Clonex is suitable for the propagation of many softwood and semi-hardwood plants species. If you are not sure about a particular plant – test a few cuttings first prior to larger scale propagation. Media Preparation The following media are generally considered suitable for cuttings and they are often mixed together in various proportions: Coarse sand • Perlite • Vermiculite • Rockwool You can also use a proprietary mix recommended for cuttings. The small Rockwool cubes are highly recommended. They are easy to handle and they give excellent results. Most importantly the young plants can be handled and planted out without disturbance to the new roots. These little cubes are now available in small trays of 24 and will be available from your nearest retailer of Growth Technology products. Please contact us if you have any problems finding them. Place your chosen medium in a clean plastic seed tray and, moisten thoroughly. Allow for adequate drainage to avoid waterlogging. Softwood and Semi-Hardwood Cuttings Select young growing shoots from your healthiest and most vigorous plants. Using scissors or secateurs, cut off the required number of shoot tips, each with four or five pairs of leaves. Remove the two lower pairs of leaves using a clean sharp knife or razor blade. Pour a small amount of Clonex into a separate container for immediate use. Do not dip cut tissue into the original container, and do not return any unused Clonex as this might contaminate the remaining gel. Make a clean diagonal cut across the base of the cutting just below the lowest leaf node. Immediately dip the cutting into Clonex, about 15 mm, then insert the cutting into the propagation medium just deep enough to support the cutting. As soon as cuttings are inserted they should be misted with tepid water and placed into the propagator. The Cutting Environment Both soft-tip and semi-hardwood cuttings need to be placed into a humid environment. This can easily be achieved by placing the tray of cuttings into a heated propagator, as available from local garden centres, or into a plastic box which can be covered with a sheet of glass. Alternatively, place tray in a clear plastic bag using bent canes or wires to keep plastic off the cuttings. The humidity will also serve to maintain moisture in the rooting medium. Gentle bottom heat (around 21ºC–24ºC) will help most species and is essential for many of them. Mist cuttings regularly. Condensation on the underside of the glass indicates adequate humidity. Wipe glass occasionally to prevent waterlogging in medium. Hardening Off After new roots appear your plant will need to be hardened off. If the cuttings are covered with a sheet of glass, move it to allow a small amount of air in. Increase amount of opening every day and finally remove glass altogether. When the little plants are growing strongly, they can be moved on into the larger Rockwool cubes. The little cube just fits into the hole in the larger one and root disturbance is kept to a minimum. Alternatively they can be potted up into 8–10 cm pots. Allow adequate drainage in pots. Place compost carefully around new roots as they are very fragile at this stage.
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