John Jacob
Active Member
Whats up Friends, I recently decided to ditch the rockwool and the jiffy pucks and spread my horizons to a more sufficient styling of cloning with a home made bubble cloner. So this thread isn't about the DIY construction like many other threads I've seen. The design is simple enough to understand.
We are here today to go over some of the highlights and tips to keep in mind for those who would like to try cloning this way which is great for dwc'n so here it is.. A little background, I tried this once earlier in my farmin days but didnt work and like others got fed up.. a couple yrs later I decided to do a lot more research not just on the setup but the science behind it and try it again. Now I have 100% success rate
(have to say it to fit in) and in 7 days roots are stringin down to the tub (which is what im more excited about)
If your havin problems using RO or not having a great success rate mayb some light can be shed here.. Ditch the RO, I havent used it before but know others who have and it seems like those who use it play the ph battle up and down and up and down, I use tap water its got a little chlorine (kills algae and has some minerals that can help too) anyway.. I used a standard setup, shoe box size container, air stone, pump, and some foam inserts.
Here we go..
1. *obvious* light proof your container, not just reflecting I mean light proof. this will be explained further
2. *obvious* Use a decent pump. Bubbles bubbles bubbles.. one of the most important parts the more the better
3. Use flouros, a small amout of light is needed. The smaller the clones the less light. I used like 4inch clones and even a 150w hps was too much
4. Get the water warm 75-80'F is a good rule of thumb this will help create a warm humid environment in the container
5. Which comes to the next point, you want as high humidity as possible in the container this is what going to start the roots to pop out, this is why aero cloners work great as well the constant moisture in the air inside the conainer makes root development.
6. No need for fans or a humidity dome, the moisture coming from the bubbles in the container will increase humidity in the room/box your cloning in which will keep the leaves from drying up but shouldnt start mold as long as you open and let some air circulate once a day or so.
7.LIGHTLY scrape the bottom half inch or so of the stem tip with a razor, which was cut at 45 degree angle of course
Now for the most controversial part, "Do the tips get submerged or just above the water line?" This is what I've found, it all has to do with how many bubbles you have. If you have a good pump and good size air stone then I would place the tips about a quarter to a half inch above the water line, this will speed up the root process. If you have a small pump which doesnt go crazy then the closer you want the tips to the water line. I wouldnt however submerge them completely, do an experiment of your own but submerging takes longer cuz the plant doesnt need roots as desperately so it'll concentrate on upper leaf growth.
For those beginners I would put the stem tip barely touching the water and as time goes on the water level will naturally go down this is fine remember tho not too far keep it within an inch range
So recap, if we have a high humidity in the container with warmth, and light getting in (rule #1) this is a great environment for algae and bacteria, which can easily attack you fragile little girls. So light proofing is important! no light, no algae!
As far as nutes.. no need, I'm sure thrive will help those hard cloners. But plain tap water is fine its the humidity that will get those roots goin then transplant them into your veg container.
So follow these little tips and I'm sure you will have some success and then its up to you to adjust accordingly based on your setup.
Hope this info can help others out there, constructive input is always welcome
Goodluck and Happy Farming!
We are here today to go over some of the highlights and tips to keep in mind for those who would like to try cloning this way which is great for dwc'n so here it is.. A little background, I tried this once earlier in my farmin days but didnt work and like others got fed up.. a couple yrs later I decided to do a lot more research not just on the setup but the science behind it and try it again. Now I have 100% success rate
(have to say it to fit in) and in 7 days roots are stringin down to the tub (which is what im more excited about)If your havin problems using RO or not having a great success rate mayb some light can be shed here.. Ditch the RO, I havent used it before but know others who have and it seems like those who use it play the ph battle up and down and up and down, I use tap water its got a little chlorine (kills algae and has some minerals that can help too) anyway.. I used a standard setup, shoe box size container, air stone, pump, and some foam inserts.
Here we go..
1. *obvious* light proof your container, not just reflecting I mean light proof. this will be explained further
2. *obvious* Use a decent pump. Bubbles bubbles bubbles.. one of the most important parts the more the better
3. Use flouros, a small amout of light is needed. The smaller the clones the less light. I used like 4inch clones and even a 150w hps was too much
4. Get the water warm 75-80'F is a good rule of thumb this will help create a warm humid environment in the container
5. Which comes to the next point, you want as high humidity as possible in the container this is what going to start the roots to pop out, this is why aero cloners work great as well the constant moisture in the air inside the conainer makes root development.
6. No need for fans or a humidity dome, the moisture coming from the bubbles in the container will increase humidity in the room/box your cloning in which will keep the leaves from drying up but shouldnt start mold as long as you open and let some air circulate once a day or so.
7.LIGHTLY scrape the bottom half inch or so of the stem tip with a razor, which was cut at 45 degree angle of course
Now for the most controversial part, "Do the tips get submerged or just above the water line?" This is what I've found, it all has to do with how many bubbles you have. If you have a good pump and good size air stone then I would place the tips about a quarter to a half inch above the water line, this will speed up the root process. If you have a small pump which doesnt go crazy then the closer you want the tips to the water line. I wouldnt however submerge them completely, do an experiment of your own but submerging takes longer cuz the plant doesnt need roots as desperately so it'll concentrate on upper leaf growth.
For those beginners I would put the stem tip barely touching the water and as time goes on the water level will naturally go down this is fine remember tho not too far keep it within an inch range
So recap, if we have a high humidity in the container with warmth, and light getting in (rule #1) this is a great environment for algae and bacteria, which can easily attack you fragile little girls. So light proofing is important! no light, no algae!
As far as nutes.. no need, I'm sure thrive will help those hard cloners. But plain tap water is fine its the humidity that will get those roots goin then transplant them into your veg container.
So follow these little tips and I'm sure you will have some success and then its up to you to adjust accordingly based on your setup.
Hope this info can help others out there, constructive input is always welcome
Goodluck and Happy Farming!
