How to Clone Marijuana

How to clone marijuanaFind out how to clone marijuana by making an aeroponic cloner with expert herb grower, Mel Thomas, the author of Cannabis Cultivation: A Complete Grower’s Guide, 3rd Edition, published by Green Candy Press. Mel’s a world-renowned cannabis cultivator and at one time was the largest producer of marijuana in the UK. Have a question for him? Then email us at stuffstonerslike[at]yahoo.com

QUESTION: Hi there Stuff Stoners Like I have a question about rooting clones. I think the easiest way to clone is to use an aeroponic cloner. I made one using a bucket, a water pump and some tubing.  I haven’t had much success with it. One major problem is that the tube would dip down below the water line. To compensate, I stuck a stainless steel bowl under it to prop it up. Anyhow I’ve not seen any roots an it’s been 5 weeks.

How to clone marijuanaThe auto cloner sits on a couple crates under a couple T5 lights, but next to a hot 100 watt HID light, which probably heats the water. I also vent out flowering room through that space, so it’s warm & stuffy in there. I tossed the cuttings this morning…but didn’t take the temp of the water. It felt room temp, however, I’m wondering what I’m doing wrong and if there temperature of the water is too hot.

MEL THOMAS: I would do a redesign of your auto cloner. There is no requirement for a pump inside the container and the spray effect it is producing will not be fine enough. You need to purchase an aquarium airstone and air pump. The bubbles that the airstone produces will break on the surface of the water and produce a fine mist that will encourage rooting without saturating the roots.

Just ensure that the clone stems are well above the waterline. A good way to test it is to run the cloner without any cuttings in it; place your finger over one of the holes on the cover that the clones sit in, if you have moisture on your finger tip when you remove it the cloner should be fine. I like to sit the clones in a short section of plastic airline pipe that has been split down one side to enable you to remove the rooted clone without any damage to the roots. (I have posted an image of a cloner I made from a plastic food container and the split tubes that hold the clones). The container has been left clear so that you can see the airstone and bubbles in action, the container should be light-proofed either with duck tape or a paint suitable for plastic.

Room temperature should be fine for your clones but you can add an aquarium heater to the unit to maintain a constant temperature of around 75-80F. Stainless steel will not cause any problems but plastic containers are cheap and it is easier to cut holes in for the airstone tubes and water heater cable. You don’t require any rooting medium and the clones should root in 10 to 14 days depending on variety.



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