Why can't I clone with tap water?

[jokerlola]

This is more for experimental reasons but, I've never been able to clone cannabis in just tap water. I see all these videos on youtube of people cloning cannabis in tap water easily but I've had cuttings sit in tap water for months and they don't die but they don't grow roots either. i'm able to clone other plants in tap water quickly andwith ease like basil, snake plant, mint, basically any houseplant or herb but not cannabis. What could be the reasons why?

I am able to clone with rock wool cubes and peat pods under a humidity dome with no problem.

 

[013]

Maybe chlorine or chloramine are too high, but it does not compute if you can clone other plants.

 

[013]

Do you scrape the stem? I always do regardless of clone method. What kind of light do you have for cloning? Whats the container made of? Are you using a dome on these? Are you using weak cal-mag in your water spray solution?

sorry there was getting baked and hit enter before I was done? What a toe-tall Fvck-up I am this morning! Ahh it’s all good!

 

[Justin Goody]

I use tap water and mine is close to 8.0 and have gotten them to root. Some took a week some took 3. Usually if they don’t root it’s from algae or it just gets rotten. If I want consistent results though I use distilled and root hormone in a dome. Like 013 said it may be chlorine or just scrape your stems a little first to help it along.

 

[JWPcinders]

Yeah I am thinking the chlorine / ph level

 

[Liqurd4tay0z]

I did a few using just tap water and let them sit for a week...nothing! Then I planted them in soil and boom!! within another 5 days or so the roots took off. No rooting hormones or anything special, just a plastic bag over the container for humidity which is a must or they die without it.

 

[013]

I’m no pro at ANY of this - just average joe but it depends on size of branch you are cutting. Don’t leave a bunch of big fan leaves and side branches, cut the big fan blades leaves in half to reduce the load on clone that is trying to keep a bunch of greenery alive while building a new root system. It’s too much strain

Need indirect light no 600 watt hps or honking LED blasting them, window sill is great provided it’s warm or a single compact florescent light bulb is perfect. Clones will take root faster in warm humid climate, open dome or bag for 5 minutes every day. Mist with weak cal mag adjusted tap, well or spring water. Rooting powder, cloning gel, honey... all 3 do the same job. Yes, plants gotta be weaned off the dome or bag by slowly opening vents more each day

 

[jokerlola]

Do you scrape the stem? I always do regardless of clone method. What kind of light do you have for cloning? Whats the container made of? Are you using a dome on these? Are you using weak cal-mag in your water spray solution?

sorry there was getting baked and hit enter before I was done? What a toe-tall Fvck-up I am this morning! Ahh it’s all good!

I'm just fooling around with this. When I'm serious about cloning I use peat or rock wool cubes and a humidity dome. But (just for the hell of it) I always throw a couple of cuttings in tap water and see if I can get them to root like I see people do in youtube videos and like I've done with Basil and houseplant cuttings. I usually stick them in a glass or bottle of water and put it on my window sill. I have tried a few variations of just topping off the tap water, changing the water weekly or daily. I've even tried other water like distilled, ph'ed, RO, and spring water but still no luck. I've also tried out of direct sunlight, in more direct sunlight under my T-12 light in my kitchen that actually have OTT grow light tubes in it.

This is what I'm trying to replicate:

 

[TorturedSoul]

a humidity dome.

Never could understand why people use those things. Must be a lot more members living in the Atacama Desert than there used to be .

 

[013]

ah cool I’ll watch that link, dont change water out, just top it up, No dice on distilled theres no minerals. RO is probably not that good either but IDK? Spring or well would be best. I’m not that great at it either there’s a skill to being consistent. I’m sure there are many folks much better at it than me.

 

[013]

read this somewhere other day but it said to use water to clone any other houseplant then use same water to quickly clone a weed plant. Thought that was pretty cool but havent tried it yet - might be right for you

 

[PE636]

I've tried this a couple times just for fun using 100 ppm tap water, on a windowsill with and without rooting gel. Some cuttings form little bumps like they are about to start but nothing ever happens, no actual roots ever appear. The leaves stay looking surprisingly healthy for weeks.

 

[TorturedSoul]

read this somewhere other day but it said to use water to clone any other houseplant then use same water to quickly clone a weed plant.

Or you could use fresh water that still has a fair amount of dissolved oxygen in it. That's why it's suggested to change the water every day or three when rooting cuttings in it. Although it's not strictly necessary (if you're not in a hurry, at least).

 

[jokerlola]

ah cool I’ll watch that link, dont change water out, just top it up, No dice on distilled theres no minerals. RO is probably not that good either but IDK? Spring or well would be best. I’m not that great at it either there’s a skill to being consistent. I’m sure there are many folks much better at it than me.

Yeah, I've only tried those only once. I still mainly try it with tap water. For instance when I lollipopped my plants in June, I put the cutting glass jars with tap water and put them on my window east facing window sill which gets nice morning sun and they are still in those jars, still alive but no roots. They actually are budding! But still no roots! Like I said, I'm just fooling around with this for the hell of it. Just curious why they won't root?

 

[013]

Did not know that Tortured, thanks for the input.

That’s crazy Joker, I’m guessing that it’s either or but not both! Roots or buds... maybe she will sprout roots and reveg one day.

 

[Justin Goody]

read this somewhere other day but it said to use water to clone any other houseplant then use same water to quickly clone a weed plant. Thought that was pretty cool but havent tried it yet - might be right for you

That’s how I got my autoflower to clone (I think) is using water I had previously used to root houseplants. Rooted fast on a very young cutting.

 

[greenjeans]

I've had very poor results trying to clone - I've even tried air rooting and limited success there as well - tried just water, with a dome, in perlite, in soil...I think I'll try again just sitting in the open in water.

 

[013]

Probably where I heard it from Goody,

A dome is tricky cuz it’s like a crutch you need it but then you gotta wean off it slowly

 

[jokerlola]

Probably where I heard it from Goody,

A dome is tricky cuz it’s like a crutch you need it but then you gotta wean off it slowly

When I got my very first cuttings that were dipped in Clonex and put into wet rock wool cubes, not knowing anything, I tried just keeping the cubes moist and the cuttings wilted and almost died. Then I did some searches on google and YouTube and put plastic ziplock bags over them and they came back to life and rooted. So that’s now what I’ve always done. I use a homemade humidity dome. Don’t know if I really need it but it seems to work. Cutting wilted on me just out in the open.