kenny Posted March 28, 2009 (edited) Today I went to a hydroponic shop to get myself a heat mat+clone dome for some future cacti fun along with other projects. The visit was interesting as up until now I had very little idea about anything hydro related. The most interesting part of my visit was that even though I was being very clear about my intentions to grow lettuce basil and other garden variety herbs. It seemed like I was having an unwanted conversation with the store owner about growing other herbs.. you know, the not so 'garden variety'. Maybe I was just imagining it, but by the look of the display kits and the way he was speaking, I felt as though he was trying to sell me a grow house and that he thought that's what I REALLY came for. Anyway, this is all beside the point. I came away with my clone dome which included some 'clonex' rooting hormone. It's a tacky thick goo and smells like playdough or something. It seems very concentrated by the look and smell and just wondered what the correct application of this stuff involves. There are no real directions on the bottle other than (dip cuttings to desired rooting depth), but it seems like maybe i need to dilute it or something? Also, how long do i dip the cuttings in this substance for before potting them? If it's still gooey and sticking to the cutting, should I wipe excess off or just dump it in the soil as is? I would have asked the guy at the store but he seemed pretty unsure when I was asking about growing everyday herbs, and even more so when I mentioned psychotria. enough yapping. thanks in advance. Edited March 29, 2009 by kenny Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Undergrounder Posted March 28, 2009 Hey kenny i think you just dip it in like it says... the reason it's a thick goo is so that it stays stuck to the bottom of the cutting and so you shouldn't dilute it any more. And i know what you mean by the hydro store talk... it really shits me i went in one place and asked for a grow light for my orchids... he was desperately trying to sell me this super bright thing that shone out 3000fc or something and i was telling him "I don't need a light like that, i grow Phalaenopsis orchids, they're LOW LIGHT plants, and he kept insisting on this super bright thing all like 'wink wink, nudge nudge - you REALLY want one of these ;)' And in another store the guy is exactly the same... like he assumes 'orchids' is code word for 'super phat danky dank hydro shiznitz yo'... really pisses me off. He basically laughs at me when i buy these low light fluorescent tubes as if i don't know what i'm doing.. And the funny thing is, as i expand my orchid setup, i keep going back to him for more and more lights, he gives me this weird look like "are you really sure you want to be expandin' so fast, boy?"... he's kind of hesitant to sell me lights now without asking me if i'm sure i need more lights etc. etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kenny Posted March 28, 2009 haha! That reminds me of another thing he said which I thought was just Way suss! After letting him do a brief pitch on the different growing mediums such as the rock wool and coco peat ect.. and me mentioning AGAIN that I wanted to grow lettuce. He continued on saying " so if you buy this 200 liter kit with the rock wool, you have heaps of room to work, your lettuce can be this big *does hand gesture at about 30cm apart* or this big *does hand gesture at about 2m tall and wide* " That's one big ass lettuce! I'll give that hormone a shot as is anyways! thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted March 28, 2009 i would avoid the hydro shop all together as there prices are probably marked up more that the ones at your local whole/retail lighting supplier who stocks the gro-light fluros. same goes for nutirents and the rest of the stuff. those rock wool cubes the hydro shop sells are very, very expensive and the rock wool collected from building site (insulation) is just as good for striking cuttings. i never used the gooey rooting hormone you describe, but it sounds like a good product, because applying just the right ammount of hormone is very important and the goo would facilitate this objective. with the powder hormone one has to be carefull as sometimes too much and other times too little of the powder stays stuck to the cutting once you dip it. a very thick crust of hormone can even hinder root formation, so just use not too little, nor too much, just right... regardles if you use powder or liquid hormone, it pays off to keep the original container clean by always using a small receptable for dipping your cuttings (pour off a small ammount into a bottle cap for example and dip into). otherwise your original container and content will soon get filthy and you have to buy a new one after short usage only. hormones are a great help, but without them you can strike any cutting aswell, it might just take a bit more time, and maybe you have a slightly lower strike rate. avoid skin contact and inhalation of the hormone, as increased penis size is one of the unwanted side effects (and a big penis is no good for oral sex, now isn't it??!