First time cloning?

nickhigham2112

Active Member
hi wonder if anyone can help me out? im thinking of giving cloning a go at the moment ive got 10 plants in there 6 week stage.
can i take cuttings from plants at this age. if not what age is advised? any help appreciated for a first time cloner.
 

vilify

Well-Known Member
you can take a clone pretty much anytime throughout a plants life. although before flower is recommended.
i wont take anything past about 2 weeks flower, and thats only if I HAVE to take one.

cloning is very easy. just take a few more than you think you need, just incase a few dont make it your first time.
 

darkdestruction420

Well-Known Member
indeed, cloning is easy. in fact most people make cloning alot harder than they need to. i'll grab a link to a killer tutorial on hassle free cloning, no misting, humidity domes or worrying about the cloning medium dampness or rooting powder/gel .
cloning from flowering plants does have its benefits. i often do it myself. heres an article on it. http://www.420magazine.com/forums/seeds-clones-strains/56864-what-flowering-clone.html

heres the guide i said i'd dig up before. all credit to the original author.



As easy as cloning is to the masses that use powder, liquid/gel rooting hormone, bubblers and soil, etc. There is an even less complex method of cloning that is so easy, it must have been around for decades, if not centuries. The only ingredients involved are water, light, and the cutting you would like to root. In the example I?m going to show, I?ve cut three different sizes of clone. The first with two leaves and a single growing tip (S). The next has four nodes, but still only a couple large leaves (M). The third is 6? tall, has seven nodes and several sets of good-sized leaves (L).

As with normal cloning, you immediately dip the cutting in the water for about 15 to 30 seconds, tweaking it to dislodge any air bubbles that may be present. But the biggest difference is, you won?t be removing the cutting from the water until it has roots big enough to support the foliage above. Make sure the cup, which contains the cutting, is opaque. This prevents the light from shining directly on the roots.

So far, I?ve mentioned the cuttings and the water, but the most important part is the light. I have made this method work 100% of the time simply by sitting my cuttings on a windowsill that receives no direct sunlight. In fact, slightly shaded would be even better. In the evenings (short days), I sit them on an end table over 7 feet from a ceiling mounted 100-watt incandescent bulb. At bedtime, I just turn off the lights like normal, and when I get up in the AM its back to the windowsill. During the longer daylight hours they can be left on the sill full time. Remember, no direct sunlight.

The picture shows my three cuttings in their water cups. M & L have barely an inch of water to sit in. Any more and it would cover one of the leaf stems. The smaller one stayed in the plastic because the stem was too short to sit in water and stay upright in the cup. Do what?s necessary to keep at least ½? of the stem in the water.

Notice the glass that diffuses light, an extra measure against too much light exposure.


The clones grew roots at far different speeds. S showed in seven days, with a small ¼? long root and another small protrusion.


By the time S?s roots reached this level of development (nine days), L was just putting out the first nubs that would be roots. M has shown no inclination of rooting at all. Searching for an answer, I changed the water in Ms cup, but I think it boils down too the thickness of the stem. Both M&L have the same size stem but L has far more foliage on top.


S is doing far better than the others (seen below) and M is finally starting to show.


M showed roots in 14 days and was planted on day 18.
This picture was taken just before transplant.


L showed roots on day 11 and was in soil at day 18.
This picture was taken just before transplant.


S showed roots at seven days and was in the soil at 15.
This picture was taken just before transplant.

 

nickhigham2112

Active Member
hi thanks for your advice ,also need to know about the lighting ,should it be on the new cuttings permanently or should it be on a cycle like 12-12 ? 18-6 ? ...as well how far away from the cuttings should the light be?
 

missnu

Well-Known Member
I have found my best success rate ia achieved when I make a DIY cloner...super easy..all you need is a small box or bowl--something preferably opaque---and you need an airstone and an air pump... then you need a bit of styrofoam, or anything that can sit in water and not disintegrate... ...Anyway you put some water in the bowl or whatever you use...then you put in the airstone so you have some bubbles and then you put whatever is going to hold your plants int he water on top of your box...like a lid filled with plants...Right now I am using an empty swiffer container and a scrap of the sturdier mylar insulation...it appears to be bubble wrap sandwiched between 2 pieces of mylar....Anyway...it is my cloner for now...and when I get done with it and need the space I will throw it away, and when I need to make more clones I will just use more refuse to make a new one...I know it sounds all hillbilly, but hey it works, and it wasn't a huge amount of money like they want for a premade cloner...jeez they are expensive---especially expensive for something you can make out of trash at home...

