bobblepods v2.0. bobbleracks revamped.

[bobblehead]

how the little clone experiment going....

perlite FTW.

I had multiple issues with the fog and mister cloners. Mostly power interruptions aka operator error. The few cuts that survived are developing bumps.

The cuts that were in coco/perlite AND had a humidity dome look good... w/o a humidity dome, they don't stand a chance.

Straight perlite w/ or w/o a humidity dome and about 1" of water in the tray does the trick. They looked great w/ the humidity dome... but I removed it after the first 5 days and they are rooting. That's the tray I took before the rest, so about 10-14 days to root.

I want to know how some of you get roots in 5 days? WTF is that, some sort of black magic? I'm not gonna lie, I've done it before... But it's rare. It seems like I have to keep my cuts alive 2-3 weeks for them to root.

Anyway, I'm sticking with perlite cloning for the majority of my cuts, until I get something better on lock. I just fill a rubbermaid container 1" high with water after soaking the flat. I don't do anything except add back water when it gets near empty. Perlite, the original aerocloner.

also, the cuts I put in the basement were wilting... when I brought them upstairs some of them recovered and are doing fine. It's definitely warmer upstairs, but that wasn't a problem before? I mean I have 1800w plus the drizair AND a water chiller bumpin... plus 1200w in veg... so there was lots of heat down there. Fungus is the only thing capable of destroying cell walls I found out in microbio... so I think there's something living in the basement, or my coco, that's causing the damping off.

 

[prowler]

I want to know how some of you get roots in 5 days? WTF is that, some sort of black magic? I'm not gonna lie, I've done it before... But it's rare. It seems like I have to keep my cuts alive 2-3 weeks for them to root.

I got the impression that heating the medium plays a big role in this. Some ppl use heat mats so basically their medium is a bit warmer than ambient air but i haven't tried this because it simply does not fit to my KISS - also i've heard that heat mats can be a fire hazard because of the cheap manufacturing or something. Maybe someone wiser could assist you more. But you can try this: Stick your finger to the perlite mix - i think that it is much colder than your ambient air?

also, the cuts I put in the basement were wilting... when I brought them upstairs some of them recovered and are doing fine. It's definitely warmer upstairs, but that wasn't a problem before? I mean I have 1800w plus the drizair AND a water chiller bumpin... plus 1200w in veg... so there was lots of heat down there. Fungus is the only thing capable of destroying cell walls I found out in microbio... so I think there's something living in the basement, or my coco, that's causing the damping off.

This i think is because of insufficient root mass. The clones are still developing the correspond the root mass to the leaf matter and isn't quite done yet - so basically leaves evaporate more water than roots are able to suck from the medium. Usually when you start to see a bit of new growth on the clones they're ready for the blast. Then again too dry and windy conditions will wilt your freshly rooted clones but i doubt that because you have environmental factors dialed in.

I usually have a bit darker and less windy corner for them to settle in.

My two cents.

 

[mrheadie]

hmmm, strange your having that much trouble even though your paying attention (thats norm the problem). i know when i was rooting cuts in anything but my ez they always took a little longer, but i still always had success. the ez is the only times i've had those super fast roots (5-6 days). i checked a batch last night that were taken last friday and all are starting to root (will still be 4-5 days before they can be tranplanted though), so 6 days for signs of roots and another 3-4 to harden them a bit and thats not even in perfect conditions. also, are your cuts under hid's? i run 8 bulb t5 with only half the bank lit and they seem to really like the t5's. before that i always used fluoros. im pretty sure that during the rooting process they actually perfer a softer less intense light. another thing i think i do that helps me is adding 1/2 tsp maxicrop for every gal of water. i use to use all the cloning solutions and actually found plain water worked better for me and when i added the maxi, they were just that much more happy. sounds like your perlite method is working best for u, so maybe just bang out a bunch that way? and dont forget the hydrogen peroxide to kill that fungus. im in a basement also with all sorts of molds and fungus so i know your problem all to well. i just try to keep the humidity around 50% and allot of air movement and things seem to do very well (knock on wood).
peace
headie

 

[bobblehead]

I got the impression that heating the medium plays a big role in this. Some ppl use heat mats so basically their medium is a bit warmer than ambient air but i haven't tried this because it simply does not fit to my KISS - also i've heard that heat mats can be a fire hazard because of the cheap manufacturing or something. Maybe someone wiser could assist you more. But you can try this: Stick your finger to the perlite mix - i think that it is much colder than your ambient air?


This i think is because of insufficient root mass. The clones are still developing the correspond the root mass to the leaf matter and isn't quite done yet - so basically leaves evaporate more water than roots are able to suck from the medium. Usually when you start to see a bit of new growth on the clones they're ready for the blast. Then again too dry and windy conditions will wilt your freshly rooted clones but i doubt that because you have environmental factors dialed in.

