Share your cloning secrets

[Razer]

Hey friends, I need your help. This is my second year growing and I have had some pleasing successes. This year I invested a few thousand in upgrades. Now I am ready to overgrow! The weak part in my game has been cloning. Although I have cloned around 50 so far, I have had varying rates of success. From 100% to 30%. I realized that heat had been a major problem inside. Was causing plants to prostrate. And I also had a over-moist problem causing wilt. Now I take care of the babies in my master bath where I can mist them several times a day. Here's what I am doing.

1) Leaching mothers few day prior to cloning
2) I use a dilute "Thrive Alive w/ B-1" and dip plugs.
3) Make the cut at 45 deg. and immediately put stem in Thrive solution.
4) Treat plug with "Clonex"
5) Strip the outer layer with 1-2 internodes to be below suface.
6) Place them in a humidity dome under a flouro.
7) I use a heating mat for starts to help develop roots quickly.

I have had ups and downs percentage wise, but I am convinced there is a better way. I need to consistently have about 20 starts a month healthy and ready to restock flower room. Can you suggest improvements? Anybody got any secrets to share?

Thanks All! :cool:

[vlad the inhaler]

I have cloned in just plain old water, no fertz or anything no hormones just a cup of water, put near a regular hosehold lamp and in a week and a half to two weeks theres a bunch of new roots! and I plant that in soil what I have noticed is that the new clones do not! like alot of light at first, sunlight made them flop right over and having flouros an inch or two obove did the same but when i put them in, indirect light for a week or two they took root and became normal healthy plants, for me the only problem I have had was too much light at first! they went from flopped and dead looking too happy healthy lil plants! just by giving less light! :D

[KanMan]

Keep the light as close as possible.

Good Growing!

[king cola]

sumwhere sumtime ago i heard of sumone who cloned cuutings in a small soil tray holding a few clones in then a polythene bag placed around it and then blown up with human breath(to get co2 and a nice humid atmosphere to stop excessive transpiration)and then the tray and bag placed sumwhere reasonbly light but not to bright and where the roots cud get warmed by warming up the soil eg by placing on a radiator or top of a boiler in the light u get the idea. i have never tried this but it all seemed logiacal and sensible.Also using neccesary hormones and no ferts.

happy cloning

[Razer]

Thanks Y'all, I am interested in hearing as many techniques as possible. Especially those in successful practice at the moment. I would like to make about 40 per month. I have done up to 12 at a time. Just want more consistency with good results.

Hey, anyone got any good links on the topic or book references? :cool:

[bonbon]

whats up razer,i do it almost the way that you do,except i dont use a heating pad,and i make sure that all the tools and stuff are very clean,(i wash everything with alcohol first)could it be that the heating pad is making them transpire?i use room temp(mid70s)and i keep the cubes just slightly damp,seems like they grow roots faster when i water them less,after a few days i give them a 1/4 dose of bloom fert,and they take off....bonbon http://www.simplyhydro.com/cuttings.htm

[Razer]

Shazam, could be the extra heat from the pad. I have been doing a search on google and coming up with some good ideas for improvement. Seen some methods for keeping the room filled with fresh cycles.

So far, I think the problem for me has been too hot in the grow room for clones. Near 80* all the time the lights are on. So , I moved them to the bathroom, where I can check them several times a day. The other problem is that maybe I have not been cutting big enough starts. Usually I have left one or two internodes below the surface and one set above. Also I would cut the leaves back to inhibit transpiration. Now, I will try larger cuttings and leave the leaves alone.

I also had not been fond of the sponge type plugs I have been using. I know that rockwool is real popular and I saw someone using a 50/50 mix perlite and vermiculite.

I will keep you all posted of me efforts and results. :cool:

[MickShaw]

Don't forget to smoke a joint and blow smoke on the clones as your making them. It helps promote new growth in the plant ;)

[Razer]

Thanks Y'all!

[trippruss]

what i do is get a 40qt coleman cooler, a pane of glass that will cover it and a shoplight that holds 2-40w floros.put your cuttings in the medium in the bottom of cooler. leave room in cooler for a bowl or large cup, fill with hot water & place in bottom of cooler w/pane of glass covering the cooler place shoplight on top of pane. once a day take cup or bowl out of cooler adding more hot water & in 7-10 days you'll have clones. i'm having a 90%success rate this way only because whatever doesn't have roots in 10 days i pitch regardless of how nice they look. i can fit 20-30 clones in the with room for more

[trippruss]

btw the cooler method eliminates the need for misting completely

[Razer]

trippruss that's a way cool suggestion. I will give it a go. That's just the kind of stuff I'm looking for, better methods for better weed. There enough invested in my art that I might as well try to impove all the time and make it the best I can.

Peace and Pot from me and the Prince of Pot. :cool: