Hydroponic Cloning vs. Seeding

Most hydroponics gardeners begin their first hydroponics systems using seeds. Once the crop reaches maturation, you can save the seeds for use in your next hydroponic crop, or you can take cuttings of the plant stems and propagate the new plants using "cloning" methods - nothing like the controversial cloning method used to copy an animal's DNA.

Is it better to use seeds or to clone in hydroponic systems? The answer to that question probably depends on who you ask. Some hydroponics gardeners are champions of cloning. Others are do-or-die seed supporters. Either propagation method is perfectly valid for hydroponics. However, they are very different in the way they are carried out.

Seed Propagation

Remember, in grammar school, putting a bean into a cup with a wet paper towel and watching it for hours on end to see the root emerge during germination? Seed germination can be just as exciting for adults. In hydroponics systems, you normally soak the seeds overnight, then plant them in a special hydroponics germination medium. Before you know it, the seed will sprout, and you need to provide light. In hydroponic systems, this stage of growth is usually lit by florescent bulbs, which are much cooler than other bulbs and less likely to burn or dry out the sprout.

When the seedling grows a good root system and the first mature leaves appear, you can switch from water to a hydroponic nutrient solution and other compounds that help protect the delicate seedling. After the seedling grows to a couple of inches in height, it's time to transplant it. Look for special hydroponic nutrients that help the seedling cope with the stress of transplantation.

Cloning Again and Again

After you've grown a full-blown plant, you can use the stems to propagate new plants with a method called cutting or cloning. To accomplish this, with a very sharp blade, simply cut the stem in two places at a 45-degree angle to isolate a leaf set that becomes the new plant. Cut the stem just above the leaf set to remove the flower. Cut the stem again below a second set of leaves, then trim off the lower, second set of leaves, leaving the first set of leaves at the top of the cutting. It's important to cut all the clones to about the same height to make it easier to light them consistently. After making the bottom cut, immediately put the bottom end of the cutting into a treatment solution specially designed to minimize the damage of the cut.

After you've prepared the cuttings, place them into the hydroponic growing medium of your choice. Keep the clones warm constantly using a heating mat set at about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Sometimes a space heater is needed to assure the room's air is not too cool. Room temperature should be about 70 degrees.

Add florescent lights a few inches above the cuttings to provide as intense a light as possible during this critical time, without adding too much potentially damaging heat. High-intensity (HID) hydroponic lights are not appropriate at this stage. If you have to use them, make sure they are high enough above the plants to keep the heat from drying out or damaging the cuttings. After the cuttings grow roots, then you can carefully use a higher intensity light, which isn't a bad idea, because it will make the cuttings grow faster - which is the whole reason for hydroponic growing systems, right?

To make your cuttings happy and healthy, increase the humidity around the leafy tops by adding a cover to the tray. However, be careful to allow enough oxygen for optimum growth and to avoid mildew. If necessary, poke some holes in the cover to allow air to enter the growing space.

So, which propagation method is better for hydroponics? Some say seeds. Some say clones. Seeds. Clones. Seeds. Clones. Let's call the whole thing off! No, let's just decide which propagation method sounds more fun and satisfying to you. That's probably the one you should use. Or try them both to see which one works best for your specific growing conditions.