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danw

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Posted Reply with quote  #201 
APORTO,

Glad I could help.  I think I would be a little nervous not gluing the manifold together.  It is probably fine if you check on your cuttings everyday like I seem to.  It would suck to have the manifold blow apart and stop spraying your cuttings though if you are not checking them all the time.  I am not sure how much pressure is built up in the manifold when it is running, but there is going to be some low level vibration from the pump that overtime may cause the fittings to loosen up.

AndyInNYC,

Stop arguing with me!  "Just kidding"  I was basing my argument on seeing 5 gallon cloners on ebay for $55 shipped.  But I guess you are correct on the costs, especially if you are building more than one.  Also looking at the larger cloners on ebay the prices climb sharply while the parts costs only climb a little.  So yes, especially on the larger cloners you can save quite a bit of money.

Yes it has been fun building and tinkering with the cloner.  I can see how it would be a great thing to do with your child.

I just ordered an aquarium air pump for mine.  I thought I would give it a try on the next batch of cuttings to see if having more aeration of the water helps.  Is anyone else using one?

Dan
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AndyInNYC

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Posted Reply with quote  #202 
Dan,

Quit messing with me or I'm gonna insist we 'step outside' - and it's too darn cold outside!

I didn't glue up my manifold - I guess I could, but it's working fine.

The 64 site EZ Clone Classic (which has fewer sites than mine could, but is smaller) is $247 on eBay (free shipping, though!).

The 128 site, which I suppose I could likely squeeze into my lid with smaller holes, is $339.95 (and yes, shipping is once again free).

If space were really at a premium, those buys might make sense (if I still lived in a tiny NYC apartment).  However, with a corner in the basement, I can't imagine spending that to avoid cutting some PVC.  I'm also willing to believe I'm using a better grade of pump than they purchase (since I don't care about operating margins).

I avoided the 5 gallon size based on people's statements about overheating and the fact that 12 cuttings is too few for what I usually do.  I avoided buying the 128 site cloner because I'm way too cheap.l


Andrew
kkk2210

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Posted Reply with quote  #203 
Andrew
Yes it's around that price , but the trouble is I work like 5 nights a week .. Well everybody works no excuse there lol and it's really difficult for me to sit down and gather all the materials needed. But it's doable, I'm just being lazy here. Most of the items mentioned here is easy for you guys to get in the states as the instructions are clear , so you can just go and get them . I will have to find and equivalent British product and after summing up the 40 Hydropod is not that bad. I the heated one is £74 GBP and it's manufactured by a well know trusted company called Greenhouse sensation ( checkout the videos I posted). To summarise I bought the 40 cloner and a 4 ft T5 yeeeehh hoo lol.

Dennis

Thanks mate , cloner comming tomorrow. Thanks for your continuous advise.

Blue

Might aswell catchup for a cup of tea buddy , ofcourse wit some figs lol.

Dan

Your cloner looks great and I was really confused between 40 and 120... Strange that they don't do one in between. Oh well , sometimes good package come in small size and personally I think 40 is a good size more than enough .



Here are some of the pictures of my ongoing project
This heated propagator was bought from the same manufacturer from where I got the cloner , they are amazing . The height can be extended as tall as you need , well you will need to buy the extra extensions panels . I bought the one with 3 extensions. It got very large vents and comes with a thermostat. I keep constant 26 degree celicius . Potting mix is perlite and coco arround 70/30 %.. Also got a 4ft 4 tube T5 and a fan on timer 16 hours on . Please pray for my cuttings. If I'm succeful cuttings for everyone :)..
Sorry about the typos
Thanks

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Vinny

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Jerry_M

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Posted Reply with quote  #204 
I am setting up a T24 TurboKlone on a cycle timer. Should the fan cycle with the pump or run continuously?

Also, does it matter which side of the stem collars faces up?

Thanks
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Jerry
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danw

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Posted Reply with quote  #205 
Hi Jerry,

From looking at the TurboKlone manual it seems that the fan both cools the reservoir by passing air underneath, and blows air into the cloner to get more oxygen to the roots.  I would worry that blowing air into the cloner without the pump running might let the roots dry out quickly.  I guess it depends on how long you are going to keep the pump off.  I would probably have both the pump and fan on the timer, but I am just guessing here.

Is there a reason to put the cloner on a timer?

As far as the collars, if they are neoprene they can go any side up since the top and bottom are essentially the same.

Dan
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Jerry_M

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Posted Reply with quote  #206 
Quote:
Originally Posted by danw
Hi Jerry,

From looking at the TurboKlone manual it seems that the fan both cools the reservoir by passing air underneath, and blows air into the cloner to get more oxygen to the roots.  I would worry that blowing air into the cloner without the pump running might let the roots dry out quickly.  I guess it depends on how long you are going to keep the pump off.  I would probably have both the pump and fan on the timer, but I am just guessing here.

Is there a reason to put the cloner on a timer?

As far as the collars, if they are neoprene they can go any side up since the top and bottom are essentially the same.

Dan
Dan, thanks for the reply. Why the cycle timer....I got the idea from a journal on one of the herb sites, 420 Magazine I belive, but now I can't find the journal. I think the guy was running his Txx TurboKloner 4-7 on/15 off to produce best results for his system.

The amount of water the spray heads put out seems like the cuttings are constantly wet almost to the point of being submerged.

