If there’s anything challenging for new cultivators of tissue culture plants, it is the acclimation and transplanting process. It’s not quite like the traditional clone that we, as cultivators, are used to. The plantlets require different care when they land at your facility.
Here are some tips and tricks we’ve found that work well for us. If you find something that works well for you, our Product Development team would love to hear about it.
- When you’re ready to transplant, start by setting up your transplant table in an 80-400 PPFD area of your facility. Remove the film layer on the sterile plant pack and remove the rooting tray carefully.
- Wearing gloves, submerge the rooting tray in a Trichoderma-based inoculant per the inoculant label between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Any Trichoderma product that is listed to fight/protect against fusarium and pythium should help protect the plantlets. Remove from inoculant solution after being submerged for 20-30 seconds and set on your working table. Remember, these plants are coming from an extremely sterile environment and are still developing their immune systems like a seedling. This step bolsters their immune system.
- Using a brand new, completely unused substrate is recommended to optimize your success rate. Wet your substrate with pH balanced (5.7-6.4) water with enough nutrient 0.5 EC-2.0 EC to saturate the media. If in doubt, start lower with the EC. Ideally, the water temp should be between 65 and 70 degrees.
- Wearing gloves, gently remove the rooting cube from the tray. Place the rooting cube in the saturated media in a 3-4” pot or plug for coco, 2-4” rockwool cube, or 3-4” pot for soilless media. Place even or just below the substrate line. Make sure the plug does not stick up above the substrate. The plug and its roots must be snugly touching the semi-saturated media.
- At this stage, give a light feeding around each plantlet with 1-2 oz of 5.7 to 6.4 pH water with 0.5-2.0 EC in 65-70 degree water.
- Depending on the ability to control humidity, place freshly transplanted tissue culture clones in a 70-80% RH environment or a 10” x 20” tray covered with a humidity dome (vents open) for 1.5-2 days.
- Remove the domes after 2 days. Based on your temperatures and humidity, the plant will likely not need water yet, but you should check daily for signs of moisture stress. You are on the right track as soon as you see the plant perk up and identify new healthy growth. After the first few days, backing off to 50-75% humidity is adequate for the next 5-8 days and beyond.
Between day 3 to 6 from transplant (depending on your environment), your clones will need a second feeding. Water each plant with 2-4 oz at 0.5-2.0 EC, 65-70 degree water. - Days 7 to 12 are when you want to increase your PPFD above 500. A ramp-up is ideal if the plants remain healthy, perky, and stress-free. As long as the health permits, ramp up fertilizer as well.
Extra Tips for Indoor Success
- If your plants display any signs of stress in the first ten days, we recommend backing off on the light. The plantlets enjoy lighting levels between 80 and 400 PPFD. If in doubt, start low. Especially if this is your first time with tissue culture plantlets, focus on health, not speed. Attempting to shave a few days off with too much light could be the difference between 100% success and an even canopy and 10%+ losses and an uneven canopy.
- Make sure you sanitize your pots with a sanitizer solution and ensure the contact time meets the sanitizer label requirements.
- Not all cultivars will respond well to high ECs. If in doubt, start low.
- pH range will vary depending on the substrate. Rockwool prefers 5.7-6.0. Coco prefers 5.9.-6.3 Soilless prefers 6.1-6.5
Recommended Environmental Conditions by Day
Days 0-2
Temperature: 68-78 degrees F
Humidity: 80%
Irrigation pH: 5.7-6.5
EC: 0.2-2.0
Light level: 80-300 ppfd
Water temperature: 65–70 degrees F
Days 3-5
Temperature: 65-84 degrees F
Humidity: 60-80%
Irrigation pH: 5.7-6.5
EC: 0.2-2.0
Light level: 100-350 ppfd
Water Temperature 65-70 degrees F
Days 5-7
Temperature: 65-84 degrees F
Humidity: 60-75%
Irrigation pH: 5.7-6.5
EC: 0.5-2.0
Light level: 150-450 ppfd
Water Temperature 65-70 degrees F
Days 7-10
Temperature: 65-84 degrees F
Humidity: 50-75%
Irrigation pH: 5.7-6.5
EC: 1.0-2.0
Light Level: 200-800 ppfd
Water Temperature 65-70 degrees F
Substrates: Any
Container size: 2”-4”
Feed: 0.2-2.0 until well established. Increase depending on health and vigor.
Humidity: Start at 70-80%. Taper to desired vegetative environment.
Light Intensity: 80-500 PPFD. Increase depending on health and vigor.