Soil Cloning with Self Domes

Things you will need.

1. Cuttings
2. Soil
3. Water
4. Razor blade
5. Clear cups
6. Masking or electrical tape
7. Rooting powder
8. Fill a cup with water and set aside
9. Spray bottle






Take one of the clear cups and poke a hole in the bottom for drainage then fill with soil 1/2 inch from the top. Water this really well until you get good runoff. Now take a phillips screwdriver and make a hole in the soil where your cutting will go. Place aside.





Find nice soft green growth preferably near the bottom of the plant and take your cutting at a 45 degree angle about where my fingers are.. Immediately place in the cup of water that you set aside.

When you are ready take the cutting out of the water, cut the two bottom leaves off and make a fresh 45 degree cut about a half inch below the leaves you just cut off.

GENTLY scrape the outer layer of skin off the stem with the razor slightly above the two leaves you cut off all the way to the 45 degree cut. This should be a total length of 1/2 to 3/4 inch. This will be where new roots will form.

Dip the stem back in the water then dip it in the rooting powder. Tap excess powder off and place the new cutting about an inch to inch and a half into the soil where you made the hole with the screwdriver.

GENTLY pack the soil around the stem so it makes good contact.






Mist the leaves top and bottom with the spray bottle.

Grab another cup, mist the inside, and place upside down on top of the soil cup. Make sure all the leaves are tucked in and tape the two cups together so no water or air escapes.


That's it. Leave it alone. Clear cups are used so you can see any root development. Roots should be visible in 10-15 days





Here is the mother plant. Anesthesia and her cuttings taken on 4/22/11.


Other things you can do:

1. Place a heating pad under the domed cups.
2. Before putting on dome, cut 50% of each leaf off.
3. Use rooting powder or gel.

I got this idea from a thread started by Joker209 a while back. With his permission, I have posted my version. Thanks brother.

-HLG

Forgot to add. It has been 4 days since I took the cuttings. They are nice and green with a little growth above soil. No visble roots yet.

-HLG

that'd be sweet for transporting em too once rooted. pretty cool....

Nice post, thank you!

very nice tutorial i do almost the same thing, but i use 1-16oz clear, 1-16oz red, and 1-8oz clear cups per clone. that way the 8oz clear cup sits right inside on top and no tape needed.

redrum83420 said:

very nice tutorial i do almost the same thing, but i use 1-16oz clear, 1-16oz red, and 1-8oz clear cups per clone. that way the 8oz clear cup sits right inside on top and no tape needed.

Click to expand...

It took me a minute - so the 16 oz clear cup with soil goes into the 16 oz red cup (keeping light off the roots) and the 8 oz is the dome. I like that too.

-HLG

I am interesed to see if this works. All I seem to be doing is killing my clones. I may try this

Keep us updated.

Thanks

4/27/11





Last night I took 3 more cuttings exactly the same way as the original 6 were done. I was digging around and found a reptile heating pad to place under the new cuttings.

Short recap:

6 cuttings taken on 4/22/11. Temp in box 70-74. No heating pad.
3 cuttings taken on 4/26/11 placed on top of reptile heating pad.

Original 6 cuttings are looking good and green with more growth above soil. No visible roots.

-HLG

HighLowGrow said:

It took me a minute - so the 16 oz clear cup with soil goes into the 16 oz red cup (keeping light off the roots) and the 8 oz is the dome. I like that too.

-HLG

Click to expand...

yup just like that. i cut 3 small holes in the bottom on the sides for drainage. you have new vertical growth with no roots? i normally have roots before i get new growth.

redrum83420 said:

yup just like that. i cut 3 small holes in the bottom on the sides for drainage. you have new vertical growth with no roots? i normally have roots before i get new growth.

Click to expand...

There may be some root development that just hasn't hit the sides or bottom yet. It's only been 5 days. I just might sacrifice one and take a peek later today. If I do, Ill take a few pics and post them.

-HLG

HighLowGrow said:

It took me a minute - so the 16 oz clear cup with soil goes into the 16 oz red cup (keeping light off the roots) and the 8 oz is the dome. I like that too.

-HLG

Click to expand...

the whole point of the clear cups is to see when the cuttings take root

4/28/11

Last night I was checking on things in the box. I took the temp on the reptile heating pad. It was at 88.2 so I unplugged it and took it out.

Today I'm going to put the heating pad back in and elevate the 3 newest cuttings a couple inches above it so they are not so hot.

All the cuttings are still looking great. Nice green foliage. Nothing droopy or dying. I did not pull a cutting to check on root development.

-HLG

i generally have to put my heating pad on a timer so they don't get too hot.

wiseguy316 said:

i generally have to put my heating pad on a timer so they don't get too hot.

Click to expand...

Ya...I was using a reptile heating pad with no settings. It's either on or off. I was just using what I had. Might go out and buy a HUMAN heating pad with settings at some point. For now I'm just going to raise the new cuttings up off the pad. It's just a small experiment. Heating pad vs no heating pad.

-HLG

i was using a human heating pad even on low it gets too hot, i put towels on it to raise them up, still had to put it on a timer. If ya get one get an older one from a thrift shop. the newr ones have built in timers that shut them off after like 2 hrs. Worthless for what we want to use them for.

So I put the reptile heating pad back in the box. The cuttings are raised approx 2" above the pad on a screen. I'll check the temp at screen level in a couple hours.

-HLG

LOL I thought I was the only one who domed with party cups Mine are tinted blue, and I put the cuttings in sand to make it easier to check on root development, they pop in and out easily.

100% sand?
Do you use drainage holes?
Do you need to water or mist after the initial planting?

-HLG

4/29/11

I pulled the lids off all 9 cuttings and gave them a small watering, misted the leaves and dome, then taped em back up. All are still nice and green. That's all I plan on doing until I see roots. I'll update again at that point.

-HLG

this is a sick experiment if you do this succefully you could start shipping and seelin these that would be mint i should do that with my grow be a nice earner lol...