doobie gillis
420 Member
In your opinion, what is fastest and most reliable method to clone,spray,air bubble or rockwool or similar medium?I'm new to this and I'm looking for the most reliable method.........thanks for your time.
I think they all have similar success rates when conditions are good. It kind of depends on what suits you best. For example I'm away a lot and had a hard time keeping rockwool watered the right amount. And I had a hard time keeping my temps right for the aerocloner. Now I clone in a tray of perlite - I just add water once or twice a week and that's about it.
Resinman
New Member
Im keen to use this method.
Sounds great weaselcracker
grow n steady wins the race
It's definitely my favourite method so far. I learned it from Tead. Before I met him I used coco for quite a while in a similar way, but it was easier to overwater, whereas it's impossible to overwater perlite.
Resinman
New Member
Great. I appreciate that. So if perlite gets drenched its still ok
grow n steady wins the race
A few pages back in my current journal I posted about my cloning method a bit
Lost In Nugs
New Member
A tray full of moist perlite and you stick the stems in for an inch or 2? I guess it sucks up the water due to capillary effects?
How do you check if they already have roots? I just cloned in perlite but ripped the tiny root off when checking :/
Current Mess
Nebula & Atomical Haze - Soil - 2'x3' Flower - 420W DIY COB - Harvest On 4/20
How do you check if they already have roots? I just cloned in perlite but ripped the tiny root off when checking :/
Current Mess
Nebula & Atomical Haze - Soil - 2'x3' Flower - 420W DIY COB - Harvest On 4/20
- Thread starter
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doobie gillis
420 Member
Weaselcracker: your method sounds like the way to go for me,cost effective and simple.(I need simple).Could you go a little more in depth about it? Do you use cloning gel,fine or larger perlite,etc.?
Well - here is the description I referred to - three pages back in my journal. I think the perlite I'm using is medium (?) size. Most people reccomend coarse grade. Not sure how much it really matters.
And by the way I'm not claiming this to be the 'best' method. It's just the one that's worked best for me so far. Like I said- they pretty much all work, depending on your circumstances.
My perlite is about 3" deep and I generally put the stems down to the bottom, or 1/2" from it. Create a hole for the stem by poking one with a nail or a stick/whatever. Probably I'd do better to have it 4 or 5" deep and keep the stems an inch from the bottom. As in any medium- roots do best when moisture levels are fairly low, or more accurately- aeration is high. So if you're around often- it's best to just keep the perlite pretty light and semi-dry.
The tub is treated like a mini hempy - has a hole about an inch up to drain excess water.
And by the way I'm not claiming this to be the 'best' method. It's just the one that's worked best for me so far. Like I said- they pretty much all work, depending on your circumstances.
My perlite is about 3" deep and I generally put the stems down to the bottom, or 1/2" from it. Create a hole for the stem by poking one with a nail or a stick/whatever. Probably I'd do better to have it 4 or 5" deep and keep the stems an inch from the bottom. As in any medium- roots do best when moisture levels are fairly low, or more accurately- aeration is high. So if you're around often- it's best to just keep the perlite pretty light and semi-dry.
The tub is treated like a mini hempy - has a hole about an inch up to drain excess water.
The perlite cloner tray is a concept I got from Tead and has generally worked better than all the other methods I've used. Thanks Tead. Scuze the mess...
There's a 'medical' type heating pad on the floor, and then a tray of coco which works as a sort of buffer to even out the heat from the pad. Inside the tray of coco is sitting another tray which is full of perlite about 3" deep. It has a couple holes drilled in one end about an inch up from the bottom- so I can pour water in there once in a while and it won't over-fill.
Obviously the coco isn't necessary in itself- I just wanted something to help absorb the warmth and diffuse it around the tray of perlite, and a tray to catch the runoff with.
I can tell when cuttings are rooted by their appearance, and by how they feel if I tug on them. Then I dig them out with a spoon and plant them. This is pretty much a system I can throw cuttings in and leave. Yes it's very rustic but it's worked better than all the other cloning contraptions I've made. The magic in the perlite is that it tends to stay at a nice even moisture level. You can't over water it.
I top up with water about once a week. No more dealing with little rockwool cubes or pissing around with the aeorocloner. I'll sterilize and reuse the perlite sometime in the future.
