Adventures in Cloning.... help please?

Hi guys! I am trying to clone some plants from my (large and bushy) new babies who are 3 wks. old. I've followed cloning instructions, did the cuts, the scraping, dipped in Clonex and put in pots to root. I'm a real cheapskate, so what I've done is put the clones in coco in solo cups, and am using plastic baggies over the tops as domes (they fit pretty good) with a stick in the cup to hold the bag off the plant (read about this method on another site). I have four little clones and put them in the dark bathroom to rest for the afternoon and night. This morning I misted the baggies and put them back on, and put the clones under my T5's with my other plants. The clones were nice and firm and hydrated when I put them in the light, but now 2 hours later, they are all laying on the dirt wilting. Aggg! I remisted them and put them back in the bathroom, no lights. What did I do wrong? The baggies are not sealed at the bottoms so a little air can get in... should I seal them with rubber bands or something to make them tight? (I'd open them up and mist a few times a day). Should I put them under a separate CFL light that's less intense? The temps have been between 75 and 80 deg. in either room.

Timely help will save these little tykes! (grovel grovel)

Very sensitive to heat till rooted. Use the coolest fluorescents you have for now, & not as close for the first few days, about 1/2. So what strain you going with for this grow? As long as they fit, I often cut the bottoms from 2lit soda bottles & use the tops as terrariums. The lid is a great help too, off & on again as condensation dictates. Don't be too disappointed if you loose some. All cuttings don't always take. Other than the hot light, you're doing good. I like your products. Another thing I do is set the solos in an aquarium with a sheet of plastic on top & a flourescent & throw in a thermometer. Gets too warm? Lift the plastic for a while then raise the light. Glad to see you're keeping up with this. Isn't it fun!?!? Did u re-veg anything from your first grow. I have a lot if fun cloning from re-veged momas. No guess work at harvest. You know what you have.
---- Always good to hear from you. Keep up the good work! :) ~~~ PEACE! ~~~

Hey catbuds! How ya doin', girl? Yeah, I thought I'd experiment with cloning to fill out my current grow, since I lost a few. I'm going with Chocolope, Tangerine Dream, and Blue Cheese. I had a Cannatonic, but it stayed short and whorled up like a gnarly ball. Really weird. Maybe a dwarf or bad genetics. I was hoping my widow and pineapple express would reveg, but they just sat there and grew no new leaves and the old leaves looked worse and worse. Oh well. Try, try again.

For the clones, I put rubber bands around the baggies (less air getting in) and moved the lights further away. I think I see them perking up. It kills me when people buy fancy schmancy $$$ doodads for cloning. I like my equipment better - found it laying around the house. :) I like the soda bottle terrarium idea. I may try that next time. When you reveged, did you trim the roots of your plants? I did mine, and I'm thinking it was a mistake. What else are you up to?

:stoned:

