Passive Wick Cloner (PWC)

[SCROG McDuck]

Thanks to Delta9nsx and his ‘passive plant killer’ thread :
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=138004

I came upon his version of the wick cloner, and as it turns out,
a pretty good seed propagator.

I've built 6 of them so far to his specifications and they are simple and effective.

This is, verbatum, what I have saved for my own review, later.

WICK CLONER
Sterilite 12.6 cup containers @ WalMart
3/8 spade bit for wick hole 3/8" rope for wick
6 cups of turface (oildry) - grow medium
GH - Flora Nova Bloom (FNB)

Mix FNB in RO at 450ppms <1 gallonSoak turface (rinsed) in 450ppm FNB for hours
1 quart of the remaining 1/2 gallon of mix stored, as is for later use as reservoir juice addbacks
1 qt gets cut with 1 qt straight RO for initial reservoir juice (2 cups) 225 ppms (approx) Phed to 6ish.

Drill 3/8" hole in middle bottom of 1 of the Sterilite containers: this is the 'pot'and pull through 3-4 inches of rope (frayed ends)

The other container is the reservoir: with 1.5-2 cups of 225 is FNB mix, nest the 'pot' in the reservoir with 3 cups of the soaked/drained turface.

Once constructed, a clone, dipped in some rooting gooey, inserted in pencil hole, that is boared into the turface, to the bottom will be:

Sprayed once and covered 24/7 for 3 days under good lighting.
The 4th day, the cover is removed for 10 minutes - spray
The 5th day, the cover is removed for 20 minutes - spray
The 5th day, the cover is removed for 30 minutes - spray
The 6th day, the cover is removed - sprayed
Watch for any signs of trouble.. I've had none.

They do not have to be under 'the closest light possible'.
Too much heat will be, as usual, detrimental..

Add backs are poured in through top (EDIT: Increase if they want it

I've had success just dropping a seed into the turface, covered for only 2 days, sprout at the moment, I only think it will be a goo incubator..
I'll try pulling that little baby and putting it into its' own WC. A small versionion, for smaller propigation areas and individual seed starters, is under way..
(EDIT) This was very sucessfull but use PPKc with straight tap water, until 2 sets of leaves, then transition to 225ish Phed to mid 5s.

I'm sure there are many ways to improve..

 

[SCROG McDuck]

Couple more pics..
That is a JW-AK47 baby, just tossed in ther 7 days ago..
The other sickley looking thing in there is a Bubba Kush
clone that lookes just like the one to its' left (2nd pic) looked, a week ago.

And my bubble cloner.. also very effective..
but with the WC, no air pump, just like passive plant killer/wick growing

 

[ImaginaryFriend]

Looks familiar to me, but I can't quite place it...

Oh, that's right:

 

[oldone]

Hi McDuck,

I noticed you have the same Ph pen I have. How do you like it? What do you use for storage solution?

Thanks,
OO

 

[stonedar]

tap water not RO works great for storage, not that you asked me. I put mine in a beer cup on a shelf, change the water once or twice a week. My pen is still on 1st probe/sensor thingie 3 years plus now. Hanna HI 98129. The Milwaukee I had before this one lasted almost as well, til I dropped it down the stairs. I do clean the sensor with a Q-tip every couple months...

 

[SCROG McDuck]

Hi McDuck,

I noticed you have the same Ph pen I have. How do you like it? What do you use for storage solution?

Thanks,
OO

Old1, I have a Oakton Ph1, 2 years old and an Oakton Ph2 1 year od, or a little less.. Bought the second one on-line for, I think, $56..
I use no storage solution and the Ph1 has only been out of calibration, twice! The Ph2 never, yet!

@ $56, throw 'em away and buy a new one.. when/if (<HA!) they go outta wack.

 

[SCROG McDuck]

You're using coco? the turface, my first time, is nice to work with..

IF, 3 days ago I built a mini-germer.. same concept,
much smaller ppk-G... the 'pot' is 1/2 cup, the res is 1.5 cup..
they fit together (with some modification) like hand and glove.

results, from packag to baby breaking ground in 3 days...
DNA-SourCream... tap water, under t5s from the drop.
I'll transplant into bigger ppk cloner (may I call it ppk-C), probably tomorrow.

Pics later tonight or tomorrow.. by then she should be a sprout.
I'm totally amazed!

 

[ImaginaryFriend]

Where did you source your turface? I've never seen it anywhere... or maybe I did and just had no idea what it was.

I'd be happy trying it, as my clone success rate is rather poor with this genetic...

