GREEN THUMB GARDENING
Propagation Made Easy: Cloning Systems
by Shannon McKee
One good way to make your favorite plants live on
is to clone them. And there are plenty of cloning
systems available out there to help you succeed.
I
s there anything worse as a gardener
than to be tending to a big, beautiful
tomato plant and inadvertently
pruning or breaking a healthy portion
off? It’s a bummer when it happens,
but it doesn’t have to be the end of the
world. In fact, gardeners have been
intentionally cutting healthy tomato
plants for years. The reason is simple:
to create clones. Gardeners have
been cloning plants for a long time
by removing cuttings from a healthy
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Maximum Yield USA | November 2015
“mother” plant to get tiny, identical
plants that will eventually turn into
large, healthy plants. Propagating
plants in this manner is easy. Just
taking those inadvertently pruned or
snapped parts of the tomato plant and
placing them in water will create roots.
And putting them in a cloning system
will maximize the number of clones
you can grow at a time.
A cloning system goes far beyond
that snapped branch in a cup of water.
A system usually has the capacity to
hold several cuttings upright in a grow
medium, and helps ensure cuttings
form strong, healthy root systems so
the plants will thrive. It usually consists
of a platform that holds the cuttings,
such as a propagation tray, and it may
also have plugs, lighting, a cover and
a hydration/aeration system, where
nutrients can be added.
There are some great cloning system
kits available from your local hydro
shop that include everything you need
to start propagating your plants. These
systems are often available in different
sizes, so if you plan on creating
just a few clones for the upcoming