Last time at the grow store, I was given some rockwool cubes to try next time I clone, but I am hearing conflicting info about their use. Is it really necessary to soak them in a PH down solution first? Should they then be rinsed? Any opinions on whether Rapid Root (what I usually use) is superior or inferior? I'd be interested to hear what cloning mediums other folks recommend.
hi smiley. I prefer a simple cup of quality potting soil ammende by 25%-40% perlite, to lighten it up. Rapid rooters failed miserably, for me. Never tried rockwool.
I used 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 rockwool cubes and got great results with my Northern Light 'mom'. Rooting solution in the water, gel on the clones, pin pricks to the stem (where the gel goes)...and boom! Two weeks and I have roots all over. Now for the transplant...ha.
This is re-posted from another thread, for what it's worth: My sometimes friend the Cloner roots clones in 5-7 days or less using a simple method. 4" rockwool cubes- the kind with the large hole pre-made. Soak them in lemon juice. Lightly rinse them with distilled H2O. Turn them upside down and poke a stem size hole through the bottom into the open cavity. Set them in a tray containing about 1/2" of a weak, (25%), Nitrogen rich, nuit solution, with the pre-made holes facing DOWN. As the nuit sol evaporates, re-fill with distilled H2O. Now take and treat your cuttings appropriately. Once the cloning solution or gel or whatever is applied, stick the stem in the stem-hole you made in the rockwoll cubes. It should protrude 1/8" to 3" into the cavity formed by the pre-made hole. The part of the stem that's sticking out into the cavity is subject to nearly ideal conditions- dark, near 100% humidity, and free flowing oxygen. A humidity hood is not needed, although an occasional misting can't hurt. Using low wattage bulbs rich in bluelight (24 on) works best and carries little danger of dessicating the cuttings. But, with careful attention to heat, the cuttings will root just fine under any HID light. The fastest I seen results is three days, but it averages 5-7 days. ----------- We exaimined this technique on this board in the past, and someone (meangreen maybe?) pointed out that lemon juice is known to contain some type of useful root stimulator. Whatever, it works. The Cloner losse very few cuttings.
Thanks for the feedback Dude, Trader & Geckopelli. Since I have the rockwool cubes, I'm going to give the juice method a go for my next clones. Not having to use a hood is appealing. I'll post results.
How soon can you take a clone from a new plant (from seed) to find out the sex? Is it related to age or size of the plant? And how long is "good" for new clones to root before switching to flower cycle? Is size the only factor...or age also? Thanks all.
The plant needs at least 4 leaf levels- and a branch big enough to clone. I wouldn't recomened taking the top of a plant barely out of the seedling stage.
Geckopelli, Here's a photo of a couple of successful clones using the rockwool cube and lemon juice technique you shared. Out of 8 clones, 6 rooted AND all within 7 days. These are between 5 & 6 weeks old now. Thanks for the tip!
