my first (clone) grow

Well after months of browsing the internets and learning as much I could about growing, I grew some bagseed plants. Three of them are flowering now, tried to clone them before I put them under 12/12, but I failed miserably. My next three plants (from same assortment of seeds) are nearing the end of their stay in the vegging chamber, so I decided today was a great day to try my hand at cloning again.

This time I'm doing things different. I'm using better soil, the last stuff I used was inexpensive, and not worth the 97 cents I paid for it. I bought the more expensive organic soil I had been using for my other plants, as it is less clumpy and much easier to manage.

So here's what I'm working with:
- 1 Tupperware container covered with saran wrap (space left for ventilation)
- About 2 inches of Expert Gardener Organic Soil Mix
- Additional 25% perlite added (along with perlite in the soil mix)
- Shultz TakeRoot hormone powder
- Water
- 9 cuttings, trimmed up a bit

Pictures are attached below. I have also added a picture of the grow space they will inhabit, though not pictured, will be on the upper shelf with the other vegging (soon to be transplanted) plants. In that area, there are (4x23) watts of 6500k CFL's.

So, as this is my first attempt at really trying to get these things to grow, any advice, criticism, name-calling, or questions are welcome! I always expect to fail at everything I do, so that when if in case I succeed, I'm just that much happier about the whole thing. p&l

Ha ha.... Well not only are the clones looking sicker than hell, the mothers are on their way to the grave as well. Temps were up a bit high this morning, nearing 98*F. I'm sure the stress from the cuttings, heat, and slight root-boundedness all played a role in the wilting and sad look I was faced with when I saw them. Well all three moms have been transplanted, temps lowered to about 85* (though it should go down to about 79* within 30 minutes or so), and the clones have been misted. Honestly I didn't expect to fail this miserably, but alas. It's fate telling me to buy some quality genetics and quit wasting my time with bagseed. Ahhh, fuck me.

ok WEll im just gonna repeat something i herd with a guy who tryed to grow plants in a fish tank... basicly same idea as ur doing. i believe the water will not drain in that container causeing mold bla bla bla u get the idea use pots with holes in the bottom thier there for a reason

Thanks for the reply, however that shouldn't be an issue as the soil is never watered enough to have standing water. The humidity levels are so low that I actually have trouble keeping water in the container, which is sort of intentional, resulting in the need to mist mulitple times a day. Good point though!

As long as you don't overwater you'll be fine. Try and underwater even, so you can see how much to give and when before the soil drys out.

Just checked the mothers, they 'sprung' back to life after I gave them a good watering. I didn't think water would have been an issue as they had been watered the night before, but, the high temps must have caused them to suck that shit dry. They are on their way to recovery, which is good, because I'll probably want to pull clones off them again when they get bigger. I think these clones are probably failing because they were weak, had small stems, and came off the plant at a less-then-optimal time, given the state the plants were in. Hey, it's a learning process!

Well I'm feelin lucky this time around. Third try, let's see how it goes. I got three fresh cuttings, looking much better than my last batch. They are bigger, are an environment that will hopefully not kill them, and WILL LIVE GODDAMNIT! I swear if these die off like the rest, I'm callin it quits for now, and I'm going back to do more research. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where I went wrong last time, so let's see how it goes.

Attempt #3, Day 1:

You can certainly see the size difference in comparison to the old cuttings I took. Ha, what a stupid idea that was. Well I'll get more pics after they wake up again.

Hey iilektronique! Are you using any sort of rooting compound for your clones?

Yep, Schultz TakeRoot Rooting Hormone. It's a powder, got it from local garden store.

Right on ILL! Sounds like you should be good-to-go with your babies. FYI, another good rooting compound is Vita Grow. It's a liquid rather than powder- I've been using it for a while now with good results. Make sure to keep us posted as your clones take root. Good luck and happy growing

Thanks Adrock! I really wanted to get a gel or liquid compound, but this was all that I could find locally. I have heard that people have better results with the liquid, so I'm sure I'll eventually get around to trying some.

I just checked the cuttings before the lights went out, and they are looking alright. The two cuttings from before were actually standing straight up, and the larger, newer cuttings were looking a little bit better as well. We'll see what happens after the next couple of days!

I have been trying to clone for years and always failed... So I finaly decided to splurg and spend 5 bucks on a clone dome and some ruckwool... Now I can finally clone.

lol
i Started with the same 21" 15w grow lights and that exact same blue fan.

Bought mine at lowes
Seems like it was 12.95 for the lights each and 6.95 for the fan.

Plants look good so far.

midgradeindasouth said:

Plants look good so far.

Click to expand...

Thanks!

Lights just came on in vegging section, got a pic of the clones. Not looking too bad, apparently my problem was just under-watering them. They've been soaking up in water all night, and appear to be quite happy. I'm watching to make sure it doesn't dry up too fast.