# Cloning



## SHOT (Mar 27, 2016)

Hello again, i'm growing sativa's i took 7 clones before flowering. I use powder for rooting. I used a dome for 3 clones and 4 without dome and i got the same results: EPIC FAIL. What is the problem? 

View attachment 2016-03-27 15.38.23.jpg


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## sMACkaddict (Mar 27, 2016)

Your soil looks pretty dense, what are you using?  We need more info in general.


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## SHOT (Mar 27, 2016)

I'm using a soil for flowers potting and yes its dense kindly, i'm using water with stable ph. The first 2 days it looks healthy then it dies as you can see.

Its the same soil that i use for my plants with a cfl lamp(18W). 10 cm far from my clones. I just need help to keep the last one alive.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Mar 27, 2016)

First, you need better soil--something that is not so dense.  I am somewhat surprised that you can actually grow anything in that soil as there is nothing to aid drainage.  Then, tell us the exact procedure you follow when you take a clone.  What are your temps?  How moist do you keep them?  It is a good idea to use a dome for all clones.


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## Hushpuppy (Mar 27, 2016)

I have found what is "hands-down" the easiest way to clone (if doing smaller numbers of clones) That is to use coco coir with about 25% pearlite mixed in. Put it in solo cups with small drainage holes in bottoms of cups (be absolutely certain they will drain well. I use a 16d nail and torch to melt 4 nice little round holes in my cups).

I also found that clear 2ltr bottles with the bottoms cut off so that they slide over the cups, work perfectly for humidity domes. I little black plastic bowls that I set my cups in for catching drainage and the black plastic bowls stay warm under lower light conditions.

I wet my medium with a solution of rooting tonic (and calmag additive for precharging the coco to prevent magnesium/calcium deficiency in the clones). The solution is not strong so I also use it to spray my cuttings after I have set them, before setting the dome. Once the cuttings are set, You shouldn't have to water them anymore until they root. Only spray them about once a day so that the dome stays wet inside.

Its very important to maintain temps strictly between 76-80 around them. You don't want it 83 outside the dome and 88 inside the dome so be careful and diligent with that. You also don't want standard veg lighting. I set mine under about half of the light strength of regular vegging plants, and I use a mixture of yellow "bloom" lights with whiter "veg" lights.

This is one half of the cloning process. the first half is prepping the cuttings properly. This seems a little daunting but its really not that difficult once you have the method down.


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## SHOT (Mar 27, 2016)

The Hemp Goddess my temp: 17-20C. i'm keeping it moist as much as i can. i water it once a day usually. i take the clone with a 45 degree and take a razor and take off a little of the stem cover then i put some powder for roots and put them in dome and then fail with all i've done


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## SHOT (Mar 27, 2016)

HushPuppy thank youuu soon i should try it!!! interesting


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## Rosebud (Mar 27, 2016)

When you take the cutting put it in a cup and re cut it under water so as no air bubble gets in the stem. Use hot/ warm water to do this as it opens the capillaries in the stem.

Hey HP, how much cal mag do you use? What kind?


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## SHOT (Mar 27, 2016)

I think i'm doung somethig more basic rosebud. I will retry this process but i need to know what am i doing wrong?


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## Rosebud (Mar 27, 2016)

What are you doing wrong?

The soil, the temps, the cutting, the humidity, the rooting hormone, lights etc.. it could be all those things, but your soil is the worse problem at this point.


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## SHOT (Mar 27, 2016)

I see... i think next time i will let it root in water. Its not better than soil?


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## Rosebud (Mar 27, 2016)

It is hard to root in water and then go into soil.. Just try what hushpuppy said.. he knows.


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## SHOT (Mar 27, 2016)

Okay thanks all of you for your help!!!


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## Hushpuppy (Mar 27, 2016)

Hey Rose: I normally will use Root66 from Technaflora because it has an organic root tonic in it at I believe 6ml per gallon and I add in 4ml of Magical from Technaflora. I don't use their main line as I like the Jungle Juice better but their calmag and root tonic work so well with my stuff and with the coco coir.

Marcmatar: it sounds like you may be drowning them in the medium they are in now. It is too dense and is holding too much moisture. Successful cloning seems to be all about the moisture level sometimes. You need less in the medium and more in the air. The reason is to prevent rot at the stem, and to give the cutting the moisture it needs as it is nearly unable to draw in what it needs through the cut stem. Spraying them daily and keeping the humidity high helps them maintain their moisture long enough to switch over to rooting.

You can do it in water but that has its own challenges. If you intend to root a few cuttings each time then it is easier to go with the medium and dome method. If you wanted to root 10+ cuttings every couple months, then a hydro rooter would be the way to go. But they have their complexities as well.


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## SHOT (Mar 27, 2016)

Thanks man


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## zem (Mar 28, 2016)

Hey marc you can try floral foam that is oasis that is used in florist shops, cut cubes and keep them moist in a warm dome, it works flawlessly with me


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## SHOT (Mar 28, 2016)

Thats really nice... i'll also try it in my second growth with white widows  these foams are easy to get man thanks


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## bud88 (Mar 28, 2016)

I was using HushPuppies method with about 50% success rate. A friend of mine had a 5 gallon bucket aeroponic cloner( I believe they cost around $45 on Amazon or eBay) that he wasn't using so I decided to give it a try and my rooting rate went up to about 80%...I still loose a clone or two when transplanting into coco/perlite but I am ok with that as I don't have a large grow space.
 when using the cloner all I do is add 15 mL of cloning solution per gallon of water and pour it into the bucket and let the cloner do its job. I've even found that I don't have to worry about the pH of the solution until the roots start growing then I will add a little bit of Cal Mag and adjust the pH to 6.0... everyone has their own methods this just happened to be what works best for me.


