All the best tips and tricks of the trade with Plant Cloning and Hydroponic Gardening with Olivia’s Solutions
Healthy Plants
It is essential that your cuttings (sometimes referred as clones or slips) be taken from a healthy mother plant.
Shake or Stir
Always shake the bottle of Olivia’s cloning solution. It is not necessary to shake or stir the cloning gel, but occasionally different temperatures may cause gel to slightly solidify, so in those cases a gentle stir makes the gel smoother.
Water Quality
Water quality is of prime concern in hydroponic growing. All plants differ in their preference of pH range. Find out the ideal pH range for your particular plant. Between 5.5 and 6.5 is a good average location.
Rockwool
If using Rockwool medium, pretreat the wool with Olivia’s cloning solution and pH adjuster prior to soaking. Some wools are high in alkaline (around 8.0).
Shock
Be gentle when taking a cutting or clone – they can shock easily if you handle them roughly when you cut from the mother plant.
Sterile Environment
Always use a sterile growing medium. Never use soil from your garden.
Disease
Always keep tools clean to avoid transmitting a disease to an open plant cut. Sterilize tools before each use with alcohol or heat.
Temperature
Keep your growing medium warm around the clock for premium results. A bottom heat (with a heat pad) of 75 to 85°f (24 to 30°c) will help cuttings to root even faster.
Humidity
High humidity aids in rooting your cuttings, providing it isnʼt excessive. A plastic cover (such as a humidity dome or tent) will increase your percentage of rooting clones.
Fresh Air
All plants need fresh air. Always have a circulating fan going 24 hours a day. If your clones show signs of wilting in the dome or tent, cut some holes in the plastic or raise the dome up a few inches to allow air to circulate and move the leaves.
Lights Out
If propagating indoors, remember to keep the room temperature warm during the night or lights out cycle. Add a space heater if necessary.
Over Watering
Excessive watering can cause cuttings to wilt or cause stem rot. You don’t have to keep the bottom of your tray filled with water or cloning solution. The idea is to keep the growing medium or soil moist only. But don’t let it dry out as well….it’s a balancing act.
Trimming
To achieve a uniform cutting you may trim the leaf tip. Try to keep all cuttings around the same height. This allows each cutting to receive the same amount of light.
Lighting
If using fluorescent lighting you may place your lights with a few inches of the tops of your plants without burning them. If you are using outdoor sunlight, use a screen to shade cuttings from the hot, direct sun. They are sensitive to harsh light.
Hid Lighting
If using hid lighting give the cuttings a full 18 hours of light and a 6 hour night cycle is recommended for optimum results.
Lamp Heat
Due to the amount of heat that the hid lamps put out, keep the lights at least 12 inches or more from the top of the clones or they will burn.
First Roots
Once roots appear, your cuttings can take stronger, more intense light. Place your lights as close as possible. In other words, the closer the lamps are to your plants the faster they will grow and root. Transplant as soon as roots pop through and appear.
Doage Length
Continue using Oliviaʼs cloning solution during your entire propagating cycle until roots appear.
Transplant Shock
Use Oliviaʼs cloning solution when transplanting to eliminate shock.
Final Note: Every plant and growing situation is different, so the length of time it takes roots to appear will vary from a week to several weeks. It just depends on the stain of the mother plant, environment and your attention to detail.
