Rockwool Cloning with Humic Acid

[Texian]

Hey! Thanks for stopping by! .. While I do have a couple years of growing experience under my belt, I am by no means an ‘experienced’ grower. With that said, I am in the process of cloning with rockwool. Although this is not my first time working with rockwool, I almost always use an EZ cloner when cloning; with great success. But because of current space limitations, the rockwool/humidity dome method is my only option. So this is what I did/have done so far:
Soaked 1.5” rockwool starter cubes in a bucket for about 24hrs; distilled/ro water originally pH’d to 5.5. But after overnight soak pH was in the high 7’s. So I flushed with pH corrected water 5.5, and then slightly shook cube to remove excess water. The water was pH’d using Humic Acid; it’s natural and organic.
Method:
6” clones are taken from mothered plant (AK47 (Serious Seeds); unnecessary leaves and nodes removed; bottom of stems are cut diagonally; clones are then placed in a cup of water until...
Clones are dipped and swirled in Clonex Rooting Compound for about 5 – 10 seconds.
Clones are then placed in 1.5” rockwool starter cubes.
Majority of remaining leaves are cut in half; misted.
Clones are then placed on a flat and under a humidity dome; 12” away from T5’s.
Projected temperature range: 70 – 75F.
Am I on the right track so far?

Now that I have given the necessary background, here are the few questions I have:
How long should the humidity dome remain over clones?
When should the cube be given nutrients?
Should I mist plants daily? Or just the inside of the dome? Since clones are close together, don’t want to get mold.
And lastly, is Humic acid better to use then the General Hydroponics stuff? My mother plant seems to be doing better since switching to natural/organic pH down.
Any and all information is much appreciated! I am hoping to avoid an epic fail! Thanks

 

[BCMaster]

Am I on the right track so far? yep

Now that I have given the necessary background, here are the few questions I have:
How long should the humidity dome remain over clones? until they root
When should the cube be given nutrients? around 10 days from cutting
Should I mist plants daily? Or just the inside of the dome? Since clones are close together, don’t want to get mold. remove dome and mist daily, also wipe humidity from dome daily
And lastly, is Humic acid better to use then the General Hydroponics stuff? My mother plant seems to be doing better since switching to natural/organic pH down. if it works go for it
Any and all information is much appreciated! I am hoping to avoid an epic fail! Thanks no problem

 

[BadRabbit]

Am I on the right track so far? yep

Now that I have given the necessary background, here are the few questions I have:
How long should the humidity dome remain over clones? until they root
When should the cube be given nutrients? around 10 days from cutting
Should I mist plants daily? Or just the inside of the dome? Since clones are close together, don’t want to get mold. remove dome and mist daily, also wipe humidity from dome daily
And lastly, is Humic acid better to use then the General Hydroponics stuff? My mother plant seems to be doing better since switching to natural/organic pH down. if it works go for it
Any and all information is much appreciated! I am hoping to avoid an epic fail! Thanks no problem

Been cloning for 13+ years now with RW cubes. Generally agree with the responses here, but would add:

Lot's of folks don't feel the humidity dome is necessary, especially in summer/higher humidity times. I've always used one, but I started experimenting with less dome and am finding that it works fine without it. I would still use it for the first week in most cases, but after that, usually not needed.

Also, on pulling the dome: Keep a close eye for the fuzzy little white mold spots you'll often get on leaf tips, especially in summer and especially if you've been misting ... when you see it, pull the dome immediately.

I would also agree on the gel or cloning powders, if they work for you, fine, go for it. But, I'd mention that I've tried a dozen or so different types of hormones, root stimulators, gels and powders and discovered over they years, and none of them really improved performance over plain water, or super light nute water. Usually won't do any harm, but they're usually not needed either ... and usually, the less crap in your water the better ... clones, especially in the first week or so, seem to do better without much added stuff.

Other than those comments, you're on a good track IMO.