Cheaper clone machines?

[GrüneErd]

why anyone does anything more than placing a cut in some rooting hormone and into a container of water (i use tap, go figure) and under a simple fluoro is beyond me. i've had 100% success, full roots and into soil in 10-12 days. the ultimate "set it and forget it." i don't even change out the water. just add more if it drops too low (rarely).

guess some people just enjoy spending money.
no offense to those who do
peace

 

[excalibud7]

no misting no dome just tap water bro never fails..i took a cat litter box covered with black plastic a double hole airpump 2 airstones..you can cut out as many clone sites as you want...

 

[B00st3d]

Lemme address a few things here. First off the reason why money is a factor right now is cuz I took a 4 month break from growing and Im a month away from pullin a few pounds right now so Im livin off a very fixed budget and even 200 bux is too much for me to spend on a cloner right now, so there , now ya understand.

And Freezerboy what makes you think Im not patient? Patience has nothing to do with it, Im very patient. Its not about how long it takes as much as it is about me not havin to be home every day to spray clones and spray the dome, its as simple as that, capiche? And I dont have a disinterest in work whatsoever, in fact I work alot harder then most hydro guys who do nothing but change a reservoir once every few weeks. I hand water 50 plants in coco right now. 22 of them are in big buckets and the rest are seedlings and rooted clones. So work is not an issue, I work my ass off on my harvs, always have. I have always hand watered everything and made my coco/perlite mixes by hand, mix my nutes by hand in 1 gallon jugs 10 at a time, chop everything and manicure it all by myself with old fashion scissors, not some fancy electric trimming device, etc...Believe me I understand what it takes. Unlike alot of others on this forum who are new to all this, I been growing for over ten years now with dozens of successful grows under my belt. So plz dont try and tell me Im not interested in work buddy, I dont think so.

Seems like this thread has been offtrack since I started it. Now youre questioning my work ethic and my skills. Not one person has talked about the cheaper cloners Im lookin at and only a few users of store bought cloners have even chimed in. You guys keep tellin me what I already know. Bubble cloners can work great for some people, I know this but they take longer then rapid rooters. And yes they are cheap but my budget isnt 25 bux here, its closer to 150 bux, ok? So now you fully understand what Im gettin at here. Lets stay on track please guys. Help me out with what I wanna know. If ppl have had "catastrophic failure" with store bought cloners then lets see them chime in now. I dont see many negative posts from owners of Power Cloners and EZ cloners. And the one person who did post about his Power Cloner didnt even say why or how his machine was killing clones.

 

[FrostyGreen]

B00st3d hats off to you for putting in all that hard work. Personally I favor as much automation as possible. I think what is comes down to is people here are giving you suggestions on what works/worked for them, myself include based off what you were wanting "simplicity". Like everthings else in growing, there is always failure. 100% succuess with a little patience makes it not hard to suggest. BC's have amazed me, just cut and insert (no leaf trimming or hormones). Maybe consider a new thread with a specific model in question. Sorry don't mean to keep this debate going, but just had to chime in. 20k...damm I wish I had this problem!!! lol. Keep it green!!! FG

 

[thecarguy]

I have a power cloner 70. The pump, airpump, and airstone all work fine. They also keep the water warm, if they didn't, I have a heatmat I occasionally will use. I clean the aero-sprayers frequently. I use Botanicare branded Power Cloner solution in the rez, and I dip the clones in Olivia's. I stick em in, they won't die instantly because the cloner does provide a very nice environment (the reason I got the Power Cloner over the EZ cloner was its humidity dome). However, I will get about 70% success and it will take a couple weeks. With some michorizae, a little kelp, ph'ed water and coco coir, I can root clones in a week with 100 percent success.

You should not spray the clones directly, they are too prone to wilting. Spray the inside of the humidity dome itself, not the plants, that plus the heat of the lights will keep it humid enough.

Peace.

 

[Twisted Metal]

Lemme address a few things here. First off the reason why money is a factor right now is cuz I took a 4 month break from growing and Im a month away from pullin a few pounds right now so Im livin off a very fixed budget and even 200 bux is too much for me to spend on a cloner right now, so there , now ya understand.

B00st3d you really should keep your personal business to yourself. I mean you telling people to much info, you dont work, you grow to pay your bills, your friend who helps you is a girl, how much you harvest, and how much you sell your product.

