Cloning success

[greyfader]

gashouse, look at the cutting in the blue solo cup above. if you look closely you can see the original leaves that i trimmed in half when i took the cutting. there were no leaves above them at that time.

you don't see any yellowing and the whole cutting is nice and green and growing fast.

i keep them in these cups typically 18-21 days before transplant. all this growth occurred in the wick cloner you see above with absolutely no maintenance after cutting.

i start them on jacks 321 at 350-400 ppm. ph 5.8. normal nitrogen ratio. i don't monitor the solution or refill. you start the solution level 1/2" below the cups. top water them in one time to establish the wet pathway.

typically 400-500 umols of light flow with this level of nutes produces this kind of growth.

these cuttings transplant very well into just about any kind of medium but could be tricky going into a water-only hydro system as the roots will have to acclimate and the plants have a lot of mass for a clone.

80f at 80 rh for the first few days is good.

 

[Blitzen]

for a while in oregon the legislature kept changing around the medical plants count limits. not the number you can have for each patient in flower but the total number of vegging plants.

i had to cut back on the total number to comply so i started "air layering" large cuts.

as they were still on the donor plant they couldn't be used against you.

this technique is just about bulletproof and you can take huge cuttings. i would take about the whole last foot of a branch.

i don't have any pics but it's very easy to do.

scarify the area just above where you intend to cut and take 2 jiffy plugs or rapid rooters and cut them length-wise only halfway through like a hot dog bun but halfway.

put them both over the scarified area end to end and i used a couple of pieces of cotton string to hold them in place but whatever you got will work.

then wrap them light-proof in aluminum foil.

i used a snack-sized sandwich bag cut half-way down the side sides then pulled up over the foil and zipped shut. if you didn't cut too far the bag should seal pretty well around the limb. some folks use saran wrap.

give it about ten days and check it. it should be full of roots. cut off just below the roots and transplant.

i put these right into 7 gal containers and they just take off.

they don't even need a reduction in nutes as they have just come off a plant running in my case at around 850 ppm at .5.

use fresh wet rooter plugs. i bought i think the rapid rooter brand in the grow stores and they came moist in a bag.

these grow the whole time they are rooting as well so watch out!

This is amazing! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Blitzen]

gashouse, look at the cutting in the blue solo cup above. if you look closely you can see the original leaves that i trimmed in half when i took the cutting. there were no leaves above them at that time.

you don't see any yellowing and the whole cutting is nice and green and growing fast.

i keep them in these cups typically 18-21 days before transplant. all this growth occurred in the wick cloner you see above with absolutely no maintenance after cutting.

i start them on jacks 321 at 350-400 ppm. ph 5.8. normal nitrogen ratio. i don't monitor the solution or refill. you start the solution level 1/2" below the cups. top water them in one time to establish the wet pathway.

typically 400-500 umols of light flow with this level of nutes produces this kind of growth.

these cuttings transplant very well into just about any kind of medium but could be tricky going into a water-only hydro system as the roots will have to acclimate and the plants have a lot of mass for a clone.

80f at 80 rh for the first few days is good.

Where did you learn the tech?

 

[Blitzen]

several people have asked about the cloner i use. it's nothing but a 10 gal rubbermaid tub. the tub itself is untouched. the lid has 12 3" holes cut in it.

i use these square bottom solo cups because it's easy to cut two corners off with a pair of scissors.

the material is a 1" x 8" piece of "thermolam plus" fabric from walmart and places that sell fabrics. a few dollars per yard. it is used as an insulating layer for quilt making and is 100% polyester which makes for fine wicking material.

thread it through both holes so that equal lengths hang out.

the tub has a molded line in it about halfway up. this is your fill level line. i use a 350 ppm jack's calcinit solution initially ph'd to 5.8 but it will rise during the rooting process and i let it.

i use the regular medium grade perlite and rinse it well. also, after loading the cups i will pour nutrient solution through them to waste one time before putting the cups in the container.

make a hole in the perlite all the way down to the bottom. if it is centered it will hit the cloth wick.

cut the clones long enough to reach the bottom and cut them off square, not at an angle. the reason for this is that it puts the end of the cutting in full contact with the fabric. guaranteed pathway for water.

i scarify the last 1-1.5" of the cutting before packing the perlite snugly around the stem. i don't usually use a rooting hormone.

