Rooting in Sterile Tubs
Another exclusive Microclone Tissueponics Technique
Clones from culture are planted in sterile plastic cups with filtered lids. Twenty four
and 32 oz. size cups allow plenty of room for growth and leaf development. Each
deli-type tub can hold four or five rockwool cubes. Oasis is typically more dry than
rockwool and should be watched. Organic cubes such as Rapid Rooters will dry and
shrink and should stand in a short puddle of rooting solution. Cubes are soaked in a
pH 5.9 0.5 EC Bloom solution to saturate. Drain cups on their side if usoing
rockwool.
Cubes should be sterilized in a pressure cooker, like Microclone tissue cultue media.
We sterilize the hydrated cubes in the cups for 30 minutes, or 20 minutes if
preparing media in the same sterilizer. The cups can be stacked inside one another
leaving space around the sides for steam to get in. Lids are sterilized together in the
space between the cups. Move
cups and lids to sterile area to
cool. Store with lids on near
clean transfer hood, rotate
stock, and use within a few
weeks, before they dry out. The
perect moisture level in the cup is seen by a a thin sweat on the
inside of the cup and around the cubes.
Transplant tube clones when either; leaves begin to yellow, or stem
in agar has swollen to 2 to 3 times original girth. Clean cutting plate
and tools as for tube introductions and prepare a cup of clean water
with 1 g/liter Dichlor.
Withdraw clone with forceps and move to plate to trim any yellow or brown
bits. No additional cut on bottom end is needed. The callus on the cut end
is made of root primordia ready to grow. Inspect cubes before planting and
arrange if needed. Use clean tool to open planting hole if needed. Clone
should set deep enough to fix in place, but not against such resistence as to
allow breaking.
Dip in Dichlor to rinse off sugar from tube media and Set into cube.
Continue until container is filled or you run out of clones to insert. Label cup
immediately. You may have an incompletely filled cup at the end of the run.
Three clones in a cup of three is not really waste. If there will be one or tw o
clones in the last cup, you may want to double-up in some of the cubes
already planted, as long as the cube can be divided if both clones root.
Grow on the clean shelves with the Tissueponics tubes Ideal temp is 74
inside the cup and 77 at the root zone. Lighting should be bright enough to
encourage growth, but not dry or overtranspire the plant, about 100
micromoles. The moisture on the cup wall will disappear as the clone inside
hardens to atmospheric levels. At the same time, the roots will begin to
grow into root cubes as moisture is reduced.
Clones are ready when new growth is observed in form of new leaves and/or roots appear from the cubes. Clones in
cups are considered sterile in transportation and delivery. Maintaining the cleanliness of the TC clones is at the mercy of
the growing environment. It is advised that clean and sterile technique be maintained as much as possible through veg
and flowering, definitely in veg.
Cups can be treated with a H2O2 solution of a teaspoon per liter from a sprayer. OIf something grows on a plant in a
cup, spray the affected plant and remove with forceps. Treat the empty cube and the surface of the remaining clones.