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As per requested, I'm going to give ya'll a step by step, of my cloning process. 
It's nothing special, just the bare essentials. I currenty have had rooting times of just under 6 days, with all of them ready by day 8(today)...
-First off, I want to say that I don't keep a mother plant. I don't have the room, and it's not really necessary, IMO. After all, I only remove one or two of the lowest branches from my plants,(vegged 4-5 weeks, normally) which'd normally go to waste, during flowering. If anything, they get a few popcorn buds. Usually, they just die off, or get trimmed for airflow.
-I take cuttings that are still soft and flexible,(approx 1/8" in diameter) because they root faster than 'woody' cuttings. Also, I don't take cuttings that have discoloration, or deformed foliage. Heath is important for speed, IMO.
-I snip them about 1/4" from the main stem, then place them in a glass of plain water, for an hour or so, so that they are max hydrated. This keeps droop to a minimum.
-Then I hydrate(expand) my peat pellets, and 'fluff them', so to speak. Usually, the peat is compacted, and I like to break it up before use, by rolling them between my hands, and/or using a large nail to break them up, sorta 'stirring' them from the top. Then, I compress them just enough so that they stay together. I then take that nail, and open up a hole in the center(all the way to the bottom, minus 1/4")(I have duct tape wrapped around the nail, to guage depth), getting them ready for the cuttings to be inserted.
-The cuttings are ready now, after hydrating. I then trim the foliage. Typically, I keep the first two sets of larger fan leaves, and the grow tip. If the fan leave are around 3" long, or longer, I cut them back to around 2", cutting straight across the fingers.
-I use a razor blade to make the 45* cut(have used sharp scissors, with great results, as well)(a razor is preferred, though, because there is no risk of crushing the cutting). I also trim mine in open air, and not submerged under water. I don't believe that submerging removes any "air bubbles", as many believe. I make the cut 1/4-1/2" below a node, having cut the branches very close, even with the rest of the stem. That's it. No scraping, splitting the base, etc... no nothing.
-I use both powder and gel, have been experimenting with that, and they both perform exactly the same. I dip them and make sure an ince of stem, is well-covered with gel/powder.
-They are inserted into the pellets, almost the whole way to the bottom. IMO, depth is important. I've experimented with that, as well. The pellets are them given a light squeeze, and some water will be running out, as they're compressed. This part is critical. It's very important that the cutting is making good contact with the peat, as evenly as possible. I'm very picky about that, making sure it's tight from top to bottom, and evenly around all sides. I then spray them with water again, not so that they tirn to a pile of soaking mud, but close. That'll sustain them through the whole process, except for some mild mistings, after the first three days. Once a day, I'll give them 3-4 pumps with the spray bottle, making sure the outside of the pellets haven't dried.
-The are now ready to be placed in the humidity dome. I mist the tray, cuttings, and dome itself, then cover them, and place them under my light. IMO, less is more, when it comes to lighting. I believe that too much light, increase the tendency for foliage growth, rather than focusing on rooting. Spectrum isn't that important, either. I have no idea what mine is(around 4000K, I think). I use a 20 watt 2' tube fluoro, placed 4-6" above the dome. IMO, the photoperiod is what's important, more than spectrum or intensity. I use 18/6, for a smooth transition to veg, where I also use 18/6. I like to always make things as smooth as possible. It's only logical, IMO.
-Last but not least, is temperature. My room temps have been between 68-75*, fluctuating with day and night. I have my heating pad on a timer, set to kick on and off, every 15 minutes. I don't have a thermostat, and that timing works really well, as a substitute. I just checked the conditions inside my dome, and the temp is 75*, with humidity at 71%. Temps get up into the lower 80's, sometimes, which doesn't hurt at all. I try to keep it below 82*.
That pretty much covers it, and i hope you've found a tip or two, that is helpful.
It's now close to day 8, and they all look to have started vegging, having grown a little already. They are now ready for transplant, which I hope to get done tomorrow. If I have time, I plan to go directly to my final sized pots, skipping a few transplants. This should save me some veg time. I also plan to use more perlite than usual, due to that decision. I don't want to risk the soil staying too wet for too long(the main cause of overwatering), and am planning to go with 25% perlite, to compensate for that. I know it'll work. They are then ready to be placed under full fluoro light,(I can't offer any advice on HIDs, other than to be careful of the heat. The babies are fragile at this point) and will soon take off.
Like you, I keep my PH up, as well. My tap water is 6.8-6.9, and everything else I use, is PH'd to 6.6-6.8, usually closer to 6.8. That seems to help keep the PH in check, along with the lime. I haven't had any PH problems since early this year, and am also happy with lime's qualities.
Wow man, what a bitch.lol 
