My Cloning process
Took a couple of photos while I was cloning today, and thought I'd share. As I've mentioned in the past, I use "Rapid Rooters" (Root Riot plugs are very similar and work too) to clone. In addition, I soak the Rapid Rooters in Clonex prior to using. I use RootTech hormone gel to coat the cut on the stem, as well as the node above the cut.
Okay, prior to doing this, I get all this out:
- Scissors (for taking cuttings from plant - important that it's sterile, use alcohol)
- Razor Knife (for make 45 degree cut on stem, again, make sure it's sterile)
- Rooting gel (for coating the 45 degree cut and node above it)
- Plastic cutting board (clean/sterile)
- Small container for rooting gel (don't dip into the container - keep it sterile)
- Clonex (for presoaking rapid rooters - I also use it to re-wet them while waiting for them to root)
Here's my process:
First, I soak them in a Clonex solution, at 5ml per liter (lightest recommendation on the bottle). For water, I use bottled spring water (think drinking water). Normally, I let them soak for 12-24 hours in this solution.
Supplies (Clockwise L to R: Scissors/knife box, Roottech Gel, Shotglass for gel, soaking rooters, plastic cutting board, small clean spoon for scooping out rooting gel into shotglass)
Then I give them a gentle squeeze, and a little shake as they should be wet/moist, but not thoroughly soaking wet. I use the non-writing end of a ball point pen to hold open the hole in the Rapid Rooter while I take my cutting.
When I take the cutting, I quickly trim off the excess leaves, leaving only a couple of trimmed leaves on top. Then, I place the cutting on a plastic cutting board and I make a 45 degree cut right below a node. I immediately dip the cutting in my rooting gel. Sometimes I scrape the stem, but honestly it works fine without it. I use RootTech Gel, but I'm sure many others would work, too. Then, I remove the pen from the hole in the rooter, and insert my cutting into the rooter.
TIP: I like to keep the humidity dome on while I take other cuttings, as sometimes they start to wilt before I'm finished. Even though they'll pop back up for me eventually, I like trying to keep them from wilting in the first place. I keep the humidity dome lid misted at all times in the cloning process (until they start to root).
TIP: If my cutting is "loose" in the rooter plug, I use a tweezers to remove a piece of rooter from an extra rooter (I like to have an extra for these purposes). I take this chunk of material, and gently stuff it into the hole with the cutting to "firm up" the cutting in the rooter. Cuttings should be steady/firmly in place and not loose in the rapid rooters.
TIP: Sometimes I leave too much leaf material and they just can't hold themselves up. In these cases, I trim the leaves more (after the fact), and so far it's almost always helped.