i clone out in the open in my main veg room with no domes but the room is 82-84f and 85% rh all the time.

you want the solo cups resting lightly in the hole not shoved down as far as possible. this is to maintain the small air gap below the cups.

i normally don't refill as the solution level drops as the cuttings are in the containers less than 14 days.

at 10 days roots will begin showing out of the cups along the wick. i let them get grow out a few days and then cut the roots and wick material outside of the cup off at transplant. leaving a thick, bushy, ball of roots.

with this technique there is a very low failure rate and nothing to do but wait after loading the clones.

this has a nearly 100% success rate. it is a great way to produce large cuttings for transplant into a media.

This whole place is amazing!

 

[greyfader]

hi, blitzen! i had a german sheperd named blitz when i was a bid. he was my constant companion as a kid.

did you choose blitzen because you like reindeer? or is it the personal marketing platform that inspired you?

air layering has been around for a very long time. an ancient technique used by fruit tree growers others trying to root difficult plants.

it's a great technique for really large cuts.

i just found phenohunter too!

https://ag.purdue.edu/hla/pubs/HO/HO-1-W.pdf

here is a nice tutorial on variations on the tech.

 

[Psychobilly]

He may also be a fan of lightning ? blitz is lightning auf Deutsch.

 

[greyfader]

i see i forgot to answer about the wick cloner tech.

folks have been cloning with wicks and perlite for as long as i can remember but i am 71 so that's not surprising.

this is just my spin on it. this is great for producing large production cuts. but it doesn't scale up well for large numbers as the tubs can eat up a lot of space.

at the hemp facility i directed i built a giant cloner out of a 4x8 flood and drain table. i got 300 of the same solo cups you see above in it.

it continuously ran a slow stream of water by the wicks.

 

[MostHigh]

gashouse, look at the cutting in the blue solo cup above. if you look closely you can see the original leaves that i trimmed in half when i took the cutting. there were no leaves above them at that time.

you don't see any yellowing and the whole cutting is nice and green and growing fast.

i keep them in these cups typically 18-21 days before transplant. all this growth occurred in the wick cloner you see above with absolutely no maintenance after cutting.

i start them on jacks 321 at 350-400 ppm. ph 5.8. normal nitrogen ratio. i don't monitor the solution or refill. you start the solution level 1/2" below the cups. top water them in one time to establish the wet pathway.

typically 400-500 umols of light flow with this level of nutes produces this kind of growth.

these cuttings transplant very well into just about any kind of medium but could be tricky going into a water-only hydro system as the roots will have to acclimate and the plants have a lot of mass for a clone.

80f at 80 rh for the first few days is good.

Thx for the info. I take pretty large cuttings anyway, with plugs n domes, and almost 100% strike, but it takes about a month before they take off. I like the idea of keeping them strong n healthy the whole way n I can't wait to try this!!

 

[Blitzen]

hi, blitzen! i had a german sheperd named blitz when i was a bid. he was my constant companion as a kid.

did you choose blitzen because you like reindeer? or is it the personal marketing platform that inspired you?

air layering has been around for a very long time. an ancient technique used by fruit tree growers others trying to root difficult plants.

it's a great technique for really large cuts.

i just found phenohunter too!

https://ag.purdue.edu/hla/pubs/HO/HO-1-W.pdf

here is a nice tutorial on variations on the tech.

Blitzen comes from a friend. We were pretty tight and one day he was gone, no reason or warning, just gone. It's been almost 2 decades now, so I keep the name he gave me for online.

 

[Blitzen]

hi, blitzen! i had a german sheperd named blitz when i was a bid. he was my constant companion as a kid.

did you choose blitzen because you like reindeer? or is it the personal marketing platform that inspired you?

air layering has been around for a very long time. an ancient technique used by fruit tree growers others trying to root difficult plants.

it's a great technique for really large cuts.

i just found phenohunter too!

https://ag.purdue.edu/hla/pubs/HO/HO-1-W.pdf

here is a nice tutorial on variations on the tech.

