Wtf with my clones?? What am I doin wrong??

Dr. Funk

Dr. Funk

Active Member
TL;DR its been 8 days, and my clones are starting to yellow like the last batch I tried that ended up dying off... why? (PH is good 7.5, pellets are not soaking wet, but not dry either)

So, I've done this 10 years ago with great success. At one point I had 100% clones rate with minimal effort. This time around... its different...

Im using Alien OG Kush clones from mother grow from seed. I cut 45 degree with blade, scrape the side, dip in clonex - then put in peat pods.

I did a batch like this a few weeks ago and they all died eventually.

I put the clones in the clone dome about 8 days ago, and maybe twice or 3 times a day I'll pop the top off the dome for a few minutes to air out, then I spray the top and put it back on.

Recently I added the bubbler to make sure I had consistent humidity as I thought that might be my problem.

But here and now, I can see some of them are starting to yellow, like the last ones did before they died.

Back in the day, I never had a problem with this. I'd leave em be for like a week and they'd all pop roots.

This time around looks like i'm not going something right. Any ideas?
 

Attachments

  • 20250613_145632.jpg
    20250613_145632.jpg
    1.7 MB · Views: 73
  • 20250613_145636.jpg
    20250613_145636.jpg
    1.3 MB · Views: 72
Last edited:
I haven't. As I mentioned - I did this same technique a decade ago and had tremendous success. It was pretty much to easy for me... Every. Single. One. Would. Root. No problems.

I could look at using a different medium - but why would that be the problem NOW when it wasn't a problem before?

Maybe the strain is hard to clone? Idk.

Any idea what the yellowing is from? Is that just normal stress? Too much humidity ( I thought 100% was ideal)?
 
  • Like
Reactions: THT
All looks good just a tough method. Basically same thing happened to me but with aero cloning, only worked once. The root riots just provide a good amount of oxygen and just has some secrets to it idk why it works so well.

Then I used a ac infinity dome so it neatly comes with a dome, light, heatmat and lifted cubed tray. The lifted tray allows water to sit below and wick up through the pucks. The heat is the secret sauce, the tray and etc just helps it be set and forget well worth the $100 I spent. Very plug and play, set and forget.

Thats been my successful method for over a year cloning every two months. I add some KLN dyna gro hormone to the water and thats it. Top holes open of course so its vented.
 
When I got the heatmat and dome it just roots faster 5-10 days. My attempts before that worked, they just took much longer to root but they did.

Sometimes they didnt all root but the dome method we do that I learned from here made it work outstandingly which was very much needed for me perpetual grow.
 
hello @Dr. Funk, cloning can be more difficult for some strains than others. I find that a little bit of yellowing is normal for me especially around the last few days before rooting, however, I would check your PH, ensure the medium is wet but not too wet, and try to take bigger cuts, they seem pretty small to me.
 
Hmmm. Alright, well I guess I'm at the point of trying something different anyway.

I do have a heat mat, but I turned it off - otherwise the inside dome temp shoots up to 88 degrees or so - which I thought might be too much heat for the little dudes.

Appreciate it!
 
THT said:
hello @Dr. Funk, cloning can be more difficult for some strains than others. I find that a little bit of yellowing is normal for me especially around the last few days before rooting, however, I would check your PH, ensure the medium is wet but not too wet, and try to take bigger cuts, they seem pretty small to me.
Click to expand...
Thanks, PH is on point - medium should be good - not soaking wet, but not too dry.

I've always been of the opinion (and from what I recall experience) the brand new little guys root faster than the more mature ends...

I guess if these don't work out, I'll be taking a handful and trying a few different techniques see what works best.

Thanks!
 
  • Like
Reactions: THT
I've never been a fan of peat moss, which is what those rooter pots are made from. I do my cuttings in potting mix. Peat-moss avoidance is why.
 
Ive rooted clones in many different mediums. Peat moss always causes yellowing. It doesn't really matter, imo. Once they develop roots, all they need is a little fertilizer to get them healthy and on track.
Different mediums in combination with different strains/plants is just a few of the variables that we learn to control, as we gain more experience as growers.

