DIY aero cloner

[TerrapinBlazin]

This is my next project and it seems easy enough. I ordered the foam inserts already and I’m looking for the right sprayer nozzles. Everything else is just a quick trip to Lowe’s. I’ll keep this updated as stuff comes in. I’m just building one of the simple bucket ones. A buddy of mine who grows a lot more than I do says nothing but great things about them.

Anyone here built an aero cloner already and have any tips for me? I just want to do a small one because I don’t anticipate ever needing to take more than 5 or so clones at a time.

 

[Airwalker16]

Amazon.com: 60 Pack RED xGarden 360 Degree Micro Sprayer Fan Jet - For Hydroponic and Aeroponic Misters and Cloners: Kitchen & Dining

Amazon.com: 60 Pack RED xGarden 360 Degree Micro Sprayer Fan Jet - For Hydroponic and Aeroponic Misters and Cloners: Kitchen & Dining

www.amazon.com

 

[Airwalker16]

This is my next project and it seems easy enough. I ordered the foam inserts already and I’m looking for the right sprayer nozzles. Everything else is just a quick trip to Lowe’s. I’ll keep this updated as stuff comes in. I’m just building one of the simple bucket ones. A buddy of mine who grows a lot more than I do says nothing but great things about them.

Anyone here built an aero cloner already and have any tips for me? I just want to do a small one because I don’t anticipate ever needing to take more that 5 or so clones at a time.

Go to Lowe's and snag one of their black 5gal SQUARE BUCKETS they've had for a bit now before their gone. If mine wasn't already built with a round one, I'd be on that. Still might replace mine with a square one.

 

[TerrapinBlazin]

Yeah that’s a very good idea. Easier to build the plumbing and more clone sites with a square bucket.

Those are the nozzles I ended up getting but I got green ones, 360 degree pattern.

Will a cheap 30gph pond pump produce enough pressure to make a nice mist with these nozzles, or am I gonna have to buy some high end magnetic drive pond pump? The only stuff I wanted to order online for this build was the nozzles and foam inserts.

 

[Just Be]

I'm thinking about doing the same thing but using one of these mist makers from amazon.

 

[TerrapinBlazin]

I'm thinking about doing the same thing but using one of these mist makers from amazon.

I think that’s an ultrasonic fogger and those don’t actually shoot droplets of water. Those work like coolmist humidifiers.

Usually aero cloners are made from a bucket or tub with a lid, and inside the tub there’s a pump that moves the water up through the nozzles and provides your cuttings with a constant supply of water and oxygen. My friend says all you have to do is PH the water. No nutrients or I3BA needed.

Really it more comes down to the GPH output and operant pressure of your pump, and picking the right diameter pipe to keep the water moving properly. I like to use water in pipes as an analogy for electricity and vice versa if someone is more familiar with electrical.

 

[Nizza]

it would be cool if you could mainline your roots for aero, ive read into it a bit and from what I understand you need to keep a short grow cycle to avoid the roots from getting too thick

 

[BobBitchen]

avoid the roots from getting too thick

 

[Airwalker16]

Yeah that’s a very good idea. Easier to build the plumbing and more clone sites with a square bucket.

Those are the nozzles I ended up getting but I got green ones, 360 degree pattern.

Will a cheap 30gph pond pump produce enough pressure to make a nice mist with these nozzles, or am I gonna have to buy some high end magnetic drive pond pump? The only stuff I wanted to order online for this build was the nozzles and foam inserts.

Ya they come in green too.
That 30Gph is probably not enough. But you'll know once you build your manifold out of 1/2" vinyl tubing and 1/2" Tees and elbows. Just add water to below the manifold while attached to the pump and in the bucket and turn it on. See if the spray is getting up high enough. You don't want it soaking the lid. More so just spraying droplets into the open air of the bucket. Obviously some will hit the lid but you get what I mean.
If it doesn't do the trick, get a bit bigger sized pump. No more than $10-15.

 

[Airwalker16]

I'm thinking about doing the same thing but using one of these mist makers from amazon.

It can work theycjust heat up the water too much from what I've heard. But if you cycled it on and off just right, it might do great.
Get to buikding it and let us know if it works!!

 

[Airwalker16]

it would be cool if you could mainline your roots for aero, ive read into it a bit and from what I understand you need to keep a short grow cycle to avoid the roots from getting too thick

What could mainlining roots possibly do for you?

 

[Nizza]

im not really saying mainlining but i see some aero growers have problems with the root mass being too thick. I wonder if you can train them somehow

ive only ever used aero for cloning but now I use a bubble cloner because its much smaller and I have similar clone rate speeds

 

[TerrapinBlazin]

Yeah I was thinking 30gph might be a little low. I was planning on plumbing it like my evaporative cooler — instead of a manifold, the riser off the pump goes into a single tee and the pipe runs in a square around the inside of the bucket/tub. It just seems like this will get a better spread around the bucket, although a 4 way manifold will probably work well too. I wasn’t planning on spending a bunch of money on this, but I’ve got some time and I’m done buying stuff for my light builds so I probably will wait and get a good 50-60gph magnetic drive pump — probably put a ball valve on it too so I can dial in the spray. I’m thinking it might be nice to do this in a 20 quart black storage tub if I can find one made of sturdy enough plastic. I think I saw some good black and yellow ones at Costco.

