SoilBible · Episodes · Ep 021

Ep 021: How to Root Cuttings: Cloning the 10x10 Way

· Jeremy walks through his complete cloning workflow for the 10x10 project — from healthy mother plant selection and the environmental principles that actually cause roots to form, through preparing incubator plug pucks, taking and labeling cuts, running a humidity dome with low light, to transplanting eleven-day-old rooted clones into solo cups of BuildASoil light mix. He emphasises that environment (high humidity, low light, low pressure) matters more than the specific rooting product or medium, shares an experimental idea of making a chia/sea moss gel as a cloning coat, and closes by preserving one keeper per genetic from the ten females while the extras are kept as backup.

Topics

why lower light and high humidity drive rooting · healthy mother plant as the most important variable · grodan smart tray plus humidity dome setup · pre-soaking cuttings in aloe and rootwise 24 hours · incubator plug pucks versus aeroponic cloner comparison · labeling and row-assigning genetics on the tray · taking cuts at the node and trimming stem length for dome height · eleven-day root emergence and transplant timing · transplanting into solo cups of buildasoil light mix · first watering with rootwise mycorrhizae and saponaria wetting agent · experimental cmos sea moss cloning gel idea · hardening off clones out of the dome · bonsai mothering and keeper selection for flower trial

Sections

0:00 — 1:35

Intro: the clones have rooted

Jeremy opens on the rooted clone tray sitting on a rack in a 4x4 tent that was being used for seedling warmth. He is using a leftover LED photo lighting kit as a low-intensity light source and explains that rooting requires LOW light, not bright light — bright lights push clones to try to grow before they have roots, causing yellowing. The goal is lower light, higher humidity, and low pressure on the plant, which produces the green, rooted cuts he is about to reveal.

  1. 1. Exhaust warm humid air from the flower tent into the clone tent to keep it warm
  2. 2. Set rooted clones on a wire rack inside the 4x4 tent
  3. 3. Use a low-intensity LED photo lighting kit (off the stand, plugged in) as the clone light
  4. 4. Diffuse the light a little so it's gentle on the cuts
1:05 — 3:07

Environment theory: why plants root

Jeremy points viewers to his two BuildASoil blog articles — one on method, one on environment — and argues the environment article matters more because once you understand WHY plants root, the method and ingredients are secondary. He contrasts puck/incubator plug rooting with aeroponic bucket misting and water cloning, saying both work. The dome prevents heat/pressure that would open stomata and make the plant try to grow; instead you want 90 to 100 percent humidity so leaves don't droop while the cut calluses and roots.

  1. 1. Understand that heat causes the plant to open stomata and try to grow — bad for cloning
  2. 2. Keep humidity 90 to 100 percent so leaves don't droop
  3. 3. Use a dome to achieve that if you don't have a dedicated cloning room/tent
  4. 4. Slowly open the dome vents over time to harden off as the clones root
3:07 — 5:42

Tray and puck setup

Jeremy introduces the Grodan smart tray — dishwasher-safe, long lasting, with an integrated lift that holds the rooting pucks off the bottom of the tray so water can pool underneath to raise humidity and give new roots somewhere to grow without air pruning too fast. He dedicates one row of pucks per genetic, labels rows in sharpie or masking tape, and sometimes draws/photographs a paper grid as a backup. He introduces BuildASoil's new incubator plug pucks made of coco coir, peat moss, and biochar — which he hopes will compost better than competitor brands that use a proprietary peat-moss glue and don't decompose.

  1. 1. Place a humidity dome over a tray with an integrated lift insert (Grodan smart tray)
  2. 2. Orient the tray so each row holds pucks for one genetic
  3. 3. Label each row with sharpie directly or masking tape
  4. 4. Optionally draw a paper grid and photograph it as a backup
  5. 5. Unpack the incubator plug pucks — they arrive moist but not moist enough
  6. 6. Add moisture by dunking pucks in plain filtered water (not the rooting mixture)
  7. 7. Return unused pucks to the bag for storage after — plain water keeps them reusable
5:42 — 8:46

Pre-soaking cuttings in aloe and rootwise

Jeremy explains he used to soak the pucks themselves in a rooting mixture but now prefers soaking the cuttings directly in a cup of filtered water dosed with about half a teaspoon of BuildASoil aloe and a small amount of Rootwise for seaweed extract/microbes/hormones. He teaches the backstory of rooting hormones — indole butyric acid (endobutric acid) from cloning gels, kelp meal/extract as natural source, aloe vera, willow water (salicylic acid = aspirin, a hormone used in rooting). He soaked the cuts for 24 hours, changed the brown aloe/rootwise water to plain tap water for another 24 hours so they wouldn't rot, and kept the cup under the grow light with no particular fuss.

