Pukka propergator

[f-e]

Pukka just south of Hollands.

So it all starts with a pie warmer. A good prop itself with cfl's just sat on the top shelf but there is always room for improvement


One of the first measures was to swap the glass for mylar covered sign board. Which saved a lot more weight than expected. Then came the LED's.

The edges of the reflectors are bent back to make them more substantial. The heatsink's hold a copper disk each side of the stainless steel roof to help with expansion of the roof which changes it's shape. You can try and resist that change over the area of a copper disc.

 

[f-e]

That's them lit. The cable sheathing also contains a bit of stiff wire just to keep the harness in shape. Silicone isn't 'that' good. The osram drivers live in the rear box section and were a little hard to find.

In this next shot you see a new control appeared on the front. I have put a (filtered) iec socket in the side because I have placed a reptile mat in the bottom compartment. The little control is the heat output. While the old simmerstat just works as a switch. One day it will be a thermostat I imagine, with led display. The parts are on my shelf.


For now that adds heat under foot where it's wanted. I can put a tray of water in if I wish. My spare shelf sits up top covering some maglev fans I have further damped with some self adhesive draft tape

 

[f-e]

Go on then.. as you asked
I ran out and got some cuts. Let them suck up a little roota for a minute or two, then put them in coco. I filled the coco tray by hand and leveled it with a ruler. Then dunked it in cf10 pH5.2 water and the level of the coco settles to where you see it. 5.2 is a little low but will creep up over the week-10days before I touch them again.

Coloured cableties don't stand out so well in purple light but make good plant markers. You have to assign your plants colours but then you don't have to write anything on them. If you have a lot of labels to do, this can be a great time saver. Also, they don't look conspicuous

 

[Fixer]

Hey f-e, is that a cloning machine you're building?

 

[f-e]

It's ongoing really. I have had it perhaps 20 years. Yesterday I picked up a habistat which is a thermostat for reptile mats that has a wired remote sensor. I think it may become part of this project. The walls are insulated which gives me a small cavity I can hollow out for the temperature sensor. So it won't get in the way of cleaning.

The box holds about 100 cuttings. Three of them trimmed down sheets in the pics. I need that sort of figure when I work outdoors as I always root twice as many as I need. So one box full does 2 or 3 sites which is a couple of weeks work. While 100 more root. Usually it's just half full though. So I wouldn't want it smaller or bigger.

 

[Fixer]

I'm finding 16 at a time a chore. I can't imagine having to clone hundreds.


Do you loose up to 50% or are you selecting for something?


Do you have any theories as to why some clones are far more vigorous than their siblings?

 

[f-e]

Fixer
I used to put it off, but really 16 is no different to 60. It's all in the prep. The time to actually chop n stick is maybe 20 seconds a piece.

It's always best to take twice as many as you need. Covering any losses, but really just so you get the best one's. If you start excepting second best, you are in a downward spiral.

If I need just one to preserve a plant, I take 3. An unforeseen problem like damping off could kill one and retard another. Leaving just one looking strong.

The extra time taking a few more is very little, compared to the time lost nursing a crap crop. One that may never fully recover, even generations later.