cloning

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Buddhalovah

Member
How long should I leave my light on when I'm beginning to clone? I have an aeroponic system I built. It's a 1 gallon bucket I only have 4 clones.
 
nomofatum

nomofatum

Well-Known Member
You can 24/7 them, but they won't root/grow any faster than 16/8. If anything 16/8 is easier on them during the shock period of the first few days.
 
Jeremy13

Jeremy13

Member
unless you want to pay the electric company more money go with the 18/6 route, with what you are attempting to achieve there are no advantages to a 24 hour light cycle
 
vostok

vostok

Well-Known Member
24/7 is the best also a little fan is good
you just want that photo-synthetic motor just ticking over
for even better quicker result
ensure you keep the water/rootzone in the dark​
 
vostok

vostok

Well-Known Member
Jeremy13 said:
unless you want to pay the electric company more money go with the 18/6 route, with what you are attempting to achieve there are no advantages to a 24 hour light cycle
Click to expand...
you only need to have a small cfl(23w) 12 inches from the cutting to keep the plant alive
photosynthesis is working but no sugar are being stored
as there is no roots to store in???​
 
nomofatum

nomofatum

Well-Known Member
This has been tested multiple times with side by sides. There was never an advantage to 24 hr. They were pretty damn identical, so do as you wish and don't worry about it.
 
Jeremy13

Jeremy13

Member
been doing it 18/6 from the start, 99% success on clones, I would like to say 100% but id be lying.... I think the 1% is an error on my part from the initial cut itself......and save a lot of frustration with the aero type cloners, go get a pack of rockwool a dome and a tray and you're golden, its so easy even I can do it
 
Neoangelo147

Neoangelo147

Well-Known Member
18/6 or 24hrs I haven't seen a difference but that's my own personal opinion. I would try both and see what works best for you. One thing to remember besides lights schedule for rooting clones is light distance and light intensity. 2 single 23watt cfls will be plenty for a dozen or more cuttings depending on how far apart you have them spaced. Keep the light at least 12 inches from tops of clones maybe even more depending on your temps.
 
bravedave

bravedave

Well-Known Member
As I understand it, there is very little going on in the dark when there are no roots...so I do not subject them to it. As far as expense...running a couple T5s and or CFLs for 2-3 weeks is barely a blip on your electic meter. Not counting my light costs I figured my third cloning cost 74 cents. Took them out of their solo cups at 3 weeks of 24/7 and all 12 were happy. I would be surprised if my T5s cost me $10 in that time So maybe I could save enough to buy a large Starbucks dark roast if I cloned under 18/6. I would experiment with 18/20/24 during veg but not bother with it during the clone process. 24!
 
d0rk2dafullest

d0rk2dafullest

Well-Known Member
Your plants would appreciate the dark cycle. Gives it a chance to rest. think of it as an NFL team. u wanna give em food (nutes), water, and exercise (sunlight). but u also want them to rest. so they can do it all again the next day. If u work ur plants out all day everyday, they wont grow efficiently. U can get away with 24/7 but again, your plants would appreciate the rest. and on the plus side, your bulbs would last longer too. i use MH bulbs, and they tend to go out pretty fast cuz they are MH. MH is not a very efficient bulb and tends to go out faster than HPS. (i change them out so much more than i would an HPS) for every 1 time i change an HPS, i've got to change out a MH twice. but however non efficient the bulb is, it creates a light that my plants LOVE. i would give them the rest. Though some people might not see the difference. i have seen some differences. my plants get a few inches jump on 18/6 vs 24/7 although it's only a few inches, it still cuts about a week off my own veg time. and i've also had clones root faster than under 24/7. clones need light. but they dont need too much of it either. everyone says 18/6 for a reason. and there are no advantages under 24/7. u can do 24/7 but unless the gods are blessing u with unlimited energy, it's just a waste of life on bulbs and energy. And for ur information dave, if u do some reading. u would find out that during the night cycle that the plant does a lot more than u think.
 
bravedave

bravedave

Well-Known Member
d0rk2dafullest said:
Your plants would appreciate the dark cycle. Gives it a chance to rest. think of it as an NFL team. u wanna give em food (nutes), water, and exercise (sunlight). but u also want them to rest. so they can do it all again the next day. If u work ur plants out all day everyday, they wont grow efficiently. U can get away with 24/7 but again, your plants would appreciate the rest. and on the plus side, your bulbs would last longer too. i use MH bulbs, and they tend to go out pretty fast cuz they are MH. MH is not a very efficient bulb and tends to go out faster than HPS. (i change them out so much more than i would an HPS) for every 1 time i change an HPS, i've got to change out a MH twice. but however non efficient the bulb is, it creates a light that my plants LOVE. i would give them the rest. Though some people might not see the difference. i have seen some differences. my plants get a few inches jump on 18/6 vs 24/7 although it's only a few inches, it still cuts about a week off my own veg time. and i've also had clones root faster than under 24/7. clones need light. but they dont need too much of it either. everyone says 18/6 for a reason. and there are no advantages under 24/7. u can do 24/7 but unless the gods are blessing u with unlimited energy, it's just a waste of life on bulbs and energy. And for ur information dave, if u do some reading. u would find out that during the night cycle that the plant does a lot more than u think.
Click to expand...
Hey. I tend to agree and while my mentor does do 24/0 in veg, my current grow was done under 20/4. So I have seen the light ;), albeit there are too many other variables to make a call on which is better...give me a few years.
That said, my comment above was directed mainly at the start of the cloning process when there are no roots. Again, no roots for darkness to help. Football player with no legs... doesn't matter how much sleep he gets. ;) I do 20/4 currently once they come out of their solo cups at about 3 weeks. 24 before that with great success and very little cost with the T5s. (They then go under an MH for the duration)
 
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