Refrigerated clones?

Has anyone tried keeping clones in the fridge rooted or otherwise?

I've got a unruly sativa dominant strain it's taken a fair stretch so I cut all the tops back to the next node.
15 hrs later I can see in the bag the tops hadn't wilted in the sealed bag, this got me wondering how long they could be kept like that without water then successfully root?

I've now got the tops I cut down and put into a tuperware box that I've put in the fridge???
I've also got a thin stem sucker in a measuring cap sitting in water in the bottom tray?

Has any RIU members tried this?
was it successful?
how long is the maximum time I can keep them then successfully root?

Has anyone messed around with stalling/storing clones in the fridge it would interesting to hear how they got on?

I'm not up for looking after clones through a flowering period, I've not got the facility's one they start growing so I need to stall them some how.

I've got other clones I've taken 3rd week into 12/12 for the reasons above.

At the end of the day work or not I enjoy the trying and the experimenting

Try it

Let's see if it works

BobThe420Builder said:

Try it

Let's see if it works

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I am, if it's successful I'll report it.

Do you care to make a prediction?

1 week

SnidleyBluntash said:

1 week

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Thanks it's refreshing not to hear something like this just being written off.
I'm aiming for 3/4 weeks to start with then I'll take it from there, 4/5 weeks of stalling would be perfect.

Still well reviveable at 36 hrs.

Id assume the plant would react much in the same way flowers do.

And now having made that correlation, here is a good read on how they store flowers commercially for wholesale, which may give some good tips/tricks to increase longevity of your cuts:


Id expect at least a week or 2 of life, if not longer. The question though, is how well will it be able to root, the longer its been cut/kept cold.

The whole point of cooling the cuts would be to slow metabolic processes. So it likely can't root while cold. Meaning you'll have to pull the cuts out and have them at room temp in order to root them. But since the cut will have decayed slightly, and the metabolic processes will have to come back to life, its likely that by the time the cut is physically able to start rooting, it would be too decomposed internally to do so...

That would be my theory, but its a great idea and something that should be experimented with non the less. Id assume that the longer its kept cold, the harder it will be to achieve a successfully rooted clone.

I've kept cuttings in the fridge for over a month and they were fine. I put them in a zip lock bag and puffed them with air and sealed them. They'll last a long time like that.

Kndreyn said:

I've kept cuttings in the fridge for over a month and they were fine. I put them in a zip lock bag and puffed them with air and sealed them. They'll last a long time like that.

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Did you find any sort of problems with them rooting and did you get a good strike ratio?

Star Dog said:

Did you find any sort of problems with them rooting and did you get a good strike ratio?

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Re cut the stems with new sterile blade. Only concern I've had with clones. Fresh meat is best.

Star Dog said:

Did you find any sort of problems with them rooting and did you get a good strike ratio?

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No problem with them rooting at all. It was like they were fresh cut. When I cut them to store them, I left an extra node so I could make a fresh cut when I rooted them. I'm not sure it that mattered to not. Maybe I'll experiment with that. Actually I have some cuttings I'd like to store now because I'm pretty full right now and want to keep some I just put in to flowering.

Kndreyn said:

No problem with them rooting at all. It was like they were fresh cut. When I cut them to store them, I left an extra node so I could make a fresh cut when I rooted them. I'm not sure it that mattered to not. Maybe I'll experiment with that. Actually I have some cuttings I'd like to store now because I'm pretty full right now and want to keep some I just put in to flowering.

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I've got cuttings taken atm I was just playing around for the sake of experimentation, now I can't help wonder how long you could stretch that out to?
I'll leave them for 4/5/6/7/8+ week periods and see how it goes, I've got a bit clearing to do so testers will be plentiful
Thanks for your input it's very helpful.

As you do this you could consider adding something to the cut zone to act as some kind of protection to the cut. Like honey or rooting gel or something.

Kndreyn said:

I've kept cuttings in the fridge for over a month and they were fine. I put them in a zip lock bag and puffed them with air and sealed them. They'll last a long time like that.

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At what temperature did you keep them?

Keesje said:

At what temperature did you keep them?

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I didn't measure the temperature, just threw them in a little apartment sized fridge I have in my studio in my garage.

A word of caution for anyone experimenting with this, after you put them in the fridge don't remove them from the bag to look at or photograph, i think I fkd up taking the clones out of the fridge to photograph, with them being cold moisture formed around them?
I've taken steps to combat mould thanks to advise from @MICHI-CAN but it could easily have been avoided by just leaving them.
It might make no odds but trapped moisture is never good I'll update in future.
I've taken some others bagged and they'll be left until I'm ready.
I'll update in future.

In the cold, the humidity will be higher, what rh should you be looking for at fridge temps?

SnidleyBluntash said:

In the cold, the humidity will be higher, what rh should you be looking for at fridge temps?

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The % will be higher the actual moisture will less thumbs

Star Dog said:

The % will be higher the actual moisture will less thumbs

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I would use hygrometer. Old school mechanical with a needle and dial to find the RH. No condensation damaging your fancy digital. Adjust temp up or down to dial it in. A small obstruction may be needed in the ducting between freezer fan and the fridge. Its that square tube over the fan at back of freezer. Duct opening is at bottom. I half blocked mine to keep lettuce for a month with a piece of stryrofoam cut to fit. Blue board.

Kndreyn said:

I didn't measure the temperature, just threw them in a little apartment sized fridge I have in my studio in my garage.

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But was it above or below 32 Fahrenheit?

Keesje said:

But was it above or below 32 Fahrenheit?

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It was above 32°. Just regular refrigerator setting. Probably between 35° and 40°.