Grow Manual MotherShip™/Roommate - BC Northern Lights

MotherShip/Roommate
Grow Manual
1

2
Table Of Contents
Growing in Your MotherShip
Vegetation Chamber
Growing from Seed
Transplanting
Hand Watering
The Mother Plant
Mother Plant Tips
Cloning
Flowering
Bending
Mixing Nutrients
Draining Hydro Tubs
Watering Cycles
Oxygenating & Flushing, Drying, Curing
Troubleshooting
Advanced Growing Tips
Journalizing Your Grow
Nutrients
Feeding Schedules
3
4
4
4
5
6
7
8
9
9
10
11
11
12
13
14
14
16,17,18
AppendixA

Growing in Your MotherShip
Before you begin using the MotherShip there are a few basic things you should
know about growing in the machine:
This manual provides you with detailed instructions to get your machine set up and growing. If there is any confusion
or questions, contact your BCNL rep, and we will make sure you get everything done and set up correctly.
Your environment - Ambient room temperature should be 68 to 72 degrees. Humidity is optimal at 80% for early
vegetation, 60% for later vegetation, and 40% for flowering. Keep in mind that these are optimal conditions and your
plants will put up with a wide variance. If you need any assistance meeting these desired conditions, please contact
BCNL support at 1-866-933-3269
The MotherShip is made to handle vegetation in a single chamber. If you wish to flower in the machine you will need
the RoomMate upgrade. Each stage of growth requires different light cycles and wavelengths. Vegetative growth
requires 18 hours of light in the blue wavelength, while flowering requires 12 hours of light in the red wavelength.
Typical Motherships will use 4 moms, or two moms and a power cloner. As a flowering machine you can put four
plants in soil or hydro.
125W CFL
18/6
OFF
24/7
GroSmart Veg/Flowering Chamber
Air Pump Override
12:14
18Hr Veg
DEL ALT
6
7
5
3 4
2
ESC OK
0 1
Hydro4 Tub
400W MH 400W HPS
(Optional With Romomate)
Carbon Filter
Exhaust
Castors
3

4
Vegetation Chamber
Growing from Seed
• Soak seeds in a cup of pH-balanced (5.6) water overnight. Do not let seeds soak more than 24 hours unless
case remains uncracked. When casing is cracked, seeds are ready to be placed in your one inch rock wool
cubes.
• Soak rock wool in pH-balanced (5.6) water for 30 minutes. Give them a light squeeze to remove excess water.
• Sew one seed in each rock wool cube. Place seed about 1⁄2 inch down center of cube with tap root pointing
down.
• Place rock wool cubes into the clone dome and place the lid on.
• Place in a warm dark location 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The seedling will begin to germinate over the next few days. As soon as growth is visible from the top of your
cubes, it is important to place the clone dome under your Metal Halide bulb.
HELPFUL HINT Keep rock wool moist, but do not over water. There should not be free standing water in the bottom of the dome.
When seedling has sprouted you can water with a very mild grow mixture (1/3 of your week 1 veg recipe). This is a
critical stage in training a healthy aggressive plant. Keep an eye on them and hand water when they are at about
10% moisture level. Your clone dome will help keep the moisture in and should be lifted once daily to allow new air
circulation. If your dampers remain closed and your ambient room temp is optimal it should stay moist for days.
Propagation
Clone Dome - The clone dome provided is used to propagate
roots from seedlings or cuttings. The seedlings are grown in
the dome until a good root system is visible protruding out of
the 1-inch rock wool cubes.
The close proximity to the bulb will allow water to condense
on the inside of the lid to create the warm humid environment
(80%) that is needed during the propagating stage. In
approximately 7 days roots should be visible out the bottom
of the cubes.
Begin hardening the plant by slowly opening the vents and
then raising the clear dome over the period of a few days. This
will get the plants used to the outside environment.
Transplanting Seedlings
Once the clones or seedlings have established roots and sat
uncovered for a day or two you can place them into the larger
3-inch rockwool cubes.
HELPFUL HINT
Presoak your 3” rockwool with a mild grow solution
before placing the 1” rooted rockwool inside. This
will act as your first hand watering.
You are now ready to place the 3-inch cubes in the 3.5-inch
mesh pots located in the Hydro12 tub.
Plant Basics
Leaf
Node
Branch
Stem
Root Ball
Root

