Building an aeroponic cloner bucket, aka The Cloninator!

[Stu]

11 days in the machine, but the first 8 days had the temps to low, <70 degrees, added aquarium heater and the temps have risen slowly to 75.6 as of today.
Are these the start of roots, the clones are still very turgent and not limp at all.

This is strange to me, and worrisome. Any ideas folks?

By the way mine look up close I’d say yours looks okay. But what do I know lol

Best pics I can do sry.

 

[Stu]

There is no better feeling, after dropping a bundle on expensive seeds, like free plants!

I couldn’t agree more!

 

[gr865]

By the way mine look up close I’d say yours looks okay. But what do I know lol

Best pics I can do sry.

That is encouraging, thanks.

 

[InTheShed]

By the way mine look up close I’d say yours looks okay. But what do I know lol Best pics I can do sry.

Thanks Stu!

 

[gr865]

OK, they have taken off. Have 25 out of 34 have roots, most of the others have swollen areas where roots will form. So all is good, I hope the other pop soon as I want to get the all in the 1 gallon Smart Pots asap. At transplant the plan is to have the pots ready, flushed with a pH'ed Cal/Magic solution then last flush will be with Great White and Sub Culture II. Then plant the clone very gently to prevent any root damage. Water with the above solution to 30% plus runoff.
Just about have the new irrigation setup for this grow. Working the tent area now, redoing my 4 x 4 tray stand giving it more tilt to the front and strengthening the whole unit.


GR

 

[InTheShed]

Looks Gr8!

 

[gr865]

How long should I wait to transplant, I am ready, but are the clones ready? Will be giving them at least two weeks veg prior to flipping to 12/12. Could use some advice from you guys who have been there.
Got my irrigation worked out, will just need to be tweeked for each pot after transplanting.


Any advice would be appreciated!

GR

 

[gr865]

So after checking them this morning figured I had better get ready as I want to plant as soon as possible.

Clones taken from the mothers on Jan 1, put in the new DIY EZ Cloner, have never done this before so a big learning experience. I have three different pheno's of the Cheese from last grow, #'s 3/14, 5/10, and 2/10, so 34 plants in all and will choose the the 24 I will use for this grow. I selected these three pheno's as their grow traits were very similar. In flower the were all about the same height and bulk.

Irrigation ready, tried the Rainbird emitters like I used last grow, but my pump only does 1.2 gpm so was not enough volume. Switched to 2 gph pressure compensating dripper's, going to take some time to adjust but think it will be ok

The clones started swelling on 1/11 and here we are 5 days later. 33 of the 34 have rooted, expect the other by tomorrow.

Getting the Smart Pots ready, 3 pounds of coco in each pot. And the pots set up to get the initial flush with 6 gallons tap water and 20 gallons of rain water, will add Cal/Magic and very reduced amt of Rapid Start. They will be spread out some after I complete the flushing.

Unsure when I will transplant from the cloner to the pots, again this is a learning experience so reading and getting advice from growers who have done the clone thing and SOG before.
I need to get these planted, give them a couple of weeks to take off and put them into flower. Have a trip planned in about three months and want to harvest prior to the trip.
I could use some advice from anyone who has grown this method. When to pull the string on the transplant and do you think two weeks would be a long enough veg time?
Let's rock this place!

GR

 

[InTheShed]

I'd wait as long as you can, at least until you see a whole load of fishbone roots on each one. Or, you could try one now and see if it takes. Everyone's transplant process is different.

Have you got a grow journal for these? You'll get more attention in a grow journal than a tutorial!

 

[gr865]

I am tacking this one onto my Big Buddha Cheese Journal.
These are Pheno #3

Pheno's # 2 and 5 These are not as developed as # 3.

 

[gr865]

Put the ladies into their 1 gallon homes this yesterday, got 33 of the 34 clones to take. Only one that didn't I broke the stem a few weeks ago and only 1 inch of the stem remained. I still put it into coco Solo's so it should take also.

 

[DrDoob]

I couldn’t resist any longer, even though I don’t really need them I took a couple clones to test out the new bucket. I’m not a fan of the lid being so tight, but other than that it seems great.

 

[InTheShed]

Looks great! Good luck with them .

 

[Camaro1691]

I couldn’t resist any longer, even though I don’t really need them I took a couple clones to test out the new bucket. I’m not a fan of the lid being so tight, but other than that it seems great.

Will it leak out with the pump running if you just set the lid on instead of clicking it on? Could always rig up a drain valve for the bottom of the bucket.. whenever I need to make adjustments to mine I usually just lift one of the cloner plugs out and do it thru that hole

 

[InTheShed]

Will it leak out with the pump running if you just set the lid on instead of clicking it on? Could always rig up a drain valve for the bottom of the bucket.. whenever I need to make adjustments to mine I usually just lift one of the cloner plugs out and do it thru that hole

I never attach the lid. I would kill all the cuttings trying to get it off! Damn things are near impossible so I just press it down so it's touching all the way around and it doesn't leak.

 

[Camaro1691]

There is no better feeling, after dropping a bundle on expensive seeds, like free plants!

While I do love this statement, I take into consideration there is the initial cost of seeds, the cost to grow them to the point to be able to clone them. In my eyes the only free plants are those naturaly occuring in the woods, I don’t say this in a negative way, more or less acknowledging the efforts of the grower

 

[Camaro1691]

I never attach the lid. I would kill all the cuttings trying to get it off! Damn things are near impossible so I just press it down so it's touching all the way around and it doesn't leak.

I was under the impression it shouldn’t. My ez cloner doesn’t lock into itself at all, but the plastic is built up with a good lip for the top to rest on and does a damn good job at keeping the water in, I’ve never seen any on the ground

 

[gr865]

While I do love this statement, I take into consideration there is the initial cost of seeds, the cost to grow them to the point to be able to clone them. In my eyes the only free plants are those naturaly occuring in the woods, I don’t say this in a negative way, more or less acknowledging the efforts of the grower

Problem being, the quality you can achieve with good quality seeds as the starter.
Yes it does cost to grow, but not near as much as it cost to by cannabis and you don't get the true therapy you get from growing your own.

 

[InTheShed]

While I do love this statement, I take into consideration there is the initial cost of seeds, the cost to grow them to the point to be able to clone them. In my eyes the only free plants are those naturaly occuring in the woods, I don’t say this in a negative way, more or less acknowledging the efforts of the grower

Okay, I'll bite!

Fixed costs notwithstanding, as the electricity, soil, nutrients, etc. remain as long as you are growing anything (and if you plant in the woods there are transportation costs to visit and care for your stealth plants as well):

There are two ways to calculate the cost of a plant. 1. You write off the seed cost with the first plant. The clone you take off that first plant is free, as are all subsequent clones, or 2. You amortize the cost of the seed over all the plants that you ever grow from that seed. Each additional plant lowers the relative cost of the seed by some fractional amount while you continue cloning.

Depending on how you and your accountant prefer to handle it will determine whether you agree with my original statement. Keep in mind, I said free plants, not free buds .

 

[DrDoob]

I never attach the lid. I would kill all the cuttings trying to get it off! Damn things are near impossible so I just press it down so it's touching all the way around and it doesn't leak.

That’s what I should’ve done.