I could care less what you say but your a dumbass, I just hope you aint as sloppy as you make yourself out to be. Maybe you take what I say as a grain of salt or actually take what I said and realize that its greed and sloppiness that gets you popped. Good luck on your grow, stay safe and remember the less everyone knows the better.

 

[B00st3d]

Theres thousands of posts on here alot worse then mine in that sense. You think the guys on here runnin 4k watts or 10k watts are keepin it all for personal use? If you distribute it for free or for money its still distribution either way and carries the same penalties. And females are alot less likely to run their mouths about what they see then guys are, in fact she has grown herself before in my house along side my grow.

 

[yamaha_1fan]

crying about maintaining 25 rapid rooters, yet you hand water all your plants. I maintain 300 clones in rapid rooters, on an ongoing basis. It can be a pain but no biggie.

But it is something you can not set and forget, and that be an issue for some, like you. So I understand why you want an alternative


OK I have no experience with the other versions, but I do have an EZ-cloner 120 that has been through several cycles. The reason some may have failures after 1-2 cycles, is failure to clean. I did a cycle right after pulling clones and didnt clean. They all rotted. I dumped, cleaned real well with bleach, rinsed, like a 2 day process and pulled several good batches after that. Cleaning between batches is key.

I used a heater at the beginning of each batch to warm up the water. I used a Walmart aquarium T-stat to check temp. Once I got it to 75, it seemed to stay there. I also used some hygrozyme in the water.

I never had plants die, but I didnt get the rapid roots some experienced. Some also never rooted.

I stopped fooling with it primarily because the plants didnt do well in my SOG. I know I could have made some changes to fix things but chose to go back to the rapid rooters


I think as long as the unit is well sealed, and sprays enough water, any aero cloner should work. Its not rocket science.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Bottom line is I dont wanna have to be around all the time to nurse them, spray them, etc...

DIY bubblers require no dome, no misting and are less prone to catastrophic failure that the commercial aerocloners are famous for.

And Freezerboy what makes you think Im not patient? Patience has nothing to do with it, Im very patient.

You couldn't wait an extra 4 days for roots. You're the dictionary definition of impatient.

A DIY bubbler is exactly what you're looking for. The PowerCloner the opposite.

 

[B00st3d]

I appreciate your input yamaha cause you're one of the ppl on here who always has somethin useful to add to the mix which is always based on personal experience. And youre right bout me makin a stink bout the rapid rooters but its just that I have too much other stuff goin on right now. Im at the thresh hold of what I can handle especially with several herniated discs in my back.

Like I mentioned I went ahead and got another rubbermaid, maybe bout a 10 gallon or so and im gonna just go ahead and try one more time with the bubble cloning, this time allowing 10-12 days before I ditch it. I'll compare the results of that with the cheap 80 dollar 25 site cloner on ebay. If it takes longer then rapid rooters but requires less attention then I can make it work.

Ok freezerboy, just so ya know I wasnt reffering to havin to spray and nurse clones in the bubble cloner, I was talkin bout the rapid rooter method which requires a dome, etc.. But OK I submit haha I'll put together my lil bubble cloner just as soon as I can take more clones. I gotta wait for the clones I have rooted now to grow for a few weeks so I can go ahead and take even more clones from them. I'll just go ahead and do 10 clones with rapid rooters, 10 with the bubble and 10 with the aero and see what makes for the best quality clones in a given amount of time, within reason. I do agree with yamaha tho that ppl dont clean their aero cloners and that has alot to do with potential problems, where as the bubble cloner doesnt require as much care since theres no misters. Should I use the diffusers I have or airstones? I like the diffusers cuz I can shape them and cover a nice area evenly. You guys think airstones make more consistent bubbles? Does it makes a difference or am I just splittin hairs here ?

 

[FrostyGreen]

I prefer the diffusers from Petco that can made into different lengths and have suction cups to keep em down. Packaging even says you can poke new holes with safety pins too. Only times I've had failure was when using the cheap stones from wally world..they floated to the top. I also noticde it take less of an air pump to produce a full wand of bubbles with those diffusers. These are all based off a 12" size airstone/diffusers. Hope this helps and let us know the results. Keep it green. FG

 

[yamaha_1fan]

i think you mentioned using the rapid rooters while using the bubbler? If so, I would leave off the rooter. You can always cut the plug and stick the clone in.