Diagram: Hand Watering & Best Practices for Training Roots
HELPFUL HINT
1” Rockwool or
1” Rapid Rooter
Water the bottom
Growing Medium
1” Rockwool
NO Rapid Rooter
3” Rockwool
Hydro4 Tub
You may veg your plants in the Hydro4 tub for
as long as you like, but remember that plants
continue to grow in height during the flowering
stage. Allow yourself enough room so that the
plants will not hit the glass after 8 more weeks
in flower. Usually 10 to 14 days under MH or
when the plants are 5-8 inches tall is all you
need, assuming your roots are well established.
Oxygen is supplied to the water in the Hydro4
tub through an air pump. It is important that
the air pump be running at all times for two
reasons: 1) Before the roots touch water, they
will sense the mist that is caused by bubbles
breaking on the surface and “chase” the water
down, 2) Without dissolved oxygen in the
water, your roots will drown.
After the roots have grown out of the 1” rockwool cubes and are transplanted into the 4” cubes, they might not
be ready for the full watering schedule. You can mix up your vegetation solution in the Hydro4 tub, but it is better
to hand water the cubes as needed during this newly transplanted state. This is the crucial time in which your
plants will need some extra TLC. In order to train a more aggressive plant and to not water log the root ball, it is
recommended that you hand water when the 4-inch rockwool feels almost dry. If you are going out of town you
can always keep the water pump plugged in, but if you can be there to offer the extra care (unplug pump from
white clip and hand water) until roots start flourishing out the bottom of the 5” pots, then you will have a higher
success rate. Once the roots are coming out of the pots then you can plug in the water pump and leave it.
1” Rockwool or
1” Rapid Rooter
Hydroten
Stone
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6
The Mother Plant
The mother plant is grown in the 10-inch hydro pot provided and placed at the front of the machine for quick removal
when pruning or cuttings are required. After you have successfully propagated your seedlings or clones in the rock
wool cubes, place one of your female cuttings or seedlings into the large 10” hydro pot to be used as your mother
plant. Plant your mother into the coco brick growing medium provided (#1002). Watch that the plant does not touch
the fluorescent bulb, and trim it back before it reaches the bulb. The mother plant 10” hydro pot will need to be filled
with a mild vegetative nutrient (fig 4.3). Keep an eye on your water level (bouyancy meter), but it should need to only
be replenished every 4-7 days.
HELPFUL HINT
Using Coco Coir
• Place half the brick in a bucket and add
water a few cups at a time. Break up the
brick and mix well. Keep adding water
until the brick is totally expanded and
you have fluffy moist soil like mixture.
• Pour the coco mixture into your 1
gallon pot and plant your seedling
or cutting that you would like to be
your mother plant into the coco brick
growing medium.
Mother Maintenance
Week 1 onward (1 GAL/4L Water)
Common & Grow – 2 ml each
When mixing your nutrients for your 10” mother
plant hydro pot, it will hold 2 L of water. If an
extended leave is required you can always add
more water. Try not to do this often as it can drown
your roots.
Growing Medium Hydro Pots
Soil...
Dipstick
Water Intake
Tube
Plant Mix, Soil, CoCo
Perlite
Reservoir
HELPFUL HINT Apply VHO as a foliar spray to encourage lots of healthy robust clones.
Sub Irrigation
Container
Platform
Base
Moat Area
Aeration
Drainage
Holes

Mother Plant Tips
Bending and splitting will create a plant with more branches which means more clones!
Bending
Splitting
Splitting
Cut
Tie Ti Down
7

