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Plant Cloning Tips
Provided by Olivia's Solutions, Inc.
It is essential that your cuttings (sometimes referred to as clones or slips) be taken from healthy plants.
Water quality is of prime concern in hydroponic growing. All plants differ in their preference of pH range. Find out the pH range for your particular plant.
As a general rule of thumb, a pH range of 5.5 to 6.5 is best for most plants. Check your pH level daily and adjust to proper level.
If using rockwool as your growing medium, pre-treat your medium with cloning solution and adjust to appropriate pH level. Some rockwool is high in alkaline - 8.0 to 8.5. The pH will vary between different manufactures.
Be gentle when taking cuttings. They can shock easily when cut.
Always use a sterile growing medium; be it rockwool, soil, vermiculite, perlite, sand, etc. Never use soil from your garden.
Always keep tools clean to avoid transmitting disease to open plant wounds. Sterilize them before each use if possible.
Keep your growing medium warm around-the-clock for best results. Bottom heat (with a heating pad) will help cuttings root faster. Bottom heat: 75-85 F. Greenhouse/indoor temperature (air, bench level): 70 F.
High humidity aids in rooting your cuttings. A plastic cover (humidity dome or tent) will increase your percentage of roots cuttings.
Don't forget all plants need fresh air. If your cuttings show signs of wilting, cut some holes in your humidity dome/tent to allow air ventilation.
Remember to keep your room temperature warm during the night or lights-out cycle if propagating indoors. Add a space heater if necessary.
Excessive watering can cause cuttings to wilt or cause stem rot. You don't have to keep the bottom of your tray filled with cloning solution. The idea is to keep the growing medium or soil moist only.
To achieve a uniform cutting you may trim the leaves. Try to keep all your cuttings around the same height. This allows each cutting to receive the same amount of light.
If you are using outdoor sunlight, screen your cuttings from the direct sun or place in a shady area under a tree.
If you are using fluorescent lighting you may place your lights within a few inches of the tops of your plants without burning them.
If using high intensity discharge (HID) lighting, either sodium or metal halide, give cuttings a full 18 hours of light. A 6 hour night cycle is recommended for optimum results.
Due to the amount of heat HID lamps put out, keep the lights within a safe distance above your cuttings or you will burn them.
Once roots appear, your cuttings can take stronger, more intense light, either HID or outdoor sunlight. Place your lights as close as possible. In other words, the closer the lights are to your plants, the faster your plants will grow. Transplant as soon as vigorous roots appear.
Continue to use cloning solution during your entire propagating cycle, i.e. from the time you first take your cutting, until they are fully rooted and transplanted.
Use cloning solution when transplanting to eliminate transplant shock.
FINAL NOTE: Every plant and growing situation is different, so the length of time it takes roots to appear will vary with from a couple of weeks to a month or more depending on the type of plant (and environment)...be patient!
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