Choosing a Rooting Medium

When it comes to cloning your cannabis plants, the rooting medium you choose is an important factor. From rock wool, peat moss, and organic soil blends to hydroponic and aeroponic systems, there are a myriad of ways to clone your cannabis plants successfully.

One of the most popular methods for cloning your cannabis is to use rock wool cubes. Available cheaply from garden supply stores and hydroponic shops everywhere, rock wool can provide a nice, tight, custom fit for your new trimmings / potential clones. Rock wool is also great for keeping your will-be clones moist while their new roots form. Drying out is death to new roots and to a freshly rooted trimming, so rock wool is a great medium for moisture retention.

Peat moss pots, by comparison, have a greater tendency to dry out. Although you can successfully root in peat moss pots, you will need to watch the moisture levels carefully. Mold also has a tendency to grow more easily on peat moss pots, especially since your clones will root best when kept in a warm, moist and humid environment, perfect for mold spores too.

If you’re willing to invest a bit of money and/or some time to set up a DIY aeroponics system, rooting your clones with an aeroponic setup can prove quite rewarding. Aeroponics differs from hydroponics in that your plants are literally just growing roots in the air, and a steady spray / mister keeps their roots awash with a suitable, pH-balanced nutrient blend.

You can also root your clones in regular soil as long as it has good drainage and is relatively pH-neutral. To root clones in soil, simply trim them accordingly, dip them in your rooting hormone of choice, and then plant them a few inches deep in the soil. Keep them moist, but not waterlogged and they should start to root within 1 – 2 weeks.

When properly rooted, your new clones will begin growing new roots immediately. In most cases, your clones should have developed enough roots to be transplanted into soil or the growing medium of your choice after 12 – 16 days in their rooting cube or tray. Transplant your clones when you can see the roots starting to bust out of the rock wool cube, peat moss pot or other rooting medium of your choice.

Remember while rooting new clones that the fresh root sites need plenty of oxygen. So while you want the soil, peat moss or rock wool to stay moist, don’t overdo it. Let your plants breathe or you risk losing them to root rot and fungal infections.