Simple, effective propogation from cuttings (CLONES)

I see folks using cloner machines and running into all kinds of problems/low success rate.

This has been my method long before playing with MJ. It's simple, it works. 100% success for prbly 2 yrs now. Never waste.

Here it is.. I will be using rapid rooters.. not my fave, but they work well for sending to patients... My preferred Oasis cubes dry out on folks too quickly.

Start by soaking your rapid rooters in water ph'd to 6.5.. I mix in .35ml/gal of Dyna Grow 9-3-6.


using a wooden skewer, poke a hole through the whole plug... easier for the stem to get through..


Find yourself a nice branch to cut from... number of nodes and length of cut is all preference.. remove the bottom 2 or 3 nodes..


Using a razor at an angle, scrape away the "skin" of the stem that will be in contact with the plug.. then dip and swirl into your Dip nGrow solution, swirl for 8 seconds..


Pop it in the plug with the bottom just short of being exposed out of the bottom


Cut all of the fan leaves back.. taking about 70% of the leaf blade. I like to leave the very top/smallest leaf.



sit it in your prop tray... you can get a layer to hold your plugs, based on there size.. with oasis or rockwool (do not recommend RW) you can just sit it in the tray, no insert.
Use colored straws to mark you varieties.. mist, then add the dome.


For best results, sit on a heat mat... under t8 lighting, lay a paper towel over the dome to both filter the air and difuse the light... this makes a HUGE difference. Cuts LOVE diffused light and hate direct light, even t8 or t5 at a good distance is too harsh. a close up t8 bulb with paper towel cover is best. I have tried many many ways.



I put a little water in the tray low enough level to not touch the plugs... after 3 days they will need water.. then about every other day after that... remove dome after about 5-7 days and water daily...

With a little extra water at cutting.. i can root in oasis cubes with only 1 visit to the cuts over thar period.
Make cuts,mist... after 5 days... water heavily in the tray, dump off run off, spray lid of dome, replace..
come back 3 days later and transplant cuts.. doesn't get easier than that.

That is it, pretty simple. I MUCH MUCH prefer oasis cubes. You only have to water 1/2 as much and they hold more air...

FIN

Good idea, but seems like too much work Kudos for finding a method that works for you. I don't know of anyone having severe issues with their cloners; I have a very near 100% rate with my clones, and I grow so many I'm usually tossing some away because I don't have space for them. I always ensure I have extras of all my strains.

-spek

I cut em and powder them with number 3 hormone stick em in peet pods and put them in tote on top of a layer of damp potting . soil, mist and cover. Pretty close to 100% strain dependent. Oh and there is a seedling mat under the tote. I havent done clones since switching to hydro but think a bubbler will be the next thing i build, i was going to use clear tubing to support them in trays. Has anyone tried it?

spek9 said:

Good idea, but seems like too much work Kudos for finding a method that works for you. I don't know of anyone having severe issues with their cloners; I have a very near 100% rate with my clones, and I grow so many I'm usually tossing some away because I don't have space for them. I always ensure I have extras of all my strains.

-spek

Click to expand...

I know 3 members on here pretty well who have issues with the machine... under 50% success.. I might send 'em your way if you don't mind..

Yeah, I see many folks having much success with cloners, but many with low success rate.
I made this thread specifically to share with one person who has seen less than 50% success with the machine.

I like low tech methods in general... there are MANY ways to do this.. Here is one..

You want simple? sit a cut in a glass of water AWAY from any fans... wait 10 days, put it in the ground.
That is simple and effective. I've done many times..

I don't think you could call this "MY" method.. it is just sort of the 101 method. People been doing this one for a loong time.

That said.. I think the issue most have with the machine is cleaning it..Clean the hell out of it after each use and grow fungal resistant varieties.. problem solved, most likely.

The same goes with this.. scrub every inch of your tray and dome with soap and water after and before each use.. you are creating a mold wonderland... if clean, the cuts will prosper before the mold gets a chance.

Another thing... with my tests.. Dip N Grow is the only clone gel.powder.mix that has shown to work better than plain ol' water.
Any powder, gel or other brand I have tried had slower rooting than just plain ol water.. this was per label instructions..
Gels had the lowest success rates..

I went with just water for a while.. i just picked up a bottle of DnG for $10.. lasts me at least 1 year.. cuts maybe 36 hours off the rooting time when using plain water dips..