I usually have a bit darker and less windy corner for them to settle in.

My two cents.

hmmm, strange your having that much trouble even though your paying attention (thats norm the problem). i know when i was rooting cuts in anything but my ez they always took a little longer, but i still always had success. the ez is the only times i've had those super fast roots (5-6 days). i checked a batch last night that were taken last friday and all are starting to root (will still be 4-5 days before they can be tranplanted though), so 6 days for signs of roots and another 3-4 to harden them a bit and thats not even in perfect conditions. also, are your cuts under hid's? i run 8 bulb t5 with only half the bank lit and they seem to really like the t5's. before that i always used fluoros. im pretty sure that during the rooting process they actually perfer a softer less intense light. another thing i think i do that helps me is adding 1/2 tsp maxicrop for every gal of water. i use to use all the cloning solutions and actually found plain water worked better for me and when i added the maxi, they were just that much more happy. sounds like your perlite method is working best for u, so maybe just bang out a bunch that way? and dont forget the hydrogen peroxide to kill that fungus. im in a basement also with all sorts of molds and fungus so i know your problem all to well. i just try to keep the humidity around 50% and allot of air movement and things seem to do very well (knock on wood).
peace
headie

Thank you both. After reading this, and a lot of posts from you guys trying to help me... I ordered a digital aquarium heater, so I can heat the water to 78F and not have the water get too hot. I also ordered a pack of 50 misters. I figure you can't have too many misters in one of these things... and if some clog, but I have extras, I'll be set. I'll run H2O2 in the rez as well... I think you guys are right about it working the best, as long as nothing goes wrong. I've been half assing this, and I figure I might as well do it right if I want roots in 5 days.

Anyway, while I'm working on that... I"ll be cloning in perlite... cause it works. Most of my clones are alive in coco/perlite as well, but they don't look as good as the cuts in perlite. It has to be a fungus, but if I use Eagle20, that'll delay rooting. I might bake or bleach some coco and try that out... But it's only going to stay sterile for so long. If the spores are here, and the conditions are right, the fungus will grow.

I've got too much going on, and I'm trying to get caught up... So please pardon my coarse responses. When I'm under pressure I have a sharp tongue. There's work to get done, so I'll be back... but I think I need to take a few days...

PMs are open...

 

[GMax]

the 5 days is only for the sign of root or the little bumps....

7-8 days to transplant is the norm for me

 

[silver hawaiian]

bobble

All good my friend - you said it earlier, something about being "a good grower with big plans and no clones." The frustration is understandable - heck, expected!

I just ran a bleach solution through mine yesterday - first maintenance I've given it since I've built it (probably 2-3 weeks?). I did it in part as a response to DHF's suggestion, and also because the last gal I have rooting isn't lookin' as hot as the rest were, and she's been stubborn about rooting. (On a side note, she's a mystery - but I'm hoping she's either a Blue Dragon or a Green Candy. So far, she's very temperamental in rooting, which is very Blue Dragon-esque IME).

We'll see if she perks up or not. She's rooted, but not lookin' sexy in the process, and a bit slower than the rest. (Once those roots get a smidgen longer, she'll go in the oven and hopefully reveal her true identity).

Also picked up a handful more misters, since everyone else's seems to have more than mine.

Given your dedication to and sweat invested in your projects as a whole, I'm sure you'll get this clone thing jammin' rightly soon man. I've got much faith in a bobble-built aerogimmick. Your track record supports it!

 

[Shcrews]

hey bob, heard about your great yield, havent read through the whole thread yet but im glad you are rockin it, know you been workin hard, props!

 

[HushemFlupskluk]

On the clones climate.

On the clones climate.

So I envision this cool air wind tunnel...

Hey man it's been some time. I read about your climate issue during that early stage of rooting your plants. Are we all not facing this problem to solve it. I must say that after sprouting over 35 seeds I also am still looking for the proper climate for those sensistive beings. My present round I had the same climate problems. And I come to this conclusion.

The air-in should be @ 20C before it reaches the sensitive seedlings. It should carry fogg with it constantly in order to create a good climate. And perhaps most impotant of all, the airflow around them should be minimised to a near ded situation. Ofcourse we all know this is impossible in our HPS powered rooms, but I dear to claim that this will save those seedlings that otherwise would be damaged b/c of the airflow.

I am convinced that a ded steady or very slow airflow as above will also save clones from damaging. But I do not see how you are going to make sure the upper clones in your vertical setup are going enjoy this climate. After all the steady foggy air will drop down in the room, there it creates a buffer zone of fog which functions as an isolator between the lamp aqnd plant. Would a horizontal setup in this stage solve the problem?

GL man. Let us know!

 

[prowler]

Know that this isn't really the place to be posting this info and it's all been said a lot of times before but it never hurts to repeat the facts. This isn't really posted for you Bobble.

