NYC_Diesel x Jack_Herer
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2009
- Messages
- 791
- Reaction score
- 1,040
:holysheep: So I just wanted to share my experiment with everyone. I am sure many have come up with their own that work great, but anyone else who has been having problems like me might appreciate this.
I have been putting seedling and clones into growdan or other rockwool cubes and then placing them in a humidity dome under a 100 watt compact fluorescent. Temperature and humidity are monitored closely, but I still lose many plants this way. Either the high humidity creates mold on the roots and I lose plants or growth slows, or I lower the humidity and the seedlings don't all make it. So in order to come up with a better way to start seedlings and clones that I grow and flower in DWC that is also more hands free I created this little DWC cloner/seedling system for around $20 based off the ones I found for sale online.
PIC #1- So what I did was take a small Tupperware container that I had in my kitchen. This one is about 6 inches deep and 8 by 5 on top. One 6 inch air stone fits perfectly in it.
PIC #2- This is the lid for the Tupperware container. I cut slats in it on the top around all four sides about 3/4 inches wide, being sure to leave room on either side of the cuts for the blocks to sit on.
PIC #3- I attached the air stone to the bottom of the container.
PIC #4- This is a trick I use on all my reservoirs. I cut a piece of black electrical tape lengthwise so that it is half its normal width, then I apply it vertically on the side of the res that faces out my growbox. Then when I paint my reservoirs white I remove the tape after the paint dries. This becomes my water level meter. I then use a full width piece of electrical tape to cover the unpainted portion of the container at all times to prevent light from entering the container. If I want to check my water levels I just peel back the tape on the side instead of removing the lid.
PIC #5- This is the completed set-up. The little 1" grow cubes are sitting on the slats that I cut in top of the lid. The Tupperware container is filled with 1.75 liters of water and 2 drops of GH series grow nutrients then adjusted to Ph 5.5-6. When the air pump is turned on it creates more than enough bubbles, with the lid off it looks like a miniature bubble bath. In my flowering room I flower two trays of 9 plants each. This is why this little system was built to hold 9-10 seedlings. If you look closely at the picture of the lid in the lower left you can see black electrical tape. I use tape to cover and gaps around the edges of the blocks to make sure light can't enter the container.
PIC #6- AFTER ONE DAY, THE TAP ROOT FROM THE SEEDLING IN THE PICTURE HAS GROWN OVER 1/2 INCH!!!! And if you look closely you can tell the tap root looks healthy, no slime or signs of mold.
Using this simple cloner I have greatly increased clone and germination success rates. I still germ in a paper towel and then move to this system when the tap root is 1/4 inch long, but I am having so many fewer problems.
As I said at the start, I am sure many already use setups like this so any comments or ideas on how to make it better please share. Also, any questions are always welcome.
I have been putting seedling and clones into growdan or other rockwool cubes and then placing them in a humidity dome under a 100 watt compact fluorescent. Temperature and humidity are monitored closely, but I still lose many plants this way. Either the high humidity creates mold on the roots and I lose plants or growth slows, or I lower the humidity and the seedlings don't all make it. So in order to come up with a better way to start seedlings and clones that I grow and flower in DWC that is also more hands free I created this little DWC cloner/seedling system for around $20 based off the ones I found for sale online.
PIC #1- So what I did was take a small Tupperware container that I had in my kitchen. This one is about 6 inches deep and 8 by 5 on top. One 6 inch air stone fits perfectly in it.
PIC #2- This is the lid for the Tupperware container. I cut slats in it on the top around all four sides about 3/4 inches wide, being sure to leave room on either side of the cuts for the blocks to sit on.
PIC #3- I attached the air stone to the bottom of the container.
PIC #4- This is a trick I use on all my reservoirs. I cut a piece of black electrical tape lengthwise so that it is half its normal width, then I apply it vertically on the side of the res that faces out my growbox. Then when I paint my reservoirs white I remove the tape after the paint dries. This becomes my water level meter. I then use a full width piece of electrical tape to cover the unpainted portion of the container at all times to prevent light from entering the container. If I want to check my water levels I just peel back the tape on the side instead of removing the lid.
PIC #5- This is the completed set-up. The little 1" grow cubes are sitting on the slats that I cut in top of the lid. The Tupperware container is filled with 1.75 liters of water and 2 drops of GH series grow nutrients then adjusted to Ph 5.5-6. When the air pump is turned on it creates more than enough bubbles, with the lid off it looks like a miniature bubble bath. In my flowering room I flower two trays of 9 plants each. This is why this little system was built to hold 9-10 seedlings. If you look closely at the picture of the lid in the lower left you can see black electrical tape. I use tape to cover and gaps around the edges of the blocks to make sure light can't enter the container.
PIC #6- AFTER ONE DAY, THE TAP ROOT FROM THE SEEDLING IN THE PICTURE HAS GROWN OVER 1/2 INCH!!!! And if you look closely you can tell the tap root looks healthy, no slime or signs of mold.
Using this simple cloner I have greatly increased clone and germination success rates. I still germ in a paper towel and then move to this system when the tap root is 1/4 inch long, but I am having so many fewer problems.
As I said at the start, I am sure many already use setups like this so any comments or ideas on how to make it better please share. Also, any questions are always welcome.
. any bowl, with a lid...bb...