Also try putting half the clones in the water, and the other half just above. Personally I think they should be in the water. people swear by cloning in a cup, so this is the same thing, just more oxygenated water

 

[B00st3d]

Ok I'll just get some of those black neoprene collars to root them in. I already have plenty of pumps, airstones and diffusers from back when I used to bubble organic tea. One thing I never liked about airstones is that the blue stuff crumbles off and gets in the water.The first time I tried my bubble cloner I had the clones in rapid rooters that I sliced down the side, and I had the tips of the cuttings just above the water so only the bubbles touched. Guess it makes sense to do half that way and the other half all the way in so I can see what roots faster.

 

[d4twamp]

Ya but I wanna aeroponic cloner not a bubble cloner. Seems like no one whos posted in this thread understands what I want. I dont want a DIY or a bubble cloner, only aeroponic. Bubble cloners take too long, everyone says 10-14 days and I can beat that with rapid rooters. As far as money goes, when youre makin 20 grand+ per harv then why is a few hundred bux too much to spend? Especially considering an aeroponic cloner is garunteed to work where as a DIY bubble cloner isnt.

If money isn't a issue then what's your question? Just run out and find the most expensive gimmick garden money can buy...lol...It doesn't matter how much you spend success is never garranteed...IMHO, but my might not mean shit to the next guy...lol

I built a bubble cloner a while back and still haven't tried it yet...I've been cloning in oasis cubes w/ great success rates, Have you thought that maybe the 100% success rates you were having in the RR's was due to your constant care, & hard work...So even though the cloning machine wether it be a bubbler or aero might not have as good of a success rate as the RR's under your constant care, the ease of use and less time w/ the cloners might be a benefit....

My next DIY will be a aero cloner, in my opinion it's such an easy design to build, while these companies are raping us consumers... Let us know how things turn out for you Mayne...

Oh BTW on your Question about the Air diffusers or air stones...I've bought both and hav'nt been happy w/ either in any of my diverse hydro applications, so I opted to try another Diy, so....

I plugged one end of a 4ft section of 1/4 inch airline, poked a shit load of holes in the tubing, plugged it into the air pump, and it threw more bubbles than the 4ft flexible air diffussers We got at the hydro store...

Since then my brain has been running w/ all the options one could go with by shaping the airlines with tee's, elbow's, etc...They make drip rings for water, why can't we make bubble rings for air in the root zone...jus' some crazy thoughts from outside the box...

D
D

 

[B00st3d]

After pricing all the components of an aero cloner, they really arent that overpriced. Just the neoprene inserts are very expensive, then you got the pump, reservoir, misters , proper drill bits, and pvc. So the 80 dollar 25 site aero cloner is only a few dollars over what it costs to build one in reality. The 300 dollar cloner variety I do agree are pricey. Someone is even selling cloners made out of rubber maid containers on ebay now. I gotta go get the collars and the right drill bit before I can make another bubble cloner. The last one I built I used rapid rooters so the drill bit I got for that wont work with these neoprene inserts.

 

[Purple_trees]

This thread is hilarious... Its really not too difficult to use one of these methods. Ive made a few aero cloners and bubble cloners, both with no "catastrophic" failures. In worst case scenario a pump might fail but thats it. Ive also used the commercial units with great success. Every MJ variety is different and has different cloning speeds and success rates. Ive had some plants root in 5 days and some in 25 days..IMO you should build yur own if yur tight on cash. I built a 45 site aero cloner out of an ice chest for under 75 bucks. Easy as pie to build too.

O and BTW.. if u want a set it and forget it method with the RR just tape around the edges where the dome meets the base so no moisture escapes. And viola, no misting anymore. Good luck

 

[d4twamp]

After pricing all the components of an aero cloner, they really arent that overpriced. Just the neoprene inserts are very expensive, then you got the pump, reservoir, misters , proper drill bits, and pvc. So the 80 dollar 25 site aero cloner is only a few dollars over what it costs to build one in reality. The 300 dollar cloner variety I do agree are pricey. Someone is even selling cloners made out of rubber maid containers on ebay now. I gotta go get the collars and the right drill bit before I can make another bubble cloner. The last one I built I used rapid rooters so the drill bit I got for that wont work with these neoprene inserts.

I got my neoprene collars at one of the local hydro shops for like $.50 a piece maybe less.... they are the same ones they sell for ez cloner replacements....