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Took 6 clones off my plant. My main intention was to clone for sex, but I figured I would just do that with one, and potentially keep the other 5 if it turns out fem. If its a male, I can concentrate on my other 3 seedlings that just sprouted. Ill try to get some pics up tomorrow, my digi cam is out of batteries right now.
If youve seen my grow log..thats the plant I cloned. Tips, advice, etc. is totally encouraged, and well appreciated! I need all the input I can get.
Thanks everyone! :D
Are you using a dome or a cloner?
just a tray with a humidity dome. I got it under 2 really low wattage flourescent lights. I think theyre cfls, but im not too keen on bulbs. I know my grow tent has an hps, but thats not really good for clones. I made a little shelf room thing for the clones too. Lined everything up with reflective mylar or visqueen, not sure which one I got. I think its mylar, though.
I noticed this morning when I did my usual plant check that the clones look somewhat droopy. Is that normal? I read that for the first week, clones may look a bit wilty and droopy, but usuallly perk up in the 2nd to 3rd week. After a week or two I want to put one clone in 12/12 to sex the plant I cloned from. The plant I cloned from is growing really, really well, so I wanna make sure its a fem because its getting lots of attention.
I dont have a heating mat or anything for the bottom of my tray..is there anything I can do for that? Maybe bring the tray outside for a little bit during the day to warm up the roots?
You dont want them outside. Droopy can become a problem. Pics would be great actually..
Did you cut the leaves in half? You have to make sure its humid inside the dome since it doesnt have roots for water intake. You need to keep the rootzone warm for sure. I dont have a heating mat either but this is what I do. I set up my clone dome above my flowering tent ballast. It keeps it nice and warm. When the ballast is off I put a lamp under the clone dome and the bulb heat keeps it warm. Warm rootzone is important for proper and quick rooting.
Yep, I cut the older leaves in half to lower transpiration. The only ones I didnt snip were the fresh new growth on the clone tops.
I wanna take pics but I cant find any batts, and im broke til I get paid tomorrow. So those will have to wait til tomorrow night.
Ive definitely been misting the inside of the dome to keep it humid. It looks like im doing everything correctly but maybe once you see pics youll point things out that I missed or dont know about yet.
About the ballast...mine feels pretty warm..dont you think it would be a hazard to have the plastic tray sitting on it? especially in moist cubes. the tray has a small hole at the bottom of each cell..so I would be paranoid about moisture coming down and into the ballast. I could imagine the dangers that would bring.
yo jedi. i use the same method for cloning my ladies. the problem you talked about where you were having drainage hole issues can be solved by simply buying a second tray that doesnt have holes in it and putting it underneath the first one. I do this. and also, if u want good humidity, i like to ducktape the edges of the dome to the tray. this makes it airtight and allows evaporated water to build up when its under the light. my cloans root in 5 days and i get around 100% rootage
really? wow, my clones are pretty lame looking hah. I dunno whats up with em. the root cubes n tray are warmed up and the humidity is good, but I dunno what else to do with em.
I saw this and took some Sunday, and thought I'd comment. I did mine (see thread let the cloning begin) with round, rockwool plugs. I took a peek inside to see what was going on with a couple. The split I put in the stem and coated with gel has healed, and there are small white root numbs beginning. I had some leaves yellow, I nipped them off. There are areas where new growth is showing (it looks like pistils starting) on some. Generally, they are green where they should be, and I'm not all that concerned with the yellowing leaves since the clones are from new growth areas on clones taken during flowering, and were reaching the end of their time. Besides, where I pinched off a yellow leaf, there was new growth showing at the node. Hang in there, they will root. :cool:
did you actually take the clone out of the cube to see the roots growing? im just checking the outside of the cubes to see if theyre rooting. I was just gonna clone for sex, but the plant has pistilsQuote:
Originally Posted by gypski
hmm...it wouldn't let me finish my post. anyways, the plant hose clones came from just started showin tons of fem preflowers, so now im just cloning to keep a steady flow of plants to harvest. Im kinda suprised there are pistils showin while there arent any alternating nodes, and im also still on an 18/6 photoperiod. guess its not that suprising.
I just opened it up a little, like I said, I use round start plugs that are split 1/2 way, so you can open them up and one moved but I just put it back where it was. Still going good. :D And, yes, rootech is my gel of choice. :thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by halfassedjedi
hmm, weird. Yeah, I checked on em this morning and theyre lookin worse. Yesterday looked like I was gonna have about 50% success rate. Its lookin more like 20%. Only one or two of em looks anything close to decent. The others just look like theyre slowly wilting away.
