Ice-tube cloner from WallyWorld

[Budley Doright]

Ive done the same thing....

I cut up a couple of my cloners....

I have some singles.....and then some small groups....

One disadvantage of the cloner.....

too many clones...27 in such a small space.......

 

[dopegud]

Will the new style with the solid bottom work the same? I dont see why it wouldn't.

DG

 

[justanotherbozo]

...without the removable bottom you will have no choice but to 'pull' your clones out which can damage fragile roots if the clones haven't firmly established themselves.

...i personally prefer to 'push' my clones out from the bottom which is much less likely to cause damage, ...note the ramrod i made from a penny drilled and screwed to a piece of dowel, it seems as though a penny was made for the job. (just below the bowl and to the right of the Bic pen)

...btw, once you start to really get a handle on how to use this elegantly simple wicking style you no longer need these ice-tube-trays, ...a cup of coco will do just fine and you can take bigger cuts that need less veg time to become ready for the flip.

...i am a huge fan of the passive, fail-safe approach, that's why i clone this way and why i grow in coco hempy's, KISS style around a single 600HPS barebulb, ...my op is so easy it practically runs itself, lol.

peace, bozo

 

[Budley Doright]

Hey bozo..... how grows it.....


I do in fact have a new design.....

Cheaper and can in fact be automated......


It uses a small plastic rez....


3 oz bathroom cups......I use a push pin to pierce the cups along the bottom....

3/4 inch pvc pipe....


and washed sand.......


I am in fact using the new design instead of the old way......



Take a bathcup..... and about 4 inches of pipe....

Hold the pipe and cup in one hand and fill the cup with washed sand to hold the pipe upright.....


fill the pipe with medium of choice repeat however times......


My reservoir uses a mini bell siphon..... for a flood and drain effect......


It can be used either in manual mode or automated with pump and bell siphon.....


I flood and drain once per day....


My pump turns on..... fills the reaervoir to slightly above the level of the washed sand in the cups.......


thats where the siphon kicks in and sucks the reservoir to whatever level you choose....

depending on the bell siphon......


IMO the bell siphon is a great thing...... Its like magic....



works great.....

 

[Budley Doright]

If you wanted to use the same cups bozo is using.....

Use some sort of channel..... I use a 4 inch pvc fence post.....

put each cup in.... fill around the cups with sand......


The pump turns on and will raise the water to just above the medium.....


then the overflow hole prevents it from going any higher......



the bell siphon kicks in and removes as much water as you like.....


The sand reduces the amount of water needed to flood.....


The bell siphon can be made from.....

a 1/4 inch grommet...

stiff 1/4 inch tubing...

1/2 inch cvpc and cap.....


cheap for how cool it is...

It is much more forgiving about what medium you use.... because you can flood as often as you need....

 

[Budley Doright]

The original device could be modified to be automated.....

Using the reservoir plus the 2 part ice tube maker.....


All you need to do.... is provide an overflow hole....

and the bell siphon.....


Add water until the siphon kicks in just below the surface which then drains as much water from the res as you might like.....


sits on a 5 gallon bucket and pump.....

 

[sanjuan]

To save someone from reading all 57 pages, the OP changed the drill diameter from 1/32 to 1/16 inch. Makes sense to me, I was just about to drill that size anyway.

 

[Budley Doright]

I have some great news for all the wick cloner folks out there.....


The old cloners which used to be available at walmart.... are no longer made....




Find the grommets first...then build the rest.....




Ive redeisgned the cloner..... the cost is about the same as the walmart version....give or take.....


Here are the parts you need....


A margerine container...mine happens to be 2 lbs 13 oz...(other containers are easily used....like tupperware etc....

About 3 or 4 feet of 1/2inch cpvc

several 1/2 inch straight connectors I used 7......

several 1/4 inch grommets I again used 7


MOre info on the grommets..... I have 2 grommets which work quite well.....

My favorite .....I got at the hydro store..... they require a 5/16ths drill bit....in typical use (not here)
they are made to fit a 1/4 inch barb snugly.....

The other type Ive tried I got at menards.... 6 to a package found in electrical....


Thats it... we are talking 5 dollars......

Cut several 3-4 inch pieces of cpvc pipe attach the 1/2 inch straight connectors to the pipe.....


Then insert the 1/4 inch grommet in the bottom of the tube to prevent the fine vermiculite from running out of the tube....


So each wicking tube is made from a 4 inch piece of cpvc....a 1/2 inch connector and a 1/4 inch grommet.....


I then used a new 5/8th inch drill bit and made 7 holes in the lid.....


Then it was ready to go....


Filling the tubes....

I put a tiny bit of paper towel in the bottom of each......


then filled them with vermiculite....making sure there were no air spaces.....

You may need a tamper to firm up the vermiculite as you are filling....

I use a standard wooden pencil eraser side.....

The only somewhat touchy thing....is that all 1/4 inch grommets are not the same.....


I would suggest taking a piece of the cpvc with you to make sure the grommet fits it reasonably snugly.....


To remove the plant .... push the grommet thru with the pencil eraser.....


I hope someone with a camera will make one of these and take some pics to post.......


I would love to see the cloner live on in its new reincarnation........

 

[xfredo1990x]

this looks good im going to try as well. couldnt hack it the first try maybe this will work for me, thanks.

 

[Budley Doright]

I have some great news for all the wick cloner folks out there.....


The old cloners which used to be available at walmart.... are no longer made....




Find the grommets first...then build the rest.....




Ive redeisgned the cloner..... the cost is about the same as the walmart version....give or take.....


Here are the parts you need....


A margerine container...mine happens to be 2 lbs 13 oz...(other containers are easily used....like tupperware etc....