 

[Just Be]

It can work theycjust heat up the water too much from what I've heard. But if you cycled it on and off just right, it might do great.
Get to buikding it and let us know if it works!!

I'm glad that you mentioned that about the water getting warm. That's something I hadn't considered but will definitely keep my eye on it when it's up and running.

 

[Just Be]

I think that’s an ultrasonic fogger and those don’t actually shoot droplets of water. Those work like coolmist humidifiers.

Usually aero cloners are made from a bucket or tub with a lid, and inside the tub there’s a pump that moves the water up through the nozzles and provides your cuttings with a constant supply of water and oxygen. My friend says all you have to do is PH the water. No nutrients or I3BA needed.

Really it more comes down to the GPH output and operant pressure of your pump, and picking the right diameter pipe to keep the water moving properly. I like to use water in pipes as an analogy for electricity and vice versa if someone is more familiar with electrical.

It seemed to work for this guy..

 

[vostok]

This is my next project and it seems easy enough. I ordered the foam inserts already and I’m looking for the right sprayer nozzles. Everything else is just a quick trip to Lowe’s. I’ll keep this updated as stuff comes in. I’m just building one of the simple bucket ones. A buddy of mine who grows a lot more than I do says nothing but great things about them.

Anyone here built an aero cloner already and have any tips for me? I just want to do a small one because I don’t anticipate ever needing to take more than 5 or so clones at a time.

assuming all 5 grow out for me 15-20 clones is a better volume
as like humans not all make it
I've used foam inserts but prefer my own diy..but have used kitchen foil in a pinch

also used a 25w fish tank heater to hold the temp 70 sumthing and trash the water every day is grand

good luck

 

[booms111]

Are you going to be using tap or well water? What is the temp of the room the cloner will sit in? What light are you sticking over the cloner? Just a few questions from somebody that has used a aerocloner for along time with great success! Love my aerocloner I do!

 

[TerrapinBlazin]

Are you going to be using tap or well water? What is the temp of the room the cloner will sit in? What light are you sticking over the cloner? Just a few questions from somebody that has used a aerocloner for along time with great success! Love my aerocloner I do!

My plan was to use RO water, but I do not know the best water to use. The room is pretty cool so I should get a heat mat for it as well, but keeping it warm won’t be an issue in warmer months. The cloner will be in my 3x3 veg tent under a 288 diode board with 3000k Samsung lm310b chips on a HLG-120h-54a driver. I made this thread because I don’t know everything and I appreciate you asking these questions. I can already see that there’s more to it than just hooking up a pump to spray water on your cuttings.

 

[booms111]

My plan was to use RO water, but I do not know the best water to use. The room is pretty cool so I should get a heat mat for it as well, but keeping it warm won’t be an issue in warmer months. The cloner will be in my grow tent under a 288 diode board with 3000k Samsung lm310b chips on a HLG-120h-54a driver. I made this thread because I don’t know everything and I appreciate you asking these questions.

That light is to bright, buy a cheap 20w fluorescent from Lowes and hang it foot above top of clones, perfect light. RO water will work but I'd use Clear Rez to keep it clean and Clonex liquid as a food source, use them both as directed on bottle per amount of water in your cloner. Temp wise you want the water to be cooler not warm. 70-72f will be good water temp, cheap fish aquarium thermometer works but if not when the water sprays your hand it should feel cool no warmth at all. Anything over 80f will promote bad stuff to grow in water causing slime or brown roots. Ambient temp anywhere between 68-78f will work but water temp in cloner needs to stay in range i recommended. Let me know if you need any more info

 

[TerrapinBlazin]

Nice. Okay so I want them in my tent because I can run my humidifier in there and I didn’t really want to set up a separate environment because of limited space.

I did my last batch of clones with roottech gel in coir/vermiculite under the 120 watts of 3000k cobs I had in there before. There was no additional heat in there and two clones failed to root after two weeks. The rest of them did root and are growing fine, but I think the 120 watts of cob light was definitely too intense. Some weird stuff happened to the leaves. I couldn’t turn those cobs down because they were straight from Lowe’s running off of 110v light sockets. I’ve since built those cobs into a different light on a dimmable driver, which also has two of the same boards, and is currently in the tent, but I’m going to be shutting down my HPS and using the board/cob light for flowering as soon as I build the single board light. I’m just waiting on the board and driver which are coming in Tuesday.

Anyway I don’t want to set up another controlled space for clones, because I’m running pretty low on space as it is. I either have to do it in the tent under the board or I have to set up a small environment for them that will be hard to make room for. Will it hurt to just turn the board down while the roots are getting established?

As for temperature, the ambient temps get pretty low in my grow room because I don’t have a heater in there, which is something I have to consider when I switch to flowering under the LEDs. Ambient temps in that room get down into the 50s at night, so I will have to get a mat to heat the water up to 70