How to Take Clones
8
Cloning...
First cut
Multiple
Cuttings
Water + B52
Final Cut
45º
Set up cloning station. You will need: Bowl of water, scalpel, clean cutting surface, rooting gel, rooting medium,
clone dome. Optional items: B52 or Organic B, Isopropyl Alcohol
• Choose a mother plant that is at least 6 weeks old before taking cuttings.
• Presoak 1 inch rock wool cubes in a mild pH balanced grow solution for 30 minutes. You can mix in a light
solution of JumpStart and VooDoo juice to assist root development.
• Mix up a bowl of ph balanced water (and light B vitamin if you have it).
• Using a scalpel, cut a 45-degree angle across a firm branch about 3 to 4 inches from the end of the branch.
Make sure you have at least 2 sets of leaves on the end. When cutting your branch, make the cut halfway
between sets of nodes.
• Immediately place multiple cuttings in the bowl of water. This will prevent air bubbles from getting trapped in
the center of the stem and the B vitamin will reduce shock.
• One by one, take each cutting out of the bowl of water and make a final 45 degree cut at the bottom. You can
also shave off the sides of the tip up to about 1/8” to stimulate lateral root development
• Take the bottom end of cutting and dip in rooting gel and place in 1” rockwool cube. Be careful not to rub off
gel when pushing the clone into the cube.
• Place cubes in your clone dome. Place the clone dome under the Metal Halide bulb on the clone shelf
provided in the Vegetation chamber.
1/8 “
One at a time
HELPFUL HINT Try cutting your 45 degree final cut under water to prevent an air bubble in the stem.
1” Rockwell or
1” Rapid Rooter

Flowering Chamber (Roommate)
The flowering stage will take 6 to 10 weeks depending on type of plants grown. When the plants have been grown to
approximately 6-12 inches in height in the vegetation chamber and have a good root structure the chamber should
be powered down, switched to HPS (flowering) bulbs and powered up in flowering mode.
HELPFUL HINT
Bending
Tie a piece of twine loosely around the base of your
stem
Slowly wrap the twine upwards around the stalk, be
sure not to pinch any nodes or break any branches
Stop wrapping about 3/4 of the way up the stalk and
then tie off the string to another plant, a weight or one
of the anchor screws for your cloning shelf.
HELPFUL HINT
HELPFUL HINT
Once you have found plants that you are happy with, you will have to experiment with the amount of vegetation
time required. Some plants grow tall quickly while others are bushier. If you leave the plants in the vegetative
stage for too long they may grow into the glass during the flowering cycle as they will continue to grow in height.
If the plants touch the glass they should be trained to bend by using string or they may overheat.
Take your time with this. Bend the plants
over a week or two and they will eventually
hold their position.
The plants should not be disturbed when
they are in the darkness stage of their
day. It stresses them out, reduces yields
and may lead to hermaphrodite plants.
• z
WARNING
Please ensure that there is always at
least 3 gallons of water in the flowering
reservoir when the machine is plugged in
so that the pump does not run dry.
• z
WARNING
It is imperative that the air pump be
running at all times as it provides the
oxygen necessary for the roots to stay
alive. You can override the air pump to
keep things quiet while you’re cloning,
but make sure you don’t have anything
rooted in the Hydro18 tub.
Bending Your Plant
Tie Ti Down
9

10
Mixing Nutrients
With every RoomMate we have included a Rubbermade Mixing tub w/
drain hose and a measuring syringe. These are used to drain your nutrients
from the hydro tub and to mix your nutrients for filling and drain back into
the reservoir. The measuring syringe is used to pull up the amount of
nutrients that the feeding schedule (Appendix A) calls for. We have teamed
up with Future Harvest to develop the ultimate feeding schedule. If you
have purchased a Future Harvest Package from us, refer to the nutrient
recipes in Appendix A.
Filling Hydro Tubs
To fill your Hydro tubs, first add the following amount of water into your
mixing tub or bucket:
Tub / Amount of Water
Hydro12 = 3 gallons or 11 litres
Hydro9 = 6.5 gallons or 24 litres
Hydro18 = 9 gallons or 34 litres
Hydro4 = 4.5 gallons or 16 litres
Next, follow the nutrient recipes outlined in Appendix A or consult your nutrient manufacturer’s instructions.
PH Balancing
Plant growth occurs best when there is an optimal pH level. pH Balancing your water and nutrient mixture is of the
utmost importance. It is recommended that a pH pen be used to monitor your pH levels to ensure productive healthy
plants. First you will need to calibrate your pH pen.
• Pour a couple of ounces of calibration solution (buffer 7.0) in a small cup or shotglass. (fig 1)
• Turn pH pen on and place in solution. (fig 2)
• Using the small screwdriver turn dial on the back of the pen until it reads 7.0 (fig 3)
• Discard calibration solution. Do not re-use.
• Once you have successfully calibrated your pen you are ready to accurately measure the pH. You should recalibrate
your pen every couple of weeks. When you are ready to add a nutrient mixture to your plants pH
balance and adjust accordingly.
To Balance
• Place pH pen in nutrient mixture.
• If pH reads above 6.2 you will need to add pH down. Add a few drops at a time until pH reads 5.6. Be careful
not to pour too much in the mixture.
• If pH reads below 5.6 you will need to add pH up. Add a few drops at a time until pH reads 5.6. Be careful not
to pour too much in the mixture.
• Turn off pH pen after using it and place in a couple ounces of calibration or storage solution. You do not want
the probe to dry out.
• Prop open lid or remove your veg or flower tub lids.
• Drain your nutrient mixture into the tub. (see “draining hydro tubs” next page)
• z Do not immerse your pH or PPM pen more than 1 to 2 inches into the nutrient or calibration solutions. They are
WARNING not waterproof.
HELPFUL HINT
pH UP and pH DOWN can be acquired at aquarium shops and pool /spa outlets. You can also use baking soda
for UP and lemon juice for DOWN if you get in a pinch.
fig 1
fig 2
fig 3