Good luck with your project. :weed:
 
i try to do what i can replicate each time controlled, i use tap water and off gas, i also have a algae mix that cleans the water for me before it touches any plants i have i dont just grow weed, i also grow wheat and other things i put back in my soil. imo its all trial and error until it makes sense to you as the grower
 
I have several methods of cloning and im currently trying a new Idea I have for bigger clones .. its all about the humidity , and I always clone with 24 hour light. I like aquafina for cloning as its 5.8 ph out the bottle works good.. I've done area bubbles I've user-defined rock wool rootriot with success in all only thing I use is bontone 2 powder for my Iba. I like the stick factor and I just did a run of 7 monster cropped larf buds off my indoor run for some hopes to preserve this fire.. and all 7 took.. sweet.. one large clone I neglected and let dry out .. you can't help but open the riot apart and its always got a white residue even when it roots... the white powder sticks around better then clones or other gels IMO. Other then that u scrape and dip like I do but I double.bisct my bottoms after I fresh cut a 45. You want as much surface area of the (pith) ineer white core of a stem to be in contact with the IBA... I take the one stem and make it 4 stems and roots explode and just swell.riggt out of the 4 piced stems
 
I would point my finger right at the Clonex. I gave up on clonex gel because I discovered that I would get some strains that would just not root at all and then other strains popped to life. I found much better consistency from strain to strain using Hormex #16 and Root riot starter plugs.
 
I use take root powder, root riot and spray the leaves and dome with seltzer. The CO2 helps the leaves grow, not so much with the roots. This last time, I put a thin hand towel over my dome. It blocked out the light quite a bit. This is the first time I got one hundred percent success, in years.
I did make a bubbling cloner out of a plastic folgers can and that gave me total success, but I am trying not to have too many things plugged in now. I tried those peat plugs a couple of times, but they were about thirtythree to fifty percent affective. The rockwool cubes seem to dry out too quick. I've used root tech gel and clonex, they work as well as honey or cinnamon. I'll stick with rooting powder.
I always put the cuttings in water, then scrape the darker bark to expose the green and then I do a forty five degree cut. I also use taller cuts with at least two full sets of leaves. I only cut the top set of leaves, like a FIM chop. Dip the end in powder and stick them in the riot plugs. I spray the leaves and dome then cover them for three days. I open the vents after that and spray the dome when it looks dry.
There are some strains that are tough to clone, but the bubbling cloner seemed to fix that. Now I only clone easy ones.
There seems to be some good info here, so I'm sure you will do well.
 
Fano_man said:
I have several methods of cloning and im currently trying a new Idea I have for bigger clones .. its all about the humidity , and I always clone with 24 hour light. I like aquafina for cloning as its 5.8 ph out the bottle works good.. I've done area bubbles I've user-defined rock wool rootriot with success in all only thing I use is bontone 2 powder for my Iba. I like the stick factor and I just did a run of 7 monster cropped larf buds off my indoor run for some hopes to preserve this fire.. and all 7 took.. sweet.. one large clone I neglected and let dry out .. you can't help but open the riot apart and its always got a white residue even when it roots... the white powder sticks around better then clones or other gels IMO. Other then that u scrape and dip like I do but I double.bisct my bottoms after I fresh cut a 45. You want as much surface area of the (pith) ineer white core of a stem to be in contact with the IBA... I take the one stem and make it 4 stems and roots explode and just swell.riggt out of the 4 piced stems
Click to expand...
The thing with the pH is, until they develop roots, they aren't taking in any nutes, so there's no real need to pH the water until then, unless your water has some crazy pH values, then maybe.
 
warble said:
I use take root powder, root riot and spray the leaves and dome with seltzer. The CO2 helps the leaves grow, not so much with the roots. This last time, I put a thin hand towel over my dome. It blocked out the light quite a bit. This is the first time I got one hundred percent success, in years.
I did make a bubbling cloner out of a plastic folgers can and that gave me total success, but I am trying not to have too many things plugged in now. I tried those peat plugs a couple of times, but they were about thirtythree to fifty percent affective. The rockwool cubes seem to dry out too quick. I've used root tech gel and clonex, they work as well as honey or cinnamon. I'll stick with rooting powder.
I always put the cuttings in water, then scrape the darker bark to expose the green and then I do a forty five degree cut. I also use taller cuts with at least two full sets of leaves. I only cut the top set of leaves, like a FIM chop. Dip the end in powder and stick them in the riot plugs. I spray the leaves and dome then cover them for three days. I open the vents after that and spray the dome when it looks dry.
There are some strains that are tough to clone, but the bubbling cloner seemed to fix that. Now I only clone easy ones.
There seems to be some good info here, so I'm sure you will do well.
Click to expand...
Why are you spraying with seltzer?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Plant Cloning Issues, What's Going On?
2 3
Replies
41
Views
7K
medidedicated
medidedicated
Jimi O'Connor
Wtf is goin on here?
2
Replies
23
Views
3K
green valley grows
green valley grows
T
Stronger rooting agent make cloning easier??
Replies
10
Views
1K
joesoap2013
J
Spliffy Twojoints
Cloning during flower DIY bubble cloner
2
Replies
38
Views
5K
Fano_man
Fano_man
wakeNbaker46
Nute deficiency? Fungal issues? White Papaya
Replies
1
Views
182
warble
warble
Back
Top