# DIY 30 site bubble cloner



## Dr. Green Fang

Recently I sorted out that I needed a bubble cloner, but oh man I did NOT want to pay the price of the ones out there. Surely there's lots of DIY's out there, and truly there are. Here's my successful 30 site DIY bubble cloner, hopefully you can follow this and sort out your own. If you need anything just ask questions.  

*Quick Method Footnotes:*

Get a low branch; Snip - Find leaf node; Slice flush - Below leaf node; 45° razor cut - Take razor and scrap around the lower portion - Dip in Clonex Gel - Pick a site. 

*Materials:*

± 10 Gal Rubbermaid Roughneck Tote (or equivalent)
± 1 piece 1/2" Inner Diameter  pipe insulation
± 30 Gal Fish Tank Heater
± Air Pump (2 Outlet preferable)
± Air stones (I use 14" long ones.. just make sure they don't float)
± Clonex Gel (Or equivalent rooting hormone)
± GH Rapid Start Rooting Enhancer (Or equivalent)

*Also, you'll need on hand) 

± Sharp razor to cut tote (preferable construction grade handle)
± Pen to make circles
± Something 2" Round to trace.. maybe cut one of the pucks and trace
± Fiskars or some trimmers

*Full details*

I used a 10 gal Rubbermaid Roughneck tote, cut 2 " holes in the top. I filled the 2" holes with pipe insulation that was 2" outer diameter and 1/2 inch inner diameter. These are the sites I let my clones rest in. Their fan leaves hold them suspended wonderfully. I use Clonex Gel and a sharp razor.. cut lower fan leaves off flush with the main stem... 45° cut under an old node, that had leaves cut off flush with stem.. I scrape the lower 1 inch to allow for more surface area options for root possibilities, and then dip in the Clonex Gel and set into the pipe insulation 1/2" hole. In the cloner, there is about 6 Gallons (I can't remember..shoot.. will update later) of PH'd 6.0 water (not sure which is best.. it's debated online) and I use GH Rapid Start Rooting Enhancer. I just go off the bottle for directions. I use two 14' long airstones to bubble the crap out of the solution, and a 30gal fish tank heater to maintain a good cloning temp. When the clone is ready, and there's plenty of root mass there, I will pull the insulation "puck" up and just take the clone right out of the slit that's built into the puck, and into my medium. I use Royal Gold COCO + Perlite + Sunshine Advanced Mix #4. They will go into 1gal pots, until done vegging, then smartpots to hold the coco etc and into Hydroton in netpots for flowering. (But that's getting a bit beyond this cloner, and into my personal growing methods..) 

I've only used this once so far, but I was never very successful with cloning until now. This DIY cloner will set you back about $40-$45 and will put a smile on your face when you start to see those big root masses building up on the end! 

After the cloner is built, I put it under my veg table in my Veg tent to allow to get residual light. There's a bunch of ways/methods and this is just the one I choose. 

*After thought* 
I ment to mention, you should "tip" your leaves so that 1) it helps with stabilization and airflow around the clones and 2) it helps stop the veg process and helps engage root growth. At least that's what I believe from what I've read and found. I just forgot to do it, after making the cloner and staying up late that night... I just took em and placed. I can't believe I forgot to tip

I probably would've had more than 13 / 22 take root if I did tip.


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## chazmaine420

This is great! Thanks. been considering a ez cloner but didn't want to spend the money. 
Do you need a humidity dome over the top? and do you spray them much?


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## 4u2sm0ke

no Dome required on those Bubble cloners...I made many in the past...*Massproduccer *has a great how too sticky here:aok:...thats what I went off from

:48:


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## KoDak

Do u have a picture of the inside of ur system?


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## Dr. Green Fang

I will go up and take one :aok:


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## Dr. Green Fang

Ok, here you go. As you can see, I've recently loaded up the cloner, so you can see it all setup and running. This shows my two 14" stones and 30 gal (small) fish tank heater. The heater keeps the water about 78° and I need that being how it's below 0 outside, and mid 50's in the room itself. My veg tent holds around 60° or so and the two flowering tents hold at 55° or so without lights, and 70°-82° with lights on. But that's going away from the bubble cloner.. I was just giving you an idea of all my temps currently so you can factor in if you need to heat or cool your rez (or just leave it alone with no temp control) 

I've used a drill to drill two holes the size of the clear tubing, in the top area just before the cover. I just cover over the top of the fish tank heater cord.. it doesn't stop the tote from closing. 


Hope this helps :aok:


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## Dman1234

thats how i make mine, i use a door hole saw drill bit for the holes


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## KoDak

i dont want all my questions and pix in ur thread, i will delete shortly but i wanted to show u want i got. I wasn't able to get the adjustable heater because the pet store was closed and they didn't sell it at Target. 

i got air stone instead on the long flat kind of air stones. My tote is only 6OT. Is that too small for the items i have?


