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cloning Cloning

I have just started cloning straight to potting mix. It is not as fool proof as cloning in hydro, but I no longer have to worry about breaking roots when pulling the clones out of the cloner. I have a 60% success rate so far and I hope to get up to 80-90% as I refine the technique. Keeping everything sterile seems to really be key.
 
I'm going to be doing this in the coming weeks with a DIY setup that uses an ultrasonic fogger in a 5 gallon Rubbermaid tub. We'll see how it goes.

Hi thatguy. I just ordered an ultrasonic fogger on ebay to use in a sort of aeroponic system. I'm sort of trying to figure out a design in my head. Do you have a set design you are building from or are you making it up as you go?? I'm thinking that because the fog is heavier than air, the root chamber can't be a large deep tub or the roots won't be in the fog. So maybe some sort of long pvc pipe?
Could anyone post a link about using the fogger technique if they know one?

Oh and on the cloning I aggree that its a waste of time unless you ate all the pods off a rare plant and forgot to save some seed.... and you don't want to go sifting through your own waste ! :eek:

I think there is a lot of talk about cloning on hydroponic sites because drug growers 1. use hydroponics because it can be hidden, and 2. use cloning because the marijuana plant going to seed is a reduced yield crop (at least I think). For Chillies the best crop yield also produces abundant seeds so its win win.:dance:
 
Hi thatguy. I just ordered an ultrasonic fogger on ebay to use in a sort of aeroponic system. I'm sort of trying to figure out a design in my head. Do you have a set design you are building from or are you making it up as you go?? I'm thinking that because the fog is heavier than air, the root chamber can't be a large deep tub or the roots won't be in the fog. So maybe some sort of long pvc pipe?
Could anyone post a link about using the fogger technique if they know one?

Oh and on the cloning I aggree that its a waste of time unless you ate all the pods off a rare plant and forgot to save some seed.... and you don't want to go sifting through your own waste ! :eek:

I think there is a lot of talk about cloning on hydroponic sites because drug growers 1. use hydroponics because it can be hidden, and 2. use cloning because the marijuana plant going to seed is a reduced yield crop (at least I think). For Chillies the best crop yield also produces abundant seeds so its win win.:dance:

The tub is not very deep maybe 12" and fills completely up with fog. I'm only cloning because I didn't isolate any flowers for seeds.
This is only for rooting the plants will grow out in pots until next spring.
here are some pics of what I did.




 
Cloning is also ideal for when you get an aberration, or or an unknown hybrid.
For example, my Cardi Yellow Scorpion that I got from Chris is actually orange in color, not yellow.. Is it an accidental hybrid, or is it an aberration? Cloning will keep the plant going, and help in breeding/inbreeding with the offspring.
 
I'd be interested in seeing how you are going to do yours.
Well mine looks exactly the same as yours except its got just one big pot. I did a test today with the fogger and the mist does get up there to the basket. :woohoo:
I've made two big tubs and so I have to choose just two types to grow!! I'm leaning towards Habanero or maybe Hot Cherry cos it has lots of little pods.
I'm going to grow them to maturity if I can as an Aeroponics fogger/DWC hydro set up. Got to choose the seeds to plant tomorrow.
 
Cloning is also ideal for when you get an aberration, or or an unknown hybrid.
For example, my Cardi Yellow Scorpion that I got from Chris is actually orange in color, not yellow.. Is it an accidental hybrid, or is it an aberration? Cloning will keep the plant going, and help in breeding/inbreeding with the offspring.

My Cardi yellows are more orange than yellow too but most of my yellow chinenses seem to turn orangey especially later in the grow season.
Most of my cloning is done on irreplacable hybrids and sometimes plants that seem to show extra vigour. I also take cuttings off several ornamentals creating dwarfed, bushy plants that are easy to grow under lights and are very popular with customers.
 
