# mini bubble cloner? is it possible?



## popart (Aug 26, 2009)

After reading on this quite a bit, I'm ready to build a bubble cloner. I am under the impression that it really needs to have a humidity dome on top...
I have some large glass cloches -- I can get a rubbermaid container 11" long by 5" wide by 6" tall -- is this too small for cloning? I'm thinking I'm only going to take maybe 6 or 8 cuttings...what do you guys think? Is there any reason to have a larger container, besides taking alot of cuttings?


----------



## dirtyolsouth (Aug 27, 2009)

Hi,

I think you may have meant that you DON'T need a humidity dome with a bubble cloner...   At least that's been my experience.  I've used clone bubblers of all sizes for many years and I currently use the one in the pic below made out of a 2 gal black bucket with a lid, a couple of 6 inch airstones and a cheap air pump and some 1/4" black plastic irrigation lines from home depot for air hose. The clones stay happy, happy, happy from the moment you put them in the cloner until they have vigorous rooting within 14 days with most soft stemmed strains and a bit longer for some of the harder stemmed strains.  I have only used tap water for years and it works great if you ph adjust it to around 6.0 - 6.3

Any size container that you can fit an airstone into will work fine but it should be a light proof container or you'll have nasty algae and funk growing in your water.  IME if you use a black or other very dark light proof container and black irrigation hose for the air pump to the airstone lines you won't have to change water because it prevents any algae from growing.  There is a product that Lowes or Home Depot carries in the paint dept that is called Plastic dip and it comes in a liquid or spray liquid form.  I've successfully used the black Plastic Dip Spray on plastic containers to light proof them.  If you must use a container that lets light in I suggest that you change out the water every few days to help prevent funk but sooner or later the light will cause slimy muck to grow and it's usually green...  These days indoor gardening/hydro stores and online shops carry black buckets and lids of all sizes and you can Google for black plastic tub or storage containers and I'm sure you'll find any size container you fit your needs.  I'd love to find a container with the same diameter as a black 2 gal bucket but only half as deep... around 6" deep or so...  

I use the neoprene collars that are about 2" (1 7/8" inch hole saw blade for a drill ) and I make two additional slits in each collar so they can fit 3 plants in each site and I don't use the center hole in the collar because it's too big.  I can fit 15 cuttings comfortably into my clone bubbler and even more if I want to pack them in there.  

Happy Bubbling!

Happy Cloning!


----------



## popart (Aug 27, 2009)

WOW - thanks for all the info. I plan on putting my little guys right into rockwool and cutting the holes to fit them on the lid of whatever container  I end up using -- this is a viable way to do it - right?


----------



## 4u2sm0ke (Aug 27, 2009)

popart said:
			
		

> After reading on this quite a bit, I'm ready to build a bubble cloner. I am under the impression that it really needs to have a humidity dome on top...
> I have some large glass cloches -- I can get a rubbermaid container 11" long by 5" wide by 6" tall -- is this too small for cloning? I'm thinking I'm only going to take maybe 6 or 8 cuttings...what do you guys think? Is there any reason to have a larger container, besides taking alot of cuttings?


 


I have made these bubble cloners outta a lot of diffrent containers..from  a 1 cup ziplock container..to a 13 gallon 64 clone site...all worked well..remember the most inportant thing is  Bubbles  ..more the better..buy the largest pump ya can get..I use the 100 gallon pumps  with 2 air outlets..hope this helps  take care and be safe:bolt::bong:


----------



## poop-dog (Sep 4, 2009)

I am building one tomorrow. Are the stems actually submerged in the water or if not how far do you have them from the water line? Once they have grown some descent roots can I then transplant them straight into dirt?


thanks


----------



## DonJones (Sep 9, 2009)

****-dog,

Yes after they are well rooted you can use them just like any rooted seedling or clone.  JUST BE CAREFUL THAT YOU DON'T DAMAGE THE ROOTS WHEN HANDLING THEM.  If they have a lot of hairy looking roots, that seems to work better than if you only have large smooth roots and especially if there are only a few very long smooth roots.

Just transplant them like you would any other real small delicate plant.

Personally if you are going to use them in dirt, I'd forget the clone machines of all kinds and check out the Super-Simple Cloning thread at http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42786 for 6 reasons.

1.  They are getting as good of results in about the same 2 weeks that the cloning machines are giving.

2.  Their survival rates are nearly 100%

3.  When it comes time to transplant them you have a plug of growing media supporting the roots so it is easier to transplant them without damaging the roots.

4.  The roots are already used to being in something other than mist so they don't have to adapt.

5.  That technique is a lot simpler and less can go wrong than in a clone machine.

6  Finally you already have everything you need available if you're growing in dirt.  The same technique can be used with almost any growing media, although soilless seems to work better from what I've read.

I'm even switching to that technique using coco chips for our hydro plants, even though we have both a mister and sprinkler cloning machine setting here.  They just aren't worth the hassle to me.  I used basicall the same technique using Oasis cubes and it was a lot easier than messing with our clone machines and we had 100% success with our translants and about 95% with the 4cuttings rooting out real well.  The one that didn't survive was the one that grew just long large smooth roots.  It may have failed because with those big long smooth roots, we may hav edamaged them during the transplanting.

I hope this helps you and I know a lot of people are using cloning machines and a lot of people are going that way, but I,m going back old school.  I can see no reason to get dependent on machinery if the simple old ways work just as well.  Just my opinion -- take or leave it, but by all means keep growing!  Good luck with whatever you decide.

Don Jones


----------