GroSmart
open closed
fig 4 fig 5
Watering Cycles
The irrigation system is programmed to come on every morning from 8:45am to 8:50am, allowing your plants to
soak up all the water they need for the day before the lights come on. This ensures your root ball receives an early
morning watering to give the the necessary nutrient dose and salt flush.
HELPFUL HINT
12:14
18Hr Veg
The water override switch is only used to drain your tubs (see section on draining your tubs). You can also utilize this
switch to give your plants an extra dose of plain pH balanced water during the final week of flowering to assist in
the final flush. If for some reason the switch has been left in the override up position by accident, it will only run for
20 minutes to ensure you do not drown your roots.
Draining Hydro Tubs
DEL ALT
6
5
3 4
2
ESC OK
7
0 1
Water OverRide
• z The water rocker switch must be returned to the down position for the control center to automatically water
WARNING your plants.
Draining your hydro tubs should be done every seven days.
To drain:
• Ensure the water rocker switch is in the down position. (fig 4)
• Attach the hose from your Rubbermade mixing tub to the end of the fitting on your hydro tub. Please ensure that
your hose is attached firmly, then open (turn until the valve follows the hose lines) both the Rubbermade tub and
the Reservoir top valves. (see page 10) (fig 5)
• Turn the water rocker switch to the override (up) position. Water should begin to flow. Ensure flow setting on H2O
pump is set to Max.
• When your tub is nearly empty turn the water rocker switch back to the down position. DO NOT RUN THE PUMP
DRY!!
• Close the ball valve (on both the Tub lid and the Rubbermade tub) and remove your drain hose. You are now
ready to refill your tub with the following weeks nutrient mixture.
HELPFUL HINT
Place a book or block under the front of the tub to push that last inch of nutrient solution through the pump
at the back. Use a ShopVac to suck out any additional water or nutrient residue, but be mindful of the roots!
HELPFUL HINT Please ensure your valve on the tub lid is closed after you have drained the reservoir.
HELPFUL HINT
Hydro Tub Valves
Hand watering is recommended for the first week after transplanting from 1” rockwool to 4” cubes. Rather
than possibly over watering with your pump thru its feeding schedule.
Check reservoir water levels periodically. The plants will use more water at different stages of growth and
evaporation can be a factor in raising PPMs. If the water levels are low just simply add pH balanced water
until desired PPMs are achieved.
11