Anyway I have tried cloning into soil, and coco and jiffy pots, and then way that works the faswtest and easiest for me is the hillbilly swiffer cloner...lol. My first one was made with half a pencil box and a lid to a McDonalds Big Breakfast...lol...second one was a tupperware container with a lid made of duct tape wrapped cardboard...hard to seal cardboard, but it worked long enough to clone what I wanted to...So cloning can be really easy---I mess up my plants all the time with nutes and such...I started out hydro---with DWC buckets and that is why I started cloning the way I do...and it is the only way that works for me...I am too impatient I need to be able to lift something up and see some progress...I wanna see how everythin gis doing, and with soil or coco it is not a good idea...I have never worried about the size of my clone---have one now that looks like a seedling because it was a tiny tiny little branch at the very bottom of the plant...but it has roots now...I have cloned plants as far as 5 weeks into flower...it isn't because I am good at it, I don't wear gloves or any such thing, I do make sure to cut them at an angle, sometimes I cut crossways up the stem, cutting it in 2 and sometimes 4 pieces...What I am trying to say is that, for real, bubble water is the easiest way to clone Edit: Or so I thought...but after reading the post that came through while I was still typing this damn novel I think the cup on the window thing might be even easier...Hooray! Going to try it now......Don't have to be fancy, just get it into the DIY and it will get roots...no nutes in the water--distilled is best I think, but I am using tap water
 

missnu

Well-Known Member
indeed, cloning is easy. in fact most people make cloning alot harder than they need to. i'll grab a link to a killer tutorial on hassle free cloning, no misting, humidity domes or worrying about the cloning medium dampness or rooting powder/gel .
cloning from flowering plants does have its benefits. i often do it myself. heres an article on it. http://www.420magazine.com/forums/seeds-clones-strains/56864-what-flowering-clone.html

heres the guide i said i'd dig up before. all credit to the original author.



As easy as cloning is to the masses that use powder, liquid/gel rooting hormone, bubblers and soil, etc. There is an even less complex method of cloning that is so easy, it must have been around for decades, if not centuries. The only ingredients involved are water, light, and the cutting you would like to root. In the example I?m going to show, I?ve cut three different sizes of clone. The first with two leaves and a single growing tip (S). The next has four nodes, but still only a couple large leaves (M). The third is 6? tall, has seven nodes and several sets of good-sized leaves (L).

As with normal cloning, you immediately dip the cutting in the water for about 15 to 30 seconds, tweaking it to dislodge any air bubbles that may be present. But the biggest difference is, you won?t be removing the cutting from the water until it has roots big enough to support the foliage above. Make sure the cup, which contains the cutting, is opaque. This prevents the light from shining directly on the roots.

So far, I?ve mentioned the cuttings and the water, but the most important part is the light. I have made this method work 100% of the time simply by sitting my cuttings on a windowsill that receives no direct sunlight. In fact, slightly shaded would be even better. In the evenings (short days), I sit them on an end table over 7 feet from a ceiling mounted 100-watt incandescent bulb. At bedtime, I just turn off the lights like normal, and when I get up in the AM its back to the windowsill. During the longer daylight hours they can be left on the sill full time. Remember, no direct sunlight.

The picture shows my three cuttings in their water cups. M & L have barely an inch of water to sit in. Any more and it would cover one of the leaf stems. The smaller one stayed in the plastic because the stem was too short to sit in water and stay upright in the cup. Do what?s necessary to keep at least ½? of the stem in the water.

Notice the glass that diffuses light, an extra measure against too much light exposure.


