Ok.. I decided to start this thread because of the many issues ive noticed with cloneing/and or seedling starts.
I have built bubble cloners and used various types of medium such as rock wool, perilite mixtures and others starter(plugs)types of medium. However I still prefer to use those trusty ol things i call "peat pucks" Oh... and they are cheap to..
Seed or clone, i have never experianced the need to stray from this fail proof way of starting younglings.
I see alot of people using the bubble cloners or other various water culture forms of inducing roots. in my own experiance I noticed maintaining proper water levels for 5-10 days...well...babysitting like. A also have found, outside of rigging up this complex unit to be "a pain in this ass", if your cloning room is on the cooler side.You now need to slightly warm the water by use of a fish heater or heat pad.
Im lazy when it comes to taking care of babies. I just want to water them once, and look back in a week or so and see roots.Im not normally in a hurry for clones to root.. they always do. 100% success Rate.Then I can simply transplant them into my even more complex Hydroponic system with ease.
All you need to clone is peat pucks, a starter tray and a clear dome. A trick you can use on peat pucks is by using HOT water to expand the pucks with. This greatly reduces wait times and is all you need to do to start clones/seedlings. NO NUTES REQUIRED.I dont ph adjust my tap water.. but if your water is seriously wacked, this is required as well.
I take my cuttings(at least two nodes),dipped in cheap ass rooting powder sinking them into a soaked and(warm) puck. Once i have the desired count i simply add just enough water into my starter tray to keep the bottoms of the pucks wet and cover with dome.
The dome insures that the clones and pucks stay warm through this transitional period. Some also use heat pads to help. This is very important and a big reason why most have problems, your medium must be room temp(around 25 deg C), otherwise it can stunt or even prevent cloning from happining.If you are to hot, mold and rot occurs.It's a balance you must find for yourself in your area. The dome also serves another purpose because you are essentially traping water inside the dome, it's almost impossible to dry out the pucks within a week timeframe. Otherwise... babysitting again, now you have to watch for drying out your pucks, almost an instant killer.I let my peat puck suck up all water for a day at the end of the week by simply removing the dome. Then refill starter tray with again, just enough to wet the bottoms of the puck, if no roots are seen.
Many people use full size flouros, or a total over kill hps/mh for lighting.I have found my 400 watt MH to be totally useless for using as a starter light. I now run four 100W CFL light fixtures which provides enough light for 6-10 babies. That is untill they have 5-10 growth nodes lengths.. then i transplant into the magic trays where light is significantly upgraded to a full 1000W full spectrum bulb.
So in my mind simple setup = desired result consitantly and effortlessly a big part of my way of doing things. Consistant and effortless.
I have built bubble cloners and used various types of medium such as rock wool, perilite mixtures and others starter(plugs)types of medium. However I still prefer to use those trusty ol things i call "peat pucks" Oh... and they are cheap to..
Seed or clone, i have never experianced the need to stray from this fail proof way of starting younglings.
I see alot of people using the bubble cloners or other various water culture forms of inducing roots. in my own experiance I noticed maintaining proper water levels for 5-10 days...well...babysitting like. A also have found, outside of rigging up this complex unit to be "a pain in this ass", if your cloning room is on the cooler side.You now need to slightly warm the water by use of a fish heater or heat pad.
Im lazy when it comes to taking care of babies. I just want to water them once, and look back in a week or so and see roots.Im not normally in a hurry for clones to root.. they always do. 100% success Rate.Then I can simply transplant them into my even more complex Hydroponic system with ease.
All you need to clone is peat pucks, a starter tray and a clear dome. A trick you can use on peat pucks is by using HOT water to expand the pucks with. This greatly reduces wait times and is all you need to do to start clones/seedlings. NO NUTES REQUIRED.I dont ph adjust my tap water.. but if your water is seriously wacked, this is required as well.
I take my cuttings(at least two nodes),dipped in cheap ass rooting powder sinking them into a soaked and(warm) puck. Once i have the desired count i simply add just enough water into my starter tray to keep the bottoms of the pucks wet and cover with dome.
The dome insures that the clones and pucks stay warm through this transitional period. Some also use heat pads to help. This is very important and a big reason why most have problems, your medium must be room temp(around 25 deg C), otherwise it can stunt or even prevent cloning from happining.If you are to hot, mold and rot occurs.It's a balance you must find for yourself in your area. The dome also serves another purpose because you are essentially traping water inside the dome, it's almost impossible to dry out the pucks within a week timeframe. Otherwise... babysitting again, now you have to watch for drying out your pucks, almost an instant killer.I let my peat puck suck up all water for a day at the end of the week by simply removing the dome. Then refill starter tray with again, just enough to wet the bottoms of the puck, if no roots are seen.
Many people use full size flouros, or a total over kill hps/mh for lighting.I have found my 400 watt MH to be totally useless for using as a starter light. I now run four 100W CFL light fixtures which provides enough light for 6-10 babies. That is untill they have 5-10 growth nodes lengths.. then i transplant into the magic trays where light is significantly upgraded to a full 1000W full spectrum bulb.
So in my mind simple setup = desired result consitantly and effortlessly a big part of my way of doing things. Consistant and effortless.
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They look pretty handy, although this is my first time using them.
that pucks restrict roots. Check it:
