# Photo cloning questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Q&A Grow Help\ **Created:** [September 6, 2026, 12:10pm UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235 "2026-09-06T12:10:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![whiterose55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@whiterose55](https://autoflower.org/u/whiterose55)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 12:10pm UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/1 "2026-09-06T12:10:03Z")
Hey guys, I have a few questions on how I should clone my plant. First I would like to thank you for your help with my Purple Punch Auto in the older forum 🙂, you saved my plant and I had a great harvest. So I have this new photo, it should be GOAT’lato Mike Tyson (gifted to me by the shop). I had it outside for like 10 days and then 15ish days inside with 24h light. I did some cuttings and trained the lower branches for a more even growth. There is this main branch which sticks out a lot and I would like to use it to make a new clone. Is this the correct path? Here is my plan: 1. cut the main branch as low as possible without cutting any other lower branches, then cut the tip at 45°, maybe (or not) use root hormone (powder/liquid/gel?) 2. put it immediately in water or in dirt+perlite? 3. if I put it in water, when the roots grow I plant it in the dirt+perlite and then leave it outside under a tent for indirect light, cover the plant with a transparent cover and water regularly for more humidity (but not soggy) 4. wait until the plant starts to feel strong and grow the leaves and stems. Move the pot indoor under growlight. What do you think? Any help is appreciated. ![IMG_20260906_134334](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/uploads/autoflower/original/3X/a/1/a110c67f08095b5c59a3569570b8081f3e53e7a0.jpeg) ![IMG_20260906_134348](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/uploads/autoflower/original/3X/d/7/d73667f9c3e697c6311566837387b6abf629da7e.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Atulip](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/autoflower.org/atulip/32/27240_2.png) [@Atulip](https://autoflower.org/u/Atulip)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 12:15pm UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/2 "2026-09-06T12:15:44Z")
Are you topping then trying to clone the main stem? I’ve never done it but don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I’d take side shoots, probably in another week, aiming for 3-4 nodes. Take spares. I haven’t intentionally cloned in dirt before, always rockwool in a cloning tray or an aeroponic bin. Main thing is keeping the humidity up until they root. ---
**Author:** ![whiterose55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@whiterose55](https://autoflower.org/u/whiterose55)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 12:39pm UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/3 "2026-09-06T12:39:19Z")
Yea I would like to top the main stem so the plant grows uniformly. Instead of throwing it away, use it as clone. So if I understand correctly: I should top the main stem now and clone it. Then wait as you said and clone the lower branches when they reach 3-4 nodes? Is this to have better chances of one clone surviving or just have more clones in the end? Then put them directly in rockwool - can I use cotton instead? What about the root hormone and water container? I’ve found mixed solutions online and I’m still trying to figure out the right one for me. ---
**Author:** ![Atulip](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/autoflower.org/atulip/32/27240_2.png) [@Atulip](https://autoflower.org/u/Atulip)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 1:08pm UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/4 "2026-09-06T13:08:02Z")
There should be no problem trying to clone the top, but I would also take a couple extra clones in case it doesn’t root. You don’t actually need rockwool, that’s just my own experience. You can root directly in soil, just add extra perlite/aeration. You could alternatively get some rooting blocks, root riots or the like, but they’re designed to fit in a cloning/seedling dome. I was looking for direct soil cloning but this is the rooting blocks. Build a soil has a ton of great videos. [![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/uploads/autoflower/original/3X/7/c/7cb66b83b46ad8124cd50ab468ab9100e2d16f6a.jpeg "BuildASoil: HOW TO ROOT CUTTINGS 10x10: Episode #17") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InrxElbRuN0) ---
**Author:** ![DetroitDarren](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/autoflower.org/detroitdarren/32/13777_2.png) [@DetroitDarren](https://autoflower.org/u/DetroitDarren)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 1:51pm UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/5 "2026-09-06T13:51:19Z")
You are on the right path, kinda. Cut the branch at a 45° angle Use some [Clonex rooting gel](https://www.discountedhydroponics.com/products/clonex-rooting-gel-1-quart?variant=39438140276871&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=15982949473&gbraid=0AAAAAoZAQsO9k-zWwpTKSk3NikZdz_IH2&gclid=CjwKCAjwnvTUBhBoEiwAZNDxZ8FXtuEBFvq22aZHluOcLrdoKRFsT9hQgFntXW0kg9nriHwrUKIA_hoCK2EQAvD_BwE) Use some [root riot plugs](https://gardendominion.com/root-riot-replacement-cubes-50-cubes-p009149.html?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=14214016497&gbraid=0AAAAABNimYdnlXgozGYHEOqcmN1SdkolO&gclid=CjwKCAjwnvTUBhBoEiwAZNDxZ9qQEn4ezSshBOTurMBKlsbSvQA86TC4VoGDl2ZWYKpBh8__8DT3iBoCgd4QAvD_BwE) Put them into [seed starting set](https://vivosun.com/vivosun-seed-tray-with-heat-mat-and-led-lights-p144824363796138855-v144824363796138847?country=US¤cy=USD&promo_code=VSSTONER&utm_content=feed&_m=f&_m=t&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_campaign=US-PMax-Other_%7C_WQW-0623&utm_content=23966219906.&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23970803932&gbraid=0AAAAAoJH92bnpqWCUcB3JDwZa89oPueHt&gclid=CjwKCAjwnvTUBhBoEiwAZNDxZ6ZIiTpT545FAFkODwQPKBRiOcy4nSzBahmjZfbd_T8ekEI1cpZarhoC7nsQAvD_BwE) Put them under a low watt grow light Wait for the roots to come out of the plug and transfer to your pot. At least this is how I do it. ---
**Author:** ![Kspun](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/autoflower.org/kspun/32/27183_2.png) [@Kspun](https://autoflower.org/u/Kspun)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 8:03pm UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/6 "2026-09-06T20:03:26Z")
Ive cloned with soil before ..we used trays of promix…after you take your cuttings cut at a 45 degree angle and throw in a cup of water for a bit ..scrape the sides nesr the 45 degree cut dip into clone ex and bam stick it in your tray keep soil most not wet and use a humidity dome..some cultivars clone better than others ---