Thanks again! Awesome info

 

[OldG]

for a while in oregon the legislature kept changing around the medical plants count limits. not the number you can have for each patient in flower but the total number of vegging plants.

i had to cut back on the total number to comply so i started "air layering" large cuts.

as they were still on the donor plant they couldn't be used against you.

this technique is just about bulletproof and you can take huge cuttings. i would take about the whole last foot of a branch.

i don't have any pics but it's very easy to do.

scarify the area just above where you intend to cut and take 2 jiffy plugs or rapid rooters and cut them length-wise only halfway through like a hot dog bun but halfway.

put them both over the scarified area end to end and i used a couple of pieces of cotton string to hold them in place but whatever you got will work.

then wrap them light-proof in aluminum foil.

i used a snack-sized sandwich bag cut half-way down the side sides then pulled up over the foil and zipped shut. if you didn't cut too far the bag should seal pretty well around the limb. some folks use saran wrap.

give it about ten days and check it. it should be full of roots. cut off just below the roots and transplant.

i put these right into 7 gal containers and they just take off.

they don't even need a reduction in nutes as they have just come off a plant running in my case at around 850 ppm at .5.

use fresh wet rooter plugs. i bought i think the rapid rooter brand in the grow stores and they came moist in a bag.

these grow the whole time they are rooting as well so watch out!

This idea....its like these graft balls I have seen pop up in my spam.

I might have to give it a go. As I take cuts....i still like things that are big so instead of trays, grow them huge and save the beans man...

Thanks for mentioning this. I will give it a go.

 

[thesunnyvalekid]

I will give my two cents, they are old cents. First I only clone for a reason, I much rather use seeds. I will usually snip a lower branch, leave two to three nodes, cut every leaf left on the stem in half, then go cut a piece of live aloe vera, squeeze the “juice” on the first two inches, starting from the cut, completely covering the stem, stick it in coco, only watered with tap water, in a clear plastic cup. I cover it with a clear juice bottle with the top cut off, no holes, I place it on the table underneath the bigger plants in the veg room, mist it every other day with tap water for first week, second week start weak veg nutrients, watered in, no foliar feeding. I do this with every plant I clone in all my gardens, inside and outside plants and some soft bark trees I can get to root.

 

[thesunnyvalekid]

I will give my two cents, they are old cents. First I only clone for a reason, I much rather use seeds. I will usually snip a lower branch, leave two to three nodes, cut every leaf left on the stem in half, then go cut a piece of live aloe vera, squeeze the “juice” on the first two inches, starting from the cut, completely covering the stem, stick it in coco, only watered with tap water, in a clear plastic cup. I cover it with a clear juice bottle with the top cut off, no holes, I place it on the table underneath the bigger plants in the veg room, mist it every other day with tap water for first week, second week start weak veg nutrients, watered in, no foliar feeding. I do this with every plant I clone in all my gardens, inside and outside plants and some soft bark trees I can get to root.

Update:
I have been working on my own cloner, sorta self contained unit, hey I’m old school if it works why change, this is black domina clone cut last Friday.

 

[Blitzen]

Update:
I have been working on my own cloner, sorta self contained unit, hey I’m old school if it works why change, this is black domina clone cut last Friday.
View attachment 114304 View attachment 114305

? hell Yeah ?

 

[doober]

I use root riots, cloning gel, dome, an old T12 shop light ( 6-12 inches above dome) , heat mat. Make sure mother is healthy and well hydrated before taking cuts. Anyone use Olivia’s rooting solution ? I know a guy who swears by it.

 

[Psychobilly]

I will give my two cents, they are old cents. First I only clone for a reason, I much rather use seeds. I will usually snip a lower branch, leave two to three nodes, cut every leaf left on the stem in half, then go cut a piece of live aloe vera, squeeze the “juice” on the first two inches, starting from the cut, completely covering the stem, stick it in coco, only watered with tap water, in a clear plastic cup. I cover it with a clear juice bottle with the top cut off, no holes, I place it on the table underneath the bigger plants in the veg room, mist it every other day with tap water for first week, second week start weak veg nutrients, watered in, no foliar feeding. I do this with every plant I clone in all my gardens, inside and outside plants and some soft bark trees I can get to root.

This is honestly my first time hearing that Aloe Vera can be used on a clone..... lol I feel kinda dumb now. I've used willow tree branches cut up and soaked in the water the clone was going in once but that's interesting.