About 3 or 4 feet of 1/2inch cpvc

several 1/2 inch straight connectors I used 7......

several 1/4 inch grommets I again used 7


MOre info on the grommets..... I have 2 grommets which work quite well.....

My favorite .....I got at the hydro store..... they require a 5/16ths drill bit....in typical use (not here)
they are made to fit a 1/4 inch barb snugly.....

The other type Ive tried I got at menards.... 6 to a package found in electrical....


Thats it... we are talking 5 dollars......

Cut several 3-4 inch pieces of cpvc pipe attach the 1/2 inch straight connectors to the pipe.....


Then insert the 1/4 inch grommet in the bottom of the tube to prevent the fine vermiculite from running out of the tube....


So each wicking tube is made from a 4 inch piece of cpvc....a 1/2 inch connector and a 1/4 inch grommet.....


I then used a new 5/8th inch drill bit and made 7 holes in the lid.....


Then it was ready to go....


Filling the tubes....

I put a tiny bit of paper towel in the bottom of each......


then filled them with vermiculite....making sure there were no air spaces.....

You may need a tamper to firm up the vermiculite as you are filling....

I use a standard wooden pencil eraser side.....

The only somewhat touchy thing....is that all 1/4 inch grommets are not the same.....


I would suggest taking a piece of the cpvc with you to make sure the grommet fits it reasonably snugly.....


To remove the plant .... push the grommet thru with the pencil eraser.....


I hope someone with a camera will make one of these and take some pics to post.......


I would love to see the cloner live on in its new reincarnation........

I love the new....wicking cloner..... I just finished my third round....


100% so far.....

 

[StoopheadFred]

REI carries the ice tube trays. They are a single solid piece though with no removable bottom part and are $4.50 a piece.

I'm going to try and flower in these using coco and passive wick. Wonder if it'll work... would be nice to be able to fit ~100 plants in such a small area.

 

[Budley Doright]

My local walmart caries the new type..... its seasonal......


If I were to use the other type.....


Drill out the bottoms with a very small drill bit


Allow them to root well.....14 days....


then remove any roots which have come thru the holes.....


finally pull the clone out by the stem....

 

[ft100]

Pics of new DIY clones you do please.......

 

[Budley Doright]

Im sorry I dont have a camera.....


But I have a slightly larger version of my home made cloner......

better for larger clones.....



I use a 3/4 inch grommet and 3/4 inch pvc pipe.....


its the thin walled stuff...... not schedule 40


The pipe is about a buck give or take for 10 feet......

I simply cover the pipe end with a piece of paper towel....then insert the grommet....


trim off the excess paper......


the paper towel prevents the vermiculite from falling thru the grommets hole.....


Then fill with vermiculite....... firmly.......

I like this size better than the original because it does larger clones better I think.....

 

[Budley Doright]

I did sort of price what is required....


3/4 inch grommets are about 60 cents.....

the 3/4 inch thin walled pvc pipe....10 feet for a buck fifty or so.....



My cloner has 7 tubes..... as a reservoir I simply use a quart mason jar......


Im pretty sure that there are many growers who have more than a few 1/2 inch grommets..... I did....

In my case I had the 3/4 inch pvc pipe as well.... my tubes are 3 inches....

cut with a tube cutter.....ratcheting type...... so 2 feet of pipe is all I needed....


The only investment then would be a buck and change for the pvc.......


I actually like this set up better than the original.....if you arent doing 27 clones at once.....

everything is nicely washable......

 

[dubwise]

hey burnt, thanks for staying with this thread for so long, it's very helpful. I stumbled upon it a week ago and made something very similar. I've got a slight problem though and hopefully you can shed a little light for me. After putting the cuttings in the tightly packed vermiculite, I added the water and set the temp for 80. I went back the next day and the water had evaporated. I added more water and went away. On the third day, the water had evaporated so I added more water. The vermiculite was wet, but not pooling and the cuts looked great. Today, seven days later the cuts look fine, but on top of the medium was a little bit of white fuzzy mold. I scraped it all off and have not added any water in four days. When I scraped the medium off I noticed that it was still wet. Everything was cleaned prior to being used and the cuttings all look great. I'm thinking I added too much water over the initial three days. How often should I be adding water? It seems like I shouldn't leave the water in the container if I've got a mold issue...but I don't really know. Any help is greatly appreciated.
btw-forgot to mention that the temps in the container have been 78-80 and the ambient temps have been 74-78.

 

[Budley Doright]

Well my general recommendation is to always keep about an inch of water in the reservoir....

The mold thing has me a bit stumped......


Vermiculite is inert and isnt a good target for mold....


I dont recall seeing mold..... but it may be the mold is feeding on the stem not the vermiculite......


One thing does come to mind..... the mold may be because there simply isnt enough air circulation......Like you are in a dome or something similar......


Let us know if any of this helps or if any of the other folks have seen mold.......


We generally like evaporation and wicking.... but not air stagnation.....

 

[dubwise]

Thanks BR, no there is no dome, I did things similarly to the original setup, I didn't use the ice tube, but made something close to it. I picked up a bottle of clonex this afternoon and am going to run a few tubes with it and some without. I may have added too much water initially, so back to the drawing board so to speak. I'll post results as they become available. Thanks so much!

 

[dubwise]

Hello all: I just wanted to thank everyone for their help and instruction with this method. I checked my little babies this morning and had 80% success! The one's that didn't make it, well I shall say, hadn't made it yet, have no issues, just haven't rooted yet. The amount and complexity of the root systems look better than I could've imagined. Compared to rapid rooters & domes or bubble cloners (which many have had great results with), this is a no nonsense, extremely easy way to root cuttings. Thanks again everyone for bringing me along the way.

 

[beta]

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