problem with clones, please help :o)

willyjack420

Active Member
Hey guys, took clones off of 8 week old parents 2 weeks ago. Total of 12 clones, 4 of which have been removed because their parents were males. I took the last male clone out a few nights ago and it had little roots growing out of its base. Anyways, I kept a humidifer in my veg room to keep humidity at 90% for the first two days, then the next 5-6 days I kept it at 80% and a few nights ago I shut it off and now just spray them with water because mold was growing on my walls!!! The three seedlings to the right are just bag seeds I'm playing with, but I just don't know whats up with the clones. They don't look too happy, any ideas? (ps: 6-8 inches from 40w fl and I've kept it on a 24/0 regimen, but have been thinking about turning to 18/6)


by the way - I cut all their leaves in half when I cloned them to reduce transpiration.
 

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mogie

Well-Known Member
Don't use a humidifer. That is a big no no. Use 16 oz. clear plastic cups as humidity domes. That way you can avoid the mold on the walls which should be cleaned off asap with a bleach solution.

Some varieties are easier to clone than others. There are Sativas that will sprout roots so easy, you can (almost) stick them in the ground and forget em. But then there are some early Indicas that you can baby and they will just sit there and starve to death. So there are a few things you have got to look at.

Help the roots grow. Figure out where the roots will grow on your cutting before you actually cut it. Keep this portion of the stem dark for a week or two by wrapping some tape around it. This is called "etiolation" and will encourage rooting. Make the cutting with a sharp anvil pruner or very sharp scissors, and sterilize them after each cut. A dull pruner will crush the stem and it will be harder for the roots to form. A razor blade will make an even cleaner cut, which will also help rooting, but don't blame me if you cut yourself. Try to make the cut at angle to increase the surface area it has to absorb water.

The plant needs air to help the roots form, but don't let any get in the stem. This will cut off the capillary action and make the poor cutting work harder. Immediately dunk the cut end in water or rooting solution to prevent this from happening. You could even take it over to the sink and make a second cut under running water if you're really worried about it. Leave it in the rooting solution for a day or so. If you just leave it in the water, you might get lucky and sprout some roots, but they really need some oxygen. You can actively provide O2 by aeration or passively aerate by using an airy medium.

Another thing that makes the cutting work harder is breathing itself. Use a plastic dome or humidity tent to limit transpiration and keep the medium from drying out, and. Half of a 16 oz plastic drink bottle fits right on top of a 3 inch clay pot. Another way to limit transpiration is to cut about half off of each leaflet. You will still have the same number of leaves on the stem, but the surface area has decreased. This also helps control fungus by preventing the leaves from contacting the dome or the medium.

The proper lighting is also important. Direct sunlight will heat the air in the dome too much, but they're not going to root in the dark either. Fluorescents are ideal for this. An HID is OK if it’s not too close, or you could even give them a bit of indirect sun from a window if you can keep them warm.

You’ve kept an eye on the pH and the nutes, and you see it’s starting to grow again, so its safe to assume that it has roots and you can remove the humidity dome. Occasionally a cutting may wilt a little at first, but give it a mist and it should perk up. If none of these tips help, either consider tissue culture or finding a different mother.
 

mogie

Well-Known Member
Definitely. Cold cuttings may never root. If the temperature at clone root level is under 65 degrees, you'll want to use a heating mat. Temps of around 75 to 80 are optimal.
Make sure they're firmly seated in the medium. If they are "too firmly" seated, you may have bent or broken the stem and stopped water uptake.

Make sure that the lights aren't too bright, fluoros are all that's needed. Next time, an anti-transpirant spray will greatly reduce wilting-- they form a waxy barrier that keeps water inside the cutting.


An internode is the place on the stem where the leaf (plus its stem)
intersect the main stem.

When taking a cutting you must cut it long enough to have at least one
trimmed internode under the medium. Try to take a cutting that is at least 3 inches long. I visualize where to cut first.

I'll cut the branch about a half inch below the node I plan on
being below the surface of the medium (more than one node can be under
the medium surface).

Once the cut has been made, I trim off all leaves and branches except the top two fan leaves and the growing tip of the branch. This will leave a nice stem for planting.
 

FilthyFletch

Mr I Can Do That For Half
Why are these not in a dome? And like Mogie said dump the humidifier.Go buy 4 dollar tray and dome cover from wal mart or home depot and a 7-10 buck garage shop light.That will make a gret clone environmet.Mogie gave you all the specs so keep it in those temps and in the dome and mist daily til ready to go.Did you use cloning gel or powder?
 

FilthyFletch

Mr I Can Do That For Half
Nodes underground isnt as important as most of the steps it does help promote bigger roots faster.I sometimes get a node in there but usually not.I have gone with taking my clone cutting the 45 degree cut on base then using my exacto knife to slit the stem about an 1/8 inch making 2 sites for new roots to grow from.Dont forget the gel or powder and if you can cut under watre to stop air bubbles and infection.
 

mogie

Well-Known Member
This sounds strange but after cutting at an angle chew gently on the end of the stem. Of course do this before dipping in rooting hormone. This also gives or makes more area for the clone to take up water. But before the rooting gel. Rooting gel in the teeth would really suck!
 
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