  1. 1. Take clean cuts from healthy mother plants
  2. 2. Bundle cuts by genetic with plant tags
  3. 3. Fill a cup with plain filtered water
  4. 4. Add about a half teaspoon of aloe product per cup of water
  5. 5. Add a small amount of rootwise to the same cup
  6. 6. Submerge the stems and let them soak about 24 hours
  7. 7. Change out the brown aloe/rootwise water to plain tap water for another 24 hours
  8. 8. Leave the cup under the grow light — placement is not fussy
8:46 — 12:19

Taking and plugging the cuts

Jeremy demonstrates on a Halitosis number two cut. He shakes moisture off a soaked puck until it holds water but isn't dripping — that's the wettest it will be from this point. He cuts the stem down to the next node (where roots are more likely to emerge), shaves a little outer layer off so roots pop out easier, makes a fresh 45 degree angle cut (noting he does it but doesn't think the angle really matters), then pushes the cut into the pre-made hole in the top of the puck without breaking the stem. He trims leaves a little more when cuts are packed tight, leaves them alone when spread out, and does multiple cuts per genetic as insurance against the one keeper failing to root.

  1. 1. Lift the dome briefly — replace it between plugs if lighting is intense to prevent droop
  2. 2. Pull one bundle of soaked cuttings out of the cup by the plant tag
  3. 3. Identify the genetic by smell/tag (e.g. halitosis number two)
  4. 4. Shake a moistened puck two or three times to drop excess water
  5. 5. Trim the stem down to the next node so the cut fits under the dome height
  6. 6. Shave a little of the outer stem layer so roots can pop out easier
  7. 7. Make a fresh cut at a 45 degree angle
  8. 8. Push the cut into the pre-made hole in the top of the puck — don't shove hard enough to break the stock
  9. 9. Trim a few leaves if pucks are packed tight together
  10. 10. Take extra cuts per genetic as insurance
  11. 11. Place pucks in the assigned labeled row
12:19 — 13:20

Low light placement and tutorial callout

Jeremy labels the finished tray with sharpie on the bottom and photographs the labels as a backup against rub-off. He puts the tray in the 10 by 10 tent on a shelf where light is very low. He tells viewers the fastest he ever sees roots is about 5 days but most genetics take closer to 2 weeks, and up to 3 weeks is normal for first-time home growers. He plugs the BuildASoil blog tutorial which goes deeper into using low amounts of light to avoid overdriving the plant and drastically increase success.

  1. 1. Label the bottom of each row in sharpie
  2. 2. Take a photo of the labels as a backup
  3. 3. Place the tray in the 10x10 on a low-light shelf
  4. 4. Expect roots in 5 days (fastest) to 2-3 weeks depending on genetics and light
13:20 — 15:24

Sea moss cloning gel experiment idea

Jeremy holds up a bag of Wildcrafted African sea moss and explains he wants to experiment with making a DIY cloning gel. He credits Coots for teaching him that aloe, chia seeds, and seaweed can all be turned into gels, and notes some growers stick cuts directly into an aloe leaf. Sea moss is valuable because it grows on ocean rock and pulls minerals into the plant tissue. His plan is to make the gel, mix in aloe and seaweed, dunk stems in it, and test whether root time drops. He also mentions BuildASoil sells a full cloning kit containing the incubator plugs, dome, black tray, and orange insert.

  1. 1. Source whole-leaf wildcrafted african sea moss (human-grade health product)
  2. 2. Follow instructions on the back of the bag to make a gel
  3. 3. Add aloe and seaweed to the gel and store in a jar
  4. 4. Dunk stems in the gel before pushing them into pucks
  5. 5. Compare root time against the control method
15:24 — 17:29

Day 11: roots and transplant decision

Eleven days after cutting, Jeremy shows the tray from underneath — roots are coming out of basically every puck. They are all green and healthy because of the high humidity and low light. Rooting started around day 8-9, then he left for the weekend and came back to almost full rooting. He prefers to transplant as soon as he sees normal root development rather than wait for a thicker system, because pucks have no nutrients and once clones start drinking they want to grow and will start showing issues. He waits until there is more than just a single tap root. He notes air pruning has begun on the dry pucks.