Hey girl! I once had one that deformed like that. It budded, but not heavily, but smoked great. Certainly didn't hand pollinate her though! Glad to see you didn't take those two too hard. All plants don't re-veg & all clones don't take. Yeah, trimming the roots, not a good idea. That can send them into shock just like transplant shock. So being just harvested & root pruning kinda gave them a double whammie. But its all good, live & learn. Once your clones show signs that they took, keep the rubber bands off & remove the baggies a little while each day, increasing that untill they're 'hardened off' because the sudden lack of humidity can make them wilt. Not always, but since it sometimes happens, why take the chance.
--- One if my favorite places for pots, veg seeds & soil EXPANDED! They now carry special supplies just for us! YEAH! So I'm going friday to pick up some T5 fluorscents, 1 1/2 gal pots & awesome soils & nutes. Yeah, I'll be doing my happy dance, probably slide down my cane like a stripper on a pole! They did give me some bad news on the phone though. Someone stole their big fat cat. Everybody loved Milo. When women sat their purses on the counter, he'd climb in them (litterly) & search for cat treats. I always stopped & got him a fish sandwich & let him find it in my huge pocketbook. I know as soon as I walk through the door I'll look over at the counter where he always sat. I hope that doesn't make me cry. :( Speaking of cats, both of mine HATE any flea product being put on them. Yesterday I frontlined everybody & got my ass whipped! Tigger bit me (38 lbs) & Sam kicked me & split my ankle open trying to get away. Sam's normal, 11 lbs. They're both maincoons, often quite large. Today Tigger was still in a mood & wasn't going to let Sam use the the litter pan. I saw this when I looked down the hall, & go in their room to stop Tiggers nonsense & help Sam out. I picked Sam up & sat him in the pan & before I could pull my hand away, Tigger tried to bitch slap Sam & missed & split the knuckle on my thumb TO THE BONE! He meant that for my sweet little gentle Sam! I was livid! I'm glad he got me instead of Sam. He'd have really hurt him! I nearly slapped him, but caught myself & sprayed him with water instead. Tiggers lucky. Sam's old & very special to me & I'm very protective of him. Not that I don't love Tigger too, but NOBODY hurts my Sam! So now I'm a wounded bloody mess. Sorry for the rant, guess I'm still really pissed at my cat! (But 38 lbs of young & healthy against 11 lbs of old & frail? Oh HELL no!) Tigger got his claws trimmed, now he's pouting. :( ~~~ PEACE! ~~~

Cloning is such a simple thing...I don't use baggies or any of that crap as it's not necessary at all. Ever heard the phrase KISS? Keep it simple silly! Everything must be clean and you must work fast as the more time a cutting spends in air, the less your chance for success. Cut clones, dip in rooting hormone, stick in solo or seedling cups or whatever...the ph is a little critical...keep it lower (5.8-6.2) and just stick the clone in the dirt, a little water to seal the deal and set em up on a shelf in the grow area somewhere warmish and dim light. Moisten soil slightly each day and it's all good. That's all I do and I have a near 100% success rate. They don't need DOMES. You're basically drowning and suffocating them, therefore they wilt and die. Try to keep things simple...and ez!

The dome creates a 'mini' greenhouse. Its purpose is to retain humidity & prevent humidity fluctuations. When a clone is cut it continues to transpire at the same rate as when it was attached to the plant, but it now has no roots for water uptake. That cut at the base of its stem takes up much less water than a root system. A drastic drop in humidity can seriously dehydrate a clone, sometimes causing its death. It won't drown unless you over water. See too much condensation? Open the dome/ baggie just a little untill it evaporates. Can you clone without the dome? Sure, as long as you have higher humidity than in the average home. But most of us don't. When you have a LARGE group of plants in a closely contained area, transporation raises humidity. When this isn't your situation, domes/baggies increase your success rate. :)

Glad we got our forum back!

Hi Tankjr. I've heard of others who don't use any dome. But you know, everybody has their own way. I researched and sort of reached a concensus, and most use some sort of cover. So far, they look to be still alive, and one of them is definitely feeling fine (taken from the most robust youngster I've ever seen, the Blue Cheese is about 9" tall but has a stem thicker than a pencil already and a ton of leaves.) I may try your way next time. Still experimenting! I do open the baggies several times a day and breathe into them and remist. So far, so good.

Hey catbuds! Sorry to hear about your misadventures with your coon-cats. They can be a handful, and a large one at that. My cousin has one that bit her and she had to go on antibiotics for a dirty bite. Still has the scar. I like cats, but I'm glad I don't have any now. Gave up my persian 'cause I grew more and more allergic each year (had him 10 years!). He's happier now with an owner who can snuggle him. Has no one returned the Fat cat? That's such a shame, I mean, that's low to steal someone's cat. :(

Clones are still alive. I know the blue cheese will make it (probably take kryptonite to take her out). I hope the chocolopes pull through and root. You know, since I've been curing the last grow, the buds really are improving in taste. The Pineapple express tastes much better now, and more pineappley. I'm definitely glad I tried cannabis medically. It's really helped with my back, my neuralgia, and is great for de-railing depression. I've been able to stop taking my prescription sleep aid, and my anxiety meds. My head is actually clearer than it's been in the last 3 years!

