Professional Marijuana Grower November-December 2018 Issue

ing bacteria supplement (Azospirillum brasilense) and place it in high-quality rockwool starter cubes that have been soaked in warm water adjusted to a pH of 6.0. Use 99-percent citric acid to lower the pH of the water just like it is stated in the seed propagation section. Some growers use cloning gels containing synthetic rooting hormones, but that is not really needed when rooting cannabis clones. Rooting hormones are more important when the grower is rooting cuttings of plants, like roses, which have a harder external tissue that does not easily develop roots. As long as the rockwool stays humidity dome-lid on top to trap the humidity, and set the light fi xture just above the dome making sure it is height adjustable so the humidity dome can be easily removed for watering. Keep the rockwool cubes continuously moist with the pH-adjusted warm water and remove excess water that accumulates in the bottom of the tray. The temperature inside the dome should stay between 70-80 degrees F and the lights by themselves should produce enough heat to maintain this temperature. If it does not, then the addition of a heat pad underneath the tray can be used. At times the clones may appear droopy, but don’t worry because this is natural before they develop their roots. In about one to two weeks, roots should begin to emerge from the rockwool. At that time the dome should be removed daily for one- to two-hours to help the clones acclimate to life outside the dome. Remove the dome for longer intervals as more roots begin to form, eventually removing the dome completely. Once the clones are fully rooted and the top growth is perky again it is time to transplant them into a larger con- tainer. Unlike the plants started from seeds, the cloned plants can stay inside under artifi cial lighting, prefer- ably fl uorescents, until they will be brought out to the greenhouse in May. EM•1 ® Microbial Inoculant Probiotic - No-Till - Hydro “EM•1 ® is the only bottled product we use as the foundation of our regenerative program” Creek Tompkins, 3 time Emerald Cup winner. Soul Evolution Enterprises Create a hole in the growing medium that is big enough to ac- cept the plants entire root mass. Gently place it into the hole and backfi ll the medium, completely covering the existing roots. warm and kept moist with pH adjusted water (pH 6.0) the roots will usually pop out on their own; the nitro- gen-fi xing bacteria just gives them a little boost. House the rockwool-clad clones in a standard 10” x 20” starting tray indoors under a four-bulb t5 or t8 fl uores- cent grow light fi xture with 65 K-rated bulbs just like it was explained for seed propagation. Place a six-inch November/December 2018 • • • • • • • • Over 35 years Great for hydro or soil Increase BRIX OMRI Listed CDFA Approved Clean Green Certiﬁed Non-GMO Made In The USA Ask for it at your local grow store. www.teraganix.com Professional Marijuana Grower • 47

Professional Marijuana Grower November-December 2018 Issue | Page 47