[diggity-dank]

ok i suck at cloning i guess. i built a cheapo-aero cloner from OG, took the clones, and a day later they're all limp and look like shit. Now OG is down or something and i cant get any more info. Ive got about 4/16 clones that are still looking good.

what does it mean when everything on the clone just droops and looks dead?

how does everyone else clone? any failsafe ways? man i suck

Dude I had the same luck as you did at first. My problem was temps

Once I added a heating pad with thermostat things went better almost 90% now

[Hal Jordan]

Clones droop when they are dying from lack of water in cloning.

I use a 10k aero cloner with great results. Nearly 100% rooting.
The aero cloner is a proven way of having a very high rooting rate so I wouldn't ditch the method yet. Instead examine your set up and procedures closely.

What kind of mist is your cloner making? Are you using a good sized dual output air pump that puts up pleanty of misty air?

Not only should the lid of your cloner be moist, but the "mist" created by the aerators should evenly cover the area your clones are hanigng in. If you, for example, have one long air curtain down the middle of your cloner in may not be spraying the outer edges.

Are you keeping your water level just under the clones? You don't want them in the water nor do you want them too far away.

Are you using the timer set up? If so most users discover that the cloner works fine, if not better running on 24 hours. Perhaps your are having off cycles that are drying your plants out?

How are you taking your cuttings? Are you cutting with a clean sharp edge at a 45 degree angle? Do you get your clones into water quicky? I often cut a group of cuttings, putting them in a cup of water while collecting them all, then proceding to "finish" cut them one at a time and then depositing them in the aero cloner at the end.

Cloning works poorly on unhealthy plants. Are your mum/pops healthy when cloned. Mums in flower do clone, but not as quickly as those in veg.

Are you trimming the leaves. I don't trim the leaves on all cuttings, just the larger ones which brings up.........how big are your cuttings? Some pretty big cuttings can be taken to rooting but, you end up with a big cutting to feed on no root system and your odds of rooting or living go down. I've found very small cuttings don't do nearly as well as those slightly bigger. I think 3-5 inch cuttings work best. At least for me they do.

What do you put in your water? Plain old water really does work. I've had some straglers in the past that would be sitting in the cloner after a long 3 weeks and start to look a little peaked and I'd end up adding a touch of nutes. I've since learned to just let them go as the nutes make little difference.

What is your water like? PH? Hardness? I don't think PH adjusted water or using only distilled water is needed for results, but if your on the end of any spectrum you can run into trouble. If your way off the ph scale you can prevent the uptake of nutrients to the plant (remember, there's still minerals in the water) as can very hard water? I have very hard water and if the minerals plugging aerators up wasnt enough, my plants in 'dro don't do well on it. I mix it 1 to 3 with distilled water and my girls respond.

How many watts are lighting the cuttings per square foot? I've found cuttings do best in very low light, 15-20 watts per square foot. Heat stays down and I think they like the low light. I'm not saying they can't root under higher light, but they dig the low light and heat won't get them either.

If your cuttings cut dries and hardens it can be recut and put back in the aero with success.

Having said all that, you sound to have a drying problem or heat problem and I'd look at that first.

Don't sweat it. 10K's are easy and reliable. If it takes you a little work to get started, it will be worth it in the end.

Good luck

[closetking]

I use 8 oz. styrofoam cups full of soil, and place them into 2 liter soda bottles (cut in half). I put 2 clones in each. When ready (21 days) I just slice the cup down the middle. I keep them under my 70W hps security lights. I open them to water every 4 days. And NEVER mist. Enuf moisture is in the soil and in the dome. By day 14 any that are good won't wilt when I take the cover off the bottles. I can also gently tug on the cloneling to check for root hold.

when ready for transplant this technique allows me to examine the root structure and select the ones with the best.

I usually clone out 24 and select 15 for final use.

It is very important to use Healthy cuttings. Which means Moms should get as good if not better care than your girls.

I use the same soil mix as my plants ( 3 prts miracle grow potting mix, 1 prt cow manure, and perlite to taste). The water I use is 100% peters 20-20-20 and Superthrive. NOTE: using 1 tsp of peters/gal will bring my ph to 6.4. Superthrive will drop that like a rock. Ph at this time is very important.

Keep in mind that roots grow at night, many people try to force clones on a 24 hr. lights on. I keep to an 18 hr on lite cycle.

[Hal Jordan]

Soils good too. I didn't have great luck with it, despite alot of trying, but others do fine. I'm with closet king on the lights and misting. I trim leaves first and never mist.

CK, good call on the lights too. The only reason to leave the lights on 24/7 is to snap flowering cuttings out of bloom mode.

Keep at it diggity and I know you will get it. A reliable clone system is great. For each batch of clones I take (for general growing) I only cut one or two extra as insurance. When cuttings are taken to get a mum or for other specific reasons such as saving for likely breeding I'll take two of each. I almost always end up tossing the insurance plants. Point is, you will get to where you don't have to clone several to get one plant.

I remember having the same trouble with germinating seeds. I'd germ 10 to assure myself of 3 or 4 seedlings. Now if I want 4 I plant 4.

[Hooked-On-Grown]

Clones droop when they are dying from lack of water in cloning.

That is not always the case. this mainly comes from not hardening off properly. You need to let them get used to the air outside off the dome. I take my clones put them in the dome and just mist the lid. I do this for about 10-14 days removing the lid once a day for about a half hour. The first few days they have minor wilting if any. By the time they are fully rooted they are used to the outside air and do not wilt when I introduce them to my MH table. I have had my rockwool completely dry for a day in my domes and had no wilting. Just make sure humidity is over 60-65%. I agree not very much light is needed, some floro's work best for me.
Just keep at it and you will find what works for you. I have 98% success rate with the old fashion tray and dome method.
click here to see a good cloning guide
peace

[Hal Jordan]

Clones droop when they are dying from lack of water in cloning

Originally posted by Hooked-On-Grown
. That is not always the case. this mainly comes from not hardening off properly.

It is when they are cloned in an aero cloner that utilizes no dome as it needs none when properly set up.

I dont even use a dome, I just put them in a small closet with fluoros, I stick them in rockwool cubes & use a bit of rooting gel.
Roughly 8 days later I have roots coming out of the 1" rockwool cubes & I then transplant them to usually soil.

I mist my clones once, I wont mist again at all, I just make sure the RW cube is always damp.
By not misting everyday the clone works harder to seek water elsewhere & thats why I can root them in 8 days. Thanks to SoQuick's thread on cloning for that one

100% success rate

[closetking]

Whereas I didn't have success at cloning in rockwool. LOL

Try different misting techniques using your aero cloner. You may be oversaturating the air for the cuttings. The cutting will draw moisture from the air but too much will have the same effect as overwatering i.e drooping.

usually the moisture from being cut and sliced under water, and stuffed into a wet medium, will be sufficient for the first 24 hrs.