My experryments about cloning straight to Coco:

- Use high class coco for cloning or recycled if you're sure there isn't any salts left from previous run. Shitty fresh coco will get you in trouble. After one successful harvest with sufficient flush (or organic) you're good to go with shitty coco to clones also.
- Before potting i either expand the coco brick or rinse recycled dry coco with full strength solution. Actually all of my plants gets the same - except PK additives.
- This is important: Press the coco to the cup properly - this way excess water is pushed out and the coco itself packed tight enough. Before you stick your clone to the cup puck a hole with a match and while you do that make sure that the coco is packed tight - you can actually feel it when poking the hole. Too loosely packed coco will wilt your clones.
- Place em under the dome
- Mist two times a day (thanks Anti!). If you miss one day don't mind. This brings oxygenated and fresh water to replace the previous stand still oxygen lost one.
- Make sure no fungus isn't growing in there (~after a week). Any sign of fungus/mold and you'll have to start again. No h202 will help - or yes maybe a little yes it does absolutely - but you're either way going to loose 90% of your clones so keep it clean from mold. Only the strongest of the strongest will survive after mold attacks them.
- After about two-three weeks they're ready.

This way you can take almost as huge clones as you want. Reason i want to say this out loud and once again is that cloning is my Akhilles heel. After realizing these facts i've had no problems.

 

[Hundred Gram Oz]

I got a bad spell of pythium in my aero cloner when trying to save strains, I had to take everything out and I ended up just planting them directly into coco to root, hopefully they will survive but it's touch or go atm. Fingers crossed.

 

[megayields]

Good luck HGO...sorry to hear about the pythium....yech

 

[Hundred Gram Oz]

Thanks bro.

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to megayields again."

 

[nameless]

i had a long post typed out and the trackpad destroyed it.... anyway. amazing run. you killed it obviously and are setting the bar high. congrats brother. your an inspiration

 

[megayields]

Bobble sorry bout not reaching you today, just too busy. No rest for the wicked!

 

[justwatchin]

Have the exact same problems you do. Cloning in coco was all fine and gravy till everything started damping off and i couldn't figure out why with H2O2 and all. Switched to Perlite, 5 drops of superthrive, and H2O2, with 100% success no matter how small the cut.


In regards to those damn mother f*ckin amphids that nothing at all seems to work on, perlite was my answer too....I added 1/2 inch to the top of everything veg and flower rooms and kept the coco just a tad dryer than I normally would with the help of a silica product n superthrive for a couple of weeks and Voilà those bastards seemed to disappear. If they are still there the effects that they were having on my grows have certainly ceased at least.

 

[~Shhh~]

I think damping off in coco is mainly down to it being to wet....

I've just done a few different mediums against each other - Jiffy pellets, Root Riot cubes, Compost (aka soil lol) and the Root riot cubes came last in all departments.... The Jiffys rooted first and were easiest to maintain (for me K.I.S.S is an absolute must when cloning).

The compost (soil) clones also rooted quicker than the Root Riot cubes... this was just some compost stuck into the cell tray the RR cubes come in.

Here's a dodgy pic of what the clone in compost looked like 5 days in (just like an aerocloner, lol!)

The clone above had plenty furry white roots 3-4 days later.

peace

 

[bobblehead]

I'm not quite ready to go yet guys... but here's a peak at the progress. I'll do a walk through, and still to come a new rack build... All in due time.

This is basically the new watering system. it still needs to be tied down, but you can see what it is. I have 1/2" tubing running across each level, with control valves at each end. Water is going to get pumped into each end, one one the top, one on the bottom, 500gph pumps cause they reach the ceiling and that's what's important, 1000gph total. I'll be adding in the feed lines next.

I found planter trays that fit the racks perfectly! I couldn't believe it. No more runoff hitting the floor, cause that just makes a mess. I didn't like that at all. It's also added assurance I won't have any plants drying out and dying. (ignore the drip lines, they're from before and haven't been removed yet.)

The radiator fan. I just got the power converter, so I'll be getting it all wired up ASAP and see how my temps are...

And to prove to you guys I know how to clone...

There is definitely a fungal problem with my coco... And living in Michigan, I think it's just a fact of life. Unless I want to bake my coco before cloning, I'm using perlite. I also built a new aerocloner with the red misters that you guys all use... the water heater should be here any day... and I'm gonna give that thing another go, but all my cuts for production are going in perlite. Period.







Just give me another week to sort things out around here and hopefully I'll have something moire to show for myself... That 2gpw grow is right around the corner, I can feel it.

 

[~Shhh~]

Lol @ showing us you can clone bobble... nice roots on that chick btw

I'm looking forward to the 2gpw grow, and I know u can pull it off mate...

 

[silver hawaiian]

Heinous

I don't use the red misters - I use the green & yellow. Which red ones? Do they have a moving part? Or just a sprayer?

 

[Choc]

looking forward to the next run and seeing them walls covered.....