Cloning: from the top or bottom?

I am going to be cloning for sex in a few days...I have read on many threads here, and on some other websites (although this is my favorite by far), about where to take the clippings from... some say the top and some say the bottom...The book that I have been following says to clip from the bottom because thats closest to where the rooting hormones would be in the plant...and another school of thought is to take them from the top because thats where the hormones in the plant are that would stimulate new growth...they both make sense to me...I've seen some incredible plants here and read pretty much all the threads from you guys about this issue, as well as the FAQ... so I will post this question:

Should I take the clippings from the top of the plant or the bottom??

If this helps, I am growing indoors in an ebb and flow, and will be cloning in an aeroponic, using a T5...

Thanks in advance for any respones

i've never considered this. i have taken clones. when i do it is often from a mother so i take cuttings from the top and bottom. some do root faster than others. i've never taken notes to determine the exact results though. it sounds like you have the right set-up so i would think you would get roots regardless of where you take them from. as long as the mother is healthy. hope this helps.

low branches root better, but tops grow with more vigor once rooted.

kp

well I guess I'm gonna try an experiment, got 40 plants growin, gonna do 20 from the top and 20 from the bottom, cloning for sex anyway...plants arent that tall that I can pull from the top and bottom(not yet anyway, maybe I'll give it another week
Heres where I'm at at day 22 of veggin.......(pic of the whole setupis day 15 I think)

so I guess the answer is, if your cloning for sex use the bottom, and to grow use the top.....or say the hell with the whole dilemma and just pull from the middle!!

gotdamunchies said:

well I guess I'm gonna try an experiment, got 40 plants growin, gonna do 20 from the top and 20 from the bottom, cloning for sex anyway...plants arent that tall that I can pull from the top and bottom(not yet anyway, maybe I'll give it another week
Heres where I'm at at day 22 of veggin.......(pic of the whole setupis day 15 I think)

Click to expand...

keep us updated!

kp

i'm sorry, you said cloning for sex. i got all caught up. in that case i would take them from the bottom. leaving the tops to flower. i should pay closer attention. i remember reading that part and it just went right past me.

When you 'top' the plant, is it possible to root those tops?

yes, as long as you have a node or two to bury

OK, so heres what I did, I took to clipping from 5 different plant...one from the top and one from the botton...all the clipping are in the same cloning enviroment...so all we have to do is sit back and wait...can anyone tell me about how long this process takes in an ideal situation??

Now I just hope I wasnt too high when I labeled all these clippings so I can remember which plants they came from

gotdamunchies said:

OK, so heres what I did, I took to clipping from 5 different plant...one from the top and one from the botton...all the clipping are in the same cloning enviroment...so all we have to do is sit back and wait...can anyone tell me about how long this process takes in an ideal situation??

Now I just hope I wasnt too high when I labeled all these clippings so I can remember which plants they came from

Click to expand...

to clipping from 5 different plant.......uhh.......thats 2 clippings from 5 different plants....phew, baked to the maxxx!

gotdamunchies said:

to clipping from 5 different plant.......uhh.......thats 2 clippings from 5 different plants....phew, baked to the maxxx!

Click to expand...

you mixed them up already. i always do too.

OK a quick update....had my first root appear today, and it came from a bottom clipping...also took 5 more clippings from the middle of the plant as well, just for the hell of it....will keep ya posted

Ok....5 clippings have now sprouted roots, all the clippings were from the bottom of the plant...only one of the clippings from the top has sprouted, and that just happened today...so it would seem to me that taking clones from the bottom of the plant will grow roots faster than the top...now all that remains to be seen is if the bottom clippings will grow as fast as the top clippings....will keep ya updated

Got some Nice testing going on here!
Ill stay tuned.......
Much Respect

kindprincess said:

yes, as long as you have a node or two to bury

Click to expand...

not to get off track or anything but I just cloned the top of several plants and I made the final cut above the nodes because it was so long, am I screwed or will it still root even though I have no nodes underground(grodan)cry:

thats a great question, still new to the whole cloning process my self.....anyone?

Your cutting may still grow roots, but only out of the cut you made. If you also put a cut-off node underground, roots would grow from there, too.

Some growers will shave off the side of the stem in a spot or two above the cut, as if there was a cut-off branch there, in the hope of rooting from those spots.

For rooting, the lower branches have the rooting hormone stored up, so they're ready to go.

HTH

this is one of those threads that makes you go hmmmm. thanks for performing your evil experiment and giving us the evil results

gotdamunchies said:

Ok....5 clippings have now sprouted roots, all the clippings were from the bottom of the plant...only one of the clippings from the top has sprouted, and that just happened today...so it would seem to me that taking clones from the bottom of the plant will grow roots faster than the top...now all that remains to be seen is if the bottom clippings will grow as fast as the top clippings....will keep ya updated

Click to expand...

Thanks for the experiment progress! Looking forward to the results...

OK, heres what I got for ya,
5 clones from the bottom rooted first,
the 5 clones from the middle rooted next (even though I took them after the top and bottom clippings, I wrote down the date so I could remember)
then the 5 clones from the top rooted...
It took the clippings from the top almost 2 days longer than the middle and the middle about 2 days longer than the clippings from the bottom...

Now as for vigorous growth, will the clippings from the top be a bushier than the middle or the bottom?

I will keep this experiment going and let ya know......