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Cloning: The Easy Way
By Dr. Clone
[Image] My indica strain
seems to chant "clone us… clone us" every time I
enter my Veg room. Well OK, it
could be the buzzing of Metal Halide
ballasts, the humming of fans, or maybe that big bong hit
I just had. But
marijuana is one of the easiest plants to clone, which is my topic this
month.
The Mother Plant
[Image] If your mother plant is from
seed, it should be at least 1 foot
tall. But if you need lots of clones, let it get big. It
pays to have
patience sometimes. I can always find the room for a bigger plant.
Misting
[Image] Mist plants heavily each morning two weeks prior to
cloning.
Remember, if plants are in halide area, turn off your fans and raise bulbs.
If
one drop of water lands on a hot bulb, then BOOM! no more bulb.
[Image] The misting
will wash nitrogen out of plants. This will slow growth,
and carbohydrates will build up in
the stems. The lowest branches of your
plant will root faster due to the low nitrogen and high
carbohydrate levels.
Rooting Medium
[Image] You can root in
rockwool, perlite, sand, vermiculite, sunshine
mixes, dirt, and even water. I prefer to use
rockwool because it is easy to
handle, easy to transport, and it keeps your clone area
clean.
[Image] 24 hours before cloning you should prepare your rooting medium by
watering it with a mix of one litre of water and 10 millilitres (2
teaspoons) of No damp
fungicide. Put the medium into a 36 hole insert and
place it in a nursery tray. Put the tray
in the clone room, 12" from the
light, which should be left on constantly.
[Image] [Image]
Taking the Clone
[Image] Get a clean coffee
cup, baby food jar, or other such contain, and
top with 20-25 degree Celsius water. Do not use
hot tap water. Let the water
sit overnight to allow the chlorine to evaporate.
[Image] Start your first cutting on the bottom branch. The cutting should be
2"-6"
in length. You will leave the growing tip, a small leaf, and one or
two larger leaves. Below
the last leaf you will cut off more leaves 1/8"
from the main stem (see diagram).
[Image] Below the bottom leaf cut you should make a straight cut
perpendicular to the
stem. Immediately place the cutting into the container
of water. This will prevent an air
bubble from blocking the transpiration
stream.
[Image] After all clones are
taken, put in clone closet, (but not in direct
light) for 24 hours. Mist clones gently once or
twice during this period.
[Image] The next day, take your tray with the medium and use
a small nail to
make a 1/4" deep hole in each clone site. Take one clone, dip in
rooting
hormone, generously coating 1/4" to 1/2" of the stem before inserting it
3/4"
into the medium. Trickle a few drops of rooting hormone down the stem
to ensure that it is set
properly.
[Image] Mist the clone again and put a foot away from the fluorescent
light.
Leave the light on constantly until the clones have rooted, which should
take
from one to four weeks. You can use a humidity cover or tent if you
want to, but I don’t use
one. I mist my clones 6 times or so a day, and they
root in 7 to 12 days. Keep the medium
moist but not saturated. When
necessary, water lightly with a mixture of water and No-damp.
Let the
rockwool get a bit on the dry side rather than letting it become too wet.
[Image] After roots start to appear, transplant the clone gently into
whatever medium you have
chosen to grow it in. Water gently with 1/2"
strength flowering food. If you are planting
clones rooted in rockwool into
a pro mix, make sure to bury cube with 1/2" of soil. It
will help keep cube
from drying out, as rockwool generously gives up its moisture to
anything.
That’s it. Expect a minimum 50% survival rate. Good luck!
[Image] If
your clones all die, record exactly what you did and come see me
on Saturdays from 1 to-4 pm
at Hemp BC.
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