Why am I getting shit strike rates with my clones?

[oceangrownkush]

So my first attempt at cloning in 2012 went fucking awesome. I took slips off my Chem4 mother and put them in rockwool, I got 5/8 clones to root and they were fucking covered in spider mites (as was my whole grow back then). Took care of the mites and they took off beautifully. I have only had to clone a handful of times since then and each time I had decent success (probably around 50% of my clones would root) in various systems. I had the best success with the Mosca Fly Cloning technique (loved those little burpee auto water systems). I had even taken in other peoples slips during this time and had no problem getting decent rooting rates.

So now, idk what the fuck I'm doing. I feel retarded, I am doing the exact same shit as before and getting 0% strike rates and on LOTS of clones. I took 40 between all my strains a few weeks ago and got none to root, let the mothers recover and took another 60.. I just pulled 5 of them out of the trays (Mosca fly cloning method so once I pull them to check they are out of the rooting substrate) and none of them have rooted.

I am thinking maybe its because it is winter? But its not even that cold (mid California). My heat mat is keeping things at 71 f on average (75 during the hot parts of the day, as low as 68 during the night). When I filled the rez it was at 5.5ph.... I checked just now and its SUPER high, idk wtf why its that high.. Like 8ph or someshit.... So that might be a fucking problem lol. That pisses me off though, because when I started cloning I NEVER checked ph, I grew strictly organic soil back then and never checked the ph of anything.. Seems like ph is fucking bullshit to me tbh, but I realize if I am going to use chelated chemical nutrients like I am now I need to keep my ph in check... Anyways I'm pulling this whole tray right now and if none of these rooted then I am fucking stumped.

So yeah, shit strike rate with my clones, what the fuck should I do? What system is idiot proof? I just need decent results, I need to get some of these clones off SOON because my lease ends soon and I want to grow these strains outdoor this season at my new spot..

Links to techniques I haven't tried are greatly appreciated... I'm gonna take pics of my moms and upload them here to see if there is some obvious shit I am missing.

 

[Coconutz]

I take a few cuts and carry them around in my mouth while I gather more cuts.
No angle cuts or anything special.
I just bury a few nodes in the coco
Heres what I do...

pixie cup
coco
tap water
heat mat set to 77
humidity dome first day on counter top(no direct light)
dont spray dome or clone
put clones on flower/veg room floor for a week w/ tap water
leaves start to turn light & I give them 6/9
99% success
no hormones

 

[oceangrownkush]

I thank you for the input and everything, and I realize this must be kind of hypocritical considering I have no pics up in this thread, but I really want to follow something with pictures because I am apparently the biggest fucking idiot ever. Also that exact technique wouldn't work for me because my flower room floor is cement... But thank you though.

I read a technique a while back about using clear plastic totes as domes with a heat tray underneath, pixie cups filled with coco... Might give it a whirl I guess.

 

[Coconutz]

I fucked up 100's of cuts until I figured out all you do is cut the thing and put it in some coco...
Just gotta make sure it isnt too warm or too cold, too wet or too dry.
Make sure you have a thermostat on your heat mat or you will cook the plants and they will rot.
You dont want to see condensation on the dome. If you see that you need to wipe it off and any water in there that the heat map is evaporating.
My dome stays at 99% RH with no water sprayed or condensation anywhere.
Once I figured that out I had 99% success.
Now I only keep them in the dome for a day or two max

 

[Spider Crab]

Try with the cup of water sitting next to the window.

I don't have much experience with it, but it is definately idiot proof.

I think cutting them with a razor is better than sharp scissors aswell.

 

[oceangrownkush]

Try with the cup of water sitting next to the window.

I don't have much experience with it, but it is definately idiot proof.

I think cutting them with a razor is better than sharp scissors aswell.

I was desperate enough to try that. Left town, decided to prune some branches off these hoes, left em in a cup. When I got back they had started tiny little nubs of roots, thought they would keep goin... But nope, they just stayed tiny little nubs and couldn't be coaxed to grow any further. Also yes, I cut them off the plant with shears and make a cut with a razor prior to actually plugging them, so thats not the cause of my woes..

