Plant Cloning 101 – Taking Cuttings

Your mother plant is picked out and all your supplies are ready. Now it’s time to take some cuttings.

Take your cutting

Once you’ve chosen a branch, use your scalpel to remove the branch. You’ll want to cut just below the node (the area from which leaves grow) at a 45-degree angle.

Dip the cutting in Clonex Rooting Gel

Dip it directly into the rooting gel you’ve added to your shot glass. Make sure the entire cut area, and its surrounding stem, is covered in the rooting gel.

This will stop air from affecting the cut surface area. Air exposure at this point can cause air bubbles that will prevent your cutting from taking up water and eventually rooting.

At this point you should clip the fan leaves, reducing the leaf area by 50%.

Place the cutting into your Root Riot Starter Cube

Once you’ve finished taking cuttings and placed them in a propagation tray it’s time to add your humidity dome. You do not want to have leaves pressed up against the dome walls or stuck between the dome and the tray. Make sure you’ve spaced your cuttings to avoid either of these from happening.

Spray your cuttings

Place tray under suitable lighting. Spray your cuttings with Clonex Mist every other day to ensure they don’t dry out. Beyond that, leave the cuttings alone. Most plants will root in 7 – 10 days, but some could take up to 2 weeks or longer. When you see roots coming out of the cube then you’re ready to transplant.

Check out Plant Cloning 101 – Transplanting for information on transplanting once your cutting has roots.

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.