Ya'll take care now, hear?

Sounds like we have really similar issues. I nolonger take anti-depresents, anti-anxiety or prescription sleep aids. Hated the hangover the next day, & the shit just made me grumpy as hell. Not that I don't smoke for pleasure, herb's the love of my life, but with the right strains to suit your issues, there is no better meds on this earth. I try to choose a strain that gives an up lifting, energized high for mornings to help with depression, & a couch lock, narcotic type high for anxiety & insomnia. Beats the hell out of prescribed narcotics.
----I'm allergic to plant pollen (all) & all animal dander. I take 3 different pills for asthma & allergies, allergy shots, 3 different inhalers, & allergy eye drops. I'd have to do all that anyway because there's no escaping pollen, but it means I can keep my babies. Tigger's over his pout & was laying in the floor & I had to think to myself that he is as big as an English Springer Spaniel. Not just fat, but length & height. That's a lot of cat! Sam's 1/2 pursian & 1/2 maincoon, so he's normal in size, but with the rougher coat of a coon cat & he's the prettiest soild cream color you can imagine & as sweet & gentle as he looks. Tiggers the common silver tabby coon, handsome as hell. I have beautiful spoiled boys. Same goes for Tito, my little Jack (ass) Russell's terrier. Smooth coat, tiny variety, smaller than the cats. Too smart & stubborn for his owngood!
---- Glad the clones are doing good. Keep going the way you are & they should do well. As long as we've been talking, I don't think you would have the humidity to succeed without baggies or domes. One way to find out is to clone a tomato without cover in the same area where you clone your grow. I actually do this. A clone is chronologically as old as the mother plant, & you can have tomatoes a whole month earlier than with a plant from seed. I love clones. I clone EVERYTHING! I've never told the neighbors I do this with my tomatoes. I enjoy the astounded look on their faces! I usually clone in either 6 oz styrofoam cups or party cups, depending on the size of the clone. Then put the cups in an aquarium. Stabilizes the humidity.... & keeps the cats out! Chewed up clones usually don't survive! LOL!
---- Damned I'm long winded! :) ~~~~ PEACE! ~~~~

Have been watching your cloning deal, is a very important part of my deal, I try and keep it simple and cheap. But left dirt for oasis cubes, like tenacious jell rooting compound, use cover no dome(very leaky dome) to diffuse light**, water (distilled) every 6 hours have timer, reservoir sets under tray for drain out and has aquarium heater to maintain proper heat. This allows me to do couple of hundred in a small cabinet

Hey Ranger! I can't imagine doing a couple hundred clones! And I've never heard of oasis cubes. Is that only for hydroponic growers?

I still have 3 out of 4 clones. And they're looking pretty good. I've removed the rubber bands and have clipped a tiny corner of the baggies I'm using as domes so they can 'harden' gradually over the next week. Hopefully then I'll be able to take them out of the domes and give them more light. This has been a fun experiment and may be a really nice way to stretch my dollar.

Oasis foam is a brand name, so I probably shouldn't use it, wallyworld has floral foam in crafts dept(expensive sub). Foam is sold in sheets to fit nursery grow trays, even has holes for seeds of that is your thing. Have seen in grow stores but expensive, and I am camera shy. So it's the one thing I internet, it's a pain with all the sneaky-sneak, so I buy a case every three or four years.

Main thing to me, it's sterile, and holds water nice.Attachment 296005

I usually only do forty at a time for headquarters, which only takes maybe ten girls that are ready to go to the bloom room, but it's easy to increase the number of someone wants a sog.