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## SHOT (Mar 29, 2016)

Lol i just learned a new tip! Cal Mag can adjust the ph! And yes i will try all the methide and see which one will give the higher rate.


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## Hushpuppy (Mar 29, 2016)

As you can see, there are multiple methods for doing the same thing. The key is to find the one that works for you and your situation. I have used EZcloners, bucket aerocloners, and home made bubbleponic cloners, all with solid success. I currently have a bubble cloner that I build that I don't use because I only clone 3-4 cuttings at a time and it is too big for my needs at this point. Each method will have its own set of rules for success. I suggest you experiment and find the one that works best for you.


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## SHOT (Mar 29, 2016)

Thanks dude!


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## SHOT (Apr 4, 2016)

I tried as hushpuppy said with one clone i couldnt get more... i cloned it 7 days ago and i think its going fine for now. When can i move it to hps light? 

View attachment 20160404_114515.jpg


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## KSL (Apr 4, 2016)

The easy answer is when you see roots you can move it under your normal lights.

I like to make the roots search, saturating them isn't going to help much in the long run, roots only grow to find water.  Domes are nice to keep them alive for the first day or so but you've got to ween them off that steady supply of moisture and make them look for it.  That's not to say that they won't root in domes but I've found over the years that steadily reducing the humidity makes for faster rooting clones that generally have a stronger root system in the given time.

For that reason I've taken to cloning in straight perlite, in a hempy cup sort of fashion.  I dome them for the first day then start taking the dome off for a few more hours at a time until it's off for good, usually by the third day.  I might mist them occasionally if they're looking dry but otherwise I make them search for that reservoir.


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## SHOT (Apr 4, 2016)

I removed the dome 2 days ago for 30 minutes to give it fresh air it bended... so i'm trying to give it moisture to keep it alive. I hope it will show roots soon!!


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## oldfogey8 (Apr 5, 2016)

i just use honey as a rooting agent and stick the cuttings in 'rapid rooter' plugs. i put the clones/plugs in a tupperware container with a clear top and keep them under a couple of white cfl bulbs. i don't even trim the leaves. i just make sure i mist them daily. i get about 50% to root.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Apr 5, 2016)

You are goto have to find the cloning method that works for YOU.  One of the things that I have found is that not every methodks for everyo.  Something that one person has 100% success with, someone else can have 100% failure.  Part of whether you need a dome and how long depends a huge amount on the RH wh you live.  I am in a very arid area and often experience RH in the teens or single digits.  I find that I need to keep a  over my cuts for a week or 2.  Someon in a very humid place may not need to dome anything.  And keep in mind that at this stage, you do not have any roots to seek anything.  So, keep the soil moist, but not soppy wet.  

Do not move it until you see very good, substantial root development and new growth from the cut.  It looks like maybe you planted in a clear container?  Make sure that you cover that or sleeve it with something.  Roots do not like direct l.  Your growing containers need to be; opaque or you have to cover them with something.  Clear cups are nice because you can see if you have any root development, but you do need to put something over thear cup to stop the light to the root area.  Do not geo impatient.  It can and often does take 2-3 weeks to see good root development.


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## SHOT (Apr 5, 2016)

Thank youuu hempp! If i have anything new i will keep u updated


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## zem (Apr 5, 2016)

oldfogey8 said:


> i just use honey as a rooting agent and stick the cuttings in 'rapid rooter' plugs. i put the clones/plugs in a tupperware container with a clear top and keep them under a couple of white cfl bulbs. i don't even trim the leaves. i just make sure i mist them daily. i get about 50% to root.



it is the first time that i hear about that, i will look it up, but i think that high quality honey is way more expensive than legit rooting agent. i think the sweet is  very powerful in inviting pests, they actually use sugar in some places with pesticides to attract pests


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## SHOT (Apr 6, 2016)

100% cloning get/ powdrr is cheaper than natural honey.


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## oldfogey8 (Apr 6, 2016)

you are prolly right. i just used cheap honey because i read that it would work and i had some in the kitchen cupboard. might be that the cuttings would have taken without it as well. i also cut at a 45 deg angle and split the stem immediately after cutting it and dunk it in honey. the cheap mans way to clone...


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## SHOT (Apr 6, 2016)

I see... i should try that lol. Not bad idea


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## KentuckyGold (Jul 1, 2019)

Hey everyone. I have a question. Most of what I’ve read on cloning says to do so during the veg stage . But can you tell the sex during this stage? This is my first grow so I’m a newbie ha ha.


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## oldfogey8 (Jul 2, 2019)

The plants need to flower to be able to tell the sex. I try to take a few clones from each plant and label which clone is from which plant. Once you flower, you can tell which clones will be males and so can be destroyed. I have read it is possible to clone plants in flower if you remove the flowers but I have not tried it.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 2, 2019)

It is generally considered easier to get a cutting to root if it is taken in the veg stage.  You can do as old fogey described or you can wait until preflowers show.  You can also take cuttings early in flowering (1st 2 weeks) and probably have pretty good luck with them rooting.


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## cannabisismylife (Jul 20, 2019)

SHOT said:


> Hello again, i'm growing sativa's i took 7 clones before flowering. I use powder for rooting. I used a dome for 3 clones and 4 without dome and i got the same results: EPIC FAIL. What is the problem?
> 
> View attachment 234770


They look a bit wet. Let them dry for a little.


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