Ive been misting the humidity dome frequently and making sure the cubes are moist, not soggy. I dunno, maybe I dont have enough experience with cloning. This was my first time doing so, but I felt like I read just about everything on cloning. Eh well, we'll see what happens within the week I guess. :wtf:
I took appx. 25 pics just now to let you guys see whats up with plant 1. Its now appx. 22" tall, lots of growth, and also female preflowers (pistils, etc.) and alternating branches finally. Only problem is, I got the mystery yellowing going on and I dont know why. I dont think its overfertilized, because I only feed about once a week with a diluted 12-6-6 fert. Temp is ok, appx. 75 degrees, with normal humidity. Adequate air flow/circulation, etc. Ph is about 7.0 going in, which is fine. I havnt been able to test the runoff because I rarely allow for much runoff...suppose I should, maybe thats the problem?
I also have another seedling that sprouted a bit ago, plant 2. Plant 2 is fine so far, no biggie, just a nice looking seedling.
I also have two other seedlings that just sprouted, plant(s) 3, and 4. Plant 4 is totally funky looking, it started growing sideways and ive got it growing towards the light now in the opposite direction in hopes of training the plant to grow straighter. All I did was rotate the pot it was in (I do about 1/4 to 1/2 turn a day for all plants to make sure light penetration is as even as I can get it) and it started doing what I wanted it to do. The reason it started growing all funny is that after it just barely sprouted, it had a hard time getting the seed shell off one leaf, causing a stunt in growth.
ANYWAYS...pics!
..since the max is 5, im gonna have a few posts here with just pics. endure it!
Also, cant figure out the macro setting on this digi cam, so they didnt come out that great. Sorry!
But..can you see the yellowing? Leaf tips curling?
I will have a TS form filled out for you properly in a bit.
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Heres some shots of my younger plants I got going right now. The last pic is the one that had a hard start with the seed shell stuck on one of its first leaves. You might be able to see how it was growing sideways, and is starting to grow evenly now that I changed its position in relation to the light.
so here, you get to see my terrible clones in all their glory. Theyre droppin like flies. Dunno why.
I think one problem may be your light is too close to the dome and its getting too hot in there, and they can't take the heat. No more the 75 degrees inside the dome or without the dome. I'm not using a dome, mine have yellowed lager leaves, which is normal because they are keeping the clones alive. I kept my T5 about 6"-8" the first few days. Now its closer, still some yellowing, but there is new growth and the majority are staying green. Starting week two, and they should begin to progress. :twocents:Quote:
Originally Posted by halfassedjedi
Those bulbs dont get hot at all..theyre only 34watts. But I could try to get them further. The only reason theyre so close is I wanted to heat the rooting medium, so I hung the tray above the HPS ballast I use for my other plants.
Here are two shots of what I'm trying to clone. You can see they aren't what I would call mature stems, but smaller lower stems on my ladies on another thread. They're not what I'd call perky, but they are rooting. the larger leaves are keeping it going that's why they are yellowing. As they yellow, I remove them. This is week two beginning today. I don't know if you can see the new growth or the smaller growth areas that are alive and kicking!!! Once they take, they will be bushes!!! :pimp:
wow, nice! You didnt cut any of those excess leaves off to lower transpiration?Quote:
Originally Posted by gypski
Nope, I'm just letting them yellow, and once 90% yellow, nipping them off. They've done their job. Now, its up to the cutting. Only the strong suvive and that's all I want. Strong, vibrate, lushy, plants!!! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by halfassedjedi
Yeah, I dunno if it was you or someone else, but someone said "the ones that dont survive are wusses" and I thought that was a good attitude.Quote:
Originally Posted by gypski
Just to see what happens, I put four in a humidity dome I made out of a large baggie. I put four on a round plastic lid from a Folgers coffee can and put the baggie over them. Now, I'll see how they respond compared to the four without a dome this second week. I misted them pretty good and the plugs are wet so I won't bother them for a couple days. :cool: :rasta:Quote:
Originally Posted by halfassedjedi
hate when people do this, but....BUMP!
OK let me see if I can go at some of this. I've seen your clone pictures. Hmm... not pretty but you will get there. First off, I know you want a heat source but I would not use the ballast. That is just asking for trouble. I know others do it but, well, it's not very good practice. Make sure that dome is tight. You want constant humidity and heat. fluctuations hurt the clone as much as anything. Note that I am no cloning expert. I've only started doing it again after a few years away from growing. Here we go:
Your Equipment:
.1) Type and wattage of lights. I think its a 400w HPS with a hydrofarm reflector hood.
