Clone Care Guide: The First 72 Hours
Your new clones have arrived! This guide will walk you through the critical first three days to ensure your plants acclimate properly and get the strongest possible start.
Day 1: Acclimation & First Inspection
Your clones have been on a journey. The primary goal today is to let them recover and adjust to their new environment without causing more stress.
- Unboxing: Carefully unpack your clones. Handle them by the rooting cube or the base of the stem, never by the leaves or delicate top.
- Inspection: Give each clone a gentle inspection. Look for healthy, white roots. The leaves may be slightly wilted from travel; this is normal.
- Low Light: Place the clones under a low-intensity light, like a T5 fluorescent or an LED dimmed to 25-30%. Keep the light 18-24 inches away from the plants. Do not expose them to intense light yet.
- Humidity Dome: Place a humidity dome over the clones to maintain high humidity (75-85% RH). This helps the leaves absorb moisture while the roots recover.
- No Nutrients Yet: Do not feed them any nutrients today. The rooting cube has enough to sustain them.
Day 2: Transplanting
Once the clones have perked up (usually within 24 hours), it’s time to give their roots a new home.
- Prepare Your Medium: Whether you’re using soil, coco, or hydroton, make sure your medium is prepared and slightly moist, but not soaking wet.
- Dig a Small Hole: Create a hole just large enough for the rooting cube.
- Transplant: Gently place the rooting cube into the hole, ensuring the top of the cube is level with the surface of your medium. Lightly pack the medium around the cube to secure the plant.
- First Watering: Water the plant in a small circle around the base of the stem with plain, pH-balanced water (pH 5.8-6.2 is ideal). This encourages the roots to grow outwards.
- Return to Dome: Place the newly transplanted clones back under the humidity dome and low light.
Day 3: Hardening Off
Today, we begin preparing the clones for the real world by gradually reducing humidity.
- Vent the Dome: Open the vents on your humidity dome. If your dome doesn’t have vents, prop it up slightly on one side to allow for air exchange.
- Monitor for Wilting: Keep a close eye on the plants. If they start to wilt, close the vents or dome for a few more hours before trying again.
- Light Intensity: You can slightly increase the light intensity or lower the light by a few inches.
Nutrient Recommendation
After the first 3-5 days, your clones will be ready for their first light feeding. We highly recommend the Athena Ag nutrient line for its simplicity and professional results. Start with a very light vegetative solution. You can find their complete feed schedule here.