I also recently had a thrips infestation and only recently was I able to rid myself of root aphids.. I would say that was the problem but I have had no problems rooting plants with bugs in the past. Plants are mostly clean for now but I am of course keeping up on my maintenance applications..

 

[Crooked8]

Ez cloner. As long as you clean it properly its 100% the fastest and most successful rooting method there is. Ive tried so many. Nothing compares. Check out snypes rooting method on here. Or if you want ill explain mine. I use a 30 site cloner, although i double up on every plug sometimes to get 60 cuts out of it. Its all about cleanliness. Brand new razor blade every time, brand new cloner collars every time(they're porous and will cause cyanobacteria to grow very readily), new cloning gel every time(i use root tech). The cloner needs to be cleaned with bleach(1cup to 1.5 cups) and thoroughly rinsed and ran(4 times) with clean water afterward. Brand new sponge to wipe down every nook and cranny as well. I take my cuts with a scissor and take 1/2 to 2/3 of the leaf off of the biggest leaves. I very lightly score the bottom and take a precision cut with the brand new razor blade and then quickly put it into the gel. Inside the cloner i have lots of added aeration, they say it doesn't matter, but it does. My results are proof. Without their lame laser lining which clogs all the time and 4 added air stones on air pumps my roots CRANK out now. I see 100% success rates and the roots grow within a week or 10 days. I see nubs in 3-4 days. For 5 gallons of water i add 10mls of sm-90 and 10 mls of mad farmer b-12 solution. Keep ph between 5.5-6.0 the entire time. If you go out of range that will screw them up. This applies in rockwool as well. U want them acidic. No need for a dome, no need to worry about humidity, no need to spray whatsoever. Your moms need to be happy at the time as well. I always water them and wait 24 hours before i take cuts. If your moms are suffering from pests or being root bound or any environmental stresses that will reduce your success rates dramatically. I keep my temps just below 80 in my veg room. Very low wattage lighting above the clones.

 

[Crooked8]

Thats a really old photo, i used to use thrivealive organic solution for my b-12 and sometimes it would get too gunky and it caused bacteria to grow. You can actually see it on those cuts. That dark sludge is THE ENEMY. My cloner wasnt very clean that run, i still got most of those cuts to root humongous roots. Now i clean it to brand new cleanliness everytime and id changed the thrive alive to the mad farmer b-12 which is MUCH cleaner and overall work better. I also used ez cloners lame ass lazer lining at the time. If i had updated photos i would've posted them. That was just to give you an idea of what i meant by doubling up on the plugs and what the sludge/cyanobacteria looks like.

 

[oceangrownkush]

Thanks man I appreciate the input, I had been considering an ezcloner and I think I'm gonna just do it. I think I'll have to buy an aquarium heater cause its fuckin cold right now but you know what fuck it I HAVE TO grow GG outdoors this season. Fucking MUST, that shit is way too heady and yieldy to let a season go by without getting these clones out..

I also think my GG mother might have been root bound, I just transplanted her to 3 gallons of good coco in a smart pot so we will see if the new growth roots any better..

 

[RetroGrow]

Cloning in straight coco, or just in a glass of water works every time for me. Also EZcloner (home made) works well. Key is a sharp razor blade and cloning gel. As long as your temps aren't too low, you should not be having problems. There are many methods of cloning, and all of them work. You have had a lot of pests though. Have you checked for broad mites? That could put a crimp in your cloning. Other than that, I don't know what to tell you, as cloning is pretty simple. If cloning in coco, I add rhizotonic to the coco first. Try a heat mat and a dome. Maybe that will make a difference.
By the way, it's easy to make an EZcloner. Rubbermaid tub (cheap), whole saw bit on your drill to cut holes in cover. Pucks are cheap @ the hydro store, and a good pump can be had for $50. Pumps can be found in pet/aquarium store. I wouldn't spend $400 on an EZcloner when you can make the same thing yourself for under $100. There is a thread here somewhere on how to make an EZcloner. Try search function.

