Ernest Benoit
Member
Definition of a clone? :An exact duplicate of the original from which it originated.
* Cuttings have no roots and therefore are not "clones"...Yet.
1. Best get things ready before taking cuttings. Clean the blade and scissors and rinse rockwhool cubes or place peat pucks in water to expand. a) submerge the cuttings if you like in water, or not. All you must do is "cover any fresh cuts with cloning gel that you will put beneath soil level, does the same". b)one drop of gel in the cube/puck will do. c)once the twig has been cut on 45deg angle and secured with gel, trim all the leaves...1/3 - 1/2 of each of the leaves will do.
*Why trim? Do some trimmed and more untrimmed and test it for yourself. Every grow room is different and our techniques all vary. (It adds airflow, it keeps delicate tops that will naturally flop over from actually breaking off. Mine grow faster so I trim them).
d)once the twig is in puck/cube/soil, mist the vented dome two-three times daily. I put cloning powder in base of the dome. The 5stage reverse osmosis system is already PH-6 which is ideal for "Soil". This water root powder will be changed no longer than 3days. :Fresher the water= more oxygen! Never let this water dry to a point it does not touch the vessel you chose for the cutting(s).
*Okay by now all the cuttings are in dome. Now what? Well, since the cuttings are so delicate it's best you don't jossle them around. They need to anchor to that cube/puck. If the top has not straightened by now... Something went wrong.
e)fyi...I've found during testing that letting leaves touch the moist dome will cause rot. Make it so that no leaf touches another nor the dome and it should thrive.
*Depending on your room temp and your great misting job these should take no longer than three wks. (If they do, adjust water PH and dome temp). Ends of leaves that brown is normal. :In the absence of roots it must absorb H2O using the end of its stem and the moisture collected through its leaves. (If the cutting tops itself or otherwise freaks, something is wrong. No worries it can be re-cut just above the end and just start over. (Mark this one and keep an eye on it. Use this as a test and see what it does).
*When are they actually going in the right direction? :Watch for the signs... these herbs tell you when and what they require. The better you are at catching the "signs" the easier it will get and faster these will grow.
*Take a closer look in a wk or so at "the base of the cutting", right where it leaves the puck/cube and stem starts. If you caught it... the diameter of this area should get larger as time goes on. When it does... this means the cutting has basic roots. Keep watching till the roots are visible and plentiful. If this stem shrunk in diameter it is not getting roots, it likely went dry at some point. Also...If your technique is solid you should be seeing the top most leaves are getting bigger/longer. Now things are getting interesting.
*Don't rush now. The bigger and more roots the better. Approx 1 or so inches in length. If the bigger roots brown on their ends pot it. And those sharp edges on each leaf? Are they curling down? = struggling. Or pointing towards the light? = okay.
f)when can it go into soil? :As soon as a few roots are visible is fine. Just keep in mind that more is better.
*I find that a vented dome that had air flow will cause domes to dry quicker so it's best to not overlook misting. Also, if that dome was closed till the first roots popped...It needs to be "hardened off/adjusted to a potted dry environment" for up till it will no longer sag at the top. Since my domes are vented however...from start to finish my new clones can be placed in their first containers with minimal sagging from "dry shock" and normally adjust in half a day.
*Once the "clone" has been placed in it's first container... Remember "size matters"...Smaller pots dry quicker and must be watered every two-three days.
Once the clone in pot gets conditioned to soil the roots do their thing and you will notice the leaves are repairing and budding branches are lengthening. The initial leaves may not develop now but this is okay, trim these off later.
*When is it in vegging mode? That's another post.
* Cuttings have no roots and therefore are not "clones"...Yet.
1. Best get things ready before taking cuttings. Clean the blade and scissors and rinse rockwhool cubes or place peat pucks in water to expand. a) submerge the cuttings if you like in water, or not. All you must do is "cover any fresh cuts with cloning gel that you will put beneath soil level, does the same". b)one drop of gel in the cube/puck will do. c)once the twig has been cut on 45deg angle and secured with gel, trim all the leaves...1/3 - 1/2 of each of the leaves will do.
*Why trim? Do some trimmed and more untrimmed and test it for yourself. Every grow room is different and our techniques all vary. (It adds airflow, it keeps delicate tops that will naturally flop over from actually breaking off. Mine grow faster so I trim them).
d)once the twig is in puck/cube/soil, mist the vented dome two-three times daily. I put cloning powder in base of the dome. The 5stage reverse osmosis system is already PH-6 which is ideal for "Soil". This water root powder will be changed no longer than 3days. :Fresher the water= more oxygen! Never let this water dry to a point it does not touch the vessel you chose for the cutting(s).
*Okay by now all the cuttings are in dome. Now what? Well, since the cuttings are so delicate it's best you don't jossle them around. They need to anchor to that cube/puck. If the top has not straightened by now... Something went wrong.
e)fyi...I've found during testing that letting leaves touch the moist dome will cause rot. Make it so that no leaf touches another nor the dome and it should thrive.
*Depending on your room temp and your great misting job these should take no longer than three wks. (If they do, adjust water PH and dome temp). Ends of leaves that brown is normal. :In the absence of roots it must absorb H2O using the end of its stem and the moisture collected through its leaves. (If the cutting tops itself or otherwise freaks, something is wrong. No worries it can be re-cut just above the end and just start over. (Mark this one and keep an eye on it. Use this as a test and see what it does).
*When are they actually going in the right direction? :Watch for the signs... these herbs tell you when and what they require. The better you are at catching the "signs" the easier it will get and faster these will grow.
*Take a closer look in a wk or so at "the base of the cutting", right where it leaves the puck/cube and stem starts. If you caught it... the diameter of this area should get larger as time goes on. When it does... this means the cutting has basic roots. Keep watching till the roots are visible and plentiful. If this stem shrunk in diameter it is not getting roots, it likely went dry at some point. Also...If your technique is solid you should be seeing the top most leaves are getting bigger/longer. Now things are getting interesting.
*Don't rush now. The bigger and more roots the better. Approx 1 or so inches in length. If the bigger roots brown on their ends pot it. And those sharp edges on each leaf? Are they curling down? = struggling. Or pointing towards the light? = okay.
f)when can it go into soil? :As soon as a few roots are visible is fine. Just keep in mind that more is better.
*I find that a vented dome that had air flow will cause domes to dry quicker so it's best to not overlook misting. Also, if that dome was closed till the first roots popped...It needs to be "hardened off/adjusted to a potted dry environment" for up till it will no longer sag at the top. Since my domes are vented however...from start to finish my new clones can be placed in their first containers with minimal sagging from "dry shock" and normally adjust in half a day.
*Once the "clone" has been placed in it's first container... Remember "size matters"...Smaller pots dry quicker and must be watered every two-three days.
Once the clone in pot gets conditioned to soil the roots do their thing and you will notice the leaves are repairing and budding branches are lengthening. The initial leaves may not develop now but this is okay, trim these off later.
*When is it in vegging mode? That's another post.
