My First Attempt At Cloning & Topping! Did I Do Either Right?

[luvsmokinweed]

Hello Everyone!!
This will be my first ever attempt at "cloning" and "topping"!!! I will be trying it on my "SledgeHammer" using TakeRoot Rooting Hormone for the cloning prosess. If i succeed, I will be topping the rest. I might clone them too!! Anyway... Here is the cut!! Did I cut it right??? I tried to get the best 45 degree angle to my knowledge!!

Here is the topping that I cloned!! Did I plant it right??

This is the rooting hormone i used!! It was on sale at WalMart $4.00!!

Please feel free to comment and answer questions!!! Any help or tips are appreciated!!

 

[KarlJay]

re: My First Attempt At Cloning & Topping! Did I Do Either Right?

I can't tell for sure, but it looks like some kinda bucket with soil inside the bucket with the bucket sitting inside a clear or white plastic tub.

I don't know if your roots will get light thru, but if there's any chance of light hitting the roots, you need to change that.

The pictures don't show the whole setup, I'm just guessing it's a rockwool/water tray type setup, but most don't use clear or near clear. In fact they use black/dark blue or paint it black to keep out the light.

I don't know if that helps or not.

I've heard mixed reviews on root jels, some say pure clean ph'd water is great and makes to roots come out.

I noticed you took from the top, most of the ones I've seen take a single branch from near the bottom and go into rockwool or aero cloning machine.

Give us a time frame, how long has the cutting been in there and what is it sitting in. It looks like a soil mix over a water tank, I haven't seen that kinda setup before. Are the roots supposed to go thru to the bottom into the water?

 

[LivenBurn]

re: My First Attempt At Cloning & Topping! Did I Do Either Right?

Lookin good from here... only things i'd do different is to trim the tips of ALL the leafs on the clone-- to slow down transpiration, & not have it sitting in water. YMMV, peace.

 

[luvsmokinweed]

re: My First Attempt At Cloning & Topping! Did I Do Either Right?

I can't tell for sure, but it looks like some kinda bucket with soil inside the bucket with the bucket sitting inside a clear or white plastic tub.

I don't know if your roots will get light thru, but if there's any chance of light hitting the roots, you need to change that.

The pictures don't show the whole setup, I'm just guessing it's a rockwool/water tray type setup, but most don't use clear or near clear. In fact they use black/dark blue or paint it black to keep out the light.

I don't know if that helps or not.

I've heard mixed reviews on root jels, some say pure clean ph'd water is great and makes to roots come out.

I noticed you took from the top, most of the ones I've seen take a single branch from near the bottom and go into rockwool or aero cloning machine.

Give us a time frame, how long has the cutting been in there and what is it sitting in. It looks like a soil mix over a water tank, I haven't seen that kinda setup before. Are the roots supposed to go thru to the bottom into the water?

Time Frame: Well I just cut them yesterday so they haven't even been in for 24 hours... Whats It Sitting In: Its inside of a black (cleaned & sterilized) Tv Dinner bowl with a clear tubbaware bowl on top (Domed) for humidity since that's what I heard is best!! No roots yet so the light clear tub should be fine I hope!! Rockwool?: I used the expanding puck that comes in those starter kits for seeds. I clone the top only because I topped one of my plants and I heard the tops are the best for cloning. Ill have pics in a min. Enjoy the rest of the process!!

 

[luvsmokinweed]

re: My First Attempt At Cloning & Topping! Did I Do Either Right?

Lookin good from here... only things i'd do different is to trim the tips of ALL the leafs on the clone-- to slow down transpiration, & not have it sitting in water. YMMV, peace.

Thanks!! Will it really help to trim the tip of the leaves??? Should I take it out of the water before or after it has roots??

 

[luvsmokinweed]

re: My First Attempt At Cloning & Topping! Did I Do Either Right?

Here is a good look at the setup!!

I have the whole thing sitting inside my grow box!!

 

[luvsmokinweed]

re: My First Attempt At Cloning & Topping! Did I Do Either Right?

When I put it in there after making the cut last night, the leaves drooped down in the water!! After I checked them this morning they where standing back up!!!

 

[shottafire]

re: My First Attempt At Cloning & Topping! Did I Do Either Right?

When I put it in there after making the cut last night, the leaves drooped down in the water!! After I checked them this morning they where standing back up!!!

You should see roots in 7-10 days or so. What light are you going to use for the clone?

Normally I wait until the plant has alternating nodes to cut and clone. but if the leaves are standing up you shoud be good.

 

[shottafire]

re: My First Attempt At Cloning & Topping! Did I Do Either Right?

Trimming the leaves helps the plant retain more moisture to prevent it from falling over I think.
But I always trim mine and have near 100% success even with hard to clone plants.