The clones grew roots at far different speeds. S showed in seven days, with a small ¼? long root and another small protrusion.


By the time S?s roots reached this level of development (nine days), L was just putting out the first nubs that would be roots. M has shown no inclination of rooting at all. Searching for an answer, I changed the water in Ms cup, but I think it boils down too the thickness of the stem. Both M&L have the same size stem but L has far more foliage on top.


S is doing far better than the others (seen below) and M is finally starting to show.


M showed roots in 14 days and was planted on day 18.
This picture was taken just before transplant.


L showed roots on day 11 and was in soil at day 18.
This picture was taken just before transplant.


S showed roots at seven days and was in the soil at 15.
This picture was taken just before transplant.


Wow...that is awesome! I knew other plants would clone this way and to tell ya the truth it never occurred to me that MJ would to...Kick ass...even less trash to reuse now...well come warm weather...too cold to sit in front of a window...OMG...I am going to do this and set them on top of my light...it will warm the water and probably help things along...I find that clones like it warm....and it will mean they are getting a tiny amount of light as well...Well. Only one way to find out...snip snip....+rep!
 

rollinbud

Active Member
Curious, are you just sticking the plant inte water and covering entire cup with the clear saran wrap or do you just stick the limb in and let the leaf stick out of cup, then cover the lid?
 

nickhigham2112

Active Member
hi missnu ,i like your post, looks pretty straightforward ,will defo give it a go ,what it is i have just purchased a secondhand heated propagator off ebay which cost around £20 ,& also bought a root riot 24 pack with small 50ml clonex for £13 of eBay not expensive i know but i have to give it a try .like i say this is my first shot at clones so could do with some serious help from you pro`s ,what i would like to know is the lighting situation with the propagator ,how far the light should be & what light should i use for the propagator or do i even need a light for the fresh cuttings ? how long do i keep the cuttings in the propagator & when do i transfer into soiled pots .

any help appreciated
 

missnu

Well-Known Member
The reason noone told you any specifics about the light is because there aren't any really...I mean you want them on 18/6 lighting...but they don't really need a lot of light...not until they start growing new leaf growth, which comes after they have roots...and are no longer technically clones...You can transfer them whenever they have roots, which is strain dependent might take a week, or 2 or less or more...lol. It just all depends. They cuttings do need some light, I put mine in my veg area with my vegging plants and the light is between 2 and 3 feet away from the clones, and it works...so it is really up to you. There are a million ways to clone a plant and everyone thinks their way is easier...but I think they are wrong because the guy with the plants on the windowsill sounds the easiest to me.
 

Thedillestpickle

Well-Known Member
Curious, are you just sticking the plant inte water and covering entire cup with the clear saran wrap or do you just stick the limb in and let the leaf stick out of cup, then cover the lid?
I was also wondering what the plastic is doing, cant really tell with the pictures. I would have thought the leaves would dry out and droop doing this with no added humidity? Maybe you could use some rooting hormone diluted into the water? b1 superthrive? H&G roots excelerator?
 

Thedillestpickle

Well-Known Member
the plastic helps support the clone and keep it upright.
Ok cool, you could also use a peice of cardboard instead and then block out even more light to the roots. Ill give this a try sometime, Ive got a little cloning thing going on in my closet right now but I think i might have fried this batch with the heat pad.


also someone mentioned taking extra cutting to compensate for the ones that might die the first couple of times you try cloning. I would suggest leaving some good cuttings on the plant because with cloning your first time you might botch the whole batch the way I have done with possibly now two batches in a row.
 

MacGuyver4.2.0

Well-Known Member
One mistake people make with water cloners...is water temp. Having the temp too cold slows down or stops any growth. Too warm and jungle rot and pathogens start to form. Try to shoot for 66-70 if possible and change out the water if you don't start seeing roots after 10-14 days. As said before, some strains like certain types of cloning over others. Lots of good articles on this site by very experienced growers, search for them and read up. Good luck!
 

nickhigham2112

Active Member
thanks for your replies everyone .especially you darkdestruction420 awesome post ,thanks .

need to get some cloning lessons done & master it lol ,
 
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