Is It Possible?

Wondering how big of a clone you can cut before it just won't be able to root?
I have two clones that are way to bushy(77cm tall and some side shoots are that big as well lol).
I would like to cut em off and put them straight in my aerogarden system.. Think I can cut a clone either 30cm(1foot) or 60cm(2feet) or would that just be to hard to get to root?

from what i have seen people usually cut a clone thats about 6 inches long and they cut all the leaves and shoots leaving only the top leaves and on top of that it would be hard to find a clear plastic dome big enough to hold a 1 to 2 foot plant in since the cone has no roots the only way the plant will get water is from the leaves thats the reason for the dome to keep the humidity up so the plant can adsorb the water but dont take my advice im not a pro just trying to help

I've taken some pretty big cuttings. From my experience, they root surprisingly quickly, but can dry out very easily. I have had best results rooting big clones in a glass of RO water with about 25ppm nutrients(tap water left to sit for a few hours would be fine), replacing the water daily. Unless you have a spare fish tank or something I'm not sure how you would manage a humidity dome, but misting them will help keep the leaves from drying out.

...IMO, the bigger the cutting the longer it takes to root. I use an ezcloner, and the cutting from the lower part of the mothers root faster every time. I've read that theirs a natural rooting hormone in the lower tops....and it seems to be true. The more tissue the cutting has the longer it can survive without roots. When I take cutting with larger leaves, I cut the leaf down to promote faster rooting.

ever heard of branch cloning? i'll get you some info, brb

Introduction
Most folks (including me) take only main growing tips as cuttings, but occasions arise when you want to preserve the maximum number of growing tips on the mother plant. Sometimes it is better to remove only one complete branch and make it into multiple clones. Occasionally, while training a plant, you will break off a branch. Here's a way to turn that branch into multiple clones.

Just as an aside, I discovered this technique when my knife slipped, and I cut across a node instead of trimming off the leaf and secondary growing tip at that node. I was surprised when the bottom half rooted faster than the main growing tip.

According to several sources, cuttings taken from below the main growing tip will usually root faster (and in my observation better) due to lower nitrogen levels and higher carbohydrate levels. I also find the stiffer woody stems from lower on a branch easier to deal with than soft green ones near the tip.

The smaller secondary growing tips will take a bit longer to develop into full fledged plants, but they will have a great set of roots to do it with.

Technique
Cut off the main growing tip by making a 45 degree cut through the main stem just above a node and prepare it as you normally would.

Cut up the remainder of the branch by making a succession of cuts through the nodes at 45 degree angles. You will end up with a bunch of short stems with a 45 degree cut at the top and the bottom, and a leaf and growing tip near the upper edge of the top cut.





If the cutting is too long to fit entirely inside your cloning medium, trim the bottom end of the cutting.






Holding the cutting by the leaf stem (petiole), scrape away some of the outer layer of the stem tissue to expose some phloem (the white tissue underneath). Dip the whole stem into your cloning gel or rooting hormone, be sure to cover both the bottom and the top cuts. Avoid getting any on the growing tip.



Insert the stem into the cloning medium, you may need to open up the hole in the rockwool or latex plug a bit first.










Use a sterile tool (a chopstick, q-tip stem, etc) to push on the top of the stem to push it inside the cloning medium. The leaf may tilt up as the stem goes inside the medium.

Sounds lika a job for "Air Layering:...

What is air layering?

Contributed by strawdog

ITEMS NEEDED:

PLANT!
matchstick or toothpick
tape
razor blade
rooting hormone (Clonex)
tweezers
plastic wrap
scissors
pin

(1)Sterilize all tools before using them.

(2)Cut a branch that is at least 1/8 inch thick with at least two nodes.

(3)Select area from which roots will sprout. This area needs to be midway up the main stem, with enough room on each side of the cut to fasten the bag.

(4)Use the Razor Blade to make a 1-2" lengthwise incision along the stem. Cut all the way through the bark, to which the phloem is attached. Don't cut into the xylem, which is the layer under the bark.

(5) A ring of bark is removed from around the stem. The phloem and cambium are attached to the inside of the bark, so when the bark is removed the phloem is also removed. This leaves the central cylinder of xylem and upward water flow unaffected.




(6)Get clonex and apply it to the exposed xylem. For increased stability, you may tape a toothpick or matchstick parrallel to the stem.

(7)With thumb get some grow medium. (perlite, peatmoss, whatever) Pack the wound carefully with the soil.

(Attach plastic wrap below incision with tape. Tape the vertical seam where the ends meet. The effect of this should be a funnel shaped plastic wrap enclosure.

(9)Pack with grow medium. Be sure to leave enough "slack" at the top so that it may be taped to the stem above the incision.

(10)Fasten closed with tape.



(11)Use pin to create holes in around bag. This will allow soil to breath.

Use an eye dropper to keep the soil wet. Do this every day. After 2 weeks, your cutting will have roots and will be ready for propagation. Added on: Friday, May 4, 2007 Viewed: 3114 times

GypsyBush said:

Sounds lika a job for "Air Layering:...

What is air layering?

Contributed by strawdog

ITEMS NEEDED:

PLANT!
matchstick or toothpick
tape
razor blade
rooting hormone (Clonex)
tweezers
plastic wrap
scissors
pin

(1)Sterilize all tools before using them.

(2)Cut a branch that is at least 1/8 inch thick with at least two nodes.

(3)Select area from which roots will sprout. This area needs to be midway up the main stem, with enough room on each side of the cut to fasten the bag.

(4)Use the Razor Blade to make a 1-2" lengthwise incision along the stem. Cut all the way through the bark, to which the phloem is attached. Don't cut into the xylem, which is the layer under the bark.

(5) A ring of bark is removed from around the stem. The phloem and cambium are attached to the inside of the bark, so when the bark is removed the phloem is also removed. This leaves the central cylinder of xylem and upward water flow unaffected.

(6)Get clonex and apply it to the exposed xylem. For increased stability, you may tape a toothpick or matchstick parrallel to the stem.

(7)With thumb get some grow medium. (perlite, peatmoss, whatever) Pack the wound carefully with the soil.

(Attach plastic wrap below incision with tape. Tape the vertical seam where the ends meet. The effect of this should be a funnel shaped plastic wrap enclosure.

(9)Pack with grow medium. Be sure to leave enough "slack" at the top so that it may be taped to the stem above the incision.

(10)Fasten closed with tape.

(11)Use pin to create holes in around bag. This will allow soil to breath.

Use an eye dropper to keep the soil wet. Do this every day. After 2 weeks, your cutting will have roots and will be ready for propagation. Added on: Friday, May 4, 2007 Viewed: 3114 times

Click to expand...

good post gypsy I think im going to try that for a bonsai tree.