Easy Cloning
Ed rosenthal
Ed rosenthal
Since I was a little kid, I have propagated plants by taking a cutting, placing it in a glass of water, changing the water daily, and planting it once the roots started to grow. The technique was successful most of the time. This is a common technique used worldwide to propagate favored plants.
Since that time I have used many techniques including a few outlined in this article. However, after trying them all I have concluded that using a water medium to root plants is the simplest and fastest cloning method I have ever used. It is also very convenient.
THE THEORY
Roots require water that they transfer up the plant to the xylem to transport throughout the plant. They also require oxygen, which they use for metabolism and other purposes. Roots have no need for carbon dioxide because they don’t photosynthesize and they do not transport it to the leaves.
Cuttings absorb water and oxygen through the submerged part of the stem in the same way they would if they were placed in a planting medium. When the water is highly oxygenated the cuttings respond with startlingly quick growth.
This system offers some advantages over the popular aeroponic systems:
- It requires less vertical space.
- It produces roots in a shorter time.
- The roots are thicker and more abundant.
- It’s powered by an air pump attached to bubblers, so there is no significant water movement and no water pumps.
- It’s easy to build or is available inexpensively.
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TIP FROM ASK ED: PLANTING If you live in an area that has warm days or if you have a greenhouse, now is a good time to consider planting an auto-flowering strain. These varieties are not photosensitive, meaning that their flowering is not based on day length (actually—night length) but mainly on their age. They usually complete their entire life cycle in about 100–110 days. The plants will be flowering during the period of greatest sunlight intensity, mid-summer. If the evenings are cool, below 10°C, keep the containers on carts to wheel them into a warm space for the night. |
HOW TO BUILD
Materials
- Suitable plastic tray that holds 10–15 cm of water
- 1.25-cm thick Styrofoam board
- Heavy-duty aquarium aerators
- Heavy-duty air pump to power aerators
- Plastic tubing to connect the pump and aerators
- 5-cm styrene collars
- 5-cm hydro plant containers (optional)—some growers use the little cups for easier handling of the clones.
- Small water pump (optional)—some growers use a small water pump to circulate water within the tray; this assures even temperature and aeration.
- Easily readable thermometer (recording thermometer preferable)
- Aquarium heater (optional)—if there is a chance of the water temperature dipping below 20°C add a water heater to keep the roots from being chilled.
- Fixture supporting 10–20 watts of fluorescents per 0.09 square meter
TOOLS
Power drill with 5-cm hole bit
CONSTRUCTION
- Select a tray. It should be small enough so that you can move it easily when it is not filled with water.
- Place it in position. If it is to be placed on the floor place it on a Styrofoam board so it is insulated from floor temperature.
- Attach tubing to the aerators and the air pump.
- Place aerators in the bottom of the tray with the tubing hanging over the top.
- Cut the Styrofoam to size so that it fits easily into the inside of the tray.
- Cut rows of 5-cm holes in the Styrofoam, leaving 2.5-cm spaces between them.
- Install water thermometer.
- Install water heater set to 20°C near water pump.
- Fill tray to 12–13 cm with water pH’d to about 6.
- Plug in the air pump.
- Place plastic cups in holes.
- Cut into styrene collar leaving 5–7 cm below the bottom of collar.
- Place styrene collar with cut into the hole.
- Repeat until the tray is filled with cuts.
- Hang 10–20 watts of cool white fluorescents per 0.09 square meter.
Within 2–4 days “calluses” grow from the sides of the stem. They will be followed by very strong growth of roots all around the stem, giving it the appearance of a brush with snow-white bristles. The clone will be ready to plant 8–10 days after sticking it in the water.
EASY CLONING
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The cloner supports healthy cuts. No dome is required and the leaves retain turgidity |
Taking cuttings of the best marijuana plants provides the opportunity to use an existing plant’s exact genetic heritage to create a new plant. This is why gardeners often prefer a clone to seed plants, whose genetics, and thus growth pattern, yield, and quality, vary.
The roots bathe in heavily aerated water. Notice the air bubbles on the top of the water.
Overview of the system including the heavy-duty air pump. Different colored neoprene collars are used to differentiate varieties.
This method supports very heavy root growth all along the stem sides. This clone was left in the solution longer than necessary.
There are lots of ways to clone. Among the most popular techniques are sticking cuttings into rockwool or Oasis® cubes, planting mix, or vermiculite/perlite/peat moss mixes. This technique requires that humidity be kept high, either with a humidifier in the room or using domes over trays.
Another popular technique is the use of aeroponics. Cloners such as the EZ-Clone® constantly spray a fine mist over the stems of the cuttings that are held in neoprene collars. There are many models available and instructions for constructing your own are available on the net. This technique has a lot of advantages over sticking clones in a medium:
- For most, cloners increase the success rate.
- It lowers required maintenance time.
- It eliminates the need for tight humidity control or for domes.
- It decreases cloning time by 10–30 percent.
The one problem with these units is that they are very bulky. Most units have a height of 30 cm or more. Many of them are more than 60 cm long.
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TIP FROM ASK ED: ELIMINATING SPIDER MITES Because spider mites multiply so rapidly, getting rid of the infection requires some effort. There are a number of effective contact pesticides, but trying to reach every leaf and stem using a sprayer or a wand will not work. A better method is to use a fogger that atomizes the droplets and gets the pesticide to the underside of the leaves, where the mites are hanging out. In order to really destroy the colony the plants must be treated several times so mites are killed soon after they hatch. To do that the garden must be treated on a regular basis until no hatchlings remain. A good course of action is to fog the garden every three days, three or four times. By the end of the fourth treatment the garden should be mite free. |
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