Monster Cropping: Suggestions on best way to take clone in flower?

Hello,
I'm wondering if anybody out there has experience or know about "monster cropping" plants. This is where you take a clone from a flowering plant, and force it back into veg. Supposedly, this creates "Multi-branched Monsters" due to the cuttings reaction from reverting back to veg. The only issue with this method is that it can be a lot more difficult to get the cutting to root when taken from flower and thus it tends to have a lower success rate. It also takes longer for the cutting to root, and even once planted the growth is slow it first. However, after the initial stall in growth, the clones actually take off with a ton of branches and in turn give ridiculous yields.
The slow initial growth is actually an up-side for me though. I only have one tent and one setup (400W HPS) and I'd like to keep it that way for compactness. But I also want to keep my genetics so I can perpetually grow these strains and not have to sketchily buy more seeds after every harvest. So if I could just diy a SMALL, CHEAP little set-up on the side (I have a bunch of CFLs) to have as a temporary home for my clones/ vegging plants, which just so happen to take forever to root and have slow growth at first so they stay nice and compact. PERFECT. They outgrow the small CFL set-up just in time for harvest of the original plants and now they can be stuck in the HID setup and the process can repeat.
That's the idea at least.

I just worry about taking 2-3 clones from each strain and then 3 weeks later, 3 of 3 from one one strain failed to root and I have to try again - even later in flower - AND waste precious yield. I only have 3 plants, 3 strains, and only so many clone worthy cuttings to take, so I need to know the best, most successful way to get the cuttings to root.
I have a few options available to me:

1. I've got a big ole bag of rapid rooters (pete plugs) and a humidity dome, and I suppose I could go buy cloning gel (suggeestions?), but I've heard some negativity about cloning in RR.
2. I've got a fuck ton of coco coir (that's what I grow in). I could just try to go straight into coco with cloning gel. (humidity, watering suggestions?)
3. I've heard that bubble cloners are great and I have the materials to build one (airstones, pump, etc.). They are really easy to make yourself it sounds like. (What nutrients would I put in the water, recommended pH, should I still use cloning gel?)

Here's an example of diy bubble cloner: http://www.cannaversity.com/cannaversity/article.php?id=095

Thanks for any help or suggestions! I want to keep these genetics!

Currently plants are 18 days into flower, and some beautiful buds are forming (Misty Kush looks NICE). I will post pics if people want.

Strains:

• Misty Kush (WW x NL x Shiva)
• Girl Scout Cookies
• New York City Diesel

Honey Oil Riot Squad said:

Hello,
I'm wondering if anybody out there has experience or know about "monster cropping" plants. This is where you take a clone from a flowering plant, and force it back into veg. Supposedly, this creates "Multi-branched Monsters" due to the cuttings reaction from reverting back to veg. The only issue with this method is that it can be a lot more difficult to get the cutting to root when taken from flower and thus it tends to have a lower success rate. It also takes longer for the cutting to root, and even once planted the growth is slow it first. However, after the initial stall in growth, the clones actually take off with a ton of branches and in turn give ridiculous yields.
The slow initial growth is actually an up-side for me though. I only have one tent and one setup (400W HPS) and I'd like to keep it that way for compactness. But I also want to keep my genetics so I can perpetually grow these strains and not have to sketchily buy more seeds after every harvest. So if I could just diy a SMALL, CHEAP little set-up on the side (I have a bunch of CFLs) to have as a temporary home for my clones/ vegging plants, which just so happen to take forever to root and have slow growth at first so they stay nice and compact. PERFECT. They outgrow the small CFL set-up just in time for harvest of the original plants and now they can be stuck in the HID setup and the process can repeat.
That's the idea at least.

I just worry about taking 2-3 clones from each strain and then 3 weeks later, 3 of 3 from one one strain failed to root and I have to try again - even later in flower - AND waste precious yield. I only have 3 plants, 3 strains, and only so many clone worthy cuttings to take, so I need to know the best, most successful way to get the cuttings to root.
I have a few options available to me:

1. I've got a big ole bag of rapid rooters (pete plugs) and a humidity dome, and I suppose I could go buy cloning gel (suggeestions?), but I've heard some negativity about cloning in RR.
2. I've got a fuck ton of coco coir (that's what I grow in). I could just try to go straight into coco with cloning gel. (humidity, watering suggestions?)
3. I've heard that bubble cloners are great and I have the materials to build one (airstones, pump, etc.). They are really easy to make yourself it sounds like. (What nutrients would I put in the water, recommended pH, should I still use cloning gel?)

Here's an example of diy bubble cloner: http://www.cannaversity.com/cannaversity/article.php?id=095

Thanks for any help or suggestions! I want to keep these genetics!

Currently plants are 18 days into flower, and some beautiful buds are forming (Misty Kush looks NICE). I will post pics if people want.

Strains:

• Misty Kush (WW x NL x Shiva)
• Girl Scout Cookies
• New York City Diesel

Click to expand...

My cousin has done this with success he used a cheap cloning dome some of those cubes and he said its best too take them in the 2ND week of flowering I have seen them personally and they are amazing also he uses a rooting gel before he puts the clone in the cube hope this helps a lil

Joshbuddy said:

My cousin has done this with success he used a cheap cloning dome some of those cubes and he said its best too take them in the 2ND week of flowering I have seen them personally and they are amazing also he uses a rooting gel before he puts the clone in the cube hope this helps a lil

Click to expand...

