My cloning just isnt working, whats the best method?

[Kronikal_kiwi]

Hey there everyone.

Im at my wits end. I currently clone in a clear plastic tub, I have tried cloning in jiffies and rockwool. I have the bottom filled with water, and a piece of polystyrene elevated approximately 3" above the water line, I have an air pump constantly bubbling the water and thus bringing alot of moisture out of the water. It works, sort of, the edges of the tub always have water driplets, and the clones never wilt, I have a water heater and the temp is 22 degrees celcius, and the temp out of the water is 23 degrees celcius. The tub is around 1.2 meters (4 feet) from a 250 watt HPS in my veg tent. The clones sometimes take, other times don't, clones in some places root, other places dont, it's not strain dependant either it's just luck of the draw.

Im at my wits end! I want my clones to root!

I am willing to try anything!

Does anyone have a recommended cloning method?
Im going into town today and was considering buying the parts to make an aero cloner, but if anyone has a method that is unanimously agreed on as the guaranteed way to get roots please let me know!

I've tried bubbly cloners before and had no success.

Please let me know what works!

 

[Littleleaf]

what kind of water are you useing?

tap

RO

Distilled

rooting hormones?

 

[Kronikal_kiwi]

I use tap water, can't afford a water distiller/RO unit.
I dip the clones in clonex before placing them in the jiffies.

 

[simple green]

Dude I see the answer right there in your sig. You grow in coco?

The two methods I've been most successful at is my DIY aerocloner and coco. Coco is the easiest since I also grow in coco....

I use little plastic clear cups....YOu buy em in packs of 200 at the store.

Rinse coco well with a super light feed/cal-mag solution or just tap water, maybe .3-.4EC....
Take cutting (I take relative small cuttings, maybe 3 nodes out of the coco)
trim off any big fan leaves, dip in root powder from home depot ($5 bucks will last ya a long time), put in hole in coco and tighten it all up and give it one nice watering....

Use a turkey baster (dolla store) and feed with that light .3-.5EC mix once a day to keep coco wet (tap water would prolly be fine, but I like the light feed)....

No humidity dome, no spraying the cuttings, just put it off to the side of your veg area where it doesn't get much light but gets some....

If leaves start to droop, trim off the edges those leaves, maybe give em a spray, and 90% of the time I can save em...but usually you can tell after a day that they're supporting themselves, and will continue to...then you're good. Just water the coco once a day

The roots will come.

KISS

 

[Kronikal_kiwi]

Cheers bro, I'll set that up right now, also keen to build a cloning machine of some sort today though as I want to keep all my options open.

But yes, I will get stuck into that, and take two clones of each of my mothers right now, are you certain they wont need a dome? I'll post pics in 10 minutes

 

[187020]

Kiwi homie I hope you figure it out... If I've given out clones to 20 people, 19 no longer have the strain due to these difficulties!! Comfortable temps and humidity have always helped me get em rooted regardless of medium

All peace babeh

 

[sunnydog]

Perlite wick cloner

Perlite wick cloner

Perlite wick cloner- can't be beat.

 

[simple green]

I've done this in 40% humidity, and with the big fan leaves off or trimmed half way, a good bit of stem (one good internode chopped off and under the coco + some) under the coco, and a good clean cut (maybe a little exterior taken off the stem before you dip it in the water and the HD root powder....forgot to add that!) you're good to go...

You'll quickly get a feel for how much foilage the cutting can support....

I like cloning in coco b/c just keeping it wet gets it done....

I use botanicaire expanded bricks by the way....real nice fluffy coco...so it maintains a lot of air in the stem/rootzone even when wet. That's at least how I've interpreted my "ease of success" with this method

 

[Agaricus]

As simple green said, cutting and trimming is important. Beyond that just keeping the cloning medium damp, and maybe putting a tent type thing (with some ventilation) over them for a few days is what works for me. I use whatever rooting powder happens to be on hand. Gels, meh, I don't like them as well as powder. Just my preference. I've cloned under my little 110 watt t5 biax light and on a windowsill without much difference.

I've done rapid rooters, dirt, verm/perlite and plain water. Plain water, no luck. Rapid rooters are great. Dirt's been variable for me. Verm/perlite works pretty well.

