Iv seen/read that a small split A few mm long right through the angle cut works also haven’t tried it myself but someone may want to give it a go
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I like to select lower growth to clone. Scrape and cutting at an angle across an internode works well for me. Into clonex gell immediately after angle cut then into rapid rooter soaked in clonexed water. I mist one time as clones are put in floater tray. I use a floater tray that floats the rapid rooters in the same clonex/water solution used to pre soak the RRs. I use a dome and wrap clear wrap around the seam for the first 3-4 days under gentle 24 hour lighting. After 3 days I open one corner and pour out the clonex water and let them sit for couple more days and then open the hood vents a lil each day. 7-10 days roots usually appear. Constant temps around 70 seem to work well for me.
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Good to hear I am not alone in selecting the cutting from below productive level.
I will take top cutting next try with aero cloner.
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i did 21 spots in a (food safe) 5gallon bucket painted black, pretty sure i used a 1.5" hole saw and made my own ‘neoprene pucks’ out of 1" styrofoam cut in to circles … i used a pill bottle turned upside down to trace the circles … although i’ve just been rooting cuttings in a cup of coco lately
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I’ve cloned the top too but it seems to be easier to get the lower growth to root in my experience.
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Yep, you’ve pretty much got it lol. Cloning is black magic, what works in one garden doesn’t work in the next.
I think the principles are: moist (not wet) and oxygenated medium, humidity over 80% or so to account for inability to transpirate, and relatively higher temps. From there its just a matter of dialing things in
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Good advise post Captain Skunk, you have knack for that!
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Yo. Anybody say ‘sterilize’? 
Isopropyl dip your cuttings & tools & hands, microwave your hydrated peat pots 30s on high 
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If you dont have a ton of extra time and are trying to clone a lot of plants then you cant beat an aero cloner. Just chop extras n put em in the cloner and leave em for 2wks to over a month.
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Started wondering about light.
I have been using LED at 24" over the clone bed. Seedlings thrive at this distance, but I am beginning to wonder, is the light intensity is too much for cuttings?
I have used pairs of 45W CFL, inches above the humidity dome with success. The same conditions result is substantial stretching of seedlings.
Also light related, I have the light set on 16/8hr. It is in a room with a shaded window, but I prefer it to be off during the dead of night. I could switch to 24hr if that is the limiting factor.
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I use a total of 14.5W LED for my rooting area, thinking 1x 45w CFL would be more then plenty
The midt section of this closet, and that is enough light for me to get nice roots.
Many clones die simply to the fact, they get too much light and they start to grow.
Given they have no roots, they will use the energy stored in them on new growth and die.
We want them to use that energy on roots, so less light might be the key if your using 2x 45W CFL
Back when I grew on commercial scale, I would use 4x 36 Watt Fluro/CFL for 6-700 clones on a 4x8 ft. table.
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“Many clones die simply to the fact, they get too much light and they start to grow.
Given they have no roots, they will use the energy stored in them on new growth and die…”
Words of wisdom, clearly from experience. Thank you.
I suspect I have the source of my problem identified.
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looks like you have it going on there, Darth!
regards,
mike28086
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Out with the LED grow lamp and in with a medium power CFL.
Electric heater to combat the temp swings and 24 hr on-time.
I intend to take another round of cutting, two from the bottom and two from the vigorous tops.
Will continue to nurse along the survivors, be nice to have a second strain in the garden.
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Not fully read through this thread read about air clones and dwc fancy stuff but I genuinely just chop the cut to where I’m happy with it, dip it in some clonex root hormone gel then some reggae roots powder. I shove it into a small pot of plain coco presoaked in PHed water.
Under the HPS and within 3-5 days you’ve got plenty of roots there no need for building DWC systems or aero cloners simple works and has for a long while.
Not saying to not make one of these better systems if they truly are better but I have no issues but just my two cents on things 
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Thank you Explorer, your experience is part of our collective knowledge.
I thought I was following best practice, but forgot about a significant variable. Too much light, too early on defeats the best intentions.
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Haha was about to throw an edit on the post when I say under a HPS I mean like 4-5 foot below the HPS so ya don’t fry them up but it works perfectly fine and they need to go into a prop unless you have a humidifier but then when they start shooting up for the light adjust height but 100% success rate I’ve not had a baby die on me in a long while
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Stoner, You know I"m the clone Queen. LMAO Nice to see you here 
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“Best” is a pretty subjective term, I do know there are a million ways to skin a cat as the saying goes…I was once challenged to be more “ghetto” in my growing…I’ve found sterility/humidity are the only things that matter…so with absolute sterility in mind this is what I used to clone…
Yep that’s a plastic takeout bag, wiped the inside out with alchy, cut my clone off the plant (straight cut, scissors dipped in alchy) dip cutting into alcy, then cram in the dirt…then right into this bag, sprayed the inside with water, stick the solo in and let it do it’s thing, sprayed it down a few times and aired out…took about 11 days for me to keep it out of the bag and it being self sustained… in the gheeeeeeeeeto
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