Cloning question

[ezygzy]

Hey, new to this board and I didnt see a cloning section so I'll go ahead and shoot here...

It IS possible to clone in damp perlite correct??

I have one plant that I cannot get to clone in soil OR straight water..its very indica heavy. I have an air layer branch in the works right now to test that, but I was wondering about straight perlite. Has anyone cloned in strictly perlite? if so please leave your comments!!!

ezygzy Reviewed by ezygzy on 07-27-2007. Cloning question Hey, new to this board and I didnt see a cloning section so I'll go ahead and shoot here... It IS possible to clone in damp perlite correct?? I have one plant that I cannot get to clone in soil OR straight water..its very indica heavy. I have an air layer branch in the works right now to test that, but I was wondering about straight perlite. Has anyone cloned in strictly perlite? if so please leave your comments!!! Rating: 5

[PharmaCan]

Explain step-by-step what you are doing to take your clones, including what you are feeding the mother plant in the week before you cut the clones, and let's see where you problem lies. The medium is not the most important part of getting a clone.

PC :jointsmile:

[sizzlasia]

Man.. I thought cloning was going to be impossible becuase it sure looked that way with all the narly detailed descriptions I read

BUT

I cloned using just rooting hormone and cutting the cutting at an angle and skimming some of the outside layer on the bottom 1/2 inch and have had two successful clones no problem

Also I used a blank CD case cover as a humidity dome leaving it uncovered every once in a while.. no super perfect pattern and everything went well

Also I just used my regular mix for growing and kept it pretty wet but not soaking..

[ezygzy]

See I quit growing for a few years, and before that I'd just feed with 20-20-20 and the next day or 2 later I'd snip at a node at a 45 degree angle, dip in powder rooting hormone, and put it in dirt.

This year things are stressing me out cloning. I have taken about 25+ branches and I've had 3 live so far. I have about 10 that I was trying to root in pure water but its taking too long- only one made it to soil, so I took the rest of the snips out of water, dipped in hormone and put in perlite. I mist about 2-4 times a day depending on how hot it gets.

I have one plant that is mostly indica, and it just will not clone anyhow so far. They've all died. I got one off another plant and 2 off the mostly sativa dominant bush.

Pic below is the giant sliding glass door I've got the clones inside. As you can see I have all those clones and only one in soil thats rooted so far. I have a big ass rubbermaid container I use as a humidity dome which I lifted for the pic, but like 3 have already died out of those pictured.
Nevermind the one thats circled its my only male snip and I did that for another thread on another board.

Thanks alot for the replies already, I appreciate it!

[PharmaCan]

Well, you've got the major steps down right, more or less.

I feed my mother plant pure h2o for about one week before I cut the clones. This creates an N deficiency which makes the clone put out roots faster.

I use rapid rooters and a humidity dome - but you were using a dome and the cutting really doesn't care that much what it's in at first because it doesn't have any roots so it doesn't much matter.

I also use Clonex and mist the clones a couple times a day. I have about a 98% success rate soooo.....

Here's a photo of some Indica roots seven days after the clone was cut.

PC :smokin:

[ezygzy]

Here are pictures of the 3 mothers

The 2nd and 3rd ones got 'topped' by a deer or something. munched pretty good and cloning isnt an option on those ones anymore, but the one pictured in the first one is a branch master and yesterday a bad storm hit and peeled one of the biggest branches off, so i stuck it right in water (I usually soak them about a day until I hit them with hormone and put in a medium) But i'm done cloning her too.

I just hope I get a few survivors out of the ones that are inside right now, cause the plan is to put them into veg outside until Sept. 3rd when flowering hits my location. I hope they have time to get alittle weight on them by harvest.

[PharmaCan]

LOL - I wrote the last post while you were editing yours. Is the rubbermaid dome allowing enough light to get to your clones? They need less light than a regular plant, but some light none the less. I have 3 - 26w cfl's lighting a 2'x2'x4' cloning box.

PC:jointsmile:

[ezygzy]

Yeah they get enough light i believe. when the sun comes up, its direct light and it penetrates the container good enough for the leaves to respond. Its like clear-ish.

But even before I put them here, I was using an aquarium for a cloning station taking advantage of the lighting- and they were still dying.

[PharmaCan]

When they are dying, are they wilting and drying up? Is the stem rotting at the base? Are they turning moldy and rotting as they die?

PC :smokin:

[stinkyattic]

Direct sunlight is too much for clones.
You want them under flouros.
Consistent light schedule, consistent temps.
I keep mine under 24h light and constant temps.
The sunlight is probably heating up your dome WAY too mcuh. Plus they are transpiring water too fast.