What is the proper water temperature for cloning using a cloning machine

JSB99

Well-Known Member
Or-gro I tried using that yellow top home-depot or the other one, forget which, but it sucked so bad. Couldn't get it to stop leaking out the sides. I gave up on making my own because I couldn't find a plastic box that was right. Made dozens before in a different country and they all worked. For some reason American plastic boxes suck.
Yeah, I definitely would've used a different tote if I was using sprayers
 

JSB99

Well-Known Member
You put in a good gasket and keep your collar holes tight, no leaks...put a catchpan under them for stoner mistakes.....

No way they do same job....stones can never do the job a mister can....

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Now that you mention that, I do remember that I rooted faster with the misters. It was a while ago. I'm not in much of a hurry though
 

Or_Gro

Well-Known Member
Now that you mention that, I do remember that I rooted faster with the misters. It was a while ago. I'm not in much of a hurry though
We all do it our own way, the plant adapts well to anything that gives them acceptable light, temp, rh, and nutes...
 

Atomizer

Well-Known Member
Yep, you’ve got to install weatherstripping, in the lid, to seal them...basically, they need a gasket...

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Don’t give up, man...here’s what you need:

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Make your own dome with pvc and saran wrap...
Use an igloo cooler and you wont need to mess with gaskets, they are insulated and lightproof. Some even have a built in drain. I use mist (100psi) in my cloner and run it to waste, less than a gallon a week..Temps are no problem.
 

Or_Gro

Well-Known Member
Use an igloo cooler and you wont need to mess with gaskets, they are insulated and lightproof. Some even have a built in drain. I use mist (100psi) in my cloner and run it to waste, less than a gallon a week..Temps are no problem.
I’m fine with what i have....a rubbermade tote; easy to cut out collar holes; one, 5 minute application of four strips of weatherstripping...no light, no leaks; not a drop of water needs to be added during the 10 day +/- run.

The only possible difference is the temp control. Normally i put it on the concrete floor of my grow room and the water temp stays 66-70f without any need for insulation or chilling. This time i couldn’t, so just hooked up my chiller, spot on temp....

I’ll keep the cooler in mind, if i ever need another one, tho....good idea!
 

DaFreak

Well-Known Member
Yep, you’ve got to install weatherstripping, in the lid, to seal them...basically, they need a gasket...
Don’t give up, man...here’s what you need:
Make your own dome with pvc and saran wrap...
Depending on the box and the lid I like to actually cut the sides off the lid so that it sits down in the tub a few inches and then throw some PVC legs on it. I've done it before and it works, but I don't like any of the boxes I see around and to be honest, by the time you buy the box, the pumps, sprayers and cut the holes how much cheaper are you from a aero-cloner off of Amazon? At this point in my life time is more important to me then $10 difference.

One of the design points I stole from DCyans on mine was the collar. we didn't use pots, pool thingies or rubber, just the PVC cut into inch long pieces and stuck in. The first fan leaf keeps the plant from falling through but you don't have anything pinching the stem. I am not as careful as the rest of you, and I have broken beautiful clones by removing them from the foam collars in haste, that never happens with the PVC pipes. Another plus is that the air escapes, so heat can escape better in the summer. You'd think water would spray out, but they are just long enough so that it doesn't.
 

Or_Gro

Well-Known Member
Depending on the box and the lid I like to actually cut the sides off the lid so that it sits down in the tub a few inches and then throw some PVC legs on it. I've done it before and it works, but I don't like any of the boxes I see around and to be honest, by the time you buy the box, the pumps, sprayers and cut the holes how much cheaper are you from a aero-cloner off of Amazon? At this point in my life time is more important to me then $10 difference.

One of the design points I stole from DCyans on mine was the collar. we didn't use pots, pool thingies or rubber, just the PVC cut into inch long pieces and stuck in. The first fan leaf keeps the plant from falling through but you don't have anything pinching the stem. I am not as careful as the rest of you, and I have broken beautiful clones by removing them from the foam collars in haste, that never happens with the PVC pipes. Another plus is that the air escapes, so heat can escape better in the summer. You'd think water would spray out, but they are just long enough so that it doesn't.
a rubbermade tote, a piece of pvc pipe, 4 elbows and 3 tees, a handful of misters, a circle saw bit, a drill bit, a drill, 5-6’ of weather strip, bag of collars, a pump, and 30-40 mins, done deal for a lifetime.

Diff strokes for diff folks...
 

Or_Gro

Well-Known Member
If my temps in my tent is at 79° humidity at 42% and I run my octocloner pump on a timer at 15min on and 15 min off will that keep me in range for success?
I have no idea on the water temp, you have to test it...if your cloner is on concrete floor it could be fine, but could also be that your water temp is same as air temp, or higher depending on heat from pump. I target 68F, don’t like goin over 72.

But for sure, you have a humidity problem, too low! A humidity dome is a must, but could be you need to bump your ambient with a 1-gal cool mist .

