Ive tried to clone a Jamaican Dream several times and out of about 20 ive had about 3 that have made it. Im a noob right? Well ive done this with Tomatoes and other plants so many times when it came to this type of plant its really giving me the run around, Im starting to think its the breed of plant because ive tried all the usual tricks. Root Gel, Root Powder, Honey, no hormone at all. Ive tried Soiless mix, and regular Soil. Ive put cuttings in water for a few days to develop roots and then into a Soiless mix. Cut at a angle and sterilized everything. Put them under some gentle Florescents at varying distances from lights. With and without humidity dome. Theres only a couple things i havent done which in retrospect should have been done which is take off the outer layer of skin on the bottom inch of the stem. And i could have tried splitting the stem in the middle. There didnt seem to be any pleasing the new clones, they were either to dry and wilted or they got that white mildew. Is there anything else i could try? Any tips or tricks from your experience? Also for a mother would you recommend LST or FIMing or Topping? In most peoples pictures ive seen around here they are all standing straight up and bushy. Mines nodes are spread pretty far apart and its LST'd. Maybe i should just let the next plant stand straight up?
I just top my mothers and let them bush out from there, remember to keep them constantly moist for the first 3 days atleast, I normally leave a single t5 bulb on the clones for the first 2 days and then after the 3rd day I put a 2nd t5 on them about 4-6 inches above the cloning tray. It's crucial to keep them above 90% humidity for the first few days, I also prefer Dyna-gro's cloning gel over olivias/a few other solutions that I can't remember, and take a sterile razor and then cut the stem at about a 45degree angle until the hollow core is exposed. If you try splitting he stem you might as well remove half of the stem, I'll draw a picture showing how I make my cuts... Excuse my drawing as I'm on a touchscreen tablet so it isn't easy making straight lines, but anyways the black line represents the cut at an angle.
I really appreciate the reply, its odd talking to someone about growing, Ive never spoken to anyone about it. As per the cardinal rule of growing. But anyways its funny you mention Dyna Gro because i bought that after my powders didnt seem to work and only after did i see on top it says "Do not use this product on plants intended for food or feed purposes" which made me wonder what the flip is it intended for? That leaves ornamental flowers and trees. I appreciate the drawing I completely understand what you mean. Thanks a ton!
Put them in pure darkness the first 3-4 days and make sure theres alot of humidity so spray them every morning. Then put them in a window sill for about a week but make sure they dont get to cold (takes longer to root). then take off the humidity dome and see if they wilt after a few hours. If they do put it back on and try again the next day until you see them root. As for cloning putting them in rapid rooter starts works for me because its like a sponge that cant get to wet and will hold water.