mild ferts while rooting clones?

Greetings friends!

I am seeking expert advice. I am currently experimenting with an ultra low-cost cloning technique.

I've already set 18 clones into rapid rooters inside a makeshift greenhouse. I placed this greenhouse on top of a heating pad and under a CFL at 1 foot. I am also spraying 3-5 times per day and doing my best to keep temperature optimal.

My question for you is regarding what mild fertilizer solution I should be using for this setup. I stabbed the bottom of the dixie cups a few times each and placed them in diluted solution of my blooming ferts. If all goes well, small amounts of water will stay in the bottom of the dixie cups to be wicked up by the rapid rooter blocks. Does anyone have suggestions on the best fert solution I can use for this type of setup?

If you have them wicking up water and being sprayed that many times a day you may find the stalks rotting where they are inserted into the rooters.

You should only need to spray them once a day but that system will work great. I use something very similar with 100% success. Just make sure that the water level is not above the rooting tip (ie the part you cut is not under water). The rapid rooter is like a sponge and will wick up the right amount of water to the middle/top. So as long as you haven't shoved the cuttings all the way through to the bottom of the plug it should work great.

As far as nutes I think it is just a waste to use them for cloning. I've tried it and they don't root any faster. I think a better way to improve your setup is to find a piece of foam that will fit nicely inside your plastic tub. Finding the right strength and consistency foam is crucial because you want it to float and also you want to be able to cut neat holes in it. The rapid rooters are tapered so if you cut the right size holes they will stand quite nicely in there. The reason that would be so much better is because you could get an airstone in there to oxygenate the water. This won't make the cuttings root any faster but once you do get roots you won't have to transplant them immediately but you could let them get a nice bushy rootmass going first (which is better, trust me). So yea, the way you've got it will work fine but the foam/airstone will make it even better.

I use only water for cloning. I then begin to introduce 1/4 strength nutes every third watering once they are out of the propagator. I use Flora Nova grow from GH for the veg phase.