If it were not for the fact that DNG costs less than 1 dollar per month to keep cuts for 3 grow rooms and an outdoor wholesale plant nursery.. i wouldn't even bother.

You could make thousands of cuts from one bottle...even with the waste (leftover solution when done) included. With no waste..prbly 20,000 cuts..for $10
That said.. plain ol ph'd water does almost just as well. even w/o ph'ing, works just fine.

For the most part.. cloning solutions, powders, gels etc with MJ are just another chance to pick our pockets (Hydro retail).. some plants do not root nearly as easily and these rooting hormones can be the difference between success and no success. MJ though, shit roots as easy as it grows.. Not up there with your invasive plants (mint) but easier than most soft woods, ime..

Any way that works for you is a damn good way to do it... Anyone who has a method they feel works great and might help others, please, post it here.. pics are always good too.. machine, dome, or even No Wilt spray... whatever you got, share.

Here is a great recent tek I made.. THC vaping liquid.. extremely efficient hash consumption.
A Gram of hash can keep you high for many weeks with this method.. Me personally... prbly 8 wks with 1 gram of hash.. 24/7 high.

https://www.rollitup.org/concentrates-extracts/740152-propjoe-juice-propylene-glycol-thc.html

Nice tutorial hank. Will be trying this soon.

I think one of the biggest pros to cloning with your method is sharing. I've always had trouble cloning so I bought a machine then realized after the fact that I had no clue how I would go about gifting a clone with bare roots

I think one of my pitfalls is dialing in on the right moisture level in the medium.

I like the paper towel idea. I've always used a 26w cfl about 1 1/2 ft away. Might be another reason I haven't had much success.

I'll keep at it. Eventually it'll click.

When you take your cuts do you use those to replace the mother or do you keep the original mother indefinitely?

I keep the original mother for about 8 months or so. just depends..
After about 6 months.. you have a plant that can produce TONS of clones..

An important part about mother pres and clone production is always moving your mother to just a little bit larger pot, or root pruning, to keep your mums in good health. Poor root health = poor plant health.

I will make a mother preservation tutorial soon.

Basically, after you take your cuts... the pruning theory behind setting up your plant to produce another flush in a timely manner.
It's pretty simple, but keeps things rolling in your garden.
A huge advantage is seen when keeping a mother that gives 20+ cuts under 2 ft tall... It's all about your pruning method. i am a big fan of bonzai mothers.. I don't have room for 4 ft tall mothers. Most of my mums stay under 2 ft tall, that is 2 ft WITH the container height included. My average mum produces 12-15 cuts and is 2 ft tall at the day I cut it.. If I need more (usually do) I just keep multiple mums.. near the 1 year mark, there is 1 full ft of spacebetween the soil line and beginning of plant growth. so , you lose the low profile over time.

Yes, I agree, Rapid Rooters are great for sharing cuts. Oasis cubes, I LOVE for myself... they fall apart with handling though..

HeartlandHank said:

I know 3 members on here pretty well who have issues with the machine... under 50% success.. I might send 'em your way if you don't mind.

Click to expand...

I don't mind at all. Here's a couple pics I just took. I usually plant at about day 14-16, and the roots range from 14" to 21" by that time. I don't do anything special. They are in a small veg area I put under my bar... simply some mylar stapled and velcro'd up with five CFLs (four 6500k and one 2700k) situated in three 'Y' adaptors inside of a piece of 12" silver ducting I cut in half.

I usually add a 1/4 gallon of pH'd water every couple of weeks and that's the overview of maintenance. Snip, dip, put in neoprene, drop in cloner. Done.

Note on my cloner I cut the bottoms off of the net baskets (as seen in pic 2 below) for obvious reasons.

1) clones in various stages of growth from 9 days, 5 days and 12 hours
2) ones at the back are 9 days, middle are 5 days and the ones with no roots are from last night
3) my mothers (back and right), and new moms (two small ones on the left are Chemdawg, clones planted last night, the three small ones shaped in an 'L' beside them are 5 day planted Jack Herer).



-spek

ps. From clone, I plant in these mediums: soil, hydroton or perlite. They then go straight into flower. All my flowering plants are in 2L "Hempy" buckets. The soil ones grow the fastest/largest, but clay is my favourite as I can easily reuse it. Perlite, I'm not going to use anymore. All Moms stay in soil only.

^ Yeah dude... nice setup.

No problems with fungi?