perpetual schedule

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Im growing in soil. Clinging isn't only for hydroponics right?
 
Cloning plants can be used in multiple ways, so no its not just for hydroponics. Typically, people who run hydro will clone into root cubes of one sort, or another or as I do, just root plants straight into the water without any kind of medium and then set the rooted plant into medium when it is ready. My method is fine for going into soil, and using rooter cubes is fine for going into soil as well. The cloning process is very versatile for whatever grow method you wish to use. :)

THG: I don't trust the "tube" very much either as it is just too easy to show b.s. on there. But if you watch a few vids on taking cuttings, you can get a good idea of what needs to be done, and then have a good mental picture to go along with what you read here :)
 
quick question. im growing and this guy keep telling me i need to change the soil. it'll be going into flower on wednesday. I think that changing the soil will disrupt the plants growth. am i correct? is there a list of things i can buy to do the bubble cloner?
 
It depends on the soil that you have them in, and the nutrients that you are feeding them, if any. It also depends on the size of the pot that they are in. If in a small pot then they need to be transplanted to a bigger pot so the plants don't struggle with root binding. Ideally for soil grown plants, I would put them in a 3gallon pot or bucket. Just make sure it has good drainage holes.

For a cloner you will need 1 plastic "tote"(storage container with lid) which can be bought at walmart or home improvement stores. Here is one from walmart that is about right size for about 6-10 cuttings: hxxp://www.walmart.com/ip/Rubbermaid-6.5-Quart-Clever-Store-Container-Clear-Comfort-Blue-Set-of-10/16539898
You will need to get some neoprene pipe insulation from Lowes/home depot that is for 1/2" pipe: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Armacell...lene-Pipe-Wrap-Insulation-OEP05838/100572787#
This you would cut into several pieces about 1-1/2" long. You will have plenty left over.

You can probably find the plastic tote at home depot or lowes that works like the one at walmart. You just need a small one that is about 10" deep by 12"wide by 16" long (the exact size isn't critical as it can be bigger if you want. I just like one that is about 1-3gallon size so that it isn't too big for just 6-10 cuttings). If the tote is clear you will need to spray paint it brown or black to block light from getting to the roots.
Then you will need a real good fish tank air pump(one that has 2 hose connections) with a couple air stones that will fit inside the tote. You will need about 6-10' of air hose for the pump/airstone. While at the pet store to get the air pump and stone, get a 50watt fish tank heater.
get a 50watt heater that is has temp adjust: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752191&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No
Here is a good pump: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3742976&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No
They have the air hose and stones. I would get this kind of stone as it works really well, just get the longest one that will fit inside the tote (get 2 of them): http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752197&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No

That is all you will need for the bubbler. You will need to get a decent pH tester for checking your water so that you give your plants the best water and solutions possible.
To make the bubble cloner You will need to cut holes in the lid that are about 3/8" smaller in diameter than the diameter of the pipe insulation. I just equally space out the positions for the holes to be drilled so that they are about 1 inch (1") apart from each other (look at mine in the links that I sent you earlier). Some people use a knife to cut the holes but it is easy if you know someone who has a drill and some paddle bits. that you can use to drill the holes out with rather than fighting with a knife.

Once you have your holes cut, you just squeeze the cut pieces of insulation and press them into the lid so that they are sticking out both sides of the lid equally. I also drilled a couple holes for the air hoses to push through the lid rather than having them go through one of the cutting holes. Then connect one end of the 2 hoses to the 2 air-stones and the other ends to the air pump. Then the cloner is ready to go (unless you had to get a clear one, then you have to spray paint it so no light goes through to the inside. don't worry about the little bit of light that will go through the holes in the insulation collars where the cuttings sit).

I also recommend that you get some clonex gel and clonex solution. These are not absolutely necessary but will greatly increase your success of cloning new plants.
When I am ready to take cuttings, I put my tote in a good place where it can stay in good temps of mid 70s and not a lot of outside light but fresh air. I set my air pump, stones and heater in place then fill my cloner with water up to about 2" below the bottom of the lid. No closer as the water will rise when the air pump is turned on. Make sure you have nice vigorous air bubble action, like the water is at a hard boil. I then add my clonex solution to the water (at 15ml per gallon of water I believe, according to the clonex directions) I turn on the air pump and water heater(set to 79degrees), and let it bubble for about 1hr then I check the pH of the water. If it is between 5.7-6.3 then it is good. I prefer to have it right at 6.0 and the water at 78-80f for best results.

