Clones with purple gray discoloration

[Trich_holmes]

I'll preface this question with some back round of my recent cloning troubles. I've successfully cloned for years without a hickup. Never even put much thought into it because it's always been so easy. Always have used a tray with root riot cubes or rapid rooters. Sometimes with a dome, sometimes without. All of a sudden last summer I had a almost a whole tray of 60+ fall over and die. Only 15 or so made it. I immediately took a bunch of new cuts to replace them, to have them do the same. Stems were withered and slimy inside of rooters. Thought I had over watered or something so next round I cut a tray and kept the cubes to a perfect saturation and same problem. Also the few that lived once transplanted withered and died immediately. Obviously something was wrong. I had found some mold inside one of the tray cubes, so thought something had passed to others and killed everthing. Ok start over. Get all new trays, domes, even replaced my scissors cause they were old anyway. So first round this year I cut a tray full and 3 days later, same issue. Everyone falls over and stem is mush inside of rooter that is dry enough that if you squish it nothing comes out but is still moist. I did notice however that the room felt warmer than usual. I get my IR gun and find my mat is at 100+ degrees and my root zone is in the nineties. Eureka, my mat was burning them up all of a sudden after 5 years. Bought a thermostat for it and thought I was good to go. Set the stat at 78 and called it a day. It works very well with turning mat on and off. So again this round I just cut around 40 clones and within a few day I start seeing them fall. WTF!!! I don't understand why after 5 years all of sudden my cloning method goes belly up. My plants are healthy as they've ever been. So as I'm about to give up on cloning I see this purple crap coming from center of new growth out on the leaves. Anyone seen this before? The first one I saw, I thought was strain specific but now they all have it and again I have lost 75% and most have this shit going on. Mind you I had never seen this purplish crap till this round...really hope someone can help me right this ship. I have now lost all my genetics I worked so damn hard to keep, and now I feel like it's futile to even try. Does anyone have a clue what this is? Those are three different cuts in the pics.

 

[Dr.Pecker]

Wow that's a strange one. I clone the same way. After a few days when my clones perk up I let them get some air and keep the root riots moist throughout the day replacing the dome after the humidity drys up. When I go to bed I keep the dome on. Maybe you have them covered too long. I thought for sure you were going to say you fixed it with the temps.

 

[Trich_holmes]

Right...laughed when I told the wife about the heat mat. Said "watch I'll go back to 95% success".....shit, jinxed myself. I will say though that before I never used a dome. When this problem first started I thought that was the issue of the clones dying off, as RH was kinda low at the time. The shittiest part is I've had multiple runs since then and every one I try something a tad different thinking it will fix the problem. This time I had dome on for bout 4 days before they started dropping and I smashed the dome and said fuck it. I was opening it bout 4-5 times a day just to exchange air and harden them off but then this purple happens. Worse cluster fuck I've experienced in a decade of growing. I swear it's like the damn plague, but doesn't effect my plants one bit. Hell when first one dropped and i tossed dome, I tossed heat mat as well. Never used to use one but had been for a few years with no trouble until now. Very very aggravating. Especially when my method had worked no problem for the better part of 5 years. I mean it's not rocket science. Lol

 

[Trich_holmes]

thinking about it, the only thing I've done different in last few years is scraping stems. I used to just make a cut but had a few one time that wouldn't root and were all woody so I started scraping everything. Wonder if the stem can't take it? As in if the cut isn't woody and I scrape the outer layer off its causing harm? People swear by it, and I've had cuts survive it, just a thought as I'm pretty bummed at the road block

 

[Dr.Pecker]

I wonder about that because the last couple of times I took cuts I had a few that wouldn't take and I was scraping the stems like your saying. What I was doing before that was making a few scratches lengthwise and including a leaf node after being trimmed off into the potential root zone and getting good results. roots would grow out of the leaf node and the scratches. I'm going to switch back next time. What kind of clone dip are you using? 4 to 5 days is the fucked up part, that's just enough time for the cuts to perk up.

