Cut a healthy-looking lateral stem—not the main (terminal) stem—from the plant. Make the cut at a 45-degree angle and remove any leaves or stems from the bottom 1/2 of the cutting. Stick the bottom 1/3 of the cutting straight down into a pot containing a moist growing medium. Standard potting soil will work, but many growers prefer rockwool (fibrous cubes) or rooting plugs (also called “peat pellets”). Cover the pot and cutting with plastic or glass and keep it in a warm location that gets partial but not direct light. Keep the soil evenly moist by misting it as needed. Transplant the clone after about 2 weeks, by which time its roots should be about 3 in (7. 6 cm) long. Treat it as a normal adult plant from this point on.
To avoid potentially contaminating your container of willow shoot extract, pour a small amount into a little container (like a shot glass) and dip your cutting into that. Powdered willow extracts are also available. In this case, dip the bottom 1/3 of the cutting into the powder until it’s lightly coated. Willow extract can be purchased online for around $15-$30 USD. Here’s the bad news: when studied side-by-side, synthetic rooting hormone was at least twice as effective as willow shoot extract. [4] X Research source
If you’re not using fresh aloe, make sure to buy 100% aloe vera gel, which is widely available. No scientific studies have tested aloe’s effectiveness as a root stimulant for marijuana plants, and the results with other plant types aren’t all that great—the evidence ranges from promising[5] X Research source to barely encouraging. [6] X Research source
If you’re using rockwool or a rooting plug as a growing medium, you can instead soak the rockwool or plug for 30 minutes in a mixture of water and a spoonful each of aloe and kelp. Shop online for powdered aloe and kelp, or for aloe gel and liquid kelp.
Like many of the alternatives here, honey hasn’t been tested specifically with marijuana cuttings. But it commonly shows up in marijuana growers’ forums as an alternative to synthetic rooting hormones. You may also want to try using undiluted honey. Just dip your cutting into the honey and give it a light coating.
The anecdotal evidence for using cinnamon is based on experiments with succulents (plants like aloe and agave), not marijuana, so definitely take it with an extra grain of salt. [9] X Research source There’s no evidence that using fresh-ground cinnamon is more effective than packaged cinnamon powder, but that’s another option you can consider.
Turmeric is easy to find in the grocery store along with other spices.
While it’s nice to think that vinegar from your pantry will do the job, there’s really only one type of vinegar that has legit supporting evidence as a root stimulant—wood vinegar. Unfortunately, wood vinegar is a byproduct of charcoal production that isn’t widely available as a commercial product. [11] X Research source
Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, which is similar to (but not the same as) the salicylic acids that plants produce naturally.
Look for 100% Vitamin C powder at health and wellness retailers. Some growers call Vitamin C a “garden myth” as a root stimulant (along with aloe, cinnamon, and so on). [15] X Research source It’s really up to you whether you want to give them a try.
While there’s no evidence that human saliva works as a root stimulant, animal saliva does seem to aid in plant growth in the wild. [17] X Research source In case you’re wondering: supporters of using human saliva don’t mention any psychotropic effects from briefly sucking on marijuana cuttings.
