An LST Lady Never Shows Her Stem...

Came back from work this afternoon to check on the clones and give 'em some air. Everything looked good, sprayed them down, and dipped my sterilized thermometer in the water: 71.8. Colder than before. The canopy temperature is as high as I want to go, at 80 (I can control it pretty well by opening or closing the window nearest the table), so I had to re-arrange. I figure 'The LST' is hearty enough to handle the 60's intake air, especially with the lights clustered directly above. I pivoted and angled the lights again, this time closer to the intake side. One bulb left directly over the cloner though. BTW, I really dig this PVC light fixture, nice and adjustable. And I'm glad I tucked the wires, it was worth the time. Gotta leave a little slack in your wiring if you want to adjust them though, found that out the hard way!

Anyway, I decided it was time to practice my skills a little more, so I went over to the not-so-healthy, doomed plant that used to room with my LST. I sat it on the window ledge about a week ago, thinking maybe with the 12/12 partial light it would show sex. It still hadn't, so I brought it to the operating table and cut it up. Out of 8 well sized cuts, I chose two... and rigged up two 2L bottle cloners, with 20oz bottles inside filled with perlite. This is just an experiment really, want to see if I can root them. The wall it's against has radiant heat and partial light, so they should be happy there.

...Edit: these two clones were tossed approx 6 days later due to mold; I think the 100+ heat from the wall and lack of fresh air did it, as I only exchanged their air once daily. Mold grew all over the stakes; live and learn! Now, I'm glad they didn't live - I've got enough little ones to handle

 

Thanks man! It probably would be... but I didn't make it to the store, yet! This is just for science, anyway. If I can't get any of my clones to route, I'll go with a proper bubbler setup. Remember, I'm cheap!

Moving the clones to the back of the Rubbermaid didn't do much for temps at all, so I elevated the cloner box with an old CD spindle cover. Probably lifted it 5" off the floor of the Rubbermaid. I'm hoping this will help; the number I'm going for is 75 degrees.

 

Mornin' GC! I checked the temp when I woke up (about 30 min after the plants do), still barely above 70... two things are bugging me right now:

1) Are 70-72 degree temps going to produce results?
2) The lower leaves touch the perlite, I know this is a problem in soil, is it an issue here? I figure it's such a moist environment that it shouldn't be too much trouble, and that the plant would be better served having those leaves than having them trimmed for clearance... but I've been wrong before, and more than once.

 

Evening bump! I went to mist and change the water tonight, the temp had dropped even more, and was now 69.2. I changed the water for a mix of distilled and filtered water, and a dash of tap to up the pH a bit. That water is at 72.0. I tried to insulate the underside of the clone box, so that they're exposed to less intake air. Hope this helps with temps. Otherwise, they look great. Perky and green.

 

Thanks for the info, D.P... My main concern was temp; I'm glad they'll be alright as they sit. When I have a chance, a seedling mat is on my list. Just wish I could find a small one!

The tall/stretched clones that I put in 2L's are just an experiment, I doubt I'll even keep them if they do root. The way the plant was trained, the long stems looked like roller coasters, so in went the chop stick. Is it a better idea to use a wire from the bottom, like a bonsai? Or just make sure the clones you cut can stand on their own

As far as the mini-clones that live in the box, there are some mini holes at the top, right under the lid for them to breathe, and I've been good about exchanging air. I do want a bubbler setup eventually, but if this works I'll keep it for this round.

Good eye, that is a PVC curtain. I bet an HPS would melt this stuff no problem, but I don't know about my 4 little CFLs. Either way, I'll have some reflectix to use for my flower box so it won't be an issue. Thanks for the heads up!

I feel better now about those temps

 

I hear ya, it's good that these gals grow so slowly; I don't think I could've kept up with the learning curve otherwise!

Let me suggest what you probably already know... temp control and mist/bubbles will save you some time. Seems to me to be pretty fool proof, though; the plant will eventually root on it's own in a glass by the window sill. Can't be too hard to accomplish in a controlled environment.

The plan right now for the clones puts them a new flower box as soon as they root, which is finally out of planning/materials stages and about to be built. They'll be flowered as single colas in soda bottles, which is a great way to optimize space. The idea is to be able to harvest a row of clones every week or two, and replace them with a new set of rooted clones. Don Piano, as I'm sure you've seen, is using the same idea, albeit on a larger scale. Check out this link to DrBudGreengenes' thread, if you haven't seen it.

About to upload a couple pics from this morning, then off to peruse GC and see what everyone else has been up to

 

Here's the new growth, she looked naked 4 days ago!



And here are the clones before their spritzing, still looking good.

 

Well I chopped 3 of them, and now there are 6 decent side shoots left. Also the one top cola on it's side, so there used to be 10, now 7. There are 3-4 smaller shoots that will be reaching for the canopy soon, too.

 

Watered the plant today, she was looking a little thirsty. I gave the container a squeeze on each side; so as to airate a little. Checked on the clones as well... still looking good and green, no drooping.

The watering washed some soil away from my above-ground roots, so I thought I'd grab a shot:

 

Hey Bud... nope, single cola stylee all the way. Check up a few posts, I linked you to a good thread. Or just check in on Don Piano, he's got a Clone Army forming, too

 

Lol, scooter is that a subtle hint or what man?

Let me see what I can do!

 

Definitely a lot of filling in since cutting her just over a week ago. I think I'll be taking another round pretty soon (there are three prime sites now other than the top), maybe waiting until my current cuts show roots.