.2) Distance from tops? About a foot-2 feet.
Are you using this light for cloning too? You would be better off with some CFLs or a florescent tube of some sort. Too much light for the clones. If you need to use the 400w move it up a few feet or place a piece of white paper over your dome to shield the clones..
.6) What are the bulb wattages, kelvin ratings, and schedule? I think its a 400w HPS, not sure on the kelvin rating..photoperiod right now is 18/6.
You want to get this right for the clones. You want more blue. Either an MH or better just some florescent tubes. You just want to get them going. Then move them to the big light.
Your medium:
.7) Specific brand and type of soil. Regular old potting soil with about 1/3 perlite, maybe less.
More perilite please. 2 part soil to 1 part perlite.
10) Source of water? (tap, bottled or filtered) What's it's ph before adjusting? I have been using distilled H2O, storebought..ive had to use some tap water the past couple weeks, though. Ph about 7.0 going in.
Is this true for your clones? I believe you want it about 6 until they root but check this.
2 parts soil to 1 part perlite is 1/3 dude. perlite, soil, soil. a third of perlite, and two thirds soil.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigsby
I dont use the hps for the clones, I use 2 34watt tubes.
Doh... that fatty hit the spot.Quote:
Originally Posted by halfassedjedi
:thumbsup: youre always aces anyways bigsQuote:
Originally Posted by bigsby
So this was peculating in the back of my mind today. I did a bit of reading to see if my memory is still working. The brain is definitely calcifying...
You want the clone water to be between 5 - 6. Also, try starting with smaller clones with stems @ 3" - 5" and very little leaf area. They don't need a lot of leaf to feed root growth. Smaller/few leaves means less work for the plant while roots take. Plus fix that humidity dome.
Just to update on the clones progress, a lot of the larger leaves have yellowed, and some of the smaller ones have yellowed. They are looking a little a little ragged, but hopefully they will make it. No different really then how their mother's were started. there was a lot of growth on most of the clones, and that may be part of why they are getting a little ragged. I backed them away from the light a bit, and see how the next few days go. I looked at a couple, and there are small root hairs developing. Next time, I may rig up a humidity dome when I try to clone cuttings with a lot of small foliage. :smokin:Quote:
Originally Posted by gypski
what exactly do you mean by fixing the humidity dome? making some vents or something?Quote:
Originally Posted by bigsby
You want the humidity dome to be pretty snug. It looked to me like their was air flow into / out of from the sides and bottom. Perhaps I am mistaken? Dome on for first 4 - 6 days. Breath them for 15 minutes / day. Once they show new growth you should remove the dome pretty soon thereafter. Not all at once though.
Here is what mine look like after 10 days. And you can see the yellowing that I mentioned. And some of their company. The burning on the bigger plant is from nute stressing it and its coming out. It has great growth coming up from the middle, she's a beauty!!! :D
Nice bushy plants man keep up the great work.:thumbsup:
Those yellowing ones look to be wanting a nice big pot to sit in. Get them in some 1 gallon pots, quick!
Also, is that carpeting I spy under your plants? You might want to cover that with plastic. A few spills and you'll have yourself a nice grow environment for mold...
I'm going to put them in cups in the next couple of days. Its been on my mind for a couple of days. Cups for a week or until they start growing again, and then up. When these things take, they will grow roots quick in a cup, about a week.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigsby
Yeah, I do things with them outside the closet mostly and I'm extra careful with liquids. :thumbsup:
well, most of my clones died off. I tried all the advice given and everything ive read and researched but it didnt really work out. I took the best looking one and put it in soil. I checked to see if it was rooting, and I saw the white bumps where roots on clones begin, so I popped it back into the root cube real fast and put that back in soil. I got a few other plants going, so im not too bummed about these clones, since it was after all my first time cloning. I can take a couple more and try again sometime im sure.
When taking clones, is it best to take clones that have alternating branches/nodes/whatever you call them?
I believe from memory that its best if they have at least 3 nodes. You can use any branch, sprout, growing area and clone it. The smaller the better, not too big, and not too little, and as you can see, I'm trying mine with multiple growth areas and they are just small starting branches off the lower stem. And I intend to take more from this same area, and maybe using a dome on some and none on others. A control so to speak. :thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by halfassedjedi