  1. 1. Day 11 — inspect the tray from below through the lift insert
  2. 2. Look for roots poking out of the bottom of each puck
  3. 3. If a row shows none, lift it briefly and check
  4. 4. Transplant when there is more than a single tap root visible
  5. 5. Don't wait for dense root systems in pucks — transplant once rooted because pucks have no food
  6. 6. Keep the dome on between pulls so clones don't curl in low humidity
17:29 — 19:33

Humidity tricks for transplant day

Jeremy warns that the moment you open the dome, clones used to 90-100 percent humidity will start to wilt — especially in dry Colorado air. His workflow mitigation is to work one cup at a time and place each fresh transplant into a second humidity dome on the bench. He adds a little water to the bottom of the receiving dome to raise humidity before any clones go in. Alternative methods he shares: a humidifier in the tent, or a five-gallon bucket with newly transplanted clones set inside and a plastic bag over the top with holes poked in it — a poor-man's humidity chamber.

  1. 1. Pour a little water into the bottom of the receiving dome to raise humidity
  2. 2. Lift the source dome, take one clone out
  3. 3. Transplant into a prepared cup immediately
  4. 4. Place the cup into the receiving dome
  5. 5. Close the receiving dome between each transplant
  6. 6. Alternative: run a humidifier in the grow tent
  7. 7. Alternative: set transplanted cups inside a 5-gallon bucket with a plastic bag over the top, holes poked in
19:33 — 24:40

Transplant: solo cups and buildasoil light mix

Jeremy uses small solo-style cups and the BuildASoil light mix soil for transplant. He only transplants the 10 keepers (one from each female genetic) — the rest of the rooted clones stay in the puck tray as backup and will be given away later. He re-uses the original plant tags that were on the soaked cut bundles. To deal with clones being too tall for the dome, he shows a hack of using extra cups or inverted cups in the tray corners to lift the dome's four corners. He fills each cup partway with soil, picks the clone with the most/best roots, places the puck into the cup, backfills by hand, and labels the cup at the base of the stem.

  1. 1. Set up small solo-style cups in a carry tray
  2. 2. Pick only the 10 keepers, one per female genetic
  3. 3. Re-use the plant tags from the original soaked bundles for labeling
  4. 4. Pull the sewing strip off the BuildASoil light mix bag
  5. 5. Scoop soil with the cup itself to partially fill it
  6. 6. Select the clone with the best root structure (or any, if they're all equal)
  7. 7. Hold the clone upright with one finger
  8. 8. Backfill around the puck by hand
  9. 9. Tap the side of the cup and lightly press the surface so it doesn't run out when watered
  10. 10. Wrap the label around the base of the stem
  11. 11. Place the cup in the receiving dome immediately
  12. 12. If clones are too tall, use empty cups at the 4 corners of the tray to lift the dome
24:40 — 27:14

First watering recipe: rootwise, aloe, enzymes, saponaria

After transplanting, Jeremy mixes the first watering: 1 teaspoon Rootwise Mycorrhizal Blend per gallon, a dose of aloe, a dose of Rootwise Enzyme Blend (3 to 5 milliliters), and about an eighth teaspoon of pure Saponaria (Yucca) extract as a wetting agent. Rootwise mycorrhizae go directly in contact with the new roots to kickstart association. The enzyme blend accelerates the microbial relationship 'like adding lighter fluid to the fire' — it's what the microbes would produce given more time. Saponaria keeps water from draining straight out of the dry fresh soil. He notes Therm X70 is an alternative saponin-based wetting agent but contains sugars; the pure yucca extract is more potent. He also mentions storing the enzyme product in the fridge to keep the scoby from growing too fast.

