like I'm giving out all my tricks to you..
I always put my clones the first night I cut them in the dark. Like a closet shelf or something has worked in the past. after that, you only need minimal light. I use 2 13watt cfl's over a tray of 50 clones if that gives you any idea....
When you take your clone, count down 4 or 5 nodes from the growing tip. Make your cut UNDER the last node.. so that 'bump' will be included in what you are putting in the rockwool.. Grab that bottom (4th or 5th whichever) leaf and peel it back.. this will expose the inner layer of the cutting.
I use wood's rooting gel.. but there's a ton out there that do the job.. powder I hear is actually better, but I've never used it. I started with the gel, and never had issues, if it ain't broke....
Dip it in the gel and let it sit for about 30 seconds.. you'll see it kind of fizzing a little bit on the plant..
While I am letting the gel sit I will cut the leaves on the plant in almost half... what you are doing is allowing the plant to retain moisture as the leaf area that transpires is smaller, and it also means the smaller developing root system will have less "plant" to support while it's starting to grow.

The heating pad will help alot... I found it sped my rooting up by about 3 days.. used to take between 10-14 days, now I get roots at about a week when I do use it.
 
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