Hydroponics Supplies Required for Cloning Plants

No wonder that experienced hydroponic gardeners consider plants cloning an easy and always a successful work. They grow new plants from the cuttings for some time and have already discovered all the possible problems of this process. A beginner, on the other hand, may treat this activity as a very delicate, difficult, and rarely successful procedure.

In fact, it is true that cloning may often result in failures; however, the key to success in this process depends not only on the skillfulness, knowledge, and experience of a grower – here the results pretty much ensue from the availability of the necessary tools at hand of a gardener. The lack of hydroponics supplies often causes mistakes and incorrect execution of the procedure, leading to the cuttings damage, weakness, and stress. In the long run, such clones take more time to start to grow, or they fail at all.

If you are one of those hydroponic gardeners who are significantly disappointed with your attempts to clone the best plants in the garden, you should first of all carefully inspect hydroponic supplies you have. The most helpful and important ones are those described below.

Razor Blade – this is, perhaps, the most important tool, as the healing of a cutting depends on how carefully it is cut. Blunt blade will damage the stem, because you will have to use more pressure and take more efforts to cut the plant. All this will destroy the structure of the stem, so it will not be able to normally absorb water and nutrients; therefore such damage will prolong the time of the plant’s healing. Consequently, it is recommended to always have a set of new sharp razor blades if you plan to take cuttings.

Rooting Gel – This gel is a substance that includes a complex of various hormones, which aid in the rooting of your cuttings. These hormones speed up the process and increase the chances of the successful plant’s rotting. A gardener should cover the bottom part of the stem with a thin layer of rooting gel. Beware of applying too thick layer, as it will prevent oxygen supply to the plant. The effectiveness of the gel may still be increased with the use of rockwool cloning cubes. Such combination ensures fast development of the strong roots. 

Vitamin B Supplement – The process of cutting is a severe stress for a plant, which disrupts normal growth and development and disturbs the ability of the plant to absorb water and nutrients necessary for the successful growth. Offering the additional supply of vitamin B to the cutting, a gardener increases the chances of this vitamin to be uptake by the plant. The supplement will make the cutting stronger and help to restore vital functions, thus, aiding in the successful rooting.

Heating Pad – Gardeners recommend placing a small heating pad under a cloning tray. This will eliminate the risk of cuttings to remain in the colder environment. It is a common knowledge that warm conditions enhance the process of rooting and ecizing. Therefore, one of the simplest hydroponic supplies turns out to be one of the most important as well.

There are many ways for the plants to successfully clone themselves in the natural environment. Hydroponics gardening techniques try to be as close to the natural conditions as possible. Therefore, a gardener should also take some efforts to create such favorable conditions for his indoor garden. With such approach cloning your favorite plants will be a success