Taking cuttings is one of the most rewarding and in a lot of cases the easiest activity you can do in the grow room.

The ability to create multiple plants from one single variety is an incredibly useful tool to either preserve genetics or create large numbers of plants, all of the exact same genetic material. 

Cultivating clones of the same variety (mono-crop) is the best way to generate high yields with the greatest ease. As the plants you have created are all from the same genetic material they will all have the same preferences in regards to environment, nutrition and pH levels, as well as all having the same structure and height. Growing plants from seed is always exciting. 

Seeing, smelling and feeling the differences between each plant is very interesting but as plants vary in appearance so do their environmental and nutritional preferences. Growing for yield from seed is a challenging task as it is much of a guessing game to give your plants exactly what they require as every plant will have different preferences.

Pictured below are cuttings taken from a Lemon Scented Geranium. These plants do not require a propagator like most other plants that have glabrous (smooth, not hairy) leaf surfaces. Geranium plants have a fine covering of short erect hairs that trap moisture around the leaf surface that minimises water loss through transpiration. Plants that have a glabrous leaf surface require a propagator to create a humid environment to minimise water loss and prevent wilting.

In our large  trojan 120 x 240 tent grow room, using a new sun master i grow 4 way controller, grow ballast and an air cooled supernova reflector,  our vegetables and fruits (believe it or not, chilli peppers are fruits! ) which are planted in the new DNA Ultimate soil  are thriving!   

We now have  a second ear of corn!

We started off these various types of chillis (including jalapeños, gusto, super long and raam varieties) in jiffy peat propagation plugs for 2 weeks until they were established enough to be transferred to pots containing supreme light mix soil. As this soil contains nutrients already, we have not yet used any further additives/enzymes whilst they are in this vulnerable transitional stage.

Our grow room is a trojan 120 x 240 tent using a new sun master igrow 4 way controller, igrow ballasts and an air cooled supernova reflector. This ideal set up is giving these chillies the best chance of maturing quickly and healthily.

This is one of our 2 corn plants which are thriving in our trojan 120 x 240 tent grow room and  is using a new sun master i grow 4 way controller, grow ballast and an air cooled supernova reflector to create maximum light diffusion. 

They are planted in the new DNA Ultimate soil which means they don’t require additional nutrients. In these optimum conditions, these corn plants have doubled in size in only the last two weeks.

As you can see, we also have some tomato plants in our grow room which are growing fast and strong in the same soil and conditions as the corn

We will keep you updated on their progress in future blog posts. 

In our trojan 120 x 240 tent grow room which is using a new sun master igrow 4 way controller, ballasts and an air cooled supernova reflector, we are also growing some courgettes and pumpkin plants.

Unfortunately, these are suffering from powdery mildew which is an easily spread fungal disease identifiable by its white powdery spots.

We have treated our affected plants with the atak spray by optic foliar today. We are currently waiting to see results and will update you with any developments and our next course of action.