Cloning problem...help pls.

Why my clones are dying? After about 5 hours of cutting they start drooping like a wet piece of cloth and have no strength to support themselves.

In addition the base of the stem that i dipped in the rooting gel is dried and there is not single sign of root formation starting.

The frustrating thing is I really focused on establishing the proper conditions.

Rock cubes weighted approx. 25g with ph balance water...

Clones bases were cut underwater to avoid air entering the stem and then dipped in rootech cloning gel.

And we have a propagation heating mat below our trays with the trays slightly elevatated above the mat for even and consitent heat distribution.

I woke up this morning and nearly all my clones were drooping and struggling.

What the hell is going on? Why are my clones struggling... Why are the bottom of the stems dried out where dipped in the rooting gel...and why are they soooo weak and droopy? Please help with your wisdom.

got any pictures

sereken said:

Why my clones are dying? After about 5 hours of cutting they start drooping like a wet piece of cloth and have no strength to support themselves.

In addition the base of the stem that i dipped in the rooting gel is dried and there is not single sign of root formation starting.

The frustrating thing is I really focused on establishing the proper conditions.

Rock cubes weighted approx. 25g with ph balance water...

Clones bases were cut underwater to avoid air entering the stem and then dipped in rootech cloning gel.

And we have a propagation heating mat below our trays with the trays slightly elevatated above the mat for even and consitent heat distribution.

I woke up this morning and nearly all my clones were drooping and struggling.

What the hell is going on? Why are my clones struggling... Why are the bottom of the stems dried out where dipped in the rooting gel...and why are they soooo weak and droopy? Please help with your wisdom.

Click to expand...

Sounds to me as if they are picking up too much heat.

there so many factors did you use sterilized razors to cut where did you cut your clones on plant, did you 45 degree your cut did you slice the stem , before you stuck it in the hormone gel , when u placed it in cubes did you lightly pinch the cubes so that stem is firmly in place and no excess air getting down there.
do you got a dome covering clones , did you mist clones and dome before putting under light , is your heat mat to hot
are your cubes to wet to begin with
so many factors involving cloneing what kind of light are you useing how far away is the light from dome

just added some pics i just tookthe cubes are not overwatered...they wieghted 25 gr before sticking a clone in. i did pinch the cubes around the stem to firm it up. the thing about dome is...i tried i trey with and one without a dome but the results are the same, both treys look the same and have the same problem....

the temperature is actually unknown. i dont have a termometre under the light there but its a room temp and its warm these days. the heating mat is sunleaves mat with a melat cage that lifts trey above a little. damn....im going to a store to get a termometre

you need to mist them for the first 2 weeks, they are drying out because there is no way for them to uptake water yet, they must do this thru the stomata, and that requires misting them.
also,shaving off the outer flesh at the bottom of the clipping will help

how often do i sprey them? I hear so much abot overwatering clones and dont want to do that

mist them about four times a day and under the dome lid........... good luck........

thank you. googd luck is what i need...got a thermometre and the temp under the dome is 85. is it too high?

yes it wants to be somewhere about 75f

thank you. hope not much harm done

Take the plastic off the cubes to start.

I make a mini-greenhouse with a clear plastic garbage bag. I put it on a shelf about two thirds up the wall and hang two cool white four foot tubes over it, attached to the ceiling. Put a layer of ordinary gravel in it for drainage. There is a drain/air hole in the bottom about 2 inches round. I cut rockwool slabs into 2" x 2" x 3"h cubes. I use a #2 powdered rooting agent and insert my snips into it stopping about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the cube. You'll have to make the hole to insert your snip. After placing them in the mini-greenhouse using a sprayer refill the rockwool cubes with water. Give the clones a good misting with the sprayer and all but the drain/airhole seal up the greenhouse. You'll have to mist it again 5-7 days later. You should have roots by then. If they are left in the bin after they are rooted the door has to be left open a crack and water frequently with the sprayer using a light solution (1/6 reccommended for dirt) of ferts. Read the instructions on the rockwool and the rooting powder. Do not touch the rooting area of the stem with your fingers.

mist them at least 4 times a day. your setup could be different and they would dry out faster. id check them every hour or so just to start to be sure they dont dry out. untill the clones root this is their only source of water is from you misting so if you dont keep them moist 24/7 they will wilt over

wow why do you guys have such a complicated method of cloning... so many things to go wrong lol. i just cut at any angle lol>>dip into rootone hormone>>stick in dirt>>water.

my way may take a few more days for the roots to go crazy... but this is refined i guess. the results look good when done correctly but i see people posting clone problems all day lol.

Man you guys put so much energy into cloning .......I used to as well. Do yourselves a favor and build a cloner. Either bubble or aero and start seeing 100% success. Idk how to post a link but check out the diy forums..........I bulit a simple bubble cloner with only eight holes, I have'nt lost one yet after ten runs....peace B

budalushious said:

Man you guys put so much energy into cloning .......I used to as well. Do yourselves a favor and build a cloner. Either bubble or aero and start seeing 100% success. Idk how to post a link but check out the diy forums..........I bulit a simple bubble cloner with only eight holes, I have'nt lost one yet after ten runs....peace B

Click to expand...

I've been cloning pot with my mini-greenhouse for 23 years, no pumps no specail nothing, just a pump up water sprayer. and it works flawlessly for me. I can do 35 snips at a time in my bin. Keep your temps about 75-80 degrees F. To properly grow pot you need a good quality pump up sprayer.

I use a Humidity dome, heating pad, 24 watt floro, thermostat control, timer, 1 1/2 inch Rockwool.

Then I spray a few times a day (just water & SuperThrive), especially the first few days.

View attachment 1322376View attachment 1322377

Blue Dream cuttings

golddog said:

I use a Humidity dome, heating pad, 24 watt floro, thermostat control, timer, 1 1/2 inch Rockwool.

Then I spray a few times a day (just water & SuperThrive), especially the first few days.

View attachment 1322376View attachment 1322377

Blue Dream cuttings

Click to expand...

Very nice! You probably need to water so much because your using a heating pad. The reason I put my bin up high is so a heating pad is not neccesary because normally most rooms are warmer up near the ceiling. I have my bin between my moms and my budders. My moms and my clones share the same room and both rooms vent into each other. I start feeding(with the sprayer) as soon as I see roots.