 

[Blitzen]

I will give my two cents, they are old cents. First I only clone for a reason, I much rather use seeds. I will usually snip a lower branch, leave two to three nodes, cut every leaf left on the stem in half, then go cut a piece of live aloe vera, squeeze the “juice” on the first two inches, starting from the cut, completely covering the stem, stick it in coco, only watered with tap water, in a clear plastic cup. I cover it with a clear juice bottle with the top cut off, no holes, I place it on the table underneath the bigger plants in the veg room, mist it every other day with tap water for first week, second week start weak veg nutrients, watered in, no foliar feeding. I do this with every plant I clone in all my gardens, inside and outside plants and some soft bark trees I can get to root.

Awesome, Thanks!

 

[pwnytailjoe]

I use whatever I have laying around. Traditionally, I use straight coco with enough nutes in the RO to drop the pH to 5.8.

I did buy a bag of root riot and have used plugs in the past but I tend to stay away from them.
Currently I'm using Promix HP with RO pH'd to 6.4using GH Floranova Bloom nutes. I don't use a pH up or down, just add diluted nutes until I'm at the target pH.

Other than that, a delicate balance of light, heat, and humidity.
I usually don't use a dome either except it's been down to 25%RH in my living room so it's kind of necessitated with fresh cuts.

My method varies based on whether I'm taking cuts or just grabbing a cut because I should before flower.

If I'm taking multiple cuts, I'll take my cuts, put them in a zip-lock with dichlor solution, remove and dip the ends into Clonex, then into whatever.

I've had about an 80% success rate with root plugs, 95% with coco, and so far 100% with Promix.



I never mist my cuts or let moisture build up on the inside of the dome, preferring instead to find the correct balance of leaf surface area to humidity.

Generally temperature ranges from 73F-80F depending on how close the light is to the dome.
I use an old, single 23 watt, 6500k CFL that is probably 5-6 years old at this point.

The last picture is of the Fresh Air and Birthday Cake cuts I took. In Promix, charged to 6.4, 78-80F, 60-100% RH. Roots in 6 days.

The Freakshow in the coco was the easiest to root, something I attribute to the lack of leaf surface area.[plant doesn't have to transpire as much]


I'll keep using Promix until I have a good reason to switch.

✌️

 

[HydroRed]

Clean, presoaked root riot plugs/ Plug tray with tall dome/100W of 2' T5's 6500K @ about 18" from top of dome/

Take cuts and immediately put them in a cup of water for 5 minutes.....plant embolisms are real. Place cuts in plugs about 3/4 of the depth of plug then put in plug tray. Spritz foliage with light mist of plain water and moisten the plugs just til they are damp (not soaked) and put under the dome. Make sure any vents on dome are closed. Re-moisten the plugs only upon further spritz's. You want the cuts to only get their water from the plugs -not through foliar. Dont oversaturate the plugs because if you do, the cuts get "lazy" and wont search for water by making roots, it will just simply just stay alive in the plug until it doesnt anymore. After the initial spray, I'll use a light 1-1-1 nutrient mix (about 300ppm or so) to spray the plugs with keep them from yellowing.
Since were trying to get roots here and not foliage growth, be sure to introduce a dark period as well like 18-6. Harsh, bright lighting will do more harm than good. Room temps of around 72*F are usually what seem to work best for me.

 

[Rosinallday]

Clean, presoaked root riot plugs/ Plug tray with tall dome/100W of 2' T5's 6500K @ about 18" from top of dome/

Take cuts and immediately put them in a cup of water for 5 minutes.....plant embolisms are real. Place cuts in plugs about 3/4 of the depth of plug then put in plug tray. Spritz foliage with light mist of plain water and moisten the plugs just til they are damp (not soaked) and put under the dome. Make sure any vents on dome are closed. Re-moisten the plugs only upon further spritz's. You want the cuts to only get their water from the plugs -not through foliar. Dont oversaturate the plugs because if you do, the cuts get "lazy" and wont search for water by making roots, it will just simply just stay alive in the plug until it doesnt anymore. After the initial spray, I'll use a light 1-1-1 nutrient mix (about 300ppm or so) to spray the plugs with keep them from yellowing.
Since were trying to get roots here and not foliage growth, be sure to introduce a dark period as well like 18-6. Harsh, bright lighting will do more harm than good. Room temps of around 72*F are usually what seem to work best for me.

Do you keep the dome closed throughout the process or do you open it at some point? Thanks