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kenny Posted March 29, 2009 Alright, I figured I would use this as a log for my psy cuttings since there aren't really any detailed tek's on this with good pictures. Maybe some noobs such as myself will benefit from this if all goes well. 1xHeat n Grow prop tray 1xCloneDome 1xClonex Rooting Hormone/Gel Stem Cutting is about 2.5cm below soil with a light coat of the hormone pasted on. Leaf cuts are a bit shallower with said hormone. Temp 27-28c 2x 36w fluros which I found in the shed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kenny Posted April 22, 2009 (edited) Progress I would show the roots on the leaf cutting, but I cant easily remove it from the soil. So they must have taken pretty strong. Edited April 22, 2009 by kenny Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Freaky Chicken Posted April 24, 2009 Just a quick note on rooting hormones. They work really good and can increase strike rates quite significantly but they are not organic so for those of us that are strictly organic cannot use them. You do not need to use hormone to strike cuttings as mentioned earlier. I find non heat treated honey works great as a alternative. As a bee keeper is amazing how many different uses their are for honey. Also a good thing to note is to make a hole for the cutting so that you dont damage the bottom of the cutting as you push it in. Anyway good luck with your cuttings Kenny, they look good already. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted April 24, 2009 another organic rooting aid is to split the bottom of the cutting and to keep the slice open with a grain of rice. i think to remeber rice contains some substances aiding root formation. to split the bottom, or to take off a bit of the skin at the bottom of your cutting is another proofen methode, it's called wounding. very important is that you work quickly or that you avoid that any of your cutting material will have a chance to dry up. taking cuttings is aswell a time when you can try to work towards eliminating any pests, meaning you pest controll organicly or chemicly, than wash off the residue, than soak the cuttings to be, in water where you added a small ammount of white king bleach, like that you get almost tissue culture like sterile conditions! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sethomopod Posted April 25, 2009 (edited) Very nice Kenny! I'm about to do the same with my Viridis, Just wondering about the leaf cuttings, did you leave them stem intact or cut it off? I've seen pics of leaves just cut halfway up striking. With tapering off of yours in the pics, it looks as if there isn't too much of the leaf buried, Is this a certain technique? Sorry to ask so much, but this will be my first attempt at cloning Viridis, Any help appreciated! Edited April 25, 2009 by sethomopod Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted April 25, 2009 you leave a bit of the stem on, as the stem and all of the fleshy veins are in fact the areas wher the roots will be formed, but don't worry, it doesn't matter where you cut viridis leave cuttings are not fuzzy in this respect. but they are fuzzy about drying out, and the less deep you plant them the more carefull you have to be. sealing the whole thing is the way to go, but still check on the progress at least once a week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kenny Posted April 25, 2009 I have tried stem and plain old leaf cuttings. The stem cutting has not rooted yet but the base seems to be slowly swelling , so i take this as a good sign (even though the leaf stuck to it is wilting to the shit house) The leaf cutting seems more reliable at this stage (less invasive to the plant also). Just break a leaf or two off at the base of the petiole, keeping as much of it intact as you can. Then just bury the bottom 1/3 of the leaf in soil. Cutting the tip off the leaf seems to be the way to go also. I look forward to seeing some shoots soon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted April 25, 2009 ok, just to clear something up... i was refering to a question by set, where he mentiones the stem of a leaf, and not the stem of a normal cutting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coquero Posted April 25, 2009 kenny, I have used the exact same setup you've got and had great results in the past. clonex is great, I had rooted kratom cuttings in 7 days big thick roots poking out from the rockwool cubes! I also used fongarid to prevent any rot, had 100% success. I cant remember how many hours I had the lights on, think it was 12hrs plus to get growth happening.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sethomopod Posted April 26, 2009 (edited) whoops! don't know how to delete posts.... Edited April 26, 2009 by sethomopod Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sethomopod Posted April 26, 2009 (edited) you leave a bit of the stem on, as the stem and all of the fleshy veins are in fact the areas wher the roots will be formed, but don't worry, it doesn't matter where you cut viridis leave cuttings are not fuzzy in this respect.but they are fuzzy about drying out, and the less deep you plant them the more carefull you have to be. sealing the whole thing is the way to go, but still check on the progress at least once a week. Ahh ok, Thanks Planthelper, I'll keep that in mind! I shouldn't have problems with drying out cos I'm going to use Rockwool cubes... Unless one would be advised against it.. . I'll post some pics as well if I have success...Thanks again. Also, I have a slightly different setup to Kenny, Still a heat'n'grow, but heated by a 60W incandesant bulb from the top, (keeps a nice steady heat and works very well for other clones and germination of most seeds) Would this be suitable for Viridis? Edited April 26, 2009 by sethomopod Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharxx101 Posted May 8, 2009 Anyone tryed white willow bark boiled then used as a rooting hormone? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gecko Posted May 13, 2009 Anyone tryed white willow bark boiled then used as a rooting hormone? No, but I have heard of freshly picked, chipped willow twigs being used. Pour boiling water over them and soak overnight . Water drained off and then soak base of (or whole) cuttings in water overnight before planting. I've been aware of this method for many years but not done any trials myself. I normally buy 8000ppm liquid and dilute what I need to required conc. or use straight for hardwood or difficult stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
