Aerocloner thermostatic controlled

[Florere]

Hello all,

I want to make a diy aerocloner. And i was thinking normally i see guys using an clock to time the on off period of the pump because for some, continuous is causing heat problems.

So is there a reason nobody is using thermostats to control the on/off period of the pump?
I was thinking to going that route.

Thanks in advance and sorry if my English is not coherent it’s not my mother language

 

[Mattbho]

Because if temp falls out of range it will not operate for a long while and imo they need misting every 10 minutes minimum.

Say you set it to warm the water to 78 degrees that is fine if room is always 75 but if room gets 79 the pump will never operate thus killing your cuttings inside of 8 hours

 

[Mattbho]

I set mine 8 min off 1 min on . If I had a seconds timer I think 30 second mistings would do just same thing

 

[wvkindbud38]

I got a 35 and 75 site hortipots cloner. And a couple fast roots cloner. I'm not a very good cloner but those ink-birds offer a lot of different options to work with. It seems like I keep having trouble with the cloners slimming up. I've went from 64-72 and watch the humidity to were I don't need the dome.

 

[fibonacci]

My Diy Aerocloner

My Diy Aerocloner

This are the photos of the My Diy Aerocloner.


paraphernalia:
- black Ikea container
- polypropylene-honeycomb sheet
- small pump for aquarium
- rotating micro sprinkler
Simple, cheap, foolproof.
Buon Coltivo


P.S: No timer, 24 hours on.
7 days for the first roots.
10/15 days: you can put the cuttings in the pots.

 

[LostTribe]

I got a 35 and 75 site hortipots cloner. And a couple fast roots cloner. I'm not a very good cloner but those ink-birds offer a lot of different options to work with. It seems like I keep having trouble with the cloners slimming up. I've went from 64-72 and watch the humidity to were I don't need the dome.

clean them.

I always run a tsp of bleach through the system for 24hrs after they root then rinse everything and clean with a scrubber. I also use a short cycle timer 5min on 5 off. Sometimes more off but its colder now. The pump running 24/7 is not good as it heats up the rez water and that maybe whats giving you slime. You can also add DM Zone to the rez it will keep it dead, think they just re released it. Theres other stuff but I still have a bottle you can google dead rez there should be info. I think watered down pool shock is an option.

Always clean rez and amazing roots with nearly 100% sucess.

 

[wvkindbud38]

clean them.

I always run a tsp of bleach through the system for 24hrs after they root then rinse everything and clean with a scrubber. I also use a short cycle timer 5min on 5 off. Sometimes more off but its colder now. The pump running 24/7 is not good as it heats up the rez water and that maybe whats giving you slime. You can also add DM Zone to the rez it will keep it dead, think they just re released it. Theres other stuff but I still have a bottle you can google dead rez there should be info. I think watered down pool shock is an option.

Always clean rez and amazing roots with nearly 100% sucess.

I'm gonna probably fire up the cloners in a mounth or so. I always clean them with bleach before I start and clean them and change the water every couple of days. I'll look for a bottle of DM zone and give that a try. Also get them on a 5min on and 5off cycle. I always keep my razor and other things sterilized and have tried every type of rooting hormone there is. I was having a decent amount of success with Rockwool cubes and rapid rooters but still not anywhere near I'd like. Thanks for the advice I'll definitely try the things you mentioned when I get to start back growing

 

[f-e]

If the pump is heating the water, don't put it in the water.

Another route might be a mini fridge. They offer about 20w of cooling, and are garage sale items. The heat your pump adds to the water, could be lost by extending the delivery hose out to the fridge, where it does a few circles and comes back again, to the delivery head.

I don't imagine the pumps being used are particularly good at making a mist. I bet most simply can't, and so the mister is really just a nozzle chucking water about. By spending 30$ on an external pump, you could stop heating the water, and gain a lot more pressure.

PC cooling radiators could really move this along. Often they are part of a kit, that easily joins to a thermo-electric pack like found in the mini fridge.



Hmm.. lets see
$25 for a fridge

It chucks the heat out the back

Heat removed from this 50mm square area that the cooling block is screwed to. You can see the screws

This is a water block, often found on a CPU. It is 10%

Some thermal plaster or a strap and couple of screws out the way will hold it all together.

You would probably want one of them 10$ 12v 3a PSU units with the voltage adjustment. Running the fridge on one would mean it could be turned up and down.

Obviously a garden pump may not have the guts to put water down a drip line sized pipe. It was never a good choice. Get a 660a or something else that can make the emitter head spin. The 660a can sit outside the tank anyway. By the time you have spent 65$, the waters going to be too damn cold if you used it all to it's best advantage.

If you go to source, as I would, You can get a 50w fridge module with the water block for 20$

I could of started with that, but constructing an image in peoples minds can be difficult, if they have not seen such stuff before.
This is a 50w cooler, and consumes 72w, which basically means a 6a psu is needed if you want the full 50w. You might settle for a 5 amp as they are common. Then stick below 10v to ensure 5a is enough.
This stuff isn't crap. If the water stops flowing, it will very quickly get covered in condensation then ice. Mount it where it can drip.

