I suck and I'm venting

UncleBuck

Well-Known Member
winter is hitting and success rate is dropping again :cuss:

i take batches every two weeks or so. was having good, 80% or more success rate all through summer with no worries.

as soon as it got cold, my 10/13 batch only got 20% success rate after a month+ of waiting. the 10/28 batch went about 50%, and the 11/13 batch went 95% within 10 days. but that last batch was a fluke.

now i've got more clones behaving like the 10/13 batch, and fresh worries of stem rot. about half of the 11/28 batch is already gone due to stem rot. and i've got more heating pads, better lights, more heat, and cleaner conditions than years gone by. i hope i don't go crazy over the winter again, like last winter. luckily, i just put a new batch into flower a month ago and have a huge plate of nicely rooted clones and teens to use in the meantime as i figure this out.

fucking finicky mother fucking clones.
 

imchucky666

Well-Known Member
cloning has become a bit of a sore spot for me lately.

for years, i had no problem. my method is simple: take a cutting, nip it at 45 degrees underwater, dip it in rooting powder, place it in a dixie cup filled with perlite, put it in a dome under minimal light, wait 3 weeks (gradually opening the dome more and more along the way).

it wasn't the fastest or the best method, but i could usually count on about 80% success rate or higher.

nowadays, i just lose hope. i was getting less than 50% success for a couple of batches, so i switched my medium from perlite to a sand/peat moss mixture. that was a miserable failure. i tried more advanced techniques, such as taking the cutting right where the branch meets the main stem, slicing the tip of the cutting, exposing cambium, and whatnot, just bullshit and more bad luck.

i noticed some mold in the corner of the closet i leave my clones in, so i cleaned that up and thought i was in the clear. nope. the batch that i just put in there after cleaning is already 50% dead due to stem rot after 4 days. the previous patch had 50% success rate with the small patch of mold there.

i should mention that unlike before, when i had higher success, i have been way more careful about sterilizing my tools and myself before starting a batch of clones.

i had a friend of mine come by and try his technique, which is jiffy rooters into a real humidity dome and under a stronger light and a heating pad on at times (and gel instead of powder). had about 50% success on those, but they look much uglier by the time they root. will probably try that method again and see if i can't dial it in more.

i'm about to try rooting into a glass of water in dim, indirect sunlight.

people, tell me what a piece of shit i am and/or give me novel methods of cloning. i will try to root these things in cat food if i have to.

:cuss:
Cat food poofs up too much, and attracts raccoons.:wink:
You must be doing something different, if all of a sudden your success rate is dropping, just sit down a minute, and think what it is you may be doing that you didn't used to do.
I'm sure it will come to you.
 

skunky33

Active Member
winter is hitting and success rate is dropping again :cuss:

i take batches every two weeks or so. was having good, 80% or more success rate all through summer with no worries.

as soon as it got cold, my 10/13 batch only got 20% success rate after a month+ of waiting. the 10/28 batch went about 50%, and the 11/13 batch went 95% within 10 days. but that last batch was a fluke.

now i've got more clones behaving like the 10/13 batch, and fresh worries of stem rot. about half of the 11/28 batch is already gone due to stem rot. and i've got more heating pads, better lights, more heat, and cleaner conditions than years gone by. i hope i don't go crazy over the winter again, like last winter. luckily, i just put a new batch into flower a month ago and have a huge plate of nicely rooted clones and teens to use in the meantime as i figure this out.

fucking finicky mother fucking clones.
Sorry to hear about the situation. It could possibly be the temperature, no? I've had the same issues in the past. Sometimes mothers get finicky. For the past couple years I have an extremely good success rate. I use gel cloning solution, 45degree angle, scrape one side, put rockwool cubes in 6.5 ph water, squeeze out the water just a little, put the clones on top of the fridge, or on top of my T5 light fixture to provide warmth, they love warmth. I use a cloning dome with the vents closed until they acquire roots, I can tell by pulling one. Then I open them up and let the rockwool cubes slowly dry. This makes the clones roots search for water.
 
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