Unless anybody else had something to say, I think I'm gonna go ahead and try the rapid rooters. Anybody know the recommended pH for rapid rooters?
Also, normally I water every 5 days but waited 6 this time cuz I didn't have time last night and I came back to them today to find a lot of the bottom leaves yellowed on 2 of my plants and all had extremely droopy leaves due to the coco drying out. I watered like 30 minutes ago and already the drooping leaves have perked back up so it looks like the plants will be ok. (Probly coulda used a bit of defoliating anyways I guess). But I'm worried about taking the cuttings now while the plant is recovering from this stress of lack of watering.
Should I wait a couple days to take the cuttings?

Definetly just converted half my desk drawers into a little clone/ small veg propogator. Stealth afff!

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will try to advise you based on my experience.
I just use root it cubes with rooting hormones works fine, I have also had success putting them straight into coco.
Keep the dome slightly condensated on the inside but do not go over board, only slightly.
They will take a week or two to root, you will notice the dome getting more humid as the cuttings root, it is at this point you remove the dome. Any cuttings still standing after a few hours have enough roots to sustain theirselves, any that have wilted need longer under the dome.
Once they have rooted they will begin to properly reveg and transform the immature flower into new shoots which will sprout in a slightly irratic manner, similar to fimming. This should take up to a week, perhaps slightly longer dependant upon the maturity of the flower.
if u forget to water and the branches don't wilt no big deal.

Ps forgot ph about 6.4 6.5 you'll be fine n me personally as long as the structural integrity of the branches have returned to normal wouldn't mind taking clones.
I think the trickiest part is ensuring that the clones don't go rotten with the humidity but still keeping the humidity high enough so they don't wilt, the rest is just patience.

eyeballsaul said:

Ps forgot ph about 6.4 6.5 you'll be fine n me personally as long as the structural integrity of the branches have returned to normal wouldn't mind taking clones.
I think the trickiest part is ensuring that the clones don't go rotten with the humidity but still keeping the humidity high enough so they don't wilt, the rest is just patience.

Click to expand...

Thank you. That pH is for peat plugs, yes? Similar to soil then?

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Also 24/0 or 18/6? I heard 24/0

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Yeh soil based they say bout 6.4 or so and soiless bout 5.7.
I try not to worry bout ph too much never drastically effected me. If you give them nutes from a reliable brand then ph is usually spot on. Got acid there but very rarely use it, allow the water to sit for the alkalines to evaporate add slight amount of nutrients for clones then wouldn't even check the ph personally, speaking bout hydro never grow soil.
Good luck

U

Honey Oil Riot Squad said:

Also 24/0 or 18/6? I heard 24/0

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Click to expand...

i would give them 24/0 under dimmed light till they root and then just stick to the usual 18/6 nice and simple.

ps if they wilt even though the domes humid the light is too strong lol

eyeballsaul said:

Yeh soil based they say bout 6.4 or so and soiless bout 5.7.
I try not to worry bout ph too much never drastically effected me. If you give them nutes from a reliable brand then ph is usually spot on. Got acid there but very rarely use it, allow the water to sit for the alkalines to evaporate add slight amount of nutrients for clones then wouldn't even check the ph personally, speaking bout hydro never grow soil.
Good luck

Click to expand...

Woohhh okay hold up lol. So I'm growing in coco coir, I pH to 5.8 everytime with good results.
Should I pH to 6.4 or 6.5 in the Rapid rooters? Or should I go soiless pH of 5.8 while they are only in the rapid rooters? Obviously I'd for sure switch to 5.8 once placed in coco, but what do I do while they are in propagating in peat alone?

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eyeballsaul said:

ps if they wilt even though the domes humid the light is too strong lol

Click to expand...

Fuck sorry I keep asking so many questions bahaha...
How much light would you recommend then? I can go 1-4 23-W daylight CFLs. Would like say 2 of them a foot or so away be ok?

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Personally speaking in a slightly less ambitious and enthusiastic manner I wouldn't care lol, if i was going to be very precise I would ph them to bout 6.3 6.4 in peat plugs then switch to the usual in the coco.

That's ok

Honey Oil Riot Squad said:

Fuck sorry I keep asking so many questions bahaha...
How much light would you recommend then? I can go 1-4 23-W daylight CFLs. Would like say 2 of them a foot or so away be ok?

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Click to expand...

That's ok, I usually use a normal desktop lamp bout 60w sitting beside them.
A couple of them 23 cfl bulbs 8 to 12 inches away from the dome in my opinion would be fine, could probably use all 4 don't think would make too much difference.

eyeballsaul said:

Personally speaking in a slightly less ambitious and enthusiastic manner I wouldn't care lol, if i was going to be very precise I would ph them to bout 6.3 6.4 in peat plugs then switch to the usual in the coco.

Click to expand...

Ok thank you lol.
I'm growing 3 strains and my experience with pH when I originally started was very strange! Some plants don't care that much, others do. Originally I had no pH meter, just indicator so basically I had an uncertainty in my pH of like 0.5 units. 2 of my strains (GSC and Misty) grew fine with this. But my 3rd strain NYCD was stunted so bad it showed no growth for about a month straight until I finally got a pH meter and went to 5.8 exactly.
Then NYCD BLEW UP and has had absolutely zero problems since (no nute issues no nothing) even though my other plants have had a bit of small issues and yellowing bottom leaves and what not at the same pH and about the same nutes.
It's crazy, the thing was almost dead and down to like one fan leaf at one point in veg, and like a third the size of the other plants. NOW, NYCD is the best looking plant I have in there. And the tallest (somehow).
So long as I pH to 5.8 it's like the thing is invincible, but only for NYCD.
So consider yourself lucky with your pH lol.

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haaaa I'm glad I've never had problems with ph but will defo keep a closer eye hearing about your plant, crazy eh makes me wonder how often I've adjusted the ec thinking the plant has nute deficiency when in fact it is ph but adjusting the ec is also sorting the ph. You've got me paranoid now lol
Good luck.