Cloning question

[Heloderma Suspectum]

I hear 2 different takes on taking clones. One is to take cuttings from the top part of the plant and then I also hear to take them from the bottom. Which is better to produce a healthier plant?
Another question is what is the significance of cutting the fan leaves in half? What effect does that have on the cutting or development of the roots?

 

[CocoJoe]

Re: cloning question.

Top or bottom, both work. For me, I use the bottom.
Cutting the fans in half reduces the amount of water the plant will lose during aspiration.

 

[Dacob]

Re: cloning question.

OK!

Sounds like you need to do some more research, but I'll try to help...


One... where to take a clone from?

Well, this is a complex question but it boils down to auxins, which are plant hormones, in simple terms. Those auxins are generally concentrated in the upper parts of a plant, where the most growth is occurring — IE, on the meristem tips.

As such, taking a clone from the lowest part of a plant is the best bet, as it helps to avoid excessive levels of auxins, which can really inhibit rooting of clones.

The idea here is that taking a clone is the worst thing you can do to a plant. One minute, the branch is growing and happy, the next, it is trying to survive, forcing the location of the separation to start to grow new roots. Now, the problem is that the plant is not really set up to be cloned, (IE, cloning is not "natural" in the sense that it rarely occurs in nature) and so rooting hormones and the like are essential for helping that process — the layer of "skin" right underneath the upper-most layer of the branch is the location of special cells of the plant that are similar to human "stem" cells — I'm sure you've heard of them. These cells can be anything, but they have to be coaxed into doing so — they do not really want to do so on their own. Cloning solutions contain ingredients (that are dangerous to humans, so do be careful) that help these cells convert first to a form that allows them to be plant "stem" cells, and then to a form that begins to grow new root cells to allow the clone to survive.

Excess growth hormones (auxins) do not help this process at all, so it is best to take clones from the lowest part of the plant at all times, as these lower branches will have lower concentrations of auxins.




Your second question is simple:

Plants, when cloned, are starving for moisture. Why??? They have no roots. Roots provide the water for plants, which is then vented or transpired into the air. Moisture is also taken up by leaves, but that's another story.

Anyway, clones have to be forced to limit their breathing, or transpiration, to avoid loosing all their moisture to the atmosphere -- they don't know better. So, we cut the larger fan leaves from a clone to prevent them from transpiring too much moisture into the air, and we provide them with a growth environment that includes a relative humidity of 90% or more to help slow transpiration, an air temp of about 70-75 degrees and a soil/cube temp of 80 degrees to help roots form.

These conditions help enormously for a plant to survive being cloned and to take root quickly.

Cloning is one of the most unnatural things that can happen to a plant, and in many ways it is also the most stressful time for any plant. As such, it is essential to regulate the clone's environment to help to root successfully and thrive.

 

[LighTer]

Re: cloning question.

awesome explanation! learned a thing or two myself!

 

[Heloderma Suspectum]

Re: cloning question.

WOW! very nice! Great explaination. Thank you.