# Cloning Without Any Light?



## powerslide (Dec 9, 2011)

tried this over in indoor growing section didnt get much response, its somewhat off the beaten path so thought i would try it over here. 

So i have had some issues w/ my cloning this go round. I had a couple diff tops for my clone box and it wasnt sealing so moisture is low. They been looking super droopy and yellowing. Anywho had a power outage the other day and went to check on them and they were all upright and happy again. 

Has anyone ever tried to just take clones and then leave them in the dark for 8-10-14 days to see if they start to root? am i crazy? i can clone when the dome stays sealed but the light issue got me thinking about it.

thanks ​


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## Toolage 87 (Dec 9, 2011)

I haven't but you might wanna look at building or buying a Aero Cloner. Threy are good for the hard to root strains and strains that take a long time to root.

Also you don't have to do 18/6 or 20/4 lighting. You can give your clones 24/0 lighting.


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## elduece (Dec 10, 2011)

They will die in a week with no roots to show for if subdued in dark for more than 5 days.


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## pandan (Dec 10, 2011)

Can I ask what the point in having no light on would be? You realise light is essential to energy and energy is essential to growth?


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## hempknightt (Dec 10, 2011)

Photosynthesis man... I learned that in 7th grade


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## hempknightt (Dec 10, 2011)

A better question is would clones do better under less than 24/0 hours of light. Think about it...

Dont roots grow during dark periods normally? And clones already like low light levels, so maybe a longer dark period could actually be beneficial? Ive only cloned under 24/0 so I wouldnt know.


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## sso (Dec 10, 2011)

you dont need very much light for cloning.

very dim light is enough.


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## CannaChameleon (Dec 10, 2011)

Ive seen no noteable difference between 18/6 and 24/0 but i did find that having a heat mat under the clones really did make a difference, the roots seem to develop much better when theres heat for them to grow towards. You need light! but you can get away with a low wattage one for cloning.


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## pandan (Dec 10, 2011)

Yes the roots in the dark is a very good question. I've seen people speculating if 24/0 autoflower grows are worth it because of no dark period for root growth.

Just a guess but i think 24/0 even for rooting cuttings can be detrimental. 

I don't see any need to push the envelope real far on dark periods though. 18/6 seems fine to me.


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## pandan (Dec 10, 2011)

CannaChameleon said:


> Ive seen no noteable difference between 18/6 and 24/0 but i did find that having a heat mat under the clones really did make a difference, the roots seem to develop much better when theres heat for them to grow towards. You need light! but you can get away with a low wattage one for cloning.


Yeah I think you are right about the heat matt, but i think it's more to do with being in the ideal temperature range than a carrot and stick to the roots to follow. Propagating plants like to be warm


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## cannawizard (Dec 11, 2011)

**very interesting topic; gonna def dive into this one when i get the free time...

--cheers


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## Toolage 87 (Dec 12, 2011)

I have clones in my aero cloner and they get 24/0 light and they grow at the same time as rooting so the whole thing about clones rooting faster with lighting under 24/0.


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## powerslide (Dec 12, 2011)

cannawizard said:


> **very interesting topic; gonna def dive into this one when i get the free time...
> 
> --cheers


not sure if you are referncing my post or the 18/6 vs 24/0 post. But either way feel free to hit this post back and let us know.


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## Goldowitz (Dec 16, 2011)

I found that giving fresh cuttings 12 hours of darkness will help prevent them from getting any droop.


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## DQ Blizzard (Dec 17, 2011)

I've done 24/0 duh it's what you would think is best!!! 

I now do 20/4 for 7 days than switch to 24/0 I can not give any scientific reasoning but IMO I get better results. I heard that roots grow in darkness and some people even do 18/6 so I tried it. First time I went 20/4 I didn't show any roots for 10 days than switched to 24/0 and within 24 hours had 2 clones show roots. So now I do the 20/4 for 7 days than 24/0 until flowering. It's working great and I am getting faster results (either because of my light usage or I've just got better at the whole process), I'm going to continue doing it this way because it's working for me but I'm sure 5 people could respond that do it 5 different ways!!


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## mrhaze420 (May 23, 2015)

Old post but so what I have in fact cloned a white widow in complete darkness for 12 days.I took the clone but every time I would put them in the light they show signs of stress within 10 min so I decided to leave in the dark and it work great plant yielded of a pound of dry bud and was over six feet tall


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## phunt (Jun 13, 2015)

I've been cloning with no light for the last year. Rapid rooter cubes in a dome. I just mist daily and they root 7-12 days depending on strain. The only problem I have seen is sensitivity to light after they root and they need to get under light quickly to produce a real root system. But actually producing roots in darkness is doable.


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## brimck325 (Jun 13, 2015)

I put 22 cuts in rock wool cubes and into a small clear plastic tote. Using a not to sunny window roots are showing well on most. Another 4-5 days should have all rooted.
These were not in great shape after shipping either.


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## clayawesome (Jun 16, 2015)

Plants flower with over 12hrs of uninterrupted darkness. Forcing clones to flower will not increase rooting speed.


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