How to make a 30-site cloner from a propagator. ((Mk one version))

EDIT DO NOT USE HYDROTON AS THE MEDIUM....I AM EDITING THIS ON MARCH 6TH, THE CLONES WERE TAKEN ON FEB 12TH, AND STILL NONE HAVE ROOTED IN THE SLIGHTEST. i WILL BE MAKING A NEW TOP PLATE FOR BARE STEMS...AND ADDING A SMALL AQUARIUM HEATER IF i CAN FIND ONE SAFE TO BE HORIZONTAL!

Hi there guys,
I have been promising this thread for ages, and I finally got around to making the thing tonight, so here we go.

This is a very easy design for a 30- site cloner using an old propagator, and a dual outlet aquarium pump, along with the obvious parts.

The parts you will need are:
1 X propagator with lid.((Unheated as it will be filled with water!))
1 X Dual outlet Aquarium airpump.(Mine is adjustable, Hi-lo.!)
Length of airline to be cut in to two eqaul lengths long enough for your needs. It depends on where you will situate the pump.
2 X Airstones/Bubble wands. (I have these bendy ones...I am using them straight, but I could bend em, lol)
1 piece of Corriboard for the top plate-cut to size. (I got mine with my E&F system and wont be using it so cut some off there, but Im sure you canfind an old For Sale sign from somewhere or the stuff is cheap enough.)
30 X 2" net pots.( U donthave to use them, u can improvise many ways here, its totally up to you, this is only a guideline, but again, they are like 20pence each so , if ur too tight for em, lol))
Optional... Some Black and white plastic to cover the corriboard with and duct tape to seal the edges.

Tools you will need:
Craft knife/Scalpel,
Drill(not vital but preferred, I aint got 1 tho, ),
Sharp scissors for trimming.

Right then, lets get started, first off, the most important part of the whole thing, skin up . Ok, so now ur burning, get ur propagator

Check it over if its old, make sure there are no cracks or leaks in the tray, You cannot safely use a heated prop, so dont try it please. Next up, you need to cut the Corriboard to size. I just turned the tray upside down, marked around with a pencil and cut it out. Then, take the Net pots, and Lay them out over the sheet, to get the right layout, draw round each one to mark the hole, and remove the net pots as you go.((If you choose to cover it in plastic you will need to do that beforehand))


Here I am using a craft knife to cut out the holes, a hole saw would have been better but i aint got 1. You need to cut out slightly smaller than the hole you marked to hold the net pot in place! Try and do it a bit tidier than I have :wink:

Now you have your holes in place, you can go ahead and put the net pots in to make sure they fit.


There they are, all 30 in position. Just check that the lid fits,

Now, its time to add the "Hardware", once again, you should use a drill, but Mine got nicked outta me shed last spring , so, I had to bore the holes out with a blade, VERY CAREFULLY! Just making sure they holes are right size, do it a little at a time, u can always make it bigger, but you cant make the hole smaller.

Perfect fit.
Now the airlines are in, you need to add your airstones/bubble wands.

these are a sort of flexible wand, they can be bent into any shape, and they dont float so would be good for all you DWC'ers to use. A quick test with the water in, and we're in buisness.
So, here we go, drumroll please...............
The finished Cloner

Ta-daaaaaaa.
Nice and easy, any1 can make one of these, it this is too complicated for you, then you should prolly re-consider growing , not really, to each their own of course, I was just demonstarting how simple it is.
you can use it with Perlite, or vermiculite, or a blend of the two, maybe even coco fiber?? Im not sure about RW, it may keep it too wet? I will be using clay pebbles to try it out,as was done in the design I "Ahem"
"drew influence from" watch this space, Im taking it down to the grow now to get it filled, Will show you it in action when Im back!
I will be doing a few versions of this, next up, is the stand and hood for this thing, using CF's for lighting, with storage for my bits and pieces underneath, and a handy pull out work ledge for cutting on :wink: . then there will be the Mk two version, which due to trade secrets I cant discuss yet

So guys n Gals, there you have it, Easy peasy, takes...not long, the most time consuming thing was cutting the holes for the net-pots by hand,. but if u have a hole saw....problem solved huh :wink: .
Watch this space for it doing its job, for the testing of this baby.