Last batch of clones I rooted in fine vermiculite, straight up no additives. That was what I had on hand when the urge to clone struck. Used the little plastic 6-packs. 100% success. Frankly I was surprised how well it worked. Granted the Blue Widow is one of the easiest-cloning ladies I've had but still...

One thing I've come to like is bottom-watering. Either the little plastic 6-paks or small red plastic cups with holes around the rim of the bottom, sitting in a container with some water in the bottom. I just use tap water, but the local water supply is pretty good. Your mileage may vary.

Bottom line to me is that simple is good. I do have a bubble cloner under construction but it's been on hold 'cause the old simple ways work so well. It seems, in general, that the less complicated things are the better they work.

 

[Kronikal_kiwi]

Really sorry I didn't jump back on with pics as promised, I've been called out to some what of a family drama.

However I'm in town now so I can easily get the parts needed to make an earo cloner. I will also take a batch in coco, and continue on with my batch in jiffies. I will take photo's of the whole lot and document it so everyone can see and tell me if I'm doing anything wrong.

During the drive down I started to wonder if my lack of rooting was due to excessive humidity. I mean I know clones need humidity but surely keeping it so damp that water runs down the sides of the tub constantly may mean that the clone never feels the need for roots?

Also I use a 250 watt hps, I have fluoro's available to me, however I've always had much more success through bigger lights (maybe its something to do with making the plants grow?). Possibly this is wrong? I have fluoro's available and if it's a proven fact that Im using the wrong light I can trial my little twin two foot fixture?

I now have 15 strains that I will be gutted if I loose. Some are quite precious to me, and living in NZ we are so far from the rest of the world we, apparently, have a very good customs service and getting seeds through isn't easy. I love these strains as I imported them myself and know that they are exactly what they say they are (most of the weed in NZ is sold with a name, however it's bull shit, just hyped up to sell an oz/clones/etc).

Thank you all sooo much for your help, it's truly appreciated!

 

[Weed Killer]

The best thing I can recommend is make sure everything is sterile, no matter what method you choose sterilize your razor blade, scissors etc. that is the trick to successful cloning for me.

 

[FunkBomb]

Aeroponic cloner. Just add water and some rooting hormone and you're all set. A shoplight or CFL over it and you'll have roots in a week.

-Funk

 

[Kronikal_kiwi]

Alright, next question.

What should I run in my Aero Cloner? Straight water? Or Rhizo? Or Rhizo, with a mild nute solution?

If I can I'd rather get away with not using Rhizo as I have hardly any of the stuff, and the tub I bought to make this is 50 liters (12ish gallons) and thats A LOT of rhizo at 4 mils per liter!

Also what PH should I run? Standard 5.8?

 

[farmdalefurr]

take a good look at an ezcloner

make a mental note on the sprayer manifold and how easy it would be to make yourself

then make it yourself

 

[Kronikal_kiwi]

Hey there everyone.

Sorry I didnt make it back yesterday. I was dealing with Family drama's down in Wellington until mid arvo, then I had to come home and train the dogs.

Anyway, I did construct my manifold.
Does it need to mist, or is it enough that it just sprays drips in every direction?
Pics..

Time to test...

All up I think I spent around $120 including an aquarium heater. It's winter here at the moment and we regularly reach near freezing at night, and this whole set up is in the garage with concrete floors.

 

[Kronikal_kiwi]

 

[gonzo`]

holding thumbs for ya, good luck! i've been pretty successful with aero cloners but you have to make sure the system is sterile or you risk failure.. Clean well between runs!

 

[Alfred]

If you're not in a rush just put the cuttings in a glass of water and sit them in a window sill for a couple of weeks, it takes longer but is pretty foolproof.

 

[Bonzo]

aero works kiwi

my DIY aero cloner is over 5 years old close to 8 i think....still poppin' roots...

i usually add a few drops bleach and a few more drops H2O2...

Never have nasties in water

if you have access to a hydro store you can get neoprene collars to hold your clones in place...

good luck

 

[PetFlora]

I used to have problems cloning too.

1. I went to a small tote that is low in height as volume of air between water line and bottom of net pots (or stem) is important.

2. I replaced the lp misting system with a high volume air pump + 4 large OxyStones

This provides huge amount of oxygen rich bubbles and air. My success went from the shitter to > 90% without using cloning gels

Water is RO + < 40ppms of sea salt minerals