Today I topped my plant again and assuming it continues to grow I should have 4 tops to this plant now, it keeps shooting up to the light because of my ‘not so great’ lights and I would like to at least have 4 tops if it’s going to grow tall. I am wondering if in a weed or two when these tops grow up a few inches can I cut the plant maybe 4 inches down from the tops and use those as clones? This plant was a clone, the only clone that survived, of my last plant and I really only want to use it as a mother as it’s mother was pretty hardy I liked it. I am going to close the crap out of her once her branches get long enough but right now it seems like it wants to go up rather than out.
You can clone any cutting you take, including the 1st top. I have 2 rooting now. I Jack Herer, and 1 Pineapple “something”. Topped the MOM, and placed top in a rockwool cube. Good to go, as long as you follow proper cloning techniques.
Also if I were to clip off my tops to clone should I clip them in a certain spot like right above or below a node? Part of the reason I want to do the tops is to reduce the height of my plant a bit because it keeps shooting up.
If you want to keep the top for cloning, yes, for best results – you would want to cut it to be a few inches long and to have at least a few sets of nodes of its own, so quite a few nodes down from the top.
A lot of people believe you should keep the apical meristem as your “mother” clone. Always taking this “top” when you top your pant during training and before you put the topped plant into flowering.
Some people say it is important for long term cloning projects to keep the apical meristem as the future of all your clones, always removing and keeping this top to create future generations. Others say that any “branch” with a top on it that is coming off the central meristem is good enough. I have not noticed any significant differences in clones made either way, but I always keep one apical central meristem, as a clone, from each strain in my garden, for the future.
Thanks guys, so I took a few inches off the top today…About 3 nodes worth on both sides. I wanted to try and make a hydroponic type cloner thing so I went out and got this small cheapo aquarium pump and put together one of sorts, pretty much just the air pump with air stones aerating the water. I dipped them in a cloning solution and put them in there, then the got really limp. Like hella droopy. Do you guys ever have this problem? I’m also wondering if since I clipped the mainstem of the mother if it is going to grow back as one or split at the cut? Thanks guys. This is right after I cut them…
If they go too limp, you may have got an air embolism, try sniping the stem a little higher while it is still under water to be extra sure you don’t get the air embolism again, if they haven’t started to bounce back yet. Also you can cut some of the fingers in half on the big fan leaves, this will reduce the amount of moisture they lose to the air at their leaves pores(stoma).
You need a lot of very fine air bubbles covering the entire bottom area, and you want to make sure the water is not getting too warm, not much at all above 75*F. You also want to completely light proof the rooting area.
You will get two new tops developing at the node below the cut on the mother, in most instances.
I don’t get it, you want to put it in water so that air doesn’t get in the stem but at the same time for hydro you need lots of air in the water?? They’re not really bouncing back…I clipped one in half and put it in some peat to see how it does compared to the water just sort of as an experiment. I hope I didn’t kill them though…
The fine air bubbles won’t get in the stem and cause an air embolism. If air gets inside the stem, it is usually during the initial cutting from the mother plant, sometimes from not putting them in water immediately, it prevents the ability of the stem to pull water up to the rest of the plant and maintain turgidity.
Also humidity may be a contributor, or rather a lack of it, hence the reason so many clone propagating methods employ a “humidity dome”.
Well my clones are not looking any better, the half of one that I took and put into dirt is nearly dried up, the other two are wilty still. It has not been very long though, I did do a make shift bottle cap humidity dome on the two in the hydro “thing” and the one in peat moss was in a humidity done but I am pretty sure its dead so I tossed it.
So what’s the best protocol for this? Straight into water after cutting it? How easy is it for this to happen and what can I do to prevent it?
It very well may because I’m an idiot and smoked and then went to my grow room with ideas but I used some shitty dirty scissors and just cut it at a 90 degree angle. How important is 45 degree cut? My tops aren’t looking great. I meant to get a new exacto today but forgot/didn’t have the time. I actually want to know what I am doing wrong though even though this was more so just for fun because the plants branches are getting to 3 to 5 nodes long now and I would like to actually try and get as many clones as I can from it when it comes time in the next week or so.
Well, it does sound like you made about every mistake that can increase the chance of an air embolism or introducing disease to the fresh cut.
I do like your bubble cloner, assuming it has enough fine air bubbles spread evenly about in its reservoir so dissolved oxygen levels stay pretty high, and it is thoroughly light proofed so the root area is not getting any light, it should serve you very well and make great clones. You might want a better air pump and/or better “fine bubble” air stones to increase the dissolved O2 levels. You might want to be sure your bubble system will be keeping some bubbles stirring the water near or under every clone.
Yes, the instant they are cut they go into a container of water, this is very important, I don’t even use cloning gels. I do use some of the powder, sometimes, maybe an 1/8 tea spoon per gallon of water in the bubble cloner, maybe stronger, and maybe quite a bit stronger dissolved into the water of that container that is waiting standby so as the instant you cut it off the parent plant you are putting it in this container.
Yes cutting at a 45 degree angle also helps avoid embolism problems. And yes you should have just cleaned your scissors with rubbing alcohol before using them.
Absolutely, all those things will have a great amount to do with success or failure when taking clones.
I wrapped brown paper around the sides of my paper but I don’t think that is going to be light proof enough, maybe I should spray paint it or something…It seems to be bubbling pretty good but only in a small area which is where I put the two stones, the whole thing cost me like 10$ so it’s really nothing fancy and more so something I just wanted to try, I will probably buy or make a good one if I can get a clone from it. Thanks for the infos though MGS.
I think I did say some of this to you before, above, lol. And if not all of it to you before, I certainly have said these things over and over again here in the forum.
You guys gotta remember, sometimes it is real hard for some of us, like Latewood and I, to keep all of theses forum conversations straight and know what we have or have not told you, and we certainly don’t know what you don’t know yet. I know just recently I was answering the same questions to two different people in two different threads. They were literally having the same “common new grower” problems at almost the exact same time and then asking nearly the exact same questions, while never being aware of the other’s thread. It was very hard to remember what I had discussed and with who, lol.
Haha I’m just messing with you, I really appreciate your knowledge being shared and helping me out so much. I know you guys do your best and you guys help out a ton. This place is a goldmine of info cause of you guys. You guys should get some sort of reward for putting up with the newbies.
I like the metal aluminum foil duct tape you can find at a hardware store, and often 99 cent stores. It works real well to 100% block all light, and you don’t have to deal with paint fumes. It should be fine on the outsides of the plastic container.
And look at a petco or petsmart for super fine bubble stones, maybe make a grid of hoses and elbows with a bunch of the really small fine stones spread out.
Cool thank you, I am still hoping to maybe see roots on one of those two though, if I don’t have success I might just toss the cloner idea and do the peat moss puck thing like I have had so much success with.