  1. 1. Fill a 1-gallon bucket/can with water
  2. 2. Add 1 teaspoon rootwise mycorrhizal blend to the gallon
  3. 3. Add a dose of aloe product
  4. 4. Add 3 to 5 milliliters of rootwise enzyme blend
  5. 5. Add about an eighth of a teaspoon of pure yucca (sapinaria) extract as a wetting agent
  6. 6. Mix with a wand — contents will look soapy
  7. 7. Pour into a watering can (or Chapin sprayer for misting)
  8. 8. Put the enzyme bottle back in the fridge to slow scoby growth
  9. 9. Water each newly transplanted clone slowly so moisture reaches the bottom without flooding
27:14 — 29:48

Finishing transplants and keeper strategy

Jeremy shows the final transplant — Branson's number 12. He selects the cut with the most roots but notes they all rooted successfully. He recaps his cloning philosophy: no rubber gloves, no sterile razor blades, healthy mom is what matters most, along with low light and high humidity. He reiterates the 10 keepers represent the future lineup and the leftover rooted cuts in the puck tray remain as backup in case he drops a tray or damages a clone — they get given away once the keepers take.

  1. 1. Select the keeper cut with the most roots
  2. 2. Transplant the last keeper using the same method
  3. 3. Label with the original plant tag
  4. 4. Close the dome on the final tray
  5. 5. Keep the extra rooted cuts in their puck tray as backup
  6. 6. Give backups away only after keepers show new growth and are happy
29:48 — 31:23

Next steps: veg, bonsai mother, flower trial

Jeremy outlines the path forward: the 10 keepers go back into the 4x4 tent on the same rack in low light, humidity and warmth preserved. Once they perk up, he'll set up a proper veg light. Next transplant will be into 1-gallon pots with no dome — those become the new mothers. If flower takes a while, the 1-gallons will overgrow and he'll bonsai the mothers down. The goal of the whole season is to smoke through the flower from all 10 genetics, agree on the best one together, keep only that keeper, and do another run with her.

  1. 1. Place freshly transplanted keepers in the 4x4 tent on the same low-light shelf
  2. 2. Maintain the same humidity and warmth they rooted in
  3. 3. Check the next morning — they should be perkier
  4. 4. Set up a veg light in that tent
  5. 5. Transplant next into 1-gallon pots with no dome
  6. 6. Those 1-gallons become the new mothers
  7. 7. Bonsai the mothers down if they overgrow while waiting on flower results
  8. 8. After flower, smoke-test all 10, pick the best, cull the rest, run the keeper

Notable quotes

"The main thing i want you to gather from this is that it doesn't take a bright light. If you have a bright light the plants try and grow and they don't have any roots yet — they start to yellow up."

Opening philosophy — why low light is non-negotiable for cloning

"Most important step — healthy mom plants."

Jeremy's single biggest rule for cloning success

"When you understand how to do this it doesn't matter as much the actual ingredients or the method."

His core teaching — environment is upstream of method

"If you understand the environment and what it takes to get a plant to root it doesn't matter which method you use."

Framing puck vs aeroponic cloner vs plain water as all valid if environment is dialled

"When we're cloning we want it to be relaxed. We want it to root."

Why a dome is used — keeping the plant calm rather than pushing it to grow

"This is the wettest it's going to be from this point forward."

On getting the puck moisture right at plugging time — it only dries down after that until roots come

"The reason why i took more than one is i'm not sure if they're all going to make it and i don't want to be gambling."

Why he takes 2-3 backup cuts per genetic

"My main rule is that i try not to do that when there's just one little tap root sticking out."

His transplant-timing rule

Glossary terms from this episode

aeroponic cloner · air pruning · aloe vera · backup clone · bonsai mother · BuildASoil Light Mix · cloning · cloning gel · cmos · harden off · humidity dome · incubator plug puck · indole butyric acid · keeper · kelp extract · mother plant · mycorrhizal association · node · root callus · rooting hormone · salicylic acid · Saponin · Scoby · stomata · tap root · vpd / environmental pressure · Wetting agent · willow water

Products mentioned

Chapin sprayer · Humidifier · Therm-X 70 · 10x10 grow tent · Sharpie · Rootwise Mycorrhizal Blend · 5-gallon bucket · LED photo lighting kit · Grodan smart tray · Humidity dome · BuildASoil incubator plug pucks · Cloning hormone gel · BuildASoil aloe product · Rootwise Enzyme Blend · Pure saponaria (yucca) extract · Wildcrafted African Sea Moss (cmos) · BuildASoil cloning kit · BuildASoil light mix soil · Solo-style plastic cups · Carry tray