Smokinrav's simple water-cloning method

Cloning plants is a piece of cake for most folks who use stuff like powder, liquid/gel rooting hormone, bubblers, and soil. But guess what? There's an even simpler way to clone that's been around for ages. All you need is water, light, and the cutting you want to root. Let me show you an example with three different sizes of clones: small (S), medium (M), and large (L).

Just like regular cloning, you dunk the cutting in water for 15 to 30 seconds, giving it a little wiggle to get rid of any air bubbles. The main difference here is that you won't take the cutting out of the water until it has roots strong enough to support the leaves above. Oh, and make sure the cup holding the cutting is opaque so the light doesn't hit the roots directly.

Now, let's talk about the most important part: light. I've made this method work every single time just by placing my cuttings on a windowsill without direct sunlight. In fact, a bit of shade is even better. In the evenings (when days are short), I move them to an end table about 7 feet away from a 100-watt incandescent bulb on the ceiling. At bedtime, I turn off the lights as usual, and move them back to the windowsill in the morning. If the days are longer, they can chill on the sill all day long. Just remember, no direct sunlight!

Here's a pic of my three cuttings in their water cups. M & L have just about an inch of water to sit in – any more and the water would touch one of the leaf stems. The smaller one is still in plastic because its stem was too short to sit in water and stay upright in the cup. Do what you need to do to keep at least ½ inch of the stem in the water.

Oh, and notice the glass that scatters light – it's just an extra step to keep too much light from getting to the cuttings.


The clones grew roots at far different speeds. S showed in seven days, with a small ¼? long root and another small protrusion.



By the time S?s roots reached this level of development (nine days), L was just putting out the first nubs that would be roots. M has shown no inclination of rooting at all. Searching for an answer, I changed the water in Ms cup, but I think it boils down too the thickness of the stem. Both M&L have the same size stem but L has far more foliage on top.


S is doing far better than the others (seen below) and M is finally starting to show.



M showed roots in 14 days and was planted on day 18.
This picture was taken just before transplant.



L showed roots on day 11 and was in soil at day 18.
This picture was taken just before transplant.



S showed roots at seven days and was in the soil at 15.
This picture was taken just before transplant.



Transplanting is as easy as it ever is. I use a pre-fertilized potting soil, mixed with 1/2 perlite. I like the clear cups as I can see how soon they can be removed from the humidity dome. Fill a 4 oz cup with soil mix and swirl a hole an inch deep in the top, insert the plants roots and cover.

DO NOT WATER!! Watering will actually delay the roots growth into the new medium. You want it almost dry below so they search for the moisture. Make whatever mix you use semi-moist before transplant.



The dome you see is a cheapo Styrofoam cooler available from any grocery store for $2-$3. Toss the lid and cover with saran wrap with a 1/2 dozen 1/4" holes in it. What you see in the picture is a spare piece of plexi I have. It sits off centre to provide some venting. Simply set an open jar of water inside and close. The jar itself will keep the humidity at around 75%. If you don?t like this, just spray a couple times a day with plain water.


L showed itself almost overnight.



All were in the 320-watt veg area in roughly three weeks from cutting to final transplant.



That?s it, the easiest cloning method there is. No spraying, no overheating, no drying out, no hormones, just plant, light and water. Following these instructions, I?ve had a 100% success rate (The one that died actually drank all her water and I forgot to refill!). Good luck!