Thanks to Andy-The-Celt over at Ukcultivator, whose own version(( a 12 site machine that can carry em right thru, using small plant pots!)) inspired me, its ur design m8, I just modified it for my needs :smile: , hope u like my version of ur design, kudos to u my friend, get ur butt over here, we could do with another Mcgyyver like you around dude. ESPECIALLY in the hash forum.
Right, gotta go every1, Im off to take some cuts to get it going , I need them for my new E&F system.
Cya l8er everybody,
Be lucky Harry

nice job man. I will definetly have to try that someday.

NiceOne Harry- Have to make myself one of them this weekend. NIce thread

Guvnor

Glad you like it guys... a couple of points I forgot....I have noticed that with any medium, the top plate is going to bow inwards, I dont think it will matter, but I am going to cut another sheet of correx so it will be double thickness. I may add a couple of small uprights inside made from LDPE pipe to give support, the amount of medium is minimal, but obviously, 30 net pots worth adds up, I will be taking pics anyhow when I get there to see how bad it is.
Watch this space for the proper aeroponic MK2 version!

Tight Harry, good job, I just built a aeropincs one that is pretty good, Ill have to post some pics of it here soon, There is no reason to go and buy those over priced EZ CLONE machines, when you can make one for yourself for a third of the cost, sometimes even less...and work just as good

Thanks smokey...
I didnt get the clones tonight, I spent soo long cleaning medium, lol, that by the time i finished, I had to set off home, hehe, I will go do em in the moring..
Just gonna upload a couple of pics of the test

sure make a nice an easy cloner post 2 weeks after i made one LOL haha
and mine can only fit 6 clones nice man i new i would see something better rite after i made mine but thats life
peace chucky

Really nice Harry, that is defiantly one cool way to clone, thanks for sharing.

Nice job harry...thanks for sharing

SQ

HG, great thread. I have a propagator similar to that one. Fantastic, thanks for sharing. Peace.

LOL, c'mon now children, we all gotta lay nice, or Dutchgrown will bang our heads together, like my dad did when me and ma bro used to scrap, hehehe.

Seriously though, guys, thanks for the defence, but it wasnt necessarry, but thanks all the same, man I love this place for that.
Myrth, I knew u was only kidding m8, and ur right, yuk...lol, but Im back at home at the mo, home is ma grans house since ma mum passed on(God rest her!!! will be her b'day on wednesday) coz my dad uses this house as he drives a lorry in europe and no point him paying rent or shit on a seperate place...anyway, thats ma grans carpet..incidentally, id like to see any1 get a carpet made these days that will be around in 35 years, coz thats how old that one is.lol Not joking, though it was really thick when I was a kid, and it was 20 yrs old then, lol. Anyway, Sometimes I think its vile, and other times I quite like it actually, its quite funky on shrooms, lol. And besides, Retro is back in style, hehehehe. mind u, thats more like antique, hehe no, VINTAGE thats it,....hehehe.

Every1, behave, alright! So much gets lost in type, u cant see expressions or shit its hard to tell, so u have to take EVERYTHING as a joke, and then if sum1 is being a dik, let em spell it out to u, then tell em to take their face for a shyte So, here, I rolled a joint, now u two, go off and share it btween the 2 of u on the corner and find out what u got in common to be m8s eh. There, sorted, lol.....if only real life was this easy. :wink:

Im definately going to be filling her tonight...I counted up prospective clones on the mom, and I'll put it this way....there'd be enough i wanted to fill 2 of these and still have spare. Here it is with the medium in place


and this is where it'll be ubtil the stand and hood with the the CF's for lighting in is finished. I have alredy got the design on paper, and the wood cut to size, its just a couple of bits of hardware for it I am waiting on, like some heavy duty castors so I can wheel it about.

and here it is bubbling away.

Im gonna adda another single pump and airstone so it will have three airstones. I will have them side by side the other way round now, running from side to side instead of end to end. I may have found another type too, so I will check that out.
Right, Im outta here, just play nice OK guys :friends:

that's it guys I was about to post some pics, but my Orange Shag Carpeting was visable.

I dont want to get ripped on so I'll keep it to myself....Ha

Sharp

PMSL, hehehe, thats prolly a good idea SP, lol. I knew I was gonna cop it off sum1 for it, lol. At least it aint covered in fucking dog hair like the tramp whose home my grow is at though. Hasnt got a hoover, and refuses to sweep it, If i drop[ a small bud on the floor there, I just chalk it up as a loss and give it to him....Im not soending the hours trying to pick hairs outta it, lol. Fucking dirty bastid, I really dont know how peeps can live like that...I mean, Im not exactly mr tidy...I get stressed about thing not being how I like them to be, but its not a tidyness issue, lol, but i dont like filth.