Genetics and surprises, at least that's why I'm trying it this year (see end of my grow thread). Really short season in northern IL and it sucks to think you're growing one thing and end up with something else. All my scotch bonnets this year ended up being orange habs and I had some plants (chocolate habs come to mind) that were just genetically weak. Plus I need something to occupy my time over the winter :lol:

I think you may want to reconsider where you get your seeds from. If your getting them from other members, or a seed trading parcel you get what you pay for. However if you get your seeds from a reliable trustworthy source that has several years of sales and they know how to isolate the pepper plants and pods for selling seeds then you won't have that issue.
 
Do you guys have info or a link on how to reliably pollinate a bunch of different chilli plants that are growing in the same space?
I know you have to stick one bit of the flower to the other bit (bit is the technical term) but once you've done that is there a risk of a bee coming along and messing it up? And do plants need other plants genetic information like animals or could one plant theoretically self pollinate itself with only one flower infiitely?? What I mean is they don't get inbred problems do they?
 
chile are naturally inbreeder and each flower has male and female parts so hand pollinating is not realy needed, just a bit of wind or a fan will do. There are many techniques for isolating plants or flowers but this has been discussed in detail many times. Try a site search for "isolating"
 
Im just starting to play around with cloning... the way I see it, if I plant 20 plants of one type from seed and one out of the 20 is a magnificent producer ... why would I grow 20 new plants from seed on the following grow and take a crapshoot on producers when I could take 20 cuttings off that best producing plant and have 20 replicas ... upping my yield in the process??

By taking 20 cuttings off that best producer, I know Ill have 20 high yielding plants rather then taking a chance with varying genetics found through seed (not to mention avoiding cross pollinated seeds).


Cloning sounds like a great idea - now to just get the hang of it. Ive heard its not good to clone in water if your taking the plants to soil, because they havent developed the specific type of root they need in soil. As such, if you take a clone that has rooted from water, and put it into soil ... it experiences quite a lag in growth while it develops the proper roots needed for feeding in soil.

For that reason, its best to clone in a medium if your going to grow with soil - so you can avoid the downtime.

....... thats just what Ive heard. I do know I cloned a tomato plant in water once ... took it and transplanted it into soil. It sat there for a month and didnt do much of anything ... then I threw it out because I didnt need it. So from my single experience the above information seems to be what Ive seen.
 
How do you know that the next 20 seeds won't be better producers then the 20 you already have growing? It's probably more often that all 20 seeds came from the same isolated plant and what if that plant was a horrible producer? I guess if you assume that you have initially received the 20 best possible seeds the entire earth has to offer you don't need to look any further, but that is a big assumption.
 
lol ..... true - pros and cons I suppose.

Plus... you'll never happen across that oddity or genetic difference if your constantly working with clones.

"The best the entire earth has to offer" is a bit dramatic though. Its not hard to recognize a great plant when you have one ... its a good option being to replicate a that greatness as many times over as you need to. There's certainly situations where having a bunch of great plants vs. rolling the dice on genetic variables is a viable and preferred option. JMO. To each their own though and differences make the world go round. :)
 
Maybe when you find a good plant take 10 clones and plant 10 new seeds. You get to keep a good thing and have the door open for improvement.
 
I find chilli's are fairly easy to clone. I don't bother about cloning hormones (gels, powders, etc), I find it makes no difference. I used to worry about having at least 3 nodes on the stem before cutting but after a series of what I call 0 effort cloning (read: jammed unwanted stems in dirt) and surprisingly having some success, I'll cut at just about any length.
I put a Glad bag (sandwich sized zip-lock bag) loosely over the pot to reduce transpiration and give it a few weeks.
 
This was a very interesting read:
http://www.gardenscure.com/420/cloning-propagation/6209-excellent-guide-easy-cloning.html

It's from one of those weed sites but hey they have a lot of useful knowledge to share.
 
Ive started cloning as well and have found that sphagnum moss works great as a cloning medium. Keep the bottom of the sphagnum in water but don't let the bottom of the stem touch it and I usually have roots within 10-15 days. Makes it really easy to overwinter those awesome plants from the previous summer.
 
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