Plant Cloning 101 – Getting Started
There are some key steps to be aware of before taking a plant cutting. Choosing a healthy donor plant is step one. After that you will need to pull together the tools for plant cloning and prepare your work area. Here are some easy-to-follow steps for getting started with plant cloning.
How-to Choose a Donor Plant
First, you will want to choose a plant in the vegetative stage of growth. You do not want the plant to have any pre-flowers or be in the flowering stage.
Plant cuttings are the same biological age of the donor plant. So, a cutting will flower no matter it’s size. That’s why you will want to take a cutting from a plant in its vegetative stage.
Prepping the Donor Plant
A strong donor plant will help to produce healthy clones. A few days before taking cuttings it’s recommended to spray Clonex Mist on the chosen donor sights. Clonex Mist is a ready-to-use foliar spray made specifically to help stimulate root development in plant cuttings.
When you choose your donor sights you’ll want to look for the following:
- A healthy-looking branch on the lower part of the plant
- A branch with strong growing tips
- Choose a branch with multiple nodes (leaf nodes are where the leaf connects to the stem)
In addition, water your donor plant a few hours before taking cuttings. This will ensure that the cuttings are well nourished and hydrated and prepares them for successful cloning.
Supplies for Taking Plant Cuttings
Once you have your donor plant chosen and prepped it’s time to get your supplies. You will want everything needed for taking a cutting readily available.
The list of supplies can be as long, or as short, as you want it to be. For a simple, but effective, session you will need the following.
- Clonex Rooting Gel
- Shot Glass
- Scalpel or Razor
- Scissors are not recommended as they can crush the cutting’s delicate tissue.
- Be careful when taking a cutting using a scalpel or razor. They are extremely sharp.
- Root Riot Plant Starter Cubes
- Propagation Tray
- Humidity Dome
- Clonex Mist
Preparing the Work Area
Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize!
The first step in prepping your work area is to wash your hands. Then you will need to sterilize your equipment. Rubbing alcohol is an excellent choice for sterilizing.
Once the area is sterile, you can begin laying out your items. A few steps to take during this process include:
- Pour Clonex Rooting Gel into the shot glass
- Remove the packaging from the Root Riot Starter Cubes
Once you have completed prepping your area then you are ready to start taking cuttings.
Check out Plant Cloning 101 – Taking Cuttings for information on how to successfully take plant cuttings.
Download the Clonex Propagation Guide. It’s full of information on how to take a cutting, how and when to use Clonex and Root Riot products, plus it covers mother plants and transplanting.