**Author:** ![Drownomatic](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/autoflower.org/drownomatic/32/437_2.png) [@Drownomatic](https://autoflower.org/u/Drownomatic)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 10:41am UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/7 "2026-09-07T10:41:33Z")
I cut back the leaves a few days before I take a clone. This time allows all the wounds to seal. ![IMG20260907063801](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/uploads/autoflower/original/3X/6/6/6683508b791ee0966858b6ca99650fac2041bf9d.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![whiterose55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@whiterose55](https://autoflower.org/u/whiterose55)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 10:39am UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/8 "2026-09-09T10:39:54Z")
Thanks forma the replies, I really appreciate it. I wanted to spend as little money as I could so I just bought the Clonex gel. Here’s what I ended up doing. - Turned off lights 8ish hours before cutting. - Filled a 1kg yogurt recipient (with holes at the bottom) with soil and perlite and watered it. - Cut the main branch at a 45° tip. Also cut 3 little branches on the main one and put them in a water glass for spares. - Applied Clonex gel on the main branches tip. - Planted the main clone in the yogurt recipient and then inside a transparent plastic bag with little space on the top for air to circulate. - Sprayed with water the plant and the bag’s inside. - Left the pot in a corner of the grow room, indirect light still reaching. A day later the leaves are still up and the bag is still humid in the inside. What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![KingRatt](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/autoflower.org/kingratt/32/24936_2.png) [@KingRatt](https://autoflower.org/u/KingRatt)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 11:00am UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/9 "2026-09-09T11:00:26Z")
Hey bud, I suggest watching a quick youtube video on cloning cannabis. Those techniques you mentioned may work on some plants, but cannabis likely won’t root in dirt and without rooting hormone. Also plants lower in the canopy I believe root easier, you want to shoot for at least 4-5 nodes on your cutting and you want one or two of those to be part of what gets buried in the rooting hormone and clone plug or rockwool. Get a humidity dome and keep it humid in there. Can take 1-4wks depending on where the cutyings come from ---
**Author:** ![KingRatt](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/autoflower.org/kingratt/32/24936_2.png) [@KingRatt](https://autoflower.org/u/KingRatt)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 11:04am UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/10 "2026-09-09T11:04:12Z")
There are ways to cut your cuttings where they root. You want to cut them with a sterile razor in water, cutting them in open air can cause an air bubble to form and those can kill a clone out of nowhere even after it’s rooted. I wish you the best of luck, maybe use some skewers to keep the bag off the leaves to preven t rot would be a good idea! Or cut the bottom off a two liter and it sits over no problem? ---
**Author:** ![Atulip](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/autoflower.org/atulip/32/27240_2.png) [@Atulip](https://autoflower.org/u/Atulip)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 1:23pm UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/11 "2026-09-09T13:23:49Z")
@kingratt 4-5 nodes? you take some big clones I always liked 3/4 nodes. Anecdotally, I’ve cloned cannabis in dirt before, completely by accident. Just lollipoppin and letting the leaves fall to mulch, one little shoot rooted right in the pot. But intentionally I’ve always used rockwool or straight to the aerocloner. @whiterose55 I’m not sure how a bag will do over it though, I’d be afraid of suffocating it. Domes are cheap, if you can’t get one quick enough, you could make shift a dome out of a clear plastic tote, just cut some air holes so she can breathe. ---
**Author:** ![whiterose55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@whiterose55](https://autoflower.org/u/whiterose55)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/12 "2026-09-10T14:10:27Z")
I applied the clonex rooting gel on the tip. I did the 45° cut on the last node. The bag accidentally touched the tips of the leaves and they rotted, not too much I guess. Should I cut those parts away? Also the bag on the top is not too closed, air can still circulate. ---
**Author:** ![whiterose55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@whiterose55](https://autoflower.org/u/whiterose55)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 2:11pm UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/13 "2026-09-10T14:11:20Z")
I might try building a DIY dome, I guess it will come handy for the future clones 😃 ---
**Author:** ![whiterose55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@whiterose55](https://autoflower.org/u/whiterose55)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/14 "2026-09-10T20:42:49Z")
Right after I cut the main branch I noticed a few leaves on the mother getting brownish marks. The soil was already nutrient rich, may it be empty now (after a month or so)? Since I am using autopot (no fertilizer), I closed the water tank’s valve and I’ll wait until I can top feed the plant with organic fertilizer. Is this a nutrient deficiency? Also: I don’t know if this is still the right place to ask about the mother’s health and not the clone, in that case I will create a new thread. ![IMG_20260910_213204](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/uploads/autoflower/original/3X/d/0/d0532f6d9530c5818156ff7eecd1567565b829e4.jpeg) ![IMG_20260910_213309](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/uploads/autoflower/original/3X/7/f/7f2bfa46e112ae88b4c1aecb72cc2b8b24d7bb36.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/autoflower.org/system/32/9_2.png) [@system](https://autoflower.org/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 8:43pm UTC](https://autoflower.org/t/photo-cloning-questions/1235/15 "2026-09-12T20:43:35Z")
This topic was automatically closed 2 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.