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You need to use a chart like this, that tells proper rh-temp combos for each stage of growth:

http://www.just4growers.com/stream/temperature-humidity-and-c02/vapor-pressure-deficit-the-hidden-force-on-your-plants.aspx
 
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GreenLegend420

Well-Known Member
im running 75-78 and get massive growths of pure white roots.

The best way to change temp in an aero cloner is to adjust the timer on the water pump. I was running 30 on 15 off but hitting temps of 78-82. I adjusted to run at 15 on 30 off and now im running 75-78.

I also chose not to run an airstone for humidity reasons.
 

Koanzap

Member
Bought 2 25 station Clone Kings, got about 95% success on the first run, 10% on the second run and they all died on the third run. The problem is bacteria and temperature. The machines have to be thoroughly cleaned after each use, using a dilute bleach solution according to makers instructions. I go one more, now, and add a copper based bactericide. I THROW AWAY the foam rubber plugs after one use. Don't clean those, toss 'em. Put the plastic baskets inside, put the basket retainer top on, cover it all with plastic like a large Ziploc or something, and run for at least 20 minutes. I use only Distilled Water, you can get it for a buck a gallon at most Family Dollar or Dollar general store and you'll need 5 gallons to do the job. Put in almost 2 gallons for cleaning, just enough to get the pump spraying good. After cleaning, dump out the water and pour in the rest of the second gallon to swish around for a rinse. Empty that and then put in the other 3 gallons to start the next batch of clones.
Part of the problem with my failures when first using the Clone King was temperature. The pump motor GENERATES HEAT. You need to operate the machine in a place that stays around 65 degrees or a little less to keep the water at 70. If you have no harmful bacteria in your water you can go up to 80 degrees or so, but good luck on that. Even with distilled water, the plant stems themselves will have some bad bacteria which will multiply and can kill your clones. Keeping the temp at 70 degrees is huge if you want high success rates, and so is keeping the water free of bad bacteria. Adding a little bactericide to the cloning water doesn't hurt the clones and will add to your success rate.
 

Phat J

Well-Known Member
IMHO, I believe nothing matters more than genetics and water "the essential element". I have run a clone king for 10 years. I have cloned hundreds of plants with 100% success. As long as you leave them in and keep changing the water every 5-7 days they WILL root. I have tried many different scenarios. Water chillers, short cycle timers, constant spray, different nutes, no nutes, etc... I am currently cloning northern lights. It took 1 month to get roots 1/2" long on 1 of 6 cuttings. After the 1st 3 weeks I added 2 new cuttings of girl scout cookies, and 2 new cuttings of ak47 into the same clone machine. The girl scout cookies is starting to pop roots after 5 days in the same environment/machine. So everyone that thinks they have the answer,bongsmilie ????? Everyones environment temps, rh, water quality, well water, city water, all factor into it, there is no perfect set up for everyone.
 

Meast21

Well-Known Member
I use the dewey mister and remove the airstone it comes with and add 2 normal airstones. I take the cutting and dip the bottom half of the cutting into a solution for 20 secs. I then dip the tip into cloning gel and then put it into the dewey mister. The cutting sits about 1.5 inches below the Styrofoam and the entire dewey mister is filled to the top with water and nutes (ppm 650) so the entire bottom part of the cutting is in fast circulating water. I get 99% roots within 10-12 days... I don't have much of a controlled environment bc my basement is warmer in the winter and colder in the summer. Its winter here now and my air temps are about 65 degrees, water temps the same and humidity is about 55%...… Been changing the cloner rez about every 10 days. I'm gonna start changing it every 7 days now to speed up the rooting process, I'm pretty sure it will.
 

Keesje

Well-Known Member
I experimented with many different systems.
In the end they all work.
All the blabla of temperature this, RV that, clonex yes/no... it mostly has to do with the strain as Phat J already mentioned.

In general: Higher temperatures always work better because of metabolism.
Does root rot appear faster with higher temperatures? Yes, some kind of root rot (from the large family of root rots) will appear faster with high temperatures. Some with lower temperatures.
Is there a huge difference in DO between water of 20 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius? No.
There is more then enough DO in water of 25 degrees for clones.
I visit a huge greenhouse where they grow a lot of different herbs, plants, vegetables on hydro.
A huge bassin. They use clones and seeds.
They don't care about temperature. But they see better results in warmer days. They never ever use chillers.
 

Renfro

Well-Known Member
I will just toss in my two cents worth, late albiet...

Clones definitely seem to root faster with the warmer water, I like it up around 80F until they have roots forming, then I drop it to 70 just to help prevent root rot but I have forgotten to do that and nothing bad happened, actually they made massive roots so I think they definitely grew faster with the warmer temps.
 

Keesje

Well-Known Member
.... and nothing bad happened, actually they made massive roots so I think they definitely grew faster with the warmer temps.
Better metabolism.
The warmer it gets, the better everything grows.
Root rot does not have to happen in warmer temperatures.
It can. Some kinds of root rot thrive with higher temps. Others won't.

People think to simplistic about root rot. There are so many forms. Sometimes they even look exactly the same, but the reason you got it is totally difference.
The commercial greenhouse growers have DNA samples taken of their rot.
That way they know which one it is and what specific measures they should take.
 
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