What do you look for when your getting clones? Mites, mold, and roots? Am i missing anything? if i am or not can people post pictures of what it looks like? thank you

Spider mites seen to give me the the biggest problems when taking cuttings for clones, as the humidity level is low and those guys love low humidity.

By the same token, mold cannot get a foothold in low humidity.

I spray the plant, that I'm going to clone, once a week for three weeks before I take the cuttings with a broad spectrum insecticide, fungicide, and miticide, found in a fruit tree spray from my local Homer Depot. It contains 0.25% pyrethrins and 70% extract of neem oil, and does an excellent job of killing of the little buggers quickly but you must follow up, as the eggs hatch.

My biggest problem is trying to spray the underside of the leafs, where they live.

Once the cuttings have developed roots in one to two weeks, before I plant them, and while they are easily turned over, I spray them again, shake off the excess, and then plant.

Full strength, this stuff may cause burning of the leaf tips and edges, so you may want to use a 50% to 75% solution and shake the excess off, so as not to let it collect at the tip and along the edges.

Currently, I'm using AzaMax per the instructions and find that it takes care of the problem by killing the plant, LOL. That shit needs to be used in lower doses also though I'm not sure how much to cut it yet.

I'll try to find some photos and post.

Good luck, later... 52.

Buying tips?
There's no such thing as mmj here, so I dunno what it's like shopping for mj plants, but I would follow the same method used for buying any other plant.

Skip cuttings that aren't the picture of health. If it doesn't look happy, move to the next.
If you can inspect the roots, do it.
And obviously, avoid any plant infested with insects or infected with mold. It doesn't make sense to buy problems.
When you get them home, a good spraying with insecticidal soap before placing in the grow room helps to prevent undetected hitch-hikers from spreading.

What PR said.
If you are asking what mites and mold look like, type "marijuana mold mite" into a search engine, then filter it for images. There are millions on the net.

Mite damage appears as yellow/brown spots on the leaves, congregated around the veins. If you look on the underside of the leaves you can often see the critters moving around and munching the plant. They look like tiny black or tan dots. Look for something about the size of this period ->. A magnifier is quite useful, and there are numerous other pests a magnifier will pick up.

Mold appears as a furry/powdery coat on the plant.

But basically, as PR said - if the plant isn't the picture of health, don't buy it.

Sorry SwoLL619,

I guess I misunderstood your question...

52

ahh ok thank your for your knowledge everyone. my1952hd thats some good advice on spraying the plants. Spraying the plants like that wont put chemicals on the bud when you smoke it? or are those pesticides safe?

SwoLL619,


I don't know whether you are referring to buying, or taking cuttings for, clones, but I'll try to answer your latest question, as it applies to both.

Of course if you're buying clones with roots already established, you would want to get the healthiest looking clones that you can find i.e. no little (and I mean little) yellow spots on the leaves which would indicate mites, and you don't want to bring these little buggers into your grow. The roots should be pure white and look somewhat fuzzy as they reach out for water/nutrients.

I cannot address the mold/mildew problem as I have only had this happen once, with large buds that had been harvested and the humidity was high. I learned something there, and now chop up my larger buds for drying.

If you're planing on taking cuttings from an established plant in vegetation, before you do so, look, with a magnifying glass, loop, etc., at the underside of the leafs for very small dots, slowly moving around. Under a microscope, you will see that these little dots are actually little eight legged critters, thus spider mites. The little yellow spots on the leafs, will only get larger as the mites feed on your plant and if you notice webs at the junction of the leafs or, even worse, at the nodes, you're in deep do-do and need to treat the plant for several weeks prior to taking the clones.



The short answer is, IMO, cuttings are only cuttings for a couple of weeks, then they are clones. Do not spray at all during this time. When you transplant the fresh clones into vegetation, spray once a week for three weeks, skip two, then repeat, until ready to flower. If you need to spray in flowering, follow the same schedule, but stop and do not apply four weeks before harvest. Now, for the longer answer...

The label on the fruit tree spray that I use states that it can be used up to the day of harvest, however this applies to apples, peaches, pears, etc., which are eaten, not smoked, so your question is a valid one.

Pyrethrins or Pyrethrum, is extracted from the flowers of the pyrethrum chrysanthemum and is one of the best known botanical pesticides as it kills insects on contact. It dissipates within a few hours in the presence of air, HID lighting, and sunlight and thus should be applied just before lights and fans turn off. It is not toxic when eaten but can be toxic when inhaled (while applying), so wear a mask.

Neem Oil is extracted from neem seeds and is effective against spider mites, fungus gnats and aphids. It is a fungistat and prevents mildew. Neem Oil can stay on a plant for up to a month and in the plant system for the same length of time when absorbed through the roots, thus I will not use it four weeks before harvest. It is not toxic to humans though my reference is to ingestion and not smoking, but I have read a reference that stated "Avoid spraying the last few days before harvest. Some growers report a foul taste when applied just before harvest."

Funny thing, in this same reference, there is a statement, "Caution: Neem oil is very effective against spider mites." If we growers are trying to get rid of this pest, then who is this caution addressed to? Can spider mites read? LOL.

The stuff I buy is a one pint concentrate that makes sixteen gallons, which should last for quite awhile as I use one half tsp per thirty-two ounces, the size of my spray bottle, and I add a small amount of dish washing detergent as a spreader-sticker. (Note: I am currently using one third tsp as one half seems to burn the leaf tips.)

I spray the under side of leafs, intersections of leaf blades, intersection of leaf stem and nodes as well as around the base of the plants in vegetation, once a week for three weeks before taking cuttings. I try to skip a couple of weeks and then repeat, throughout vegetation.

After the cuttings are clones, i.e. have roots, I spray them again before transplanting into vegetation, and I do the same for purchased clones.

I thoroughly apply again before transplanting into flowering but try not to apply once there. Sometimes I will have to spray in flowering, and do so at the same rate, but definitely stop four weeks before harvest, so as not to actually smoke the stuff.

BTW, There are many threads on pest control as well as home brew recipes to be found here on CC Forums such as this one named how to kill spider mites, and I know that Doobie_Brother will be including a section on Pests and Problems in his latest thread How to Grow on a Budget.

Also, the spray that I use may have come from Lowe's and not Homer Depot as stated above.

And finally, a lot of this information came from a reference book that I've used for years, Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible. If you don't have a copy, I suggest you get one as a picture is worth a thousand words, or so I'm told.

I hope this helps and good luck... 52.

I found some, so it's time to spray. See attachments... 52.

Here's a couple more photos, sorry if they seem to be a little out of focus as they move around pretty quick and I have to keep refocusing and then snap the shot. The next microscope must have an auto focus feature... 52.

damn those things are small. but you can still seem them by the eye right they just look like small dots huh?