Cloning Cuttings & “The PermaClone Recipe”
If you’ve been following this cloning series, your mother plants should now be biochemically primed—auxins flowing, foliage pest-free, and growth tips ready to fire off roots in 7–10 days.
In the previous article, I also had you assemble a simple shopping list:
-
A plant-safe oxidizer
-
A water-soluble hormone
-
A mineral nutrient
-
And a dedicated pair of Fiskars
If you’ve completed those steps, then today…it’s finally cloning day.
Step 1 — Fill Your Sanitized Cloner & Add a Plant-Safe Oxidizer
Start by filling your already-sterilized cloner with fresh water.
Immediately add your oxidizer of choice at a plant-safe dose (see table below):
Oxidizer Dosages
| Product (Choose ONE) | Dosage |
|---|---|
| Sodium Hypochlorite (Bleach) | 0.1–0.15 mL/gal (2–3 drops/gal) |
| Hypochlorous Acid (UC Roots, Clear Rez, Watermax) | 10 mL/gal |
| 30% Peroxide (Nutrilife) | 3 mL/gal |
| Peroxyacetic Acid (Zerotol 2.0, Oxidate 2.0) | 2 mL/gal |
This initial dose sanitizes stems as they enter the system and prevents early contamination.
Step 2 — Take Your Cuttings Correctly
Leave More Nodes Than You Think
Nodes are the root factories—each node’s shoot apex produces auxins that flow downward to the basal end of your cutting.
Optimal cutting structure:
-
3–6 untrimmed nodes above the collar
-
2–3 trimmed nodes below the collar
-
Total cutting height: 5–9 nodes
Trim lower fan leaves when needed to prevent shading—not to prevent transpiration (that’s outdated advice for water culture).
Want 3–4 clones per collar?
Remove all fan leaves and leave only nodes + shoot tips.
Yes, it works. Yes, it’s efficient. Yes, it multiplies output.
Step 3 — Track Your Strains
As you fill the cloner, track cuts by row on a piece of paper.
I recommend snapping a quick picture of your paper—future you will thank you.
Step 4 — Re-Boost Your Oxidizer Before Adding Any Nutrients
By the time you finish loading cuttings, your first oxidizer dose has depleted.
Boost it again with the same plant-safe dose before adding nutrients or hormones.
This step is critical—as additives instantly consume oxidizers.
Second Oxidizer Dose (Choose ONE)
| Product (Choose ONE) | Dosage |
|---|---|
| Sodium Hypochlorite (Bleach) | 0.1–0.15 mL/gal |
| Hypochlorous Acid | 10 mL/gal |
| 30% Peroxide | 2 mL/gal |
| Peroxyacetic Acid | 2 mL/gal |
Step 5 — Add ONE Hormone Product
Choose one—not multiple.
| Hormone (Choose ONE) | Dosage |
|---|---|
| Hormex Liquid Concentrate | 3–5 mL/gal |
| KLN Cloning Solution | 5–15 mL/gal |
| Rhizopon AA Water-Soluble Salts | 0.15–0.4 g/gal |
These stay active in solution, unlike gels or powders.
Step 6 — Add a Clean Mineral Nutrient
| Nutrient | Dosage |
|---|---|
| Clonex Clone Solution | 20–30 mL/gal |
| Cutting Edge Solutions | 2.5 mL/gal Micro + 5 mL/gal Bloom |
| General Hydroponics Flora Series | 2.5 mL/gal Micro + 5 mL/gal Bloom |
Do not pH-adjust yet
Introducing meters into your system invites contamination. We recommend pH adjustment after roots appear.
Step 7 — Dial In Your Cycle Timer
Set your cycle timer somewhere between:
-
5–45 min ON
-
5–30 min OFF
Use your IR thermometer to maintain:
-
External IR reading: 75–87°F
(Internal water temp will be equal or slightly higher.)
Step 8 — Leave It Alone for 3-5 Days
If you've followed our recipe:
-
Day 3–5: callus tissue forms
-
Day 5–7: roots emerge
When all steps in this series are followed, rooting is predictable and repeatable.
Keep in Touch
I always enjoy hearing how these methods improve your cloning success.
Reach out anytime through the contact form.
Warm regards,
Michael Goldsmith
www.PermaClone.com
PS: My articles share the knowledge I’ve gained while developing and improving PermaClone collars with thousands of growers. Spread the word—PermaClone collars are engineered for unmatched sterility, longevity, and performance in aeroponic, DWC, and hydroponic systems. Need help choosing a size or designing a DIY system? I’m here for that too.
#PermaClone #getsterilegetcloning
Updated: November 29, 2025 -- improved clarity, refreshed product references, and verified current information.
Hello, shouldn’t the dosage for Rhizopon actually be different? Here is my research on this with Gemini.
User: Okay, how many grams of Rhizopon 1% do I need per gallon to get the same concentration?
AI: Okay, to achieve the same concentration of approximately 3.17 ppm of rooting hormone (IBA) using your Rhizopon AA 1% powder in one gallon (3.785 liters), let’s calculate it.
Given:
Desired concentration: 3.17 ppm pure IBA
Volume of the solution: 1 Gallon = 3.785 Liters
Concentration of Rhizopon AA 1% powder: 1% pure IBA
Step 1: Determine the total amount of pure IBA needed in one gallon.
3.17 ppm means 3.17 mg of pure IBA per liter.
For 3.785 liters, you will need:
3.17 mg/L×3.785 L≈12.00 mg pure IBA.
Step 2: Calculate the amount of Rhizopon AA 1% powder needed to obtain 12.00 mg of pure IBA.
Since the powder contains 1% IBA, you need to use a proportionally larger amount of the powder.
Powder amount=
Percentage of IBA in the powder
Required amount of pure IBA
Powder amount=
0.01
12.00 mg
=1,200 mg
Step 3: Convert milligrams to grams.
1,200 mg=1.2 g
Result:
You would need to use approximately 1.2 grams of Rhizopon AA 1% powder per gallon (approx. 3.785 liters) of water to achieve the same concentration of approximately 3.17 ppm rooting hormone as with 5 ml of the Homerex concentrate.
Is that meant to be 3% peroxide instead of 30%?
Thank you so much I cannot believe I found this I’ve had these nutrients here that makes a great clone solution I knew it would work looked it up and Bam found this thank you so much for posting this yeah baby
I’m very glad to have come across this product and technique for making clones. I will be ordering these pucks for my ez cloner. I currently grow in Current culture and have been using UC roots for years with good results. But I have been reading a lot about using bleach to cut back on cost. I hear on one side saying it’s good and on the other saying it’s bad. What would you guys recommend. Thanks.
Also I have the old Cch20 lids I believe 5.5 inches diameter. Do you sell pucks that will fit that size