GreenphoeniX
Well-Known Member
This is a basic guide of How to Clone in Soil, it is generally step-by-step and will hopefully be helpful to anyone who has never done this before and is wanting to give it a try.
For more of my guides to come, simply search Titles only, keyword: GreenX How to's
Step 1: Get some nice sharp scissors, secateurs or knife (here I'm using harvesting scissors), sterilize the blade(s) by wiping them with methylated spirits or other bacteria killing liquid.
Step 2: Select the plants you wish to take clones from, here I'm cloning AK because they've been under fluros longer than I had intended and they're getting a little too tall and stretched, so I want to also reduce that height by topping them for the clones.
Sorry some pictures are a little blurry.
Step 3: Select the node you wish to cut to, angle the scissors about 45 degrees and make the cut about half a centimeter (0.5cm ... 0.2 inches) above the node you selected to cut to.
Step 4: Once you've got all the clone you want to cut removed from the respective plants, it's time to prep them.
Step 5: You may do these next steps with all the cuttings at once, or do one cutting at a time, it doesn't really matter.
Take the clone(s) in front of you, isn't she pretty haha.
Step 6: Cut any excess stem off about 0.5 cm below the bottom node, at a slight angle (45 degrees is always good).
Try to make it a clean cut, as this is where the clones new roots will grow from.
Step 7: Remove any lower leaves or side shoots and reduce the larger, remaining leaves a bit by cutting them in half. (This is to reduce transpiration so your clone won't dehydrate to quickly, whilst allowing enough leaf remaining to allow for photosynthesis once the clones new root system has established).
Step 8: Now we've got all our little clones prepped for planting.
Step 9: When cloning in soil, a good rooting hormone, although not necessary, is always helpful and definitely makes things easier.
Here I am using Growth Technologies CLONEX
Step 10: Pour a small blob of rooting hormone into the lid of the bottle (or other clean container), the reason for this is that after you've used rooting hormone, you want to throw it away, if you put it back into the bottle and any plants have had a bacterial infection it may get into your rooting hormone, contaminating it, and making it useless for future use. It's simply easier, and better to put a small blob in the lid, use it, wash the lid with warm water, then seal the bottle again.
Step 11: Dip the base of the cutting (where you made the angled cut below the bottom node) into the rooting hormone so that the gel (powder or liquid for other forms of rooting hormone) completely covers the wound.
[Step 12: Fill a pot or seedling tray with soil (seed raising mix is always a good choice), and make a hole in the center using anything that can make a good hole haha. Make sure the pot has good drainage holes so water won't sit in them with nowhere to go.
Step 13: Place the cutting in the hole and lightly firm the soil around it using your fingers, add more soil if necessary. To firm the soil, just use your fingers to lightly press down on the soil all around the clone so that it becomes a bit more compact, be gentle, she's a young lady remember.
Once again, sorry about the blur.
Step 14: Using pH 7.0 water, water your newly planted clones so that the soil is well damp, but not sopping wet.
Step 15: Place the clones under a light such as a fluro or a few CFL's and have them on a vegetative photoperiod, such as 18/6, 20/4 or 24/0, do not have a fan blowing directly on them, this is not good for them, however do make sure they get fresh air regularly. Sometimes it may be necessary to keep them under a humidity dome (if you notice them wilting a lot then a humidity dome may help), a humidity dome is basically a plastic cover that stops water from evaporating into the atmosphere, and instead it condenses on the plastic, dripping back down and raising the relative humidity (rH) under the dome, meaning the clones will transpire less, thus, losing less moisture from them, thus, they're less likely to wilt. A humidity dome is not always necessary.
When using a humidity dome, it's important not to let water droplets sit on the leaves as they aren't likely to evaporate and can therefore cause problems like mold, fungus and other bacterial infections, if there's water sitting on the leaves, leave them uncovered for 10-20 minutes to give it a chance to dry a bit, the clones will love the fresh air anyway!
