So, you're a cloning expert? Pics Inside

[JimmyT]

I've got this homemade aeroponic system with 5.8 ph, R/O fresh water within the reservoir with a splash of Dip N' Grow concentrate rooting hormone. The cuttings are exactly 1 week old and they get misted once every 3 minutes for 30 seconds. The room is at 80*F in the day and 75*F at night with humidity at 65-70%.

My question is how much longer will I have to wait to see something resembling roots? And what is that gooey looking stuff developing around the stem of the last picture?? I'd appreciate any help, advice or suggestions that the aero cloning experts (or anyone else for that matter) could offer. Thanks in advance!!

 

[TeaTreeOil]

Why haven't you clipped the large fan leaves in half?

 

[JimmyT]

Why haven't you clipped the large fan leaves in half?

Because I've heard of all kinds of mixed information on that. Some say cutting the fan leaves in half helps with focusing on root growth and some say you need 3 or more sets of fan leaves in order to promote root growth. I kinda wanted to take the neutral stance. Thoughts?

 

[AlmightySteve]

From what I can tell, you don't need to clip the leaves to promote root development. If there's very little light, the leaves won't take it to make food.

You want all the attention on the development of roots. Plants try to stay alive, and a plant not getting much light won't be focusing on making chlorophyll.

Don't take my words as law. I've tried to clone once, and the clone died. It was in a really crappy setup though.

 

[JimmyT]

From what I can tell, you don't need to clip the leaves to promote root development. If there's very little light, the leaves won't take it to make food.

You want all the attention on the development of roots. Plants try to stay alive, and a plant not getting much light won't be focusing on making chlorophyll.

With my setup, there's no doubt that the attention is all on root development. I guess I'm just nervous as to why there's no root development whatsoever even after 7 days. I'm hoping that gooey looking stuff is a good sign of root development and nothing else

 

[CrackerJax]

Wanna know how I make cuttings?

I cut what i want and then trim the very bottom leaves off and put a smidgen of rootone on the end after a diagonal second cut is made right before I put it in some soil. I place my cutting straight into a 3 Gallon container and mist it profusely for about a week. It tells me when it no longer wants the mist. Works every time...less steps...less mistakes.

 

[JimmyT]

Wanna know how I make cuttings?

I cut what i want and then trim the very bottom leaves off and put a smidgen of rootone on the end after a diagonal second cut is made right before I put it in some soil. I place my cutting straight into a 3 Gallon container and mist it profusely for about a week. It tells me when it no longer wants the mist. Works every time...less steps...less mistakes.

Thanks. I guess that helps out?

 

[disposition84]

Everything should be fine, just give it some more time. I've had some take as long as 2.5 weeks.

The white stuff I've seen on mine too, I'm not sure what it is but I typically have great results with a very similar cloner so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I was curious myself about cutting the leaves in half, and did a side by side comparison and saw little to no differences in clones (same tubs, same room, same genetics, same feeding schedule). I do however like to trim the leaves as it lets me put more clones per tub and they don't wilt at all when I trim the leaves whereas the leaves that don't get trimmed looked more droopy until the next day after cutting.

The only dramatic difference I can see between our cloners is that I run mine 24/7, and I use clonex gel + clonex cloning solution with RO.

Edit: Typically the white stuff comes a few days before I started to see root bumps develop. I'd guess within 3-4 days time you should have root bumps if not dangling roots.

 

[JimmyT]

Everything should be fine, just give it some more time. I've had some take as long as 2.5 weeks.

The white stuff I've seen on mine too, I'm not sure what it is but I typically have great results with a very similar cloner so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I was curious myself about cutting the leaves in half, and did a side by side comparison and saw little to no differences in clones (same tubs, same room, same genetics, same feeding schedule). I do however like to trim the leaves as it lets me put more clones per tub and they don't wilt at all when I trim the leaves whereas the leaves that don't get trimmed looked more droopy until the next day after cutting.

The only dramatic difference I can see between our cloners is that I run mine 24/7, and I use clonex gel + clonex cloning solution with RO.

Edit: Typically the white stuff comes a few days before I started to see root bumps develop. I'd guess within 3-4 days time you should have root bumps if not dangling roots.

Thank you so much for the encouragement! Everything you've said is exactly what I needed and hoped to read. I wish you success with all your grows Now how the hell do I throw some rep your way?

 

[jrinlv]

Because I've heard of all kinds of mixed information on that. Some say cutting the fan leaves in half helps with focusing on root growth and some say you need 3 or more sets of fan leaves in order to promote root growth. I kinda wanted to take the neutral stance. Thoughts?

I have had many 100% survival cloning leaving all the leaves intact, it's a technique, you can use it or you don't have to.
I do like it if you have nute water that could come in contact with the leaves IE clones floating in solution. Yeah you definitely don't have to, but it's not bad either..JR

 

[TeaTreeOil]

You have to maintain much higher humidity for unclipped clones to root successfully.

Clipping, in my experiences, decreases the time for roots to show and increases the success-rate of them rooting. Only large fan leaves should be clipped. Smaller leaves are fine intact.

I'm not aware of any major cons.

 

[bicycle racer]

those stems look like they may be rotting hard to tell from the pics.

 

[SoCoMMJ]

I run the same cloner

1 minute on, 4 minutes off

Tap water and nothing else PH'd to somewhere between 5.8 and 6.0.

Doest matter much about the cutting size, or shape. Every cutting ever put in the thing has sprouted roots sooner or later. 7 or 8 days seems the average.

Just wait, they are coming.

 

[JimmyT]

I'm not aware of any major cons.

Noted. I think I may just give it a try just for sh!ts and giggles. Thanks.

 

[JimmyT]

Just wait, they are coming.

That's all I can do at this point. You know how it is for noobs like me. The thought of cloning can seem pretty intimidating especially when I've never done it before. I'm the type of person that hopes for the best and expects the worst. We'll see what happens. I'll keep everyone posted when I first see roots

 

[bicycle racer]

cloning is fickle i have done clones of mixed strains had them all root perfect other times same conditions and all die.

 

[regal8r]

Because I've heard of all kinds of mixed information on that. Some say cutting the fan leaves in half helps with focusing on root growth and some say you need 3 or more sets of fan leaves in order to promote root growth. I kinda wanted to take the neutral stance. Thoughts?

the reason ppl clip the leaves is to reduce transpiration while the clone is trying to root. if you have a humidity dome you dont need to do it, but if you have them out in the open then you should probably clip them

 

[SoCoMMJ]

the reason ppl clip the leaves is to reduce transpiration while the clone is trying to root. if you have a humidity dome you dont need to do it, but if you have them out in the open then you should probably clip them

I haven't seen 18 gallon Rubbermaid sized humidity domes anywhere. So hit up your local drug store and pick up a humidifier.

I adapted[duct tape] a piece of PVC into the humidity exhaust port and put a valve onto it so I could control the output volume. Then just dial it into what you need. I can easily run 80% into a 4x4x6 tent with that thing even while exhausting during lights on.

3 node clones with no roots still look fresh like the day I chopped them even after a week of riding in the cloner.

 

[disposition84]

My clones stay fresh as the day I cut them as well, with only 55-60% humidity. I don't think a humidifier is necessarily needed, just a bit of patience.

 

[RandyRocket]

i did this and had good luck.

My first clone look at post #8 and watch the videos (5 min each).