 

[Trich_holmes]

I normally use "take root" rooting powder, but bought some clonex gel last time thinking that was a problem. No beuno either. This run they wilted after first cut a bit like always but we're at attention looking beautiful day 2, thought I was in the clear. Hell I ring my rooters out before using and only sprayed top of dome once. Day 2 same, just gave dome a tiny spritz where it had dried over night. Day 3 first ones layed over. I use a simple clip on shop light with a 60w CFL pig tail. It's almost 2 foot above my dome, and I even put a paper towel on top to block direct hotspot from light, thinking that was an issue. Also no good....I'm tellin ya, I was so pissed. I have around 35 strains in the vault now and all are regular seeds. May have to buy some fems until I figure this mess out..running 20-30 to pick out 8 females is a real ball buster.

 

[Trich_holmes]

Bump

 

[Grandpapy]

Do your mothers show any sign of this? Could be passing it down.
Have you brought something new to your environment that might be gassing off like a Tent, Carpet, fresh paint?

Just food for thought.

 

[Trich_holmes]

No. Mothers are great! I've moved since this started and followed me to new house. Tents are old. ive troubleshot every thing I can think of except stem scraping. I'll have to try not scraping next round. Also have never seen this purplish till this round. Usually they just fall over mushy and I toss em. I'm hoping the purplish will be a dead give away for someone who's seen this to diagnose. It's baffled me for almost a year and 4 runs now....

 

[thumper60]

I have been cloning at least 20 years never seen that, the tips look alittle twisted to wish I could help

 

[dabbindylan]

looks like moisture stress or blight\mold

 

[Trich_holmes]

I have been cloning at least 20 years never seen that, the tips look alittle twisted to wish I could help

Right me either. Tips are crap cause I took dome off and said screw em once I saw the purple

 

[Trich_holmes]

looks like moisture stress or blight\mold

Think dome on for 4 days with air exchange a couple times a day is too long? I really don't have much dome experience. I had always done mine dome less until issues raised last summer and I started a check list of things to try to no avail...

 

[dabbindylan]

Try not cutting up ur clone so much. Get new domes..try again

 

[RM3]

Could be what is known as Grey Mold

http://bigbudsmag.com/marijuana-s-evil-enemy-gray-mold/

 

[dabbindylan]

Does it smell weird when u open domes?? Having so many cuts on clone is open door for disease an mold

 

[thumper60]

Think dome on for 4 days with air exchange a couple times a day is too long? I really don't have much dome experience. I had always done mine dome less until issues raised last summer and I started a check list of things to try to no avail...

I don't think 4 days under dome is problem,i have leftem 7-10 days no problem,it got to be something in your envioment I hate those heating mats.cooked lots of cuts with those

 

[Trich_holmes]

Does it smell weird when u open domes?? Having so many cuts on clone is open door for disease an mold

No smells fine, but I have to agree it had to be a mold of some sort as all clones have it. I was also thinking of cutting down number of cuts I take to free up some room.

 

[Trich_holmes]

I don't think 4 days under dome is problem,i have leftem 7-10 days no problem,it got to be something in your envioment I hate those heating mats.cooked lots of cuts with those

Ya I was thinking the same. I have been taking lid off few time a day for air exchange and haven't spray clones directly so wouldn't thought of mold being issue but seems to be some sort of pathogen in there. Heat mat got trashed!! I know that may had been cooking them before, which is why I got thermostat for it. Thought I had it licked...

 

[Trich_holmes]

Try not cutting up ur clone so much. Get new domes..try again

Gonna replace everthing again. This time not gonna scrape stems. I've tried taking larger cuts but they always seemed to be problematic with leaves hanging and pulling srem over. I had thought that was an issue so started cutting the fans down and making smaller cuts. I swear I've tried changing every aspect of my process to trouble shoot the problem on my own, but now I turn to the forums for help as I'm flabbergasted..