(My) cloning method

First off I would like to say that Im not claiming this to be any better than anyone elses method. Ive had 100% success with this method and so im sharing it.

Materials:
Scissors
razor blade
plate (has to be able to hold at least 1/8" of water)
Plastic cup (any cup will do)
Olivias cloning solution
SuperThrive
Rubbing alcohol (everything should be sterilized)
Grodans cubes (pre-soaked in pH 5.5 water with Olivia's and Superthrive)
A plant to take clones from

Soak the Grodans for at least a couple of hours. I use Olivias according to the bottle. The superthrive says 1 drop per gallon, but for this i use like 10. Save some of the mix for your plate and some for your cup. Now with your sterilized scissors remove any vegetation except the tip from the brach you want to clone. Try to leave at least one node for future branches to grow. Now cut the clone with your scissors right above that last node you left and immediately put it in the cup. Do this for all the clones you will be taking. Here is a crappy diagram i made.

After you have cut all the clones you want from the plant its on to the next step, the plate. One clone at a time, place the stem of the clone under the water thats on the plate. Now most of you know that a marijuana stem is not round. Its more of a hexagon. You are gonna want to use your razor blade and very gently scrape the raised section of the stem. a very thin layer should get removed. One or two of these cuts will do. see crappy diagram below

Now with the stem still under water make a 45* cut just below where you skinned the plant. By doing this you are eliminating any chance of an air bubble getting into the stem (IMO). After that put your clone in the grodans cube put it in a dome and wait. And thats it. Since ive started taking my clones this way ive had 100% success. I even had one strain take root in two days, I only know it was that quick because on day 3 there were 1" roots sticking out of the cubes. The skinning method I took from the "Air Layering" technique. look it up on google if you dont know what it is. Here is a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eozrB950FFc

If you ask me Ive never really seen any benefit to using SuperThrive during actual growth (some say different), but IMO it is AWESOME for clones.

Thanks for taking the time to type up your information and share it with us. I'll certainly keep your tips in mind the next time i take cuttings.

Merry Christmas!!

Thank you for the positive reply. Those diagrams kinda suck. Im thinking next time i take clones im gonna do a video.

Merry Christmas to ALL my fellow growers out there

So the 100% is gone. But I dont think it was my method that did it. I lost four of my clones today and I dont know what happened. The stem just bent right in half. Is my humidity too high? Thats what Im thinkin it might be, but Id like some expert opinions if I could get them.


They looked fine before I went to work this morning. I just posted pics of them in my journal yesterday, check my signature. Any help is appreciated.

I have been told by other growers that they trim their shoots in water to ensure an air bubble does not develop in the clone. Using a razor I make one upward 45 degree slash to cut my clones from my moms. I always handle my clones by the fan leaf stems because the acid from your fingers can damage the shoot. Be sure the hole in your rockwool is large enough so you don't have to force the snip into the rockwool. After the snip is in the rockwool gently sqeeze the cube to press the rockwool against the rooting area of the snip. I refill my cubes with ph balanced water after I place them in the bin. The plastic serves no practical purpose and should be removed. I cut my cubes from slab, 2" x 2".