Hey My goddess asked if the clonex was organic. Research showed this to be a negative. Willow branches would work, obviously research found a product claiming kelp extract has cytokins which stimulate cell division. Had a thought of using a homemade kelp extract as a binder making root cube things with peat and ewc Any chemistry kids out there? The thought was of using a cold water extract, like a 1:4 ratio, enough solvent(h20) to cover the kelp. vacuum filtration, using the vacuum function on a food saver, and a filter flask. PLace the liquid on a pyrex dish, evap in dehydrator to yield an extract- probably an oily residue. Mix this with peat and ewc for a hormonally charged root plug??
Most people just put a little kelp in a little water and let it sit for a little bit. Then take a little of that water and give a little to your cut. I clone just fine using water only.
Or soak Willow cuttings for IBA, its the real deal rooting hormone They sell it in $120 bottles and call it roots excellurator, rofl..
I use distilled water and a jiffy cube. 100 percent success. Couldnt get nothing to grow with clonex.
Thanks so much guys. Jerry, thanks for that extra tidbit of knowledge, that aloe vera contains Salycylic acid. That is what asprin is, and, kesey, thats what I thought was in the willow branches, salycyllic acid. That fuckin aloe vera is good for all kinds of stuff. Jerry, What all do you use it for? I must look for a thread about it, as Im sure its been done I will try to score some aloe vera juice in town. I bought some at the co-op a month ago, for making a soap, or a body balm, I cant remember, until I saw it was blended aloe vera...like blended with aother botanical, like lavender or something. Didnt see that until I returned home Again, thank you, everyone Namaste'
al k, I soak my cuttings in a mixture of aloe vera, kelp, coconut water, and liquid Si (pro-tekt). Works very well, far better than the cloning gels (which contain funky chemicals). You are right, salicylic acid is the active rooting compound in both willow shoots and aloe juice, along with other beneficial compounds.
^i assume it could be any where from a 1/2 hour to days. i had best results using a 50/50 pumice/ S. peat mix with kelp meal added, i think it was 1/3 cup per gallon. I also added MycoApply to each cube, I only watered twice and got %100 root bound in 2'' pots in 12 days
I use Lily of the Desert brand, but have recently learned that Trader Joes is half the price. Just look for a brand that is not loaded with preservatives. I soak fresh cuttings in in aloe vera and water mix for a half an hour and then put them in the little peat cubes. I water them with the same aloe vera mix while they are rooting. I remember Lumper had a recipe posted at one point that utilized aloe and honey - The honey helped it to stick almost like a rooting gel, But I don't remember the exact recipe. Kelp meal is also excellent to help cuttings along. J
any recipes? pure aloe Vera juice? or watered down. how much pro tek? I'm using hormex n would love to switch over to a organic method. great reads.
Found this saved on my HD - LD's cloning instructions, hasn't failed me yet. 3x organic Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss 1x Earthworm Castings Mix completely and hydrate with pure, clean water mixed with Aloe Vera ("Lily of The Desert" brand and the 'no preservatives' product specifically) at 1/4 cup (2 oz.) in 1 gallon of water. Add 1 tsp. of Dyna-Gro Pro-TeKt (potassium silicate and liquid silica) Pour a glass of the solution solution. Take your cuttings and trim them as you've been taught to do (ain't going there). Let them sit for a couple of hours or less if you're in a hurry but at least for 30 minutes. If you want to use some kind of rooting compound then have at it. It doesn't matter the brand as they all contain 1 or more of the following: IAA, IBA and NAA - none of which are approved for food crops - forget 'organic' - any food crop. NAA is a registered pesticide as an example. Set the stems about 1-1/2" into the soil mix. Spray with the original solution you mixed up. You cannot keep this solution because of the Benzoic Acid in the Aloe Vera as it will start to ferment the longer it's exposed to air resulting in a real problematic mess on your hands. Apply it to other plants as they'll only benefit. Next step is the hardest for new growers - LEAVE THEM ALONE Take the clear cover off every day or so and spray the INSIDE OF THE COVER - not the plants. LEAVE THEM ALONE The combination of worm castings and Aloe Vera will give you the strongest root system that I've seen. Chunkdaddyo has had the same results. Did I mention that you want to LEAVE THEM ALONE? Just curious. LD
Googled And found this on another forum: Thought it was pertinent if you give a shit how your hobbies effect the environment. If there is some alternative to peat moss, I recommend you seek it out first. Peace.
This is not entirely accurate. I'll post some info from my other computer tomorrow regarding the harvesting in Canada. Because sphagnum peatmoss is loaded with microbes it is also fairly loaded with sequestered nutrients, Microbe Organics [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRtRj1Cs_ig&feature=plcp[/ame]
I wasn't aware there was a way to renew it. You're telling me the fact it takes 6k years to produce is incorrect or that commercially harvesting it is of no detriment? Which part was incorrect? I'm slightly confused, but I appreciate your input and response.
They have just redone their site and the links to the PDFs are not working. As with everything one must read this with scrutiny, however it appears to me that the concept that sphagnum peatmoss is being ravaged and is a non-renewable resource has been enthusiastically promoted by the coco coir companies. It would appear that the ritual we all have with toilet paper and the morning paper is more harmful to the environment than the use of peatmoss. Make sure you reuse the sphagnum peatmoss that you do get. Combined with [vermi]compost it turns into a lovely living soil which lasts for years and years and...