Hope this helps some of you out their. If you're unsure of any of the terms I've used, hopefully my Glossary of Terms will help you out: Glossary of Terms
Cheers!
For more of my guides to come, simply search Titles only, keyword: GreenX How to's
Step 1: Get some nice sharp scissors, secateurs or knife (here I'm using harvesting scissors), sterilize the blade(s) by wiping them with methylated spirits or other bacteria killing liquid.
Step 2: Select the plants you wish to take clones from, here I'm cloning AK because they've been under fluros longer than I had intended and they're getting a little too tall and stretched, so I want to also reduce that height by topping them for the clones.
Sorry some pictures are a little blurry.
Step 3: Select the node you wish to cut to, angle the scissors about 45 degrees and make the cut about half a centimeter (0.5cm ... 0.2 inches) above the node you selected to cut to.
Step 4: Once you've got all the clone you want to cut removed from the respective plants, it's time to prep them.
Step 5: You may do these next steps with all the cuttings at once, or do one cutting at a time, it doesn't really matter.
Take the clone(s) in front of you, isn't she pretty haha.
Step 6: Cut any excess stem off about 0.5 cm below the bottom node, at a slight angle (45 degrees is always good).
Try to make it a clean cut, as this is where the clones new roots will grow from.
Step 7: Remove any lower leaves or side shoots and reduce the larger, remaining leaves a bit by cutting them in half. (This is to reduce transpiration so your clone won't dehydrate to quickly, whilst allowing enough leaf remaining to allow for photosynthesis once the clones new root system has established).
Step 8: Now we've got all our little clones prepped for planting.
Step 9: When cloning in soil, a good rooting hormone, although not necessary, is always helpful and definitely makes things easier.
Here I am using Growth Technologies CLONEX
Step 10: Pour a small blob of rooting hormone into the lid of the bottle (or other clean container), the reason for this is that after you've used rooting hormone, you want to throw it away, if you put it back into the bottle and any plants have had a bacterial infection it may get into your rooting hormone, contaminating it, and making it useless for future use. It's simply easier, and better to put a small blob in the lid, use it, wash the lid with warm water, then seal the bottle again.
Step 11: Dip the base of the cutting (where you made the angled cut below the bottom node) into the rooting hormone so that the gel (powder or liquid for other forms of rooting hormone) completely covers the wound.
[Step 12: Fill a pot or seedling tray with soil (seed raising mix is always a good choice), and make a hole in the center using anything that can make a good hole haha. Make sure the pot has good drainage holes so water won't sit in them with nowhere to go.
Step 13: Place the cutting in the hole and lightly firm the soil around it using your fingers, add more soil if necessary. To firm the soil, just use your fingers to lightly press down on the soil all around the clone so that it becomes a bit more compact, be gentle, she's a young lady remember.
Once again, sorry about the blur.
Step 14: Using pH 7.0 water, water your newly planted clones so that the soil is well damp, but not sopping wet.
Step 15: Place the clones under a light such as a fluro or a few CFL's and have them on a vegetative photoperiod, such as 18/6, 20/4 or 24/0, do not have a fan blowing directly on them, this is not good for them, however do make sure they get fresh air regularly. Sometimes it may be necessary to keep them under a humidity dome (if you notice them wilting a lot then a humidity dome may help), a humidity dome is basically a plastic cover that stops water from evaporating into the atmosphere, and instead it condenses on the plastic, dripping back down and raising the relative humidity (rH) under the dome, meaning the clones will transpire less, thus, losing less moisture from them, thus, they're less likely to wilt. A humidity dome is not always necessary.
When using a humidity dome, it's important not to let water droplets sit on the leaves as they aren't likely to evaporate and can therefore cause problems like mold, fungus and other bacterial infections, if there's water sitting on the leaves, leave them uncovered for 10-20 minutes to give it a chance to dry a bit, the clones will love the fresh air anyway!
Hope this helps some of you out their. If you're unsure of any of the terms I've used, hopefully my Glossary of Terms will help you out: Glossary of Terms
Cheers!