Oxygenating Your Roots
Plant roots require water and oxygen in order to stay alive and flourish. The air pump provides oxygen into the water
in the tubs via the airstones that sit in the bottom.
12
HELPFUL HINT
Liquid Oxygen or H202 can be added to the nutrient mixture. Always dilute liquid oxygen in water before
adding to your tubs.
• z Liquid Oxegen or H202 should not be used with Voodoo Juice, organic nutrients or beneficial bacteria such as
WARNING Plantacillin, Piranha and Tarantula. It will kill them.
Flushing, Drying and Curing
These final stages separate good growers from bad growers. By properly flushing, drying and curing your plants
you will ensure that they retain the best aroma and taste.
For a simple flush, do not feed your plants any nutrients in the last week of flowering. Products such as Final Phase
can be used in the final week to bind with fertilizers and accelerate their decomposition in the plant. Otherwise, use
only de-chlorinated and ph balanced water in your tubs during the final week. Don’t be shy if you wish to start flushing
with two weeks left, it all depends on how hungry your plants have been and how heavy the feeding has gone. Over
time you will figure out how long is best to flush.
Drying
BCNL’s Dryer is designed to accelerate drying times while eliminating odours and mess. When using The Dryer, make
sure you have manicured your flowers and removed any thick stems. Place the flowers evenly on the screen and plug
the device in. Depending on your climate, you will need to experiment with drying times, but typically you would need
5-7 days to dry your flowers.
Curing
Aromatic flowers will develop best if left to cure in a sealed mason jar for one week to two months. If you have the
patience, place your dried product into mason jars but be sure not to pack things too tight. For the next week or so,
open the jars once per day and move the flowers around.
After the first week, assuming there is no moisture build up, you should be able to keep them in the jars and open
them once a day for fresh air. You can store your flowers up to two months like this and the aroma should continually
improve.
• z
WARNING
Watch carefully for signs of moisture when curing. Any moisture trapped in the jars could cause mold. If you see
signs of moisture, such as fogginess on the glass, just be sure to open your jars a couple of times each day or
place your product into The Dryer for additional drying time.

Trouble Shooting
We put together some trouble shooting tips to help you achieve the best yields possible. Feel free to check out the
Attack Pack, which will increase your chances at seeing a glorious yield. Call your BCNL rep for more info.
Spider Mites
These nasty little buggers like to suck the chlorophyll from your plants, which robs them of photosynthesis and will
eventually kill them. Telltale signs of spider mites are little webs all over your plants. The easiest way to deal with
spider mites is to spray with a commercial pesticide such as Dr. Doom. Never spray commercial pesticides after
week 5 of flower and only do so sparingly just before the lights go off for the night.
1. An organic spray solution:
1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 litre spray bottle with water
Mix the baking soda into the full water bottle then pour in the vegetable oil. While shaking constantly, spray the
plants from the top and underside. Be liberal with your spraying so you cover the plants. This will coat the bugs
and drown them while the baking soda protects from mold and mildew. If you’re lucky you will get them before
they have bred and you will only have to do this once. More likely you will have to repeat this process after 2 or 3
weeks, as the first round of eggs hatch. By using this organic approach you can spray right up to the beginning
of week 7.
Mold and Mildew
To troubleshoot, first check the humidity levels in your environment. Humidity should range from 80% in the clone
dome to 40% in the flowering chamber. If you are noticing lots of condensation in your box or the room in which it is
stored, a de-humidifier or air-conditioner can help a lot. Anti-fungal sprays such as Serenade can be used on powdery
mildew, but be careful to read the manufacturer’s instructions.
Included in the attack pack are great preventative products for mold and mildew.
Roots
Healthy roots should be bushy and white. If your roots are brown, try smelling them. If it smells like rot or mildew,
it is. Beneficial Bacterias such as Plantacillin will work to clean up roots by converting waste material to food. But
some growers recommend flushing with PH balanced water and a hydrogen peroxide solution between each weekly
feeding. Whether or not you do this weekly, this is still a good way to solve many problems such as root rot, nutrient
lock, over fertilizing, & many other problems. Simply mix 1 tsp of 30% hydrogen peroxide for every gallon of PH
balanced water. Drain nutrients & replace with mixture. Run the twice a day top feed for at least 2 days.
• z Do not use HyOX or H202 with any of the beneficial bacterias (Plantacillin, Piranha, Tarantula, SensiZym,
WARNING VooDoo Juice) - it will kill them.
Temperature
Optimal room temperature is 68-72 degrees. The temperature inside your flowering chamber will run about 6 degrees
hotter. If you need help getting your temperatures dialed, please call BCNL support 1-866-933-3269 for some easy
fixes.
Smell
HELPFUL HINT
Mold, mildew, fungus and bugs love dead leaves. Be sure to keep your growing space tidy and free from dead
leaves. Keep down excessive vegetation to improve airflow.
Your carbon filter will provide unmatched odour control, however, certain factors such as environmental humidity, age
of the filter or structural damage to the machine can reduce its performance. To preserve the life of your filter, only
attach it when you are noticing smell. Typically this will occur after you have put your plants into flower, but some
plants can be quite smelly while still in veg.
If your environment is tuned and you are still having problems with odours, Ona odour neutralizer is an excellent
product. To use Ona, simply pour the liquid into a bowl and place it on top or inside of your machine.
Additionally, pro-grade external BCNL filters and fans can be added to any room, but they are not typically required.
13

