Thinking about cloning? Or maybe you've tried it in the past with something less than spectacular results.
If you're a beginner, you need to understand that cloning is one of the most challenging tasks in hydroponic gardening. If you're an experienced grower than you already know that trying to get anything close to a 100% success rate is pretty darn difficult.
Use a cloning gel
Using a cloning gel is probably the single most important suggestion I can make for encouraging a larger percentage of your stems to take root and grow. Here's why.
A quality cloning gel is specifically designed with a variety of hormones and vitamins to encourage fragile stems to root quickly. And, of course, faster rooting is the overall primary key to successful cloning.
Proper way to apply a cloning gel
The best way to apply a quality cloning gel is to cover the bottom section of the stem in a thin layer of the substance. Just make certain to limit the application to just the bottom part of the stem. Covering the entire stem will suffocate the clone.
Keep those leaves moist
When you remove a stem from the mother plant, you also remove the clone's primary source of moisture. If you don't keep the leaves moist, the gel will be trying to form roots on one end while the top part of the plant is struggling for water.
The easiest way to keep the leaves moist is to spray them with a hand-held water bottle a couple of times a day. It will also help to use a humidity dome to prevent the moisture from evaporating too quickly. Just make certain to vent the dome so a controlled amount of air flows across the plants.
Deal with the stress of cloning
Any time you remove a clone from a mother plant, you create stress. The shock makes it more difficult for the stem to form roots and bring nutrients on board.
To reduce the shock, use a strong B vitamin supplement along with the cloning gel.
Many of these vitamin supplements are specially formulated to counteract plant stress caused by cloning, disease and poor grow room conditions.
Take care of the mother plant
Start by making certain your mother plant is healthy. The best cloning gel available and the most attentive care you can give a clone won't help much if the mother plant is weak or sickly.
You can boost the health of your mother plant by making certain its nutrient solution is well balanced and the plant is receiving plenty of light. Remember, one of the first steps to successful cloning is making certain your mother plant is healthy.
Select your clones wisely
The ideal stems will be fairly thick and have a few leaves that pop up above the medium. Also make certain the leaves look healthy and have a good vibrant color.
Gardening is my passion. I spend most of the time doing indoor and outdoor gardening and experiencing new methods like hydroponics gardening and enjoying it.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Dsouza
No comments:
Post a Comment