Has anyone done this and found it to be a reliable technique?
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Rooting in plain water.
- Thread starter Slim Pickens
- Start date
philcollins
Active member
works every time for me....tap water in a jar....simple as can be...
more reliable than other methods?
never that reliable for ME, but, I tend to stick with seed. for me, I tire of even the best strains quickly, and, I like the vigor and welcome the challenge of growing something new, from seed.
when I do clone, I use that gel with Ex at the end of it. Im old and cant remember the name...ClonEx I think...
anyway....tossing my coin in the pond.
-cap
never that reliable for ME, but, I tend to stick with seed. for me, I tire of even the best strains quickly, and, I like the vigor and welcome the challenge of growing something new, from seed.
when I do clone, I use that gel with Ex at the end of it. Im old and cant remember the name...ClonEx I think...
anyway....tossing my coin in the pond.
-cap
Had good success with placing cuttings in water for a week or so, basically until just a few roots start showing. Then into a small clear dixie cup of coco placed inside a non clear cup. Clear cup lets you see what's going on, and makes it easy to keep evenly moist. Worked every time I've tried it. Can root some pretty big cuts this way, too.
Takes longer than using hormone, but it works. If not in a rush, I prefer this method. It's simpler, and doesn't involve carcinogens.
Sometimes if I'm feeling extra green, I'll cut an aloe leaf for each cutting, then stick the cutting into the open end of the aloe leaf. Let that sit for half a day or a day before sticking it in a cup of water.
Any which way I root cuttings, I always re-cut the end of my cutting under water to help keep things flowing well inside the plant.
Takes longer than using hormone, but it works. If not in a rush, I prefer this method. It's simpler, and doesn't involve carcinogens.
Sometimes if I'm feeling extra green, I'll cut an aloe leaf for each cutting, then stick the cutting into the open end of the aloe leaf. Let that sit for half a day or a day before sticking it in a cup of water.
Any which way I root cuttings, I always re-cut the end of my cutting under water to help keep things flowing well inside the plant.
Seems the simplest things are the hardest...for me.
My cloning skills seem to have escaped me.I'll try water...and a soil method as well.I've been meaning to try just water for some time.Might as well give it a shot.I've been saying that I would go exclusively from seed as well.I may keep one around,unless I find one I like better.
No doubt you are right.This is the one that took 3 weeks in the cloner while everything else was 2.I'm holding out hope that one of the methods produces roots.Thanks for the well wishes EG!
Temps should be spot on.I may hang a moist washcloth in there to get the humidity up a notch.Everything else should be fine
I'll do what I can to make the little buggers happy and rooty.
Thanks for the help everybody!
ArcticHerbsman
Active member
I often leave one in water and put other in soil, and it can be one or the other or both surviving. Some plants are more willing than others, and all the environmental factors play their role, including amounts of nitrogen in the plant, where low levels is encouraging for rooting. Guess straight in water could be quite reliable method with chosen cuts.
Lately i read about a woman who had much higher survival rate with her rose cuttings when she took them after full moon. Also one thing Madmac mentions in one of the haze threads, referring to SamSkunkman, is 4 to 1, not even sure if i understood correctly, but interpreted it to mean four hours light one hour darkness. Had extra space right then so tried it out for few weeks, and not all but quite a few cuts grew solid rootsystems in relatively short time. These were in soil under dome, blue light and no heat mat underneath.
Lately i read about a woman who had much higher survival rate with her rose cuttings when she took them after full moon. Also one thing Madmac mentions in one of the haze threads, referring to SamSkunkman, is 4 to 1, not even sure if i understood correctly, but interpreted it to mean four hours light one hour darkness. Had extra space right then so tried it out for few weeks, and not all but quite a few cuts grew solid rootsystems in relatively short time. These were in soil under dome, blue light and no heat mat underneath.
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Remember growing carrot tops?
Keep changing that water or the carrot rots before it sprouts. Some of that must pass over to our needs. It was mostly about fresh water being oxygenated but also tap water comes fairly sterile with that cleaning fluid still in it.
Keep changing that water or the carrot rots before it sprouts. Some of that must pass over to our needs. It was mostly about fresh water being oxygenated but also tap water comes fairly sterile with that cleaning fluid still in it.
i have heard that dipping the cutting end in honey also helps... prob the sugar...
I dont have good success with the water only method. Not sure if its my water or what, but the stems always seem to mush out even if I change the water regularly and use RO.
What seems to have worked best for me was to use less water....only a few mm's in the bottom of the cup and replace it when the cuts absorb all of it. Sort of acts like an aeroponic system, but if I want reliability I stick with the tried and true method of plugs/rockwool cubes and clonex and a dome.
What seems to have worked best for me was to use less water....only a few mm's in the bottom of the cup and replace it when the cuts absorb all of it. Sort of acts like an aeroponic system, but if I want reliability I stick with the tried and true method of plugs/rockwool cubes and clonex and a dome.
