just a little nervous about making clones (90-100% humidity?)

[mekannic]

man i wish i could collect the worm castings in my yard. oh my goodness, we have one worm per square inch on a couple acres here and the castings are like a blanket or carpet. i just can't scrape them up without getting a bunch of the soil and i don't want the soil. i worked all day today on raking up leaves and collecting worms and making a ?compost? pile? after a few weeks i am hoping to really have a good bed of castings to be able to collect from.

i wish i could collect what is already here, i would send you some brother. i got some to go around!!!

i too am fighting the spider mites. i got two spotteds, google says they are the hardest to get rid of but i think i got them under control already. caught them real early, and only on my tomatoes right now.

good luck with that fight man. i am using remedies i found in the forums here. thank you farm!!!!

 

[Califlower]

You can google how to make a worm bin, then go to the bait shop and get red wrigglers. They eat up through the compost and newspaper layers that are in a typical worm bin setup and leave their castings. I read about it in my organic gardening book. Anyway, I didn't make a worm bin for myself yet, but I got some castings from a good worm farmer.

I made 2 cuts last night, they didn't die, so I made 4 more tonight. The seedling mix, worm castings, and perlite blend I made is staying damp. I misted them tonight. Should I do that every 24 hours to keep them alive?

 

[Seamaiden]

If it's not too dry, then yes, misting will help. Are you watering the cups at all? That's how I do it--perlite in the beer cup with holes in the bottom, goes into a boot tray, then I put water in the bottom of the tray. I feel this helps force them to search for water a little better.

 

[Califlower]

So if the air isn't too dry, misting will help? How dry, like below 60 RH or something? So if it is above whatever RH, then mist?

I haven't yet watered the cups because the mix is still damp. How damp should I keep it? I can bottom water with my tray and cup setup, ya sounds good. Thanks!

 

[Seamaiden]

I don't mist, so I couldn't give you an intelligent answer to be honest. I meant to say if it's too dry up there, not if it's not too dry, that makes no sense. That's what I get for trying to do two things at once! I'm sorry!

I keep my cups pretty wet, I like to see some water in the tray.

 

[Califlower]

I got some tray with troughs all over so they filled before I got the water level up to the cup holes. It is supposed to take an insert I guess, but I use the cups. It has a dome with a top vent I have halfway open, and side vents, same thing. Anyway, it has been a week and I took the tray down to like 4 feet below the lamps (and under the wire rack shelf of other plants) to give them a little more light. I don't know if this is right, but I'm winging it. The spot above the lights on the other wire rack shelf gets indirect light due to the white closet walls, but not as much as near the floor. So far they look perky.

 

[Seamaiden]

If they look perky then that's what you're after! I'm not sure I would have moved them yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if you're ok. You can try very gently pulling on them. If they come loose immediately, then put back on top of the light. If there is resistance, they're rooting nicely.

 

[Califlower]

After I read the post above, I did the check then moved them back up above. However, now the leaves on the cuttings are starting to turn black and wilt. I don't know how to do this properly. :(

 

[Seamaiden]

Black and wilt...? That doesn't sound good, at all. If you have pure perlite then try again using just that. Don't give up!

 

[Toomp]

if all this is too confusing for you I stuck a top i cut off in a pot that had a plant half way threw bloom and it rooted and frosty and blooming. the room humidity is 30ish. I have a pot now anytime i top something i just stick in in there, lol they all grow man. they want to live

I just put a dome on them and spray them when it look like it, i use peat pucks,
dig this I used gel my 1st time ever they roots they tried to grow got trapped in it.
Forget the expensive stuff go to lowes gets some root powder.( i am not the cheap guy tho)
I do spray with rapid start dont know why I just do it

 

[WAkuntry]

Even more simple than that is take a few cuts and put em in a cup of water. Set em under any light and wait a week. I've rooted 100s and 100s of clones like this. You'll see white nubs on the stalk after a week and roots within two.

 

[Califlower]

Black and wilt...? That doesn't sound good, at all. If you have pure perlite then try again using just that. Don't give up!

Thanks! I won't give up. I will try in a week or so with just perlite. I read you said you used only perlite, that's crazy I didn't realize it would stay moist enough.

 

[Califlower]

I had a cut on the windowsill for a month and it never did that... maybe it needed more intense light or something.

Even more simple than that is take a few cuts and put em in a cup of water. Set em under any light and wait a week. I've rooted 100s and 100s of clones like this. You'll see white nubs on the stalk after a week and roots within two.

 

[Califlower]

I got this nursery tub insert, a 72 plug. I was thinking smaller cuts might be faster?

Anyone, what's your favorite rooting gel or powder?

 

[Seamaiden]

I no longer use any, because it's not in line with organic production. But... IIRC I was using the Greenlight stuff? I.. shit. I think it's the indole-3-whateveracidstuff. Olivia's is very popular with others, everyone has their favorites.

I think we already talked about how I use trays, and then put water in the tray instead of through the cup, right? That's how I do the perlite cloning--cups go onto a tray, then I add water to the tray.

I had a cut on the windowsill for a month and it never did that... maybe it needed more intense light or something.

I've done the same thing (put cuts into a cup of water and left them, where they began rooting), but in the corner of my veg box. I think less light might be better.

 

[Califlower]

Yup, maybe it had too much light. So what do you use? Azos in an aerocloner? I hear aerocloners are great. Yeah, I didn't realize perlite would allow the water to wick up, but makes sense. Thanks! :)

 

[Seamaiden]

I haven't used my aerocloner in a while, but when I was using it I was just using clean water. Yes, the perlite wicks up the water fantastically, and that's one of the reasons why I liked it for my hempy tub experiment. I didn't like that it blew around so easily (the tubs were outside on my extended balcony), but a piece of landscape fabric solved that problem.

You are MOST welcome! :)

 

[Califlower]

Got a few rooted from the insert experiment. I transplanted to 4 inch pots. OK to set outside? If not, how close to 2 T5's would you put them? Thanks!

 

[Seamaiden]

As long as they're hardened off, and depending on whether or not you want them to flower, they can be put outside, sure, no problem! Shit, that's a lotta commas. Comma-tose.

 

[Califlower]

comma toast to ya, lol, lol, ha, ha, ha, ,,,,,

Wait, I don't want them to flower... I was curious though. I guess I can put them 2 inches from the lights probably...