 

[luvsmokinweed]

re: My First Attempt At Cloning & Topping! Did I Do Either Right?

Trimming the leaves helps the plant retain more moisture to prevent it from falling over I think.
But I always trim mine and have near 100% success even with hard to clone plants.

I see!!! Maybe you could help me out on why my SourBlueKush is droopy? See Post Link In My Sig.!!

 

[luvsmokinweed]

I'm still confused though!!! Should I take it out of the water and/or dome before or after it is well rooted??? I have the dome under a 100watt CFL!! Good/Bad???? Someone PLEASE reply soon because I am going to leave it in the dome & water, under the light until I am told better!! ( Only because it seems to be doing fine and also showing a little new growth already)

 

[LivenBurn]

pic 4 reference... rooted & un-rooted clones

its pretty humid in the veg area, so i don't use a dome-- usually just a water spritz 1-2 times a day...
trimming the leaf tips is a carryover from every method/medium i've used to get a clone to root...
i don't have a prob w/my cloning success rate or them dying on me, reality is... i gotta throw em' out for lack of space...

If your clone shows proof of life... DON"T CHANGE A THING.

 

[KarlJay]

I wish I could help, but I went with a spray tub type cloner. I see humidity domes at the store, but don't know what kind of setup they are for. How does the plant get fresh air and CO2?

I haven't seen them on the spray tub type cloners.

BTW, Rockwool is just a media that some use to hold the clones, clones actually grow roots thru the rockwool and then you pot the whole thing and the rockwool just kinda blends into the soil mix.

 

[luvsmokinweed]

pic 4 reference... rooted & un-rooted clones

its pretty humid in the veg area, so i don't use a dome-- usually just a water spritz 1-2 times a day...
trimming the leaf tips is a carryover from every method/medium i've used to get a clone to root...
i don't have a prob w/my cloning success rate or them dying on me, reality is... i gotta throw em' out for lack of space...

If your clone shows proof of life... DON"T CHANGE A THING.

So I will leave them in the dome until well rooted since they are still growing every day... I too had to get rid of a few of mine because of the same reason!! Its tragic but life goes on!!!

 

[luvsmokinweed]

I wish I could help, but I went with a spray tub type cloner. I see humidity domes at the store, but don't know what kind of setup they are for. How does the plant get fresh air and CO2?

I haven't seen them on the spray tub type cloners.

BTW, Rockwool is just a media that some use to hold the clones, clones actually grow roots thru the rockwool and then you pot the whole thing and the rockwool just kinda blends into the soil mix.

Please tell me more about this "spray tube type cloner"!! Any pics?? How does it work??... I had the same question about the fresh air and CO2 but she seems to be doing just fine!!!

 

[KarlJay]

It's a tub, this one is rubbermaid 18 gallon, about 200/300 GPH water pump in the bottom, connected to some PVC pipe with spray tips installed in the PVC pipe.

The pump sprays the underside of the lid. The lid is drilled for 2" net baskets w/ pucks to hold the plant.

Some have heaters for the water, some have humidity domes but I don't think you need that as long as you don't have fans blowing on them and you have 50+ humidity. Some also put an air stone in the water, but I don't know if that's needed. You change out the water about once a week.

I painted mine black at the top to reduce light to the roots.


Some advantages is the size and cost. It cost me about $40 as it sits [no air stone or heater]. Plus you can actually grow in there for a while by adding some nutes as needed.
I think some put the cuttings in rockwool, but I'm not going to.

I'll post some updates on my grow journal in my signature link. I'm cutting today and hoping for roots in about a week.

Here's a pic of the wrong jet types installed, they don't spray up far enough and the stream rather than spray, but it gives you an idea of the concept.

 

[luvsmokinweed]

It's a tub, this one is rubbermaid 18 gallon, about 200/300 GPH water pump in the bottom, connected to some PVC pipe with spray tips installed in the PVC pipe.

This might be my next grow project!!! It looks very promising!!!

 

[KarlJay]

It's a pretty good setup, check my grow journal in my sig. I just got done cutting 27 clones. The net cost is about $1.25/clone. The machine is about $40 to make, doesn't take up too much room.

I have it on the bottom of a shelf so I can hang lights / mylar blankets, etc...

I'm thinking about adding a PVC ball valve to act as a drain pump to make the water easier to change.

Also, I'm looking at using the same size pump to make a watering system, put the pump in your feed water, add a shutoff valve, use it to water your plants. Watering can become a pain.

 

[mississippi]

Clone method looks good. but I to take clones from bottom stems and have learned to use black containers/Earth Pots. I have found if you take from the top you effectivally Top the plant out. Where the heck is the spell checker on this thing???????????????

 

[mississippi]

My jets do the same any idea's on fixing that situation????????