When that is all straight, I begin taking cuttings that are long enough to set down into the holes in the insulation and stick down into the water about 1". I like to cut my stems so that there are about 3-5 leaf nodes so that when I cut off some of the leaves, I still have several leaves at the top of the stem to hold the plant up. I cut the bottom so that it has about 1cm of stem below the lowest node where a leaf was removed. I cut that on an angle and then lightly skin the outer part off just a bit up to the node, and then I dip that into my clonex gel and set aside for about 10minutes before putting it into the cloner. :)
 
KoDak said:
quick question. im growing and this guy keep telling me i need to change the soil. it'll be going into flower on wednesday. I think that changing the soil will disrupt the plants growth. am i correct? is there a list of things i can buy to do the bubble cloner?

What does he mean by "changing the soil"? No one actually changes the soil--it would be impossible to do without damaging a lot of roots. Also why is this person involved in your grow? Why does he think he is qualified to tell you how to grow? Don't take advise from people uness you know that they know what they are talking about and are qualified enough to be giving advise in the first place.

Second, go to You Tube, check out some bubble cloners and decide you want to build. You will take your material list from the kind of bubbler you decide to make. I never use a heater when cloning. I have more problems keeping the temps low enough. I also prefer two smaller air stones to one longer one.
 
He's not involved in my grow. He just ask questions n I allow that but just as u said n untold him, its impossible to do without disrupting the roots. Im.about to do more research on here and YouTube

Also thank u hushpuppy. I appreciate u simplifying it for me. Thank u both. Let me go get started.
 
I have more problems keeping the temps low enough. I also prefer two smaller air stones to one longer one.

Heh, I have more problems keeping the temps UP! :D

I also use two stones, but I use two longer ones. I want bubbles to hit every spot under that cover possible. :aok:

Everything is so subjective though, me being extreme North East area and using 15 gal, long tote... so I need longer stones and two of them, and I need warmer. So fun doing this thing we all do, and watching how really subjective and situational everything really is.
 
yes DGF, everyone has their own way on doing things and why its better for them. this is gonna be my first time cloning and with too much info, sometimes i get nervous, but ill just go for it. mistakes happen and though ill try to avoid it, ill also accept it.
 
It is easier than it seems to clone. The worst that can happen is that you fail to get any to root and have to try again. THG made a good point about the heater. She has trouble keeping the temps down, while DGF has trouble keeping them up. Since you are up around the Lakes and have to contend with cold temps, the heater may serve you. Or you may find that you don't need it to maintain the water temps.

Once you get your cloner put together, you need to decide where to put it so that the cuttings have some light but not a lot. A key to rooting cuttings is to suspend(or pause) the vegging functions within the cutting without stopping it altogether. Pausing the veg function of the plant allows the rooting hormones to more easily take over the main function and produce roots more quickly. once the rooting has gone on long enough to produce a nice root mass, then you can turn up the light energy to cause the vegging process to get back underway. This can take anywhere from 2 to 5 weeks depending on the strain and your conditions.

I can get some cuttings to start popping roots within 6 days but my favorite strain (Larry OG Kush) can take anywhere from 14-21 days to begin to pop roots. So prepare yourself to be brutally patient for this process. Once you see roots developing, it still takes another one to two weeks before the clones are actually ready to move to the soil. :)
 
Do I need glue to hold any of this down inside the cloner
 
Should I get air stone or the flat air stone mist. Do I need any valves?
 
This may or may not help you but here's my cloner. I use two 14" stones in my tote, they are from Wally Mart and work decent, just have to make sure nothing floats.

Also, I use NO glue for anything. Gluing things just makes for complications down the road. Creates little nooks and cranny's you can't quite get at.

The point of the cloner is to massively aerate the water, and get loads of bubbles to splat up to the top of it.

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=67089
 
It is possible for things to be "too aerated"--too much moisture and bubbling can also drown the cuts.
 
Indeed, THG.

I would tend to think, though, that too much aeration is a LOT harder to achieve than too little, yes?
 
You will not need any valves if you get 2 stones and the pump that has 2 ports. If you get one that has 4 ports, you can get 2 hose Ts and connect 2 ports to one hose so that you use all of the ports.

You will not need to glue anything down. Don't get the round plastic disk looking stones as they tend to float too much. The long tube stones work the best in my experience.

I have never heard that you can have too much aeration, but I can't say that I disagree. I have never had any problems from it, but I don't bubble mine as hard as one would in a DWC system. I would say that if it is literally splashing water out of the cloner then you can turn it down some with the adjustment on the pump that I showed in the link. I have done that before when my cuttings were sticking down into the water. But if the cuttings are not reaching the water then I turn it up to achieve a better splashing to keep them wet, which is ideal I believe. :)
 

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