Phillybonker
Well-Known Member
What size rockwool square are best for rooting clones?
What size rockwool square are best for rooting clones?
- Thread starter Phillybonker
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Really do not remember the size but I used the smaller sized cubes that had the small hole already punched in for placing a seed. I would use a pencil or piece of a stick and would push it till it was almost ready to come out the bottom. Then I placed the cutting in and would pinch the area by the stem to help push the rockwool up against the stem hold it all upright while waiting for roots to start.
If going with rockwool cubes then read any and all instructions about rinsing and anything else involved in preparing the cube.
If going with rockwool cubes then read any and all instructions about rinsing and anything else involved in preparing the cube.
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- #3
Phillybonker
Well-Known Member
Thanks mate
Are you committed to the rockwool cubes?
If not, I do mine in perlite or coarse builder's sand. I do 5-10 small cuttings in a standard solo cup, then pick the best one or two to up pot.
If not, I do mine in perlite or coarse builder's sand. I do 5-10 small cuttings in a standard solo cup, then pick the best one or two to up pot.
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- #5
Phillybonker
Well-Known Member
I'm not committed to rockwool cubes and yes I will try perlite as well rockwool cubes, I'm just practicing cloning, I won't be able to get any buds from the clones because it's too late in the season for the clones to get to any reasonable size, but good practice for next season.
So it's just perlite and water and stick the cuttings in that with nothing else?
You can read the detail in my signature, but basically I cut them, stick them in the medium, and then mist them twice a day for a couple of weeks. Super easy. No rooting hormones, no domes, no pumps, no hardening off, no nothing. And a very high success rate, and an easy transition to my SIPs.
Doesn't get much easier except maybe for a glass of water, but for me that took too long, had a low success rate and I had issues transitioning them to soil.
But, cloning is a very individual thing. You'll have trouble until you find something that clicks, and then it becomes easy. The perlite/builder's sand and misting twice a day is what clicked for me.
You would be surprised. If you have a couple of cuttings that have developed roots then why not take them out into a safe area and plant them. In decent soil a small clone should grow large enough in the 4 to 5 weeks before the change in length of night starts the flowering. It is possible that they could give an ounce or so at harvest. All it takes is some soil preparation and a bit of gardener's luck that there is enough rain to get the roots growing.
Agreed that the plant will not be as large as if you had gotten the clone into the ground by mid December.
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- #8
Phillybonker
Well-Known Member
Could I get away with misting once a day, in the morning? My schedule and the location of the area where I plan to root the cuttings would make misting twice a day challenging. But I can mist twice a day if I really have to.
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- #9
Phillybonker
Well-Known Member
My seedlings are currently on their first set of leaves, I don't know at what age I can take cuttings from them but with 8 1/2 weeks till flowering takes place I won't be getting 4-5 weeks vegging out of them.
I never planned to germinate this late but circumstances saw to it that I had to order the seeds late, then the seeds took a lot longer to arrive than expected, and took longer to germinate than expected. And now growth has slowed right down in the seedlings. All these factors ran the clock down on me and I'm not able to do anything with the clones after they are rooted.
But I'd rather practice cloning this year to get all the catastrophic mistakes out of the way for next season.
Probably could, but I only tested it with twice a day, at least until I saw they rooted then I went to once a day. Since you're only experimenting before you go live next spring you might as well give it a try. And I'd be curious how it goes for you and if successful did it take longer to get roots?