Chilling
14
Advanced Growing Tips
Adding Ph balanced ice cubes to your reservoir will increase the amount of dissolved oxygen that your water can hold.
Your plants will love the extra boost. Do this at least once per week and you will have better oxygen retention, better
nutrient uptake and more stable PPM’s.
HELPFUL HINT Only add PH balanced cubes if reservoir temp is too high.
At the end of week 8, to improve the production of aromatic resins, turn off the lights in your indoor garden but leave
the plants inside. Pour ice water/cubes into your reservoir and let the plants sit in the dark with their roots chilling for
two days. Then cut them down.
Additional Airflow
You can lower your room temp dramatically by exhausting your HPS exhaust fans out of the room. Do so by hooking
up ducting to the light exhaust fans, and run it into another room or outside. Your box will run much cooler. . Collars
can be purchased from BCNL and the clamps for ducting. Ducting can be purchased at any hardware depot, like
Home Depot.
Nutrient Overview
BC Northern Lights has teamed up with Future Harvest to offer you the best custom feeding schedule available. If you
have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call anyone of our 5 helpful reps, who are on call 7 days a week.
The measuring syringe is used to pull the nutrients from the nutrients jug. The unit of measurement on the syringe is
CC’s, (same as ml’s). Same as on recipe.
The Rubbermaid tub has 2 purposes. One is to drain your old nutrients from the reservoir into the Rubbermaid tub. The
other is to mix your new nutrients in it, then to drain them into the reservoir tub.
To Drain old nutrients from your reservoir to your Rubbermaid tub, simply connect drain hose to your Rubbermaid and
to the drain valve on your reservoir tub lid. Open valves and then switch the watering switch on to override. (ensure the
flow setting on your pump is set to max). Drain, then close both valves. DO NOT RUN PUMP DRY.
To Drain new nutrients from Rubbermaid tub into your reservoir tub, simply place Rubbermaid tub on a higher surface
then the reservoir. Place drain hose from Rubbermaid tub under the reservoir tub lid. Then open the valve on the drain
hose.

Nutrient Packs
Mother Plant Maintenance
VEG Per LITRE |
Week 1 2 3+ 4
Grow 0.4 0.7 1 1.5
Common 0.5 0.8 1 1.5
* Veg Boom Plus 1 1 1 1
*GOLD PACKAGE ONLY
15

16
Appendix A: Custom Feeding Schedules
When plants are approx. 1” tall, they can be hand watered with Week 1 @ ½ strength.
You can buy all the below products, which will help with crop protection, but they are not a necessity. To try more of the
products you see below or any questions, please contact your BCNL sales rep.
DIRECTIONS
Measurements are ml / cc per reservoir.
Always add Common rst, mix well then add Grow or Flower dependant on cycle.
VEG ROOMMATE | 16 LITRE
Week 1 2 3+ 4
Grow 6.4 11.2 16.0 24.0
Common 8.0 12.0 16.0 24.0
* Veg Boom Plus 16 16 16 16
*GOLD PACKAGE ONLY
FLOWER ROOMMATE | 16 LITRE
Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Flower 56.0 64.0 80.0 80.0 96.0 96.0 96.0
Common 56.0 64.0 80.0 80.0 64.0 64.0 64.0
SILVER ADDITIVES
Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Super B+ 32 32 32 32 32 32
CarboBlast 32 32 32 32 32 32
Bud Boom 32 32 32
GOLD ADDITIVES - gold packages include all Silver additives
Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Plantacillin 4 4 4 4 4 4
Bud Start 32
Ton O Bud 32 32
Veg Boom Plus Used in veg cycle only!
Bud Boom Plus 32 32 32 32 32 32
Royal Gold 32 32 32 32 32 32
Fulvic
Prop O Gator Wicked roots accelerator - use once roots are established
Quick Roots The cloning gel for quick roots