Florist use it. Thats the green foam that hold flower arrangments in place. Most of the shops Ive worked in used 2-4 cases a week. I've had green arrangments start growing on me because everything rooted. I've even had the occasional rose take root, but that's usually depends on where the stem end was cut in relationship to location of a leaf node, & its kinda rare. Its especially good to use if you've had fungus issues. Its sterile & holds more water than a sponge.

Since you like trying new things, you might get a kick out of seeing roots growing out of the cubes. I still prefer a sterile soiless seed starting medium of spaghnum & perlite, but everybody's different, that's why there are choices out there. But I do agree with Ranger & think you should give it a try &decide for yourself.

I think I prefer a soiless seed starter too. I try and stick to soil-like mediums, it just seems more natural. Can I ask you about spaghnum? Do you prefer it over coco? I don't know anything about it. I've heard peat is too acid for mj. I've been at a loss to find a good seed starter - most store bought stuff seems to have food in it. The coco is ok, but has absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever. I've been trying to go between - mix coco with a little Ocean Forest. My seedlings grew like mad when I put them in the stuff a month ago. But they went through some weird reaction I haven't figured out. Grew like crazy, then one clawed up, one slowed way down and had brown leaf edges, and even the robust one had brown edges. I tried to be patient with them till old enough to feed, and they now seem to like the food and new leaves look good (occasional brown tip). They're not supposed to have food the first 2 weeks, and even looked like they had too much... or not enough. I'm still confused as to what was off.

Milled spaghnum has been shredded, sometimes ground. Better brands (especially in seed starter mixes) have been pH ballanced & stabilized. I don't care for coco. Bad experience with the one I got having enough salt to KILL. If you've found one you like, DONT CHANGE BRANDS, or you may wind up repeating my experience. Peat pots are bad because they loose that pH stability, cheaper stabilization process.
---- You had nute burn. Fox Farms ocean forest too rich for seedlings. I love it. Its what I transplant into about a week before 12/12, but I still cut it a little. 3 pts ocean forest, 1 pt pro-mix organic. Love pro-mix organic, but nutes aren't long lasting enough to see you through to the end. Only about 1/2 way. I use pro-mix standard as a seed starter for all plants, veg & floweres too. Mostly milled spagnum & perlite, no nutes, so no seedling burn. I start my seedlings off by watering with fish tank water, but it MUST be from an untreated tank. No meds or salt. I like the fact that there's low, non burning nutes & TRACE ELEMENTS here, but mostly growth hormones that encourage femininity. Gold fish (no tropicals) make the best tank water. If u have no fish, then I use Fox Farm Big Bloom diluted to 1/4 strength. Do either till seedlings are big enough to take nutes. Big Bloom seems to have the same growth hormones as tank water to encourage femininity, & that makes sense, since it also has sea bird guano in the formulation, & they eat fish.
---- Pro-mix is a nursery product that usually DOESN'T cater to what we grow, & you actually need a nute free seed starter because seedling roots can't actuall take it up at first, & they burn so easily. Thats why I use & recommend the pro-mix standard. And what I highly recommend to start them off good & healthy is the fox farm Big Bloom. Thats carried wherever ocean forest is carried. As soon as I get off my lazy ass & get some work done around here, I'll be posting more detail about this on my camper closet grow. Probably next week. Damned! This reads like a sales pitch! LOL! But I'm passionate about products I love. ~~~ PEACE! ~~~

Ok, cat knows her stuff. :joint1: But here is a dime bags worth, cloning, 1st- the cut, no scissors, brand new razor blade(treat it like a condom and get rid of it each session) 2- medium- stay sterile for first ten days then go to dirt(red solo cup) 3- light- diffused florescent(I go 24 on) 4- temp - tropical fish temp 5- misting, go easy mold. 6- water - distilled till roots appear, then you can play god.:jointsmile:

Cleanliness, you got that right Ranger. Keep a spray bottle of isopropal around your work area & clean your tools often. Nothing like prevention. While most plant diseases are fungal in nature, nothing will close the capillaries in a cutting faster than bacteria. & absolutely sterile medium, regardless of what it is. Here's a little something worth passing on. WHERE YOU GET YOUR GROWING MEDIUM! All packaged planting medium is sterilized where it's processed & packaged. But it can become seriously contaminated between there & your grow. Places like walmarts & hardware stores are retail stores, not horticulturalist. Most mediums are packaged in bags with tiny little holes to keep moist medium from going sour. I've seen both home depot & walmart have their bags outside sitting on the ground. The process of 'wicking action' will draw moisture from the ground into the bags, bring with it bacteria & a host of soil bourn plant diseases & if it rains while these bags are on the ground, that speeds up & multiplies greatly. Nurseries, florist & grow stores, however, ARE horticulturalist. They know about plant pathogens & will place their bags on pallets, or some other means to prevent contact with raw soil. So where you get your growing medium is very important. I know it cost more, but this is an instance where you get what you pay for. The same for nutes, but that another topic
---- So many posts have mentioned the importance of keeping cloning/grow areas clean, but not once have I seen mentioned how to avoid contaminated medium, & it's so VERY important. :) ~~~ PEACE! ~~~


P.S. Shame on you Ranger! We don't use dirt! We use SOIL! LOL! just playing with you !

Catbuds and Ranger - thanks so much for all the good info. I am making notes. I haven't tried pro mix organic - that's something I should look into. Also saw good review of Roots Organic. Will give them a try next go-round. The idea of putting some Big Bloom into the soil before planting seedlings is a good one when using soil-less mediums. I used Grow Big and Tiger Bloom last grow and am very happy with them. Adding worm-castings seems to be a good nutrient to add too.

I completely agree with watching where you buy your soil. The first soil I bought was full of gnats and really screwed my plants up early on in my last grow. The Ocean Forest I bought later at a horticultural store was much better. Have you ever tried the Light Warrior soil by Fox Farms?

Sorry if I'm slow in answering here, my computer is on the fritz and I think I may have to buy a new one. (ArrGgg!) They used to last longer, didn't they? This one's only 4 years old.

Love you guys! You're great!

Don't forget about the standard pro-mix. It has no nutes which makes it an excellent seed starter. This is what you want because seedlings nute burn so easily.
---- Here's the NPK on Big Bloom: 0.01-0.3-0.7. Doesn't sound like much, but that's not what we're after. It's all those luscious micronutrients, trace elements & enzymes. Use this for your grow from begining to end. & Tiger Bloom? If I liked it any more, I'd be drinking it! Its not just good, it's awesome! Untill my favorite supply store started catering to our type of grow, fox farm products we're hard to come by for me & I used products from 'spray & grow', which are great because they're organic, but not quite as good as fox farms.
----That first soil you bought, full of gnats, imagine all the nasty little microscopic pathogens that it was probably loaded with! I've never tried the Light Warrior soil. The owner of the grow supply store said ocean forest was better, so I didn't bother, & I trust his judgment (he has hort degree too & yrs of grow experience). Besides, he's a CAT LOVER! How could he be wrong!?!? LOL!........... & here's a funny story about big fat cat Tigger! I was sitting on the edge of the bed cross legged & bent forward sorting my mail which was on the floor. Tig had been sleeping behind me & I didn't realise he was awake & wanting a cuddle, so being a love butter, he head butted me in the back, HARD! Shoved me right off onto the floor! Took me 20 min to stop laughing, & another 10 to get up off the floor. He doesn't realize how big & strong he is, & he's butted many things over...... but I just never thought I'd be one of them! LOL!!!! :) :) :)

Oh my goodness - I have to see a pic of this giant cat of yours! How much bigger can he get before you can ride him? :P

Well vets say the average adult cat should weigh about 10-12 lbs. He's 38 lbs after being on a diet for 4 months! Draw back to the kitty ride..... my legs are longer than his! LOL ! :) :) :)