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## Dman1234

Your tote will allow light in, you might want to consider blacking it out some how. or get a tote that doesnt allow light in.


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## Dr. Green Fang

Yep, you'll want to either do duct tape around it, or spray paint it perhaps. It needs to be dark in the tote. :aok:


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## orangesunshine

lol---i have the exact same tote lid on my diy bubbler---45 site and i use rockwool cubes for plugs and sprayers---the end of my cuts are not exposed---the motor from the sprayer keeps the water warm

just a note---you do not want to take the chance of contaminating ur clonex gel---pour some into a shot glass when u take cuttings and discard---dipping into the jar and reclosing it for later is like drinking from the milk carton and putting it back in the fridge

ph ur water to 5.5


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## KoDak

i can duct tape it or get another tote, no biggie. is this size ok, like is it too small? if so ill go get another right now



			
				Dman1234 said:
			
		

> Your tote will allow light in, you might want to consider blacking it out some how. or get a tote that doesnt allow light in.


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## orangesunshine

size looks good---all depends on how many clones u want---root zone wants total darkness


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## orangesunshine

anybody else successfully cloning with stems submerged in airstoned water or using spray for suspended roots to sprout


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## KoDak

do i just drop air stones in there anywhere? i only want 6-8 grow sites. ima trying to figure out what connects to what..... i feel like an idiot

this is what i've done. if i want to only do 6, do i have to plug other 2? i have some of the pipe sticking out thru the other end.


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## The Hemp Goddess

If you are only going to want 6-8 sites, I would be for getting a lot smaller tote (unless you have tons of room), something like a 3 gallon.  That way you can use smaller air pumps and smaller stones and still have room in your vegging space for other plants.  With a tote that size, you are going to need a lot larger stones (plural meaning more than one) and a larger air pump to rum the larger stones to get enough bubbles to aerate the entire tote.  

The air pump needs to sit above the water level or you need some kind of backflow on the tubing.  Connect an air tube (or tubes)  the length you want to the air pump.  The tubing connects to the air stone which sit in the bottom of the tote.  You want bubbles everywhere--the water should look like it is boiling.

I think that your holes need to be smaller and your tubes smaller.  I like the foam or other clone holder to wrap around the stem fairly closely.  Large spaces between the foam tubes and the stems will let light in and encourage algae to grow on the stems. 

I found sprayers to be problematic--I personally am not crazy about aeroponics--a water pump in the water can make it too warm and sprayers clog quite easily.


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## KoDak

I have to air stones in this tote. Its only 6QT. Thats too big?  It should fit fit good in my veg 2x4 tent where ill b only growing 6plants. I do have smaller plastic tubing but I got the neoprene cause thats what he suggested. And ur saying I need a smaller pump and smaller stones.  :'( this is so.frustrating.what's the difference in the neoprene being used with his tote and mines? Is it bcuz mine is smaller? I understand exactly what ur saying when u say the light can get thru. Can I just use the tubing I got for the the air stines to connect to the pump and drill holes in the tote the size of the tube?


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## 4u2sm0ke

test check






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## 4u2sm0ke

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I made many of these as I said....Ive also done a misty thingy  but like THG said..clogs way too much...


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## 4u2sm0ke

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Heres a Larger one....And again  like THG said..the more Bubble the better


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## 4u2sm0ke

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I even made a single cloner but couldnt find the pics


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## 4u2sm0ke

again I give credit for My work to *massproducer *

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2799


And didnt see the need for the Gel rooting compound as I think it washed off anyway....Another issue I ran into was the threansfer to My medium which is soil...if your Hydro Than I say this be the best cloning method IMO...but for soil..did not fare well

Hope this has helped

:48:


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## KoDak

Ok I seem so I didn't need the neoprene.  Ill get a smaller one that resembles the one that ur purple is in. Thank u. I think the two air stones should work if the tote is that small correct? The pump is adjustable.  It can turn up n dwn. Do I really have to buy another pump?


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## 4u2sm0ke

I dont think you will...after ya set it up  run the stones and see...you want the water to look like *DGF  *(post #6):aok:..if the inside doesnt bubble all around the container than make it do so...


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## 4u2sm0ke

that Red one is a Rubber made container purchased at grocery store...its only 3 inches tall...like 16 inches long and 10 inches wide..me thinks...


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## 4u2sm0ke

Black spray paint is cheap way to cover the clear parts....Home Depot  0.99c
:aok:


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## Dr. Green Fang

lol, this is all SOOoooooooOoOOoOoOOOOoooo subjective  

I have great results with my neo stuff. No light is getting down there because 1) they are filled with clones and the leaves block the light and 2) the cloner doesn't get direct lighting. I keep mine under my flood n drain table, and allow the clones to get residual light.  

Everything is so so subjective, and honestly, as long as you follow some of the suggested steps in here, you'll be fine. 