Right then...I got the clones taken, and filled her up last night


My m8 whose house it is has had a look about half an hour ago, and says it was really humid inside, and a few had wilted, so I told him to take the lid off. Maybe with it being a bubble cloner the lid is too much??? He is going to have another look in an hour and see if they perk up. I may nip down in a taxi and check if he says they are still dodgy. It is a prototype, lol Id have thought it woukld be no worries, but im using clay pebbles so not just bare stem in the water, but Ill suss it out.
the mango mother plant whichdonated the cuts, was in a bit of a mess, she needed a good haircut...so she fucking got a real haircut,

then i gave her a water with some superthrive and shes back in the veg room, she will be replaced after giving me another good flush as I need to make all my strains Bonsai mothers for the mommy room which will be built next. I am going to buy a pump like the one one the dual flow sustem((Sicce Micra)) and make the MK two version within a couple of weeks, I do have a MJ1000 pump, but that would be overkill wouldnt it, lol.
Well, Catch you all l8er everybody
cya Harry

Fuckit, Im gonna buy some wilt stop, its meant for peeps who use things like the rainforest...

Ok peeps, a couple more pics of it in action now





I added another pump last night, lust a single out let, and spread the airstones about to get better coverage. Seems to be working well.

i made similiar harry and i found pebbles dont work as quick ,i use a rockwool cube cut in half in the mesh pots and i have the stem sticking out the half cube just above the bottom of pot in the water wich i set at 78-80 degrees and ph 7 ,never had a failure

Hiya Hazey , thanks for the input m8.
I copied the basic idea from a guy called andy the celt over at UKC....anyway, he has done his for 12 sites, and leaves em in there a month( he reckons they root in about 10 days) by which time they have massive root systens, ans are well grown up to go str8 in the flower system.
This is only the Mark one....The mark 2 is this weeks project, lol.fuck knows where the clones for that one will come from, lol. Na, Ill make it and it'll be ready for the next flush. It will be a proper aero cloner...Im not sure wether to use misters, or mini-sprinklers...I am leaning more towards the mini-sprinklers. What do u think?
We'll see how long they take. I have a tray of rockwool cubes, but I have ever managed to keep a clone going in it,never mind root, so i quit with the fucker.
Hydrogarden just released some range called T50 Fleximix...comes as plugs,
cubes, trays, or looses media, anyway, Im thinking of trying that stuff out as its good for clo0ning into soil and hydro, and as ill still be doing soil even when i ,master dro... thats just what I need.

I got some Rhizotonic yesterday. I hadnt bought it before as I had the wrong idea what it was for. but I have got it now, and on the advice of the growsho guy, I have put a weak mix in the bubble cloner. I also changed the airstones today...I swapped them for 2 proper bubble wall bars, with the sucker feet. and I have 1 of the flexible os left still. but I am going to get two more bulle bars like the new ones...and another dual outlet pump, then swap the small single thats on there now as a secondayry so it will then have 2 dual outlet pumps the same, set on high, using those bubble bars, which will give total coverage if I have 4. I was debating wether to take the 2 pumps i am using, use some tubing frome each one, and a 3 way , to connect all into one, then one the end of theat one, put a 4 way so the 1 dual outlet pump, and the 1 single outlet, will be combined to give e 4 outlets...albit slight;y less powerful...but its a trade off worth having for even coverage.as long as it works. What do you guys think???
New pictures to come tomorrow. I have lost 2 so far out of 30, 25 were mango, but 1 died, so i put a superfruit 2 in the site, and that died, its the very end cornes site that wasnt getting wet which was the problem but that is solved now. I will be doing the Mk 2 version lol, the proper Aero cloner at the weekend. It will also use a propagator, but will have a tub below it with the pump in, and will use mini sprinlers(Rain bird spinner types things, I can get them at B&Q!) which will make it similar to the nutriculture cloners. I may use Rockwool cubes with that, purely because I am going to be setting up a drip system using those GHE Coco-Tek cubes and slabs in aqua-trays in the summer time, and they dont do Coco-Tek starter cubes so u r forced to use rockwool or jiffys to start ur clones in ofr the cubes.