ATTN: Having problems cloning

colonuggs

Well-Known Member
i place them under my 400watt hps
Thats your problem right there....you only need like 20-30 watts to promote root growth..... more watts promote new leaf growth... not root development

also you want the domes temp to be in the mid to upper 70s with humidity in the 90s for the first week

Try rapid rooters http://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Rooter-50-Ct-Tray/dp/B000I63VSE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1300051747&sr=8-3 can be used for dirt or hydro

a seedling germination dome with a heat pad http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-CK64050-Germination-Station-Heat/dp/B000HHO1RO/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_text_b

A regulator for the heat pad http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPRTC-Digital-Thermostat-Heat/dp/B000NZZG3S/ref=pd_sim_ol_1 set the pad at 76*F
 

Xare

Well-Known Member
If you dont want to control your humidity with a humidifier and you dont want to use a dome and you dont want to spray the clones 4 times a day when its hot then put them in a bubble cloner.

Submerge the stem in a few inches of water with air bubbles.

If you use a bubble cloner you can have really low humidity, you dont have to spray or dome the clones either.
 

colonuggs

Well-Known Member
in my new cloner i have a dome humity in mid 30s and temkps in upper 70. I also put it under my 400wat with the dome

Again dude........... 400 watts is way to much ...........20-30 watts is all you need

add a cup of water to your dome...raise your humidity...90% or more for the first week is best

with a hydro cloner you usually dont need a lid/cover
 

lemonz

Active Member
dome your plants and keep your humidity up near to 100 per cent at least for the first couple days, also if you want to be safe cut a branch that is bigger than the the clone you want then put it straight into a cup of water then cut the clone of the branch under water to stop air getting into the stem. also did you trim the larger fan leaves (in half)? and dont use a hps light on clones its possible but its much easier to use small lights on clones
 
If you dont want to control your humidity with a humidifier and you dont want to use a dome and you dont want to spray the clones 4 times a day when its hot then put them in a bubble cloner.

Submerge the stem in a few inches of water with air bubbles.

If you use a bubble cloner you can have really low humidity, you dont have to spray or dome the clones either.
I basicaly made this i have a ruber mated contarter with an air stone in it with the same ruber mate contarter ontop to make a dome!!
 
Again dude........... 400 watts is way to much ...........20-30 watts is all you need

add a cup of water to your dome...raise your humidity...90% or more for the first week is best

with a hydro cloner you usually dont need a lid/cover
Put a cup of water in it?
 
maybe if i give more of a diagram it will be easy for any question or answers so i have this for my container

RUBBERMAID-HOME-RHP3Q24CLE.jpg

As well as the same on just ontop for a dome with an air stone and a pump
 

xebeche

Well-Known Member
I built a bubble cloner probably very similar to yours (although a pic or two of YOUR cloner/light setup here might help folks here with diagnosing your problem), and have used it multiple times under T12 fluoro fixtures. I keep the top on just to be sure that humidity stays high enough, but you could try taking it off for a while and see how your cuttings look. In my experience, cuttings that are properly situated in a bubble cloner (bottom of cutting just above the water level) may look droopy for the first few days with or without a humidity dome....but should perk up afterwards (even before they start growing roots).

I would also recommend trying just plain tap water with NO nutes and NO rooting gel. I've never used Superthrive, so I dunno, maybe it helps...but I've had 100% success rate using a bubble cloner with just pH-adjusted tap water and nothing else.

Also, be sure to give it enough time. Although lots of folks here report 7-10 days for rooting, I usually have to wait two weeks for consistent root formation...and often three weeks or more before ALL the cuttings in a batch have successfully rooted.

Finally, that 400w lamp is way more than is needed. While I doubt that its the reason for your lack of success in cloning thus far, it probably couldn't hurt to get yourself a cheap 20-40w cfl bulb (preferably 6500K or 5000K) and just hang it directly above your cloner (maybe with one of these http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100664506/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053). Fluorescents are IDEAL lighting for cloning...so, if you continue to have problems getting roots under your 400w, why not invest $15-20 to have a light setup that's perfect for what you're trying to do?

Just be sure to have PATIENCE, and give your cuttings at least three weeks before you throw in the towel. Could be that the strain you're attempting to clone just takes a little longer. As long as the conditions (pH, temp, humidity) are reasonable, you should be able to keep cuttings "alive" in your bubble cloner for many weeks.

Although I still have my bubble cloner, lately I've been using rapid rooter plugs (http://www.hydroponics.net/i/111400) instead (again, with no nutes or rooting hormones). Usually takes a little longer to get fully rooted clones (about three to four weeks), but I just stick them in a clear tupperware tote with another one upside down on top and pretty much leave 'em alone. They never look as nice as the ones in the bubble cloner while I'm waiting for roots to form (they tend to look kinda droopy the whole time), but given enough time they always root, and I don't have to bother checking/adjusting pH at all...I just open it up every few days, and mist them maybe once a week. Works great. As I said, though, oftentimes they look like they're practically dead before I start seeing any roots coming out of the plugs...but they somehow survive and form roots EVENTUALLY every time.

So, if you continue to have no luck with the bubble cloner, you might wanna try the rapid rooter method sometime.

Good luck :mrgreen:
 
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