When to clone-timing for next grow

[Bassman59]

I'm having a hard time figuring this out.

**my grows are DWC hydro**

In Jorge Cervantes basics book, he says to take clones 5th week of flowering (based on 8 week flower to harvest). If we do that we are taking clones in a flowering stage and asking them to go back to root/veg. Yes I have read this is totally doable. But is it optimal? I have read lots of info that suggest taking clones in veg as well.

Also, because I dont have a veg room & a clone room, just my tent, I wouldnt want to use that during flower as lights would be on 12/12 obviously. So this leads me to my closet.

I have a root riot tray and dome, as well as some CFL's. I'm sure I can clone there but if I were to clone before flowering stage of my grow the clones would be 7-9 weeks old before I could transplant to tent (after harvest). That seems like it's asking for clone problems as roots would be all whacked and too tight on cubes.

I do have one extra tub with a lid and no holes cut. One thought is to make about 6 clones and drop them in this tub under cf's until harvest in tent then transplant into my two tubs in tent. However, if I pulled clones just before going into flower in main tent, this would put the clones at 7-9 weeks when the space opened up after harvesting the tent. Wouldnt this create issues with clones being in a state of wanting to flower or being pretty darn big?

I would love to get 6-8 harvests per year. But it seems like to do so I would have to expand a fair bit adding at a minimum another chiller, more fans, humidifiers, maybe a veg tent and use other tent for flower, etc. All adding to heat sig, power consumption, and possibly even too much draw on the electrical breaker (I cant change breakers).

The big question really is when to cut clones so I can be a bit ahead of seedling at harvest/transplant time into main room.

 

[Goldengoose7]

Does he actually say that? That seems hard to believe because you are 100% correct! MUCH harder to clone flowering cuttings cause root development all but stops after about week 3 of 12/12.

Take them at the peak of veg for the fastest rooting time, or any time after about week 6 of veg.

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[Twelve12]

Re: When to clone-timing for next grow.

Optimal clones are taken when the plant is still in vegetative growth. Clones can still be taken when they are in flower but you'll have to wait 2 weeks or more before they root, and additional week to revert back to veg, and another week for normal vegetative growth. Taking clones from flowering plant is only for desperation to save the genetics. If you have more seeds of the same strain grow them out, they'll be faster than the clones taken from plants that is 5th week in bloom.

Starting a perpetual grow will take time to get the wheel going. Since you already have plants in bloom, start up your veg area. You've mentioned having a closet for veg, use that to veg out seedling/clones. Having two grow area (one for veg and one for flowering), the perpetual will be like;

- Harvest the plants in flower: 8-10 weeks to finish
- Take cuttings from veg plant: 2 weeks to take roots, 1.5 months veg growth
- Put the veg plant in flowering space: 8-10 weeks to finish
- Repeat

By the time you harvest your veg plants will be ready to flower, take cuttings from the veg plants before you put them into flowering space to continue the perpetual. This is a simple setup but you can always shorten the harvest gap from once every 2 - 2.5 months to once every 2 weeks. All depends how much space you have. Yes, more grow area will require more light, ventilation, rh/temp control but it's worth it if you can set it up. Check your breaker to see how many amps it takes then calculate the lights, and other power usage to get an idea how much is allowed before you start.

My grow space cannot exceed 1500w or the breaker will jump. That means I can only use 1 600w, and a 400w with some fans and pump going to be safe. If you can make extension cords running from another room and use up the limit on that room, you'll be able to add more power. Then again, if you are growing for personal use the above perpetual setup should do it, harvest every few months.

 

[Bassman59]

Re: When to clone-timing for next grow.

Does he actually say that? That seems hard to believe because you are 100% correct!

page 167, yes.

 

[keepingthebee]

Re: When to clone-timing for next grow.

quick question..this is my first grow i have some clones taken during flowering stage..took about 5 days for root develpoment..i am wondering if i can keep these clones somewhat dormant as i do not have an indoor setup..any info or opinions would be greatly appreciated

 

[Magic beans]

Agreed that clones are best taken in veg. Bassman: my suggestion would be to invest in a small mother/clone room/tent since you only have one grow room. Take your clones 2-3 weeks before harvest so they will be ready by the time you harvest. It wouldnt take much to get a mother/clone tent going. Maybe a 2x2 or 3x3 tent, and 3 GE 26w 6500k bulbs, an exhaust fan (which doesnt need to be too big NOR filtered), and the medium or your choice, soil or hydro.

What i have is just a 2x2 Growlab tent, 70cfm 4" inline fan and some ducting, a sun blaze 24 (easily switched with 2-3 26w cfls and saucer reflectors) and 2 waterfarms for my mothers. You can make this exact setup for less than $250 (if using the cfls instead of the sun blaze, which i would recommend), and it works quite well! Let your moms veg for 1.5 months after cloned, topped and fimmed correctly you should be able to get at least 20-30 clones from that one mother. Take the mother after cloning, chop it, throw her away, clean out your waterfarm and use one of the clones as a new mom. Works like a charm. Otherwise get a veg room and start a perpetual grow, OR alternate rooms for flowering so that each room goes through the whole process each time. Thats what I do.

I just turned to page 167 and its about lighting. I must have a more recent version. Its peculiar that cervantes would recommend that. Yes, it works, but its highly infavorable than taking clones in veg and anything thats reverted back to veg is a lot more prone to stress. Hope this helped.

 

[Bassman59]

Thanks again MB, and I can finally + reps ya again!

I did take clones last week, right before 12/12. Only took 8. Dropped em in root riot cubes in root riot tray and dome. Got 1st roots exposure through 1 cube today. I dont know how long I can do them in the tray time wise before I have to transplant.

One thought I have since I am only 1 week into flower and not going to change away from dwc at this point, is to cut the top I have for my third and unused tub into 2" netpot holes and use the spare pumps and cfl's in a closet with the old 1 gal ice buckets in bath cooling tub. *same way I did 1 month of my grow till I got the chiller.

Then at harvest time for other grow I could transplant 2" netpots into the 3" netpots with 1 3/4 bottoms cut out of the 3"s so the roots could drop through and back into my same setup I am using now with two tubs, rdwc. Basically, just harvesting the current and dropping the clones in after what would be 7-9 weeks after cloning. I think it would take a good bit of pruning with 8 plants in 1 tub for that period.

A third thought would be to just get two more tubs, and at the 5-7 week mark drop them into tent that is in flower. No chiller, but temps would be lower, and I could ice bath in secondary tubs again. Then after harvest just switch the tops into the rdwc/chiller tubs.

I do have the cfl's and closet available in either case.


Edit: oh and page 167 refers to his basics book, not his bible.

 

[Magic beans]

Thanks for the reps again bassman! Yea you could do that too basically use your closet as a veg room if im understanding correctly. I would consider keeping a mother off to the side maybe in a waterfarm or hempy or something like that, just so you have something to fall back on. It would be a very small investment with very low maintenance. You wouldnt regret it.