Take this for example. I tried a clone dome, and lost 20 of them within 2 days. Loads of various issues caused it, but I won't get into them right now. So I cut another 10 days later, and by the next day they looked like they were going to die. I put 3 of the best looking ones (just 1 day after cutting and having them massively wither away to a wet noodle consistency) and put those 3 into separate "double shot" shot glasses, 3/4 full of water. I left them under my flood and drain table, just to see how they would fair. These were CLEAR shot glasses, and light was going right through them. Within 10 days, I had roots and 2 weeks I was able to transplant ALL 3 into Sunshine Advanced Mix #4 (soilless) 

So sure, algae can build, light can not help root development, you may not have enough air, you may have too much, it may be too cold, too hot... your right arm may hurt one day, and left toe the next, blah blah blah lol... 

Point is, I never changed that water, it was clear through and I got 3/3 to TAKE and throw roots after having them wizzle down to spaghetti texture. 

I'm sure, whatever you do with all this info laid before you, that you'll start to figure this whole thing out and come into your own. Don't let 3 of us, giving you 3 various thoughts (generally consistent but quite varied) make you panic! There's nothing to panic about. Shoot, the stuff is SUPER expensive. Go on out and get stuff to make two types of cloners... and heck, you can always take plenty of clones, so there's no fuss. 

Green mojo for everything you do :aok:

Here's some pics of said shotglass clones: 
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=204167&d=1368062435
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=204413&d=1368666636 (oh hey, it was 4 of them, not 3) 
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=204632&d=1369191572


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## Dr. Green Fang

Also, take note, I don't CONDONE doing it in shot glasses, I was just giving you an example of how the little things you're worrying about aren't worth really worrying about. There's probably a hundred ways to make a bubble cloner but they all involve: air, water, clone holding spot.


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## 4u2sm0ke

:yeahthat:

Happy Growing

:48:


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## orangesunshine

the blue lid tote is an aeroponic cloner of which i absolutely adore---really simple to diy---rockwool cubes are plugged in the 1" holes---cuts are pushed into the rockwool---inside the tote is a small fountain pump pushing water thru simple sprayers plugged into a piece of drip irrigation tubing---the bottom of the rockwool plug is sprayed---when the roots appear it is real simple to pull the rooted rockwool plugs for transplanting

i do not have any issues with clogging sprayers and wouldn't trade this for anything

here is another pic oc a micro group grow---the rockwool is suspended with toothpicks and an air line dropped into the can

still looking for the example of the mini 4 site bubbler---again with rockwool and an airstoney

not in any way meant to confuse you---just trying to show we all have our own ways to git r dun


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## The Hemp Goddess

I have tried about 4 different kinds of sprayers and have had them all clog--what are you buying that doesn't clog, orange?


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## orangesunshine

i got them from my local irrigation supply store---little pricey at about $2 each---u see them in red---they are all 1 piece---no caps adjusting etc---get what u see---i do clean them with the entire unit before use---not sure why u are clogging up thg---the only thing i run thru mine is ph 5.5 water and clonex solution---if u see the water in the tote has some pieces of rockwool but that is not how it looks while running---just use a net from a fish tank to pull that stuff out---no biggie

why u clogging up in ur experience with aero


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## Hushpuppy

Not to knock Smoke's way, but I prefer to use the larger neoprene pipe insulation because it allows for bigger holes in the bubbler lid so that the plants can be rooted longer have a solidly established root mass before taking it out of the bubbler. With the smaller pieces of hose, the plants can't be allowed to grow as much root mass because it will be damaged when removing it through the small holes. 

With the neoprene insulation, the hole is much larger(nearly 2"dia) and the insulation can be easily pulled out and then split open to remove the plant if necessary as it has the side split already made into it.  See the pics in the links: http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=185903&d=1330442649
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=183400&d=1326252628

The cloner is a little different here but the same principal except I was using the split neoprene made for aerocloners: http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=196422&d=1349545181


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## The Hemp Goddess

I use 2" neoprene pucks that I purchased somewhere online.  They are my favorite to clone with.  I agree that holes that are too small can damage the roots when you go to remove them.  I like a whole lot of root growth out of my clones before they go into the DWC.  My cloner is similar to the last one that Hush linked.


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## WeedHopper

I also always used the Black Neoprene incerts for clonning. I have even used them all the way thru my grows. Thats the only medium I had with my DWC grows. I had to brace my plants stalk,,but it worked really cool.


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## robertr

I have that pump and it works good for one plant.


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## trillions of atoms

Looks good fang!  I love the bubble cloners because they are cheap and easy.  I usually run a lower ph and still hit them with at least 400 ppms o full range nutrient and a dash of superthrive (got free w a grab bag from the hydro store and works great). Warmer temps work better for the rez too.


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## Bios

nice man thank you. I was not familiar with the cloning process, your pictures helped greatly!


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## Dr. Green Fang

Glad it helped you :aok:


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## Sweetmansticky

Oh god this is sooooo on the to do list!!


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