Clone Wars: What’s New in Cloning

There are many ways to take clones from a cannabis plant, and new methods are popping up constantly. One of the most tried and true methods of cloning is to use individual clone domes to sustain the high humidity environment needed for rooting. While clone domes do the job pretty well, it can be extremely time consuming to maintain all of these separate domes in a commercial facility. To address the common issues of clone domes, Athena recently developed their VPDomes.

“Achieving the optimal VPD for plants allows them to properly transpire, uptake nutrients, uptake CO2, and prevent stress. VPD stands for Vapor Pressure Deficit, a direct correlation between the temperature and humidity of an area. Traditional cloning involves using individual domes for each set of clones, essentially creating a microclimate to achieve higher humidity levels within the dome (lower VPD) to establish roots. This method works great, so long as you maintain consistent air exchange and environmental levels. VPDome helps maintain the perfect VPD throughout the cloning process. Using VPDome for large-scale cloning requires much less labor than ventilating individual domes every day.

Ensure the environment where the VPDome is placed is optimal for clone growth after hardening off. The room should be regulated to a temperature of 70-80°F (21-26 °C) and room humidity at 65-75% to achieve a VPD of about 0.8-1.0 kPa. Spraying the VPDomeTM with a sanitizing agent such as Athena® Reset at 1 oz per gallon (8 mL per L) should be done before every cycle of clones.” – Alexis Medina, Athena.

Follow this link for a free download for Athena’s cloning procedure – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-w5XkNhm4M0lfyMXkY7yC8A-_j16Y5yY/view?usp=drive_link