What is wrong?

For two and a half months, have been trying to get clones to start rooting.

Started this crusade when the idea for growing indoors got serious. Normally grow outdoor. Grabbed a couple of outdoor plants that are in pots and placed under a 150w HPS 24/0. Sure they had just started to turn when this was done. Thought they might give problems for a couple of weeks, maybe 4 to get clones to take.

There are some companion plants also, lettuce and basil.


Methodology: Sterilize scalpel blade with hand sanitizer, cut cutting from mother plant. Locate site below node and cut 45 degree angle, split down length of stem and scrap lightly around 45 degree cut. Place into powder, tap excess off and place firmly into Rockwool cube.

Rockwool cubes pre soaked for 24hrs, rinsed out then soaked in 5.2 - 5.5ph adjusted water with 1ml of 50% H202 per litre of water.

The temperature of the clone box at base level sits around 29 degrees 'C'. You can see my temp probe tuck between the plastic container and tent floor.

Top temp is my Flowering room (has some outdoor potted plants in there budding away, waiting for clones to come to start my hydro system). Middle temp is the clone, bottom temp is the mother room.

Tried powder and liquid rooting hormone, none have taken.

This powered cutting had been in the cube for 3 weeks. I use ph and H202 adjusted water - each cubes receives around 15mls every 24hrs or when they feel light.


Where is the problem ??

Ditch the rockwool and go aero clone. I have lost 2 cuttings out of thousands over the years with many, many different strains.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=40055

Really simple one right here.

I built this same system, I use clonex, I no longer have cloning issues. I built mine in a 5 gal bucket with 7 slots, more of an fyi than anything.

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As all have said a cloner is the way to go but if you dont do that then IMO stop slicing the stalk and dont use such large cuttings. Also it has been my experience that if doing it in cubes I need a dome and lightly spray them daily. I have had shit luck as well in cubes but do well with peat pots for outdoor planting. I cut a top off using a rusty pair of pliers this run and stuck it in a 6" net pot with hydroton in a recirculating system and its done real well lol. Basically a cloner!

Have tried the method of not slicing the stalk also - fail.

The compartment they are in is fairly humid - but not like a dome. The 'large cuttings', or I would like to say "tall" is due to they are going straight under 12/12 once roots show, or in my case, that would be never!

What would be the technique for aero-cloned cutting to be transplanted into perlite ? Nothing to watch out-for - would think one would have to be careful of the root system while adding perlite around ?

Good to see I have done nothing 'dumb' that jumps out to anyone - YET!

Yuss - popping roots out on day 10-11 now.

Heat matt made the difference. It is good to have the clones secure in cubes for transplanting, the roots are protected and the cube gives the clone stability in the new medium and wont bend etc. I suspect this could be a few of the problems when using a aero cloner?

I am hoping to cut a few more days of the above time frame, say 6-9 days.

Man I have used rusty razor blades before, and nothing else, just straight into cloner and always root. Everybody has a trick like angle cuts and other stuff but what I found is no tricks are needed. Make it easy on yourself, I can wash, fill my cloner and take 14-18 cuttings and have the cloner running in less than 30mins, the cuttings don't even droop.

I vouch for turboklone, being a noob and literally used rusty scissors and im like 72/72 rooted within a week. Set it and forget it status.

First off You shouldnt be using any h202 for fresh cuttings. Just plain water and no ph down either. I soak my cubes for like 5 minutes in gallon of water un ph'd with 3 drops of super thrive no angle cut no scraping just cut dip in water with super thrive for like 5 min. Then hit them with clonex gel then straight to the cube and dont use the hole provided precut either. close that hole with your finger. Then put the cutting in the side of the cube. Then to dome with heat mat and a thin layer of hydroton for added humidity. After 3 days open vent one then on day 7 open vent 2. Ive had aerocloners built a few myself but just another res i gotta change out. Cant beat a dome and some rockwool. And no nutes for for clones they will root fine with straight un ph water. I am not knocking any aerocloning either because i have used them and they do give off set it and forget it results but for me i like my cubes. And thats what growing is about doing what works for you.

I get almost 100 % success rate with rockwool. I use dome only for 4 days, but it's to humid. Next run I Will go without. Soak rockwool for 24h in light solution (ro , calmag, ghe flora series, ec 0,4 ph 5,0). Remove as much as possible water(don't squeeze). Now I use this same solution but ph is 5,5. I water rockwool on scale to get 25g. Now is time to put clone inside. I get clone about 10-15 cm height, put in clonex and in rochwool. I use heat mat set to 25 C, my room temp 25-27, rh 55-70%. First and second day I shoot for 70% next day I lower it to 60- 65%. Every day I water them. I put on scale and give water to 28g (25g rockwool plus 3g clone). 14 days and they are ready. When they drop, bump rh up(I use ultrasonic mister). I don't mist them. My lamp is 36watt cfl, 20cm from clones. Also make you own whole in rochwool, factory wholes, are to big for me.