 

[festerous]

I would try some good ol organic soil.

 

[macdiesel]

If you want the TRUTH, here it is.

WARM TEMPS are most important for cloning.

If using a cloner, BLEACH in between runs.

 

[oceangrownkush]

I definitely don't have broads.. Plants are too lush, and I take a scope to em at least once a month. I am well read on pests and controls, I had thrips and aphids recently and they are both vanquished. My house is fuckin old and gets cold at night, I think that might be it.. 74-78 f would be much more ideal, the warmest I could get them here consistently was 72..

I just dumped that tray I was talking about, once again no fuggin roots after 20+ days. I think what ima do is pull the trigger on that ezcloner and set it up at my new spot.. The new spot is newer construction, better insulated so I'm thinking it will stay warmer.

 

[Snype]

3rd day in the cloner and the root nubs appear:

A few days later:

And before 10 days from placing the cuttings into the cloner:

I keep my temps in the 80's and have various threads on this subject with my formulas and rates.

 

[Hammerhead]

you don't need to spend the Money on a EZ unless you really want to . Im using 2 King Cloners that use the same tech at much lower cost.They work great, you just have to keep them really clean or they wont work properly.

 

[Crooked8]

In the 30 site the pump itself keeps the water temps perfect. It adds heat for sure.

 

[Pragma]

If you want a simple system that works (almost 100% rooting rate for me) just use rapid rooters like root riot from growth technology. I don't even use a "cloner" just a big transparent foodgrade tub.
Important step: Soak the plugs in ph 5.5 ec 0.6 (bloom nutes preferable, but anything works) for a few hours and then squeeze excess water out of em.
Take your cuts (use clonex) and place the plugs in the "cloner". Set the cloner in the corner of your veg room where it will get some light but not too much. Open the box to fan it twice a day. Starting from the 4th day or so you can keep the box open slightly opened but keep an eye on them after opening them. If they start to droop close the box back up and slightly mist them if you feel thats needed. If you have something with kelp in it like rhizotonic or seasol its great to lightly mist your cuttings at this point to make the rooting go even faster even if they don't droop.

If your temps are good you should see roots within 5-7 days depending on the strain. I've had cuttings show roots poking out of the riots in 5 days but some stubborn cuts need more than a week but thats rare. Heating pads shouldn't be needed if your veg room is within parameters. The cheap ones don't regulate temps really that well and can kill your clones.

If at any point your rooters start going a little dry just prepare more of the initial solution and gently dip them into it being careful as to not make em too wet as its not recommended to squeeze water out of em at this point because it might damage forming roots.

As for the cuts themselves make sure you use cuttings with stems strong enough to be able to go into the root riot without needing to enlarge the hole. Also gently running the knife/scalpel perpendicular along the bottom part of the stem just to lightly scrape it helps in forming roots. You just want to gently scrape it and not peel off the skin.

If you follow this to the letter its pretty much fool proof and not much can go wrong.

Also, Root riots are much better than rockwool from what I've experienced.

Easy to prepare, easy to maintain imho. You just need to wash the cloner after every run. Bleach can be used but I use Essentials Room Cleaning solution as it has agents that specifically target mold spores and other biological nasties.

Gluck n hope this helps

 

[RetroGrow]

Here's the link to make your own EZ Cloner. It's a sticky:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=40055

 

[packerfan79]

I had the same problem. Never had the cash for a cloner. I used rootriots with 70% success. Then. Boom. 5 out of 60 on average. My buddy. Told me to make their roots reachi for water. I use. The cheap. Aok rockwool with. Clonex liquid and rootek gel. I think my problem was takinig my final cut under water and the gel would slide off.I only mist my hood for a week or so. Then Take the hood off a couple hours a day

 

[Pragma]

Yeah EZ Cloners are all good until the pump fails or you get an infection and then its a nightmare.