I prefer a medium over plain water. Equal parts perlite and vermiculite. Have had better success when using water if I skin the stem a bit. Starting at a node with the cut laying flat I remove all node growth and ever so slightly skin towards the base. A couple strips of the outer layer seems to allow the cut to take in more water. As mentioned, humidity and temps are more important when rooting in water.
I consider cannabis to be a bit harder than say a tomato cutting but not as hard as a typical shrub cut. Rot doesn't seem to be a big problem if water temps can be keep higher than room temps.
I consider cannabis to be a bit harder than say a tomato cutting but not as hard as a typical shrub cut. Rot doesn't seem to be a big problem if water temps can be keep higher than room temps.
CrushnYuba
Well-known member
I have had stuff rot in a cup of water but it takes a long time. It gets funky and doesn't always work. Using a medium is much better. Having oxygen is going to be wayyy better.
Try just sticking it in an oasis cube. Doesn't get any easier then that. They never wilt in an oasis cube just like If you kept it in a cup of water. Don't need domes if you don't want. If you want even faster results, score the stem. Even faster use some dip n grow. U will pop roots in a week every time
Try just sticking it in an oasis cube. Doesn't get any easier then that. They never wilt in an oasis cube just like If you kept it in a cup of water. Don't need domes if you don't want. If you want even faster results, score the stem. Even faster use some dip n grow. U will pop roots in a week every time
Isn't that an irrigation system?
I know people do trays of rockwool blocks in just tap. I imagine the tap itself is quite a variable though. Having seen 5 fold differences between neighbouring supplies.
My tap is about ec0.2 and I take that to 0.8 with my grow feed and calmag. I may use P-acid as it's the most stable and I don't intend to visit them again for 2 weeks. Drifting up is the norm so I aim around pH5.5 and P is also involved with light collection and aids recovery from stalling. Which is something I only ever see in cuttings nearing the end of their useful life.
About 8000 lux (1500lumen LED over a foot, or a 20w cfl per seed tray)
Not reliable at all (In my humble opinion) It’s the rare strain that roots easily in water (like more pure sativa’s)
imiubu
Well-known member
Good info here, thanks to the contributors 
I've tried all except using coco or the perlite/ vermiculite method and rarely loose a cut.
Tap water here is typically 7.6-7.8 ph. I let it set out yet the ph changes to only slightly lower.
IME using only water does work just a bit slower than other methods. I have discovered that when leaving cuts in the water long enough to develop a good root system, causes them to be slow/ stressed/ weaker after planting into soil. I've found this to be true across the board with all the strains I've done this way. They do much better when I plant them at the nubby stage of rooting it seems.
I do not purposely root by water it just kind of happens when I get lazy haha.
The closet used for cuts/ clones/ seedlings is a bit cooler than the main room @ approx. 68 degrees.
I use rooting cubes, cloning hormones and a cloning tray with a dome. 14 days max to roots this way. No heating mat or any of those luxuries.
I have also taken cuts and planted directly into a light soil of peat, rice hulls and splash of compost. I also use a clear cup inside of a regular solo to keep an eye on the roots etc. This method causes me a bit of anxiety while waiting yet it has been a successful method.
Going to give the aloe tech a try next round of cuts. If aloe works efficiently, I'll no longer use the clone gel.
I've tried all except using coco or the perlite/ vermiculite method and rarely loose a cut.
Tap water here is typically 7.6-7.8 ph. I let it set out yet the ph changes to only slightly lower.
IME using only water does work just a bit slower than other methods. I have discovered that when leaving cuts in the water long enough to develop a good root system, causes them to be slow/ stressed/ weaker after planting into soil. I've found this to be true across the board with all the strains I've done this way. They do much better when I plant them at the nubby stage of rooting it seems.
I do not purposely root by water it just kind of happens when I get lazy haha.
The closet used for cuts/ clones/ seedlings is a bit cooler than the main room @ approx. 68 degrees.
I use rooting cubes, cloning hormones and a cloning tray with a dome. 14 days max to roots this way. No heating mat or any of those luxuries.
I have also taken cuts and planted directly into a light soil of peat, rice hulls and splash of compost. I also use a clear cup inside of a regular solo to keep an eye on the roots etc. This method causes me a bit of anxiety while waiting yet it has been a successful method.
Going to give the aloe tech a try next round of cuts. If aloe works efficiently, I'll no longer use the clone gel.
Cloning in water is the slowest way to get roots compared to nutrient-less media's. However it can be done and is a good choice when one can't get their hands on cloning materials. Cloning in water takes a lot of patience and persistence. Good job!!!
...CR500AF...
Active member
For myself not growing to pay bills, good old tap water in a glass change the water every two days and life is good.
If it takes them a week i don't sweat it, I also had them not show roots but just bumps on the stem they get planted into the cup just the same and they have all come through so far, knock on wood. ha ha
If it takes them a week i don't sweat it, I also had them not show roots but just bumps on the stem they get planted into the cup just the same and they have all come through so far, knock on wood. ha ha
