Water cloner picture

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

A while ago some talk was being made on making clones using water bublers. Along the way someone asked how the rooted clones were removed from the bubbler without damaging the roots. One way was shown using thin styrafoam, and I thought it might be worth showing this way too.

 

I realise most everyone's done this, but thought it might be of value to anyone not having done it before.

 

I was shown how to do this withthe idea of keeping the plant stem out of the water body itself, and just close enough that tghe exploding bubbles wet the stem, so as to help beat any chance of rot.

But then recently I was told it doesn't matter a rat's arse, and they strike so quick I have no doubt he's right, if for no other reasonthan he said so anyway.

But the plastic tube idea at least allows this ability to keep them right on that level if you would so desie, and the c`ut in the tube allows the clone to be removed without breaking the roots.

 

The roots on clones taken this way are very brittle, needing not more than a bump to snap them clean off the plant.

 

I read a pinned article here that goes into a hybrid way, by initiating the clone in water as this, then when the roots rst appear, slipt hem into a 1 inch (or whatever size you like) cube to finish off. he claims amazing results with lones never takinga backward step. I'm trying this right now, I'm sure he's right.

 

ANyway, if for no other reason than to look at piccies, here they is..

 

Cheers

rob

[bongonaussie]

all your posts are very interesting Rob..

 

I will look forward to updates on this one..

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

I've already removed three or four other water started clones and placed them into 1 inch growdan cubes. Did that yesterday. This last cutting is dragging the chain a little, although the root nubs have begun, so should be today or tommorow I'm hopeing.

 

I took a set of cuttings from the same plants, the conventional way of clone gel, pre-soaked growdan cubes, about 2 days after the first cutings which were taken and used in the water bubbler; just to compare the speed and health of the two methods.

 

The water begun jobbies haven;t taken a backward step, but he conventional ones have the typical yelowing and drooping. Nothing dire, but not attractive .

 

As they say 'sall good

 

rob

[bufo marinus]

Wow that's a cool idea man. Now that you say it, those bubbler style clones always seem to stay upright in all the pics people post on them... very interesting Robbie.

I have tried flower nutes the week before on the mother plant and it seems to aid in shortening the cloning process down to around 7-8 days, but then may have just been very good conditions too. That was with a heat pad under the tray

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

Yeah I love the way they take of in water, but have always been confronted with what to do if you didn't want to use a water culture to continue. trying to get a water rooted cutting to be of any use in anything but NFT, or I suppose in a dripper system or similar was a nightmare, the roots are just so differenlty made.

 

Buit that article (sorry who wrote it, I can't recall who's it is) pinned in I think this forum on this subject was a simple answer that seems to be working a treat.

Just wait until the roots are visible then pop them in cubes.

I think the article said a couple cm lon, but I wonder if mm might be better for the type of clone cubes I'm using at least. A cm long root wouldnt fit in the cubes I'm used to using, and they snap so easy.

 

Anyway, I dropped three in cubes as soon as roots appeared, and they have been maybe 48 hours so far, and they're still going foraward. They're the hardy looking ones of course.

 

The sadder looking ones are cutings I took a day or so later than the water born ones. They don't look so flash in the pics, but they're fine, and what I'd kinda expect for cuttings taken from mothers on rather high veg nutes with no preparation.

 

I just wanted to try comparing the two ways, with zero preping of the mothers.

 

Anyway, the upshot is the good looking ones I know have at least tiny roots, as they were visible when I moved them to the cups, the standard ones, are anyone's guess, but they do appear to have swollen nicely at the base, without being ugly.

Water clones were taken on the 12th, standards on the 14th, today's the 19th I believe.

One water clone remains dragging the chain. It's a WW, which I took from a plant I buggered about a bit. I didn't move quickly enough to get it from cutting in a 1 inch cube itserlf just a few weeks ago, into a decent home. It suffered fungul disease, so although it's all healed and well...it's had a hard few weeks, so it's allowed a couple days longer to root .

 

I took a couple pics of the tiny root buds that are starting on the WW, the clones I moved into cups had roots just a bit larger than these. Maybe a mm or two long. One had a 1/2 cm root or two but as expected, they snapped as they were shoved into the cubes.

 

Clone didn't suffer a iota.

 

Anyway, ranted more than enough.

 

cheers

rob

 

ps. water they're rooting in is just tap water, ph adjusted after half strength ryzotonic and cannazym. But I used to just use plain old water, and had great results, no better ot worse I suspect. Clone gel was used on the "standard "tupe clones only.

 

PPS. Usually (frommemory, because Ihavent grown for a god 18 months -2 years), I'd flush the mothers in straight tap water for a couple days, and leave the lights off for about 10 hours a couple days ina row before cutting.

I did all that becuase it was simply what I was taught years ago, but I just read the other day the dark business at least has some science behind it. Apparently the stem elongating makes cell division more successful. Sounds cool anyway.

 

ppps. BTW Bufo, any clones that take in 8 days is a cool way. What did you do? Just use flowering nutes before taking the clones for a week or so? Living in brisbane means using a heat mat all but for a couple months is detramental, those 10 degree mats anyway. Adjustable ones that can be raised just one or two degreees would be great. But anyway, I'm sure temperatiure has more to do with unsuccessful clones than any other problem i personally have faced.

So your coment about the heat mat rings true in my experience. Not that I'm any expert either. Just floggin away like the rest of us.

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

Just a couple last pics of the roots starting.

 

These were taken, the same arv following the pics taken above, (so maybe 6 hours after), and then about 10 hours after that. They fairly get going once they get decided ey?

 

I popped this last cutting into rockwool with thte roots at this stage of the dvelopment.

 

It's interesting to note that the cuttings I took conventionally, (about a day or two after I began the water clone ones) are strongly advancing, and am confident theyhave roots getting busy in their secrecy.. Seriously, they do look all the world like they'll do well , and so with no preperation, a couple years gap since I cloned anything, the conventionsal business is setting roots just as quick as the water bubbler. Can't knock the good old way is all I'm saying. But then they don't always do so well I suppose, for whatever reason.

 

But the big dif is how they look. The water begun ones have flush upright growth, look like minature plants is all, while the conventionally taken ones have suffered quiet a bit of shock, as per ususal. Lost leaves, some have yellowed and needed chopping off etc..they slouch..

 

Can't knock how the bubbler ones look, but I guess it'll be a matter of see what, if any difference there is in say a week or ten days from now, just see how they take off or not.

 

thanks everyone

rob