HARDENING OFF
T
aking cuttings and germinating seeds can be a stressful time for plants and growers alike. Find out how to alleviate most of the anxiety and make sure your plants are ready to take off when they hit the main grow room.
In the beginning Star ting a grow can be a daunting prospect. You may have been focusing all your energy on getting everything ready for the main flower room, making sure the expensive equipment is installed correctly, and the whole thing is hermetically sealed. As the last piece of the hor ticultural puzzle falls into place, it dawns on you that you have neglected the very first bit of a plant’s life and have no choice but to obtain some cuttings swiftly. Being late in the afternoon, you whip your phone out and dial a friend’s number to try and get something sor ted before the day is out. After a long period of ringing, the phone is answered.
Humid pr opagator c onditions result in ‘weak’ foliage. Therefore, har dening pl ant s of f c orre c tly is a cr ucial par t of pr opagating a cut ting , and when done c orre c tly, will se t them of f on a path to a highly suc c es s f ul har ves t .
*Muff led noises and groans. “Hello?” you ask. *Muff les turn to a hacking cough, as if someone were attempting to cough out their lungs. “Errrr…. hello?” you apprehensively try for a second time. *Clunking noises and unnecessary expletives, a raspy and out of breath voice f inally materializes from the speaker. “Y’alright, man. Sorry, bro; I’ve just woke up.” “Early bird gets the worm, eh? Well, I was hoping you still had some cuts available.” “Say no more fam; I got you, cuz.” “Because of what?” “Never mind newms; I’ll drop me round later. Safe.”
In general, plants are frickin’ tough
ies and child-like enthusiasm to star t your nursery. However, don’t be too hasty; with all this equipment and total control at your finger tips, it can sometimes be tempting to give your plants too much of the ‘kid glove’ treatment.
Plants are tough SOB’s
In general, plants are frickin’ tough. As an example, you can take a cutting of your favorite fast-flowering annual, put it in a glass of water on a window-sill, and it will happily root after 10 to 14 days, ready to be planted and grow quite rapidly. No need for the propagators, rooting hormones, nursery plugs or environmental control gear you just spent a small for tune on; they only require a small top-up of water every few days. Although, with proper use, these other tools can reap huge benefits. The keywords in that last sentence were ‘proper use’. Propagators and the like are great when it comes to increasing the timeframe and success of rooting clones, but while giving your young plants optimal conditions to produce new roots, it may not be so ideal when it comes to producing its new shoots. Humid propagator conditions result in ‘weak’ foliage. Therefore, hardening plants off correctly is a crucial par t of propagating a cutting, and when done correctly, will set them off on a path to a highly successful harvest.
Upon hanging-up, you immediately regret having made the call in the first place. When the cuttings arrive, they confirm all your paranoid suspicions. Lack-lustre, gangly-looking plants half bereft of life, also spor ting some suspect white specks on the leaves. Also, he decided to travel with an entourage of rudely inquisitive friends.
There is another way Rather than having to spend months reviving half-dead plants, the best solution is to star t from your mother stock or seedlings. After a quick trip to the local hydro store, you whizz back home with all the high-tech necessar73
