Photoperiod Clone on a mission

[Ozone69]

Quick progress shot on the clone...

 

[Ozone69]

The little bubble cloner appears to be off to a good start. All the cuttings got all droopy and fell over on the top of the neoprene pucks within hours of first being put into the cloner. As of this morning, just a couple days later, they have all straighentend for the most part back out. Not a huge change, but a significant one in my mind in indicating that things are working as they should so far.

 

[Ozone69]

Clone is growing along nicely. Had to lop of a couple of nodes that were coming in near the edge of the pot where I just didn't have anywhere to go with 'em. Was hoping to have a few more going and be close to if not already switching over to bloom lighting cycles soon, but looks like my first run with the little bubble cloner met with all failures. Have to revisit taking the cuttings, getting a good hormone for rooting, etc...etc... on that. Going to take another round of cutting sometime in the next few days so just going to keep the LST going on the one for now.

 

[Jtsmoker]

I'm trying the hydro style next. Picked up a 3 gallon bucket and lid from the grow store and just going to use air stones to make a "bubbleponic cloner" out of it. Some 1 5/8" neoprene holders and a 1 1/2" hole saw should be enough to do the trick.

As for hormones, I'm going to try out something I'd read about a couple times around the 'net. I went out on the dog and my walk yesterday keeping an eye out for a willow tree in the park. Found one and was able to grab a nice handful of shoots from the end of some branches. Not the ideal time of year for it since everything is dormant right now, but hoping it still might work. Cut 'em down and shaved 'em a little here and there to expose the inners and brewing some "willow water" tea up on the window sill for a few days now while I piece together the bubbler. :smoking:

View attachment 689687

Bubble cloner I like it that's how I roll 63 for 64 not bad clone x rocks to

 

[Ozone69]

Still having problems with getting cuttings to root and turn into clones, but decided that my one clone that I've been training and growing just can't go any longer so cleared out the cloning setup from the tent and went ahead with resetting the light timer for 12/12 this morning. Excited to see how she does with all the training since it's my first time doing anything like it. WOO HOO!!!

Meanwhile regarding the cloning, I still haven't given up on it. Set the cloner back up in the closet and took some more cuttings this morning to give it another go. Trying a couple different things this round. First off, since the LST clone in the tent is actually looking healthier than the mother at this point, I took three from each plant to see if maybe mom's health has been my issue. I also picked up some CloneX solution and added that in to the res this time around as well. Dug out the pH meter and got things set at around 5.8. And I also gave everthing a good scrubbing with some bleach based cleaner to try and make sure it's all as sterile as possible. If no luck this round then I'll likely go back to trying with the cubes and a tray again.

 

[Ozone69]

Juggled things up a bit this morning. Moved the clone into the closet. Decided to let it have the good lights to really do it's best, plus wanted to get it hooked up on a Blumat at least temporarily as I need to suddenly go out of town for a bit so going to set up the tech to handle the watering. Decided that I'm going to go ahead and chop the mother plant. Still not getting clones to root, and she's just not looking healthy. Still have a number of photo seeds, so will likely give it all a try again down the road but for now going to shut down the cloning lab for a bit. Thinking I might take a couple months off cannabis a little and use the tent for a pepper plant nursery before moving them outside for the summer. Then I'll probalby start a couple of the photo seeds and give running a mother and clones another go.

Speaking of the current clone. really starting to get it's stretch on nice. Looking like there will be maybe 3-4 main nodes and a couple smaller ones. Feel like I could have done better with the training, but was kind of just winging it to see what would happen for a lot of it and not follwing the guides around the 'Net the way I should have (and proabablay should still be). From what I've seen, this strain likes to stretch so should be fun to see how leggy it'll get under the COB's in the closet.

(clone on the left, mom (getting chopped) on the right)

 

[Budson 420]

I'm trying the hydro style next. Picked up a 3 gallon bucket and lid from the grow store and just going to use air stones to make a "bubbleponic cloner" out of it. Some 1 5/8" neoprene holders and a 1 1/2" hole saw should be enough to do the trick.

As for hormones, I'm going to try out something I'd read about a couple times around the 'net. I went out on the dog and my walk yesterday keeping an eye out for a willow tree in the park. Found one and was able to grab a nice handful of shoots from the end of some branches. Not the ideal time of year for it since everything is dormant right now, but hoping it still might work. Cut 'em down and shaved 'em a little here and there to expose the inners and brewing some "willow water" tea up on the window sill for a few days now while I piece together the bubbler. :smoking:

View attachment 689687

Hey man! I'm gonna follow along on this one, what's the willow water for? What does it do?

 

[Ozone69]

Hey man! I'm gonna follow along on this one, what's the willow water for? What does it do?

Unfortunately, not much to follow at this point. Pretty much the only thing I believe is still going at this point is the one clone that I was doing the LST with and have started flowering. I didn't have any luck with the aeroponic cloner so far. Haven't given up, but life circumstances are kind of throttling me back on the growing for now (but only for now).

Willow water itself is supposed to be an organic, make it yourself type option to rooting gels, powders, and solutions like Clonex, Rapid Root, EZ-Clone, etc...etc....

From Wikepedia:

Willow water is a biological method to extract the rooting hormones indolebutyric acid[1] (IBA) and salicylic acid (SA), that are present in sufficient quantities in the Willow (Salix) trees to extract as a liquid that stimulates root growth.

Usually what you do is take some cuttings from the tips of some willow, preferable during spring when it's new growth, and then use them to make a kind of tea. Then use that with your mother plant cuttings in place of the aforementioned commercially available products.

Or at least that's the theory as I've read it....still have yet to see it in action personally. Not 100% sure the tree I used is a willow (not a very common tree 'round here, but they do grow here), that I brewed it right and/or long enough, and a couple other factors so your mileage may vary. :smoking:

 

[Ozone69]

Speaking of the little clone that could...it made it through yet another ordeal.

I needed to suddenly(ish) go out of town for a week. So I'd set it up on my Blumat watering system a few days before I needed to go. Gave her a good feeding before I left and then it was on autopilot for a week getting watered by the Blumat while I was gone. Apparently, there was a power outage the day before I got back, so she ended up getting a 24 hour or so period of darkness at the end when the digital timer failed (one of it's shortcomings...no battery backup for extended power failure). Got the lights reset and she only looks like she was starting to get hungry with a little lightening of the color on the leaves, but otherwise doing well after a week on autopilot.

 

[Budson 420]

Aww true true, *the more you know* haha I've also heard you can use honey, though I'm not sure if it needs to be a certain type or anything of that matter, worth a try if your having dramas cloning.
At least your really giving it a go man! I gave up after two failed clone attempts, plus I didn't really have a dedicated area for them,

But that clone is looking good bro! Like how low you kept it low to the soil, me likey!

Don't give me champ keep on keeping on!!