I’ve found a method to make marijuana clones root faster and better. First, I soak the stems in Dip ‘N Grow for about an hour. Then I use a powdered rooting hormone prior to placing them in pumice (kind of like lava or hydro-corn). Rockwool is too fussy to use in my opinion.
Tony
Hi,
To get marijuana clones to root, I dip their stems in Baby Bio Roota which is a liquid rooting hormone. Then I place the stems each in their own individual peat pots that have a mixture of perlite and store-bought sterilized compost. I then put the pots into a heated propagator. When you see the roots poke out of the peat pot, the plant is primed to be transported.
For the past several years, I’ve been trying different cloning techniques, but I always get closest 100% success when I put the marijuana cuttings in water (the same way I do it with houseplants). For optimal results, I let the water sit for a day to allow the chlorine to be evaporated, and then I put four or five 3-inch cuttings in the 8-ounce cup. After that, I place the cup under a fluorescent light so that the tops of the cuttings are around 4 inches from the tube.
To start, I trim the sun leaves from the marijuana cuttings, and all of the leaves from the bottom 2 inches to make sure that only the stems are in the water. I change out the water every 2 days. After about 4 days, I add 2 eye-dropper drops of fish emulsion fertilizer. If you keep them at 70*F, the cuttings will root in 1 to 2 weeks.
Robert
Thanks Robert,
When you mention 3-inch cuttings, where do you cut from the source plant? 3 inches isn’t very much and you trim off the bottom 2 inches - what’s left? Could you lay out a step-by-step of your cloning process - up to the step-by-step you’ve laid out above?
Guy
Hey guyfranklin
I have been cloning for many years. I had commercial greenhouses growing annuals and woody ornamental that we propagated buy cuttings. Believe me that was a lot of cuttings. My process was as follows.
If I could use tops of plants for cuttings that works best for most plants.
Many people debate their favorite rooting hormone as the best, mine choice is Dip N Grow. That stuff will put roots on a rock.
I use Dip N Grow for a rooting hormone. I would put 1 cap full in a small baby food jar and fill the rest with RO water.
I use oasis cell as my rooting medium, I will presoak as many as I need.
Starting at the terminal end of a shoot I count 2 nodes down from the tip (tip to me is the terminal node and set of leaves) and make a cut at 45 degree angle.
I remove the leaves on the 2 lower nodes being careful not to remove nodes. Think of the nodes like stem cells. They can become any type of plant tissue. leaves branches or in this case roots.
I dip the cutting into the Dip N Grow solution just past the bottom 2 nodes for a few seconds then press them into the Oasis cell. Repeat over and over.
Some people cut the remaining leaves if half, I normally don’t, and hear is my reasoning.
The leaves tend to go a little limp because they are not receiving the turgor pressure from the uptake of water. What this does for me is gives me a sign when roots are starting to form. As the roots form water pressure increases and the leaves perk up. This keeps me from having to pull the oasis cells up to check for roots. The more you handle the cuttings the more risk of damaging these micro fibers forming roots. I do try to make sure the terminal leaves are small when I take the cuttings. If the leaves at fairly large I will only leave 1.
I then put the cutting on a misting table. Kind or like the misters in the produce department of the grocery store. I also put clones under fluorescent lights.
You don’t need to spend the money on a mist system a squirt bottle spray a few times a day works fine, or spray the inside of a dome core and cover the plants.
Now for some bonus methods.
Take cuttings below the tips. In this scenario you have 3 nodes without a terminal bud. The process is the same, but the outcome is different. When the plant roots the top node will give you 2 leaders. (Branches)
Now for the grower that wants a monster.
Take your cuttings from a plant that is 2-3 weeks into the flowering phase. I take the cuttings from below the canopy towards the bottom. These should just be showing bud growth, and be terminal cuttings. They are the small popcorn buds that most growers thin out anyway.
Root it the same way, then back to the veg room. This plant will revert back to veg, and give you a plant that has more leaders than you can imagine. You will be thinning this plant out because of the volume number of branches. This is called monster cropping. Do a Google search.
Hope this helps
Scooter
Thank you @Scooter! Always love learning from the professionals.
I have had little success cloning so far and mostly due to mistakes I made along the way. I have some cannabis genetics, that are working great in the climate where I grow outdoors, which I want to preserve.
It is terribly hot right now and I am afraid of disease in the humidity dome. Temps have been in the 90 to 100 degrees in the garage. I do not have the option of growing in a climate controlled space. The humidity swings quite wildly this time of year as well.
Can I still be successful cloning at these high temps? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!