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"Cloning" is the process of taking a cutting off of a growing plant and
rooting it to make a new and separate plant based on the exact same
genetic material as the parent, potentially turning a single plant into
hundreds or even thousands of identical copies.
Here we will talk about the actual process of cloning as opposed to
growing from seed. The clones should be taken from a plant that is
healthy, and in the throes of vigorous growth. If they are taken from a
sickly plant, they may live, but will be slow to get going, and will
probably never reach their full potential. |
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Look at your plant.
Note that on the lower branches, the nodes are arranged opposite one
another on the branch.
This is an sign
of the early growth stage of the plant. When later nodes come out they
are alternating in pattern, which indicates the beginning of the plant's
sexually mature state. |
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Take your cuttings from the lowermost branches, taking only the branches
from opposite nodes. These cuttings will work the best because the early
node configuration makes them more prone to vegetation stage like a
young plant.
Use a sharp knife or razor blade to reduce injury to the parent plant.
Dip the cutting tool in rubbing alcohol or a mixture of one part bleach
and nine parts water to prevent transmitting diseases from infected
plant parts to healthy ones. Remove flowers and buds from cuttings to
allow the cutting to use its energy and stored carbohydrates for root
and shoot formation rather than for fruit and seed production. |
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Fill a glass with distilled water. Leave the cuttings in the glass to
prevent blockage of the transpiration hole with an air bubble until you
are ready to treat and place them in the medium. Just a note, longer
clones are easier to start, and get growing in a shorter time.
Detach a 4 to 6 inch piece of stem, including the terminal bud. Make the
cut just below a node. |
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Remove lower leaves that would touch or be below the medium. To hasten
rooting, increase the number of roots, or to obtain uniform rooting
except on soft fleshy stems, use a rooting hormone that preferably
contains a fungicide. |
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Dip the stem in rooting hormone if desired. Gently tap the end of the
cutting to remove excess hormone. Gel-based rooting compounds work well,
and keep the cutting from drying out while roots are being produced.
Insert cuttings into a rooting medium, such as coarse sand, vermiculite,
soil, rock wool, or a mixture of peat and Perlite. |
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The cutting must be
inserted deep enough in the medium to support itself. It is
important to choose the correct rooting medium to get optimum rooting in
the shortest time. In general, the rooting medium should be sterile, low
in fertility, drain well enough to provide oxygen and retain enough
moisture to prevent water stress. Moisten the medium before inserting
cuttings and keep it evenly moist while cuttings are rooting and forming
new shoots. |
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Put them in a
greenhouse or (if you don't have a greenhouse) a watertight plastic dome
tray and mist the inside of the dome daily, keep under fluorescents
until they are rooted. Occasionally open the lid and let fresh air into
the dome if you are using one, to help the cuttings exchange gases and
help prevent mold. It's common sense that since the plant has no means
of water intake it will lose moisture through transpiration of the
leaves,
so you must reduce moisture loss by keeping the humidity high |
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until roots
start growing from the nodes below ground level. When you open the dome
to exchange air, mist the INSIDE walls of the transparent part, and soak
the floor of the tray. Do not mist the leaves, as this can cause
yellowing. This method provides a very humid environment for the clones,
facilitating the rooting process. The cuttings get a good start, and
that makes it easy for the beginner to use. |
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