 

[wvkindbud38]

Thanks guys I've got a small fridge similar to that one. I'm gonna start a few plants pretty soon and get them pretty big before I'll take some cuts. I lost several great clones I had ECSD, OGKB, and Sour Valley that was ECSD x Biker Kush if memory serves me correct. I've got a lot of great seeds I'm just gonna have to find some keepers. But whatever I start I'll take cuts from and try to dial in my cloning game. Also my well water isn't very good I'm wondering if it would be better to try RO water or something. I add Life cloning solution to my water in my cloner and if I'm using Rockwool or rapid rooters I'll soak those overnight.

 

[LostTribe]

I'm gonna probably fire up the cloners in a mounth or so. I always clean them with bleach before I start and clean them and change the water every couple of days. I'll look for a bottle of DM zone and give that a try. Also get them on a 5min on and 5off cycle. I always keep my razor and other things sterilized and have tried every type of rooting hormone there is. I was having a decent amount of success with Rockwool cubes and rapid rooters but still not anywhere near I'd like. Thanks for the advice I'll definitely try the things you mentioned when I get to start back growing

I never change or adjust the water for the entire time. Currently about 3w and still rooting more cuttings. I normally could go 6 weeks. I mix 5 gallons RO with 200ppm cal mag and then add a bloom fert (currently maxibloom) up to 4-500ppm (700 scale) and ph to 5.8. I dont even run DM Zone in the colder season. The timer will also reduce evaporation quite a bit with the lower rez temps. Just make sure the water level remains above the pump and you are good to go. I havent even adjusted the ph. Normally 100% rooted in 15 days and ready to transplant in whatever media or system of your choosing.

 

[CrushnYuba]

I know this thread is getting a little older but i have been messing with "aero" cloning trying to find perfect conditions and observations from other members. I did use a thermostat and there is an easy way to do it so it will still run intermittently when hot. But I'll tell u why im not using my pump to heat and I'm using an aquarium heater. You definitely don't need a chiller for rooting! Even in a very hot room (over 85) a little computer fan (turbo clone) or air pump (ez) will drop it with evaporative cooling below ambient. So usually you do need some form of heat. I just don't think the pump is the way to do it.

I used a thermostat, timer and double throw relay. When the water was cold and the thermostat was on, power went direct to pump and it ran 24/7. When the thermostat was off because water was warm, power went through the timer and to the pump. Very easy. Most people already have a timer for their cloner. I already had the relay but they are only like 5$.

Warm water does make roots faster. The reason i am using an aquarium heater to heat the water is because running the pump all the time is too much water on the stem and it seems to root slower. I have been watching aero cloners and it seems like the water gets spit out and onto the stem and most of it falls off leaving a hanging drop on the bottom of the stem. That tiny hanging drop is what the plant uses to drink and why unrooted cuts are as perky as a cut in a cup of water. The rest off the stem is exposed to saturated humid air. That's why it roots faster then a cup of water.

I think 80-85f and infrequent spraying is best. I'm doing like 2 min every 20 min. But i think i may do better if i make the off time longer. As long as there is the hanging drop on the bottom, they shouldn't wilt.

 

[Ca++]

Ever noticed how far up the barrel, an air stone keeps the side wet?

Maybe a pump chucking water at them for 5 whole minutes, isn't the best approach. I have not known of my friends having such troubles though. One went to the trouble of making a lid, but it seemed just the walls of the lid was the ticket. Accomplished by putting it right in the corner, and then just two sides needed something stood there. That had no relation to rotting though.

I stick my cuts in blocks so wet, they are still soaking 2 weeks later, when the cuts are done. About 27c (80f?) and maybe 1 in 20 rots (at most)
This makes me think more is going on. There are posts from people that just plug them in and use them. Others with warmer water. Perhaps something else is at play.

I have been forced to try organic rooting gel a couple of times. Found others using it to. In each instance, it was a death sentence. It's like painting rot into them. I wonder if there is some common issue we are not seeing. Some organic input, making the environment un-sterile

 

[CrushnYuba]

Yeah. I wonder what exactly these other things are that are at play. I got roots when i ran my cloner 24/7. But it took longer and the root system wasn't as nice. I don't know if it was from the hucked water abusing the poor things, or the moisture itself. I do get wicker roots in damp media then soaked though. I think people's water source, additives, and environment (airborne contaminants and temperature) play a roll.

I think warm temps from a heater + chlorine+ minimum cycles is the best. But without all 3 results vary. Especially chlorine. Chlorine is the great equalizer

Running a pump 24/7 gives you warm water and faster rooting but it's too wet and you are beating the roots. Warmth without chlorine can breed contaminants.
Running pump on timer keeps temperatures lower. Contaminants grow slower but so do roots. Longer time in the cloner is less healthy cuts and without chlorine gives contaminants longer to grow.

Also people put nutrients in their rez. Nitrogen combined with chlorine and deactivates it. Feeds the funk. Most nutrients have n. And forget if it's some hippy organic shit.

 

[AllStuff420]

This is a crucial step in the process of feeding nutrients and water to the roots of plant cuttings while hanging them in midair. In just three days, aeroponic cloning can produce new roots, and it takes one to two weeks for cuttings to develop root systems.
Clones can be fed with fertilizers, teas, or any other nutrient method after being transplanted and irrigated into the soil for about a week.