 

[stonedar]

turface is crushed fired clay, if you live in the USA they use it at baseball fields to make an infield mix. that well draining clay colored soil on the base paths.

 

[ImaginaryFriend]

So I can just go steal it from an infield (the red shit)?

Balaclava and a shopping bag and I'm out the door?

Turface cloner in twenty.

Here I go!

 

[oldone]

I thought it was just rinsed plain cat litter. Not sure where I read this...

 

[Derka]

The same quarry/mines that produce turface, also produce oildry, soilmaster select, cat litter, and traction aids. The refinement and quality check varies vastly between the different products, but its source is the same.

Turface has a crazy high cec from what I recall reading on plantedtank.net.. not sure if that has any bearing on the current discussion.

 

[ImaginaryFriend]

Okay...

Am I stealing infield clay or cat litter?

Traction aids?

A little larceny has turned into a lot of confusion.

 

[SCROG McDuck]

Where did you source your turface? I've never seen it anywhere... or maybe I did and just had no idea what it was.

I'd be happy trying it, as my clone success rate is rather poor with this genetic...

Napa auto parts... part# 8822.. I had no idea either...

Rinse the dust out and go... it is heavy though, if one was to use it like d9 in his early stages of ppk...

when he went to coco, he said he dumped 4000 lbs into the garden... too heavy for me.

but wick cloneing with it is great. 100% so far.. I didnt think the bubble cloner could be beat..........
I was wrong.

 

[oldone]

Well thats great guys, my vague recollection is true, but...

Is there an advantage to turface over coco?

Thanks,
OO

 

[Blueshark]

Imaginary.... My ribs hurt from laughing, Dude, you are hilarious!!! I vote for thieving the cat litter.... witnesses will be scratching there heads while you make off... LMFAO.. Thanks, I needed that.

 

[oldone]

Traction aids?

For snow...you, you southern person you!

 

[SCROG McDuck]

Well thats great guys, my vague recollection is true, but...

Is there an advantage to turface over coco?

Thanks,
OO

AHH!! asking the same question awhile back...

Deltas' found turface works better.. ??
Why should I question him...

I just made a mini-ppk-germer.. 3 days from seed package to emerging sprout.. tap water.. covered under t5s..

Kitty litter, while it will work, is dirty as hell.. it should be rinsed, and rinsed and rinsed.. PITA.. nappa 8822-$8/25lbs...
You'll get arrested at the ball field, IF.

 

[Derka]

Locate a lesco dealership www.lesco.com

Request turface, or soilmaster select

25 lbs bag runs about 10 dollars.

Wash it multiple times, I recommend using a paint strainer mesh bag, suspend the substrate over a 5 gallon bucket and run water over it for a few minutes, rinse n repeat.

Stealing components creates negativity, and introduces a whole host of variables into your grow. You don't know what pesticides, or fertilizers the park management has sprayed.

If that still is to much, you can also hit up a pet store for crushed hydroton, its sold for terrariums, cost was 5-7 dollars for a decent sized bag.

The only thing I know about Turface/Soilmaster select, is that due to its crazy high CEC (one of the highest found, for the cost) it makes an ideal substrate for planted aquarium, and for usage in high drainage areas. The caution exchange simply means nutrients born in the water column can be absorbed and made accessible via the substrate. That is a drastic simplification, but I can provide some links into research on those particular products.

 

[delta9nxs]

hey, the primary difference in these products is the temperature it has been fired at. most of them, with the exception of napa 8822, are arcillite clays. turface is kiln fired to 1200 degrees f which turns it into a permanent ceramic. it won't get mushy like cheap cat litter. some of the high class cat shit absorbers are fired at high temps.

oil-dry from napa is clay. napa floor-dri 8822 is diatomaceous earth. probably same shit as axis.

schultz aquatic soil conditioner same as turface. sold for planted aquaria.

turface has competitors that sell the same shit. turface mvp in the green bags is what i've always used.

turface has a cation exchange capacity of around 30 meq./100g, which makes it of moderate capacity.

coco is much higher, i think around 60 meq./100g

i tried coco for cloning and it rooted everything but i didn't like it. coco has that initial cec issue that i feel gets in the way of cloning a little bit.

i also think the weight of the turface holds the cut better and the large volume of material probably evens out temperature swings which we all know are bad for clones.

i haven't lost a clone in 2 yrs.

cec is neither good nor bad, just something to understand and deal with.

so, IF, since you're going to jail it might as well be for something good. stencil "acme soil service" on the back of a pair of coveralls, back the truck up to the grounds shed at the local golf course or ball park and start loadin'. remember green bags with mvp on them.

OO, what the fuck is "traction"? and why do i need it?