Also there is the heat issue with the pump running continuously and only two gals of water in the reservoir.
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Jerry
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pieman

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Posted Reply with quote  #207 
Hi All just to let you know that i have built a cloner using all the great information on this web site and it works a treat i have just potted up a dozen cuttings the roots were amazing so many of them a little slow on leafing out but the roots make up for the lack of leaves
I'm using the mister method using small cheap misters from china no mucking about with cutting tubing & gluing no pump to worry about no plastic misting nozzles to fit just buy your plastic container mark out you holes cut out that's it job done fill with 3 to 4 inches of water slide in a heater place you misters in 1 at each end put a thermometer in switch on fill with cuttings and away you go holds 28 cuttings more if you get a larger container

kkk2210    This ones for you all  electrical parts available from eBay china cost £27.00
                 for everything new I live in the U.K. Wales
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AndyInNYC

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Posted Reply with quote  #208 
Pieman,

Don't be shy - post some pictures.  I'm not sure from your description how your system works; it sounds like the fogger systems I'm seen/read about.  Let us know.


Andrew
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Posted Reply with quote  #209 
Pieman, does your system run continuously?
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Jerry
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pieman

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Posted Reply with quote  #210 
Hi  Andrew

Yes you are right its the fogger not the mister system i get the two mixed up here is a few pictures as requested the colour changing lights are optional dont know if it affects the root growth but hey they rather pretty

Hi   Jerry   I leave it running all day and only turn it of when i go to bed about 10pm up about 6am IMAG0001.JPG  IMAG0002.JPG  IMAG0003.JPG  IMAG0004.JPG  about 6am

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AndyInNYC

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Posted Reply with quote  #211 
Pieman,

I would be very hesitant to suggest you leave the system off for 8 hours each night.

Once you have roots starting they will surely dry out over an 8 hour period.  When my tote showed signs of leaking I turned everything off an ran to Home Depot for a replacement.  In the 2 hours it took me to get everything running, one of the roots had turned brown - the rest of the roots survived and I now have a nice tangle, but I can't imagine what 8 hours each night must do.

Perhaps your interior will retain enough humidity to keep things going.  Anyone else have any thoughts or experience here?


A washer overflow pan from Home Depot is about $20 (not sure of the UK cost) and will hold 5 gallons; perhaps this will give you peace of mind (unless its the noise causing you to turn it off).

Andrew
pieman

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Posted Reply with quote  #212 
Hi Andy
Being totally enclosed it holds the moisture quit well with zero leakage & with the water heater set at 90f [this gets switched of with the rest of the unit ]  it holds the humidity until i switch it back on in the morning this is a Fogger unit & NOT a mister unit so it gets plenty of warm moist fog/water the fog is NOT 90f just the water so far i have had 100% success in rooting nice big roots on my cuttings i have potted up 2 dozen cuttings this week & will have another 2 dozen ready to go by the weekend average time from twig to rooted twig ready to pot up 10 to 15 days 
the manufacturers of the foggers recommend only 8 hours use in every 12 hours use so I'm pushing them to there limits also the ceramic disc have a life of 5000 hr but they are cheap enough to replace
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AndyInNYC

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Posted Reply with quote  #213 
Pieman,

Good to know - I wouldn't have guessed/known any of that.  Glad it's working for you.

I just brought in some Pro-Mix to pot up a few of my faster rooting cuttings.  Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a few days for it to thaw.  It's completely frozen.

If nothing else, rooting in Winter at least lets me pretend it's Spring.


Andrew
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Posted Reply with quote  #214 

   Here's a brief update on the salvage efforts for the cuttings that had rotted in the cloner... probably due to excessive heat. (82*)

  32 cuttings were in the heated cloner.  All but one of the cuttings had bark that had turned to mush as these pictures depict:


     [002_zpsi7smuqdm] 



 
     [003_zpsvunqq54m] 



    The cuttings were trimmed back an inch or two above the level of the grafting tape, which produced awfully short cuttings, but  this is the third day back in a cloner, and most show that they are well on the road to recovery...   one of the cuttings now has 4" of root off of the fresh cut.     Blue


      [005_zps0jj0fg1h] 





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danw

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Posted Reply with quote  #215 
Wow, 4 inches in 3 days.  Congratulations on the save!  Hopefully the rest of them also put out some roots.
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AndyInNYC

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Posted Reply with quote  #216 
Blue,

I'd call BS on the 4" if everything else you've said weren't true <g>.

You're going to have to name that fig Audrey.

That's an amazing amount of growth.

Andrew
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Posted Reply with quote  #217 
Quote:
Originally Posted by danw

     ...Congratulations on the save!  Hopefully the rest of them also put out some roots.




    Thanks so much, Dan.  My hope is that they have indeed been salvaged, and that I haven't just drawn out a longer tortured death for them.



Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyInNYC


   ...I'd call BS on the 4" if everything else you've said weren't true <g>.





     LOL!!!  Andrew, this certainly isn't something that I'd choose to wear as a badge of honor...   "Hey, look at me;  I've taken a system that everyone else is having success with, and I've rotted 31 of 32 cuttings, worth several hundred dollars"!!!     I simply saw it as publicly airing a huge failure, in hopes of gaining instruction from those which have been more successful with cloners, and to help keep someone else from making the same mistake that I have made.


    Blue
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Frankallen

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Posted Reply with quote  #218 
Hey Blue...Hopefully, everything will go your way now! Really felt bad for you when it looked like complete disaster! Good luck to you the rest of the way!

Frank from Bama
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Posted Reply with quote  #219 

   Thanks Frank,  I do appreciate the support.  As I've mentioned before, as we share with each other what works and what doesn't, we'll iron this puzzle out.

   Blue
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pieman

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Posted Reply with quote  #220 
Hi All
Here's a few pictures of cuttings from my home made fogger/cloner these have been in the box for 10 days I'm now going to pot them up and place them under the lights i have another 10 with roots like the ones in the pictures some have even more roots on them this is great i have never had such high rooting success & No Gnat to worry about 
I would highly recommend using this method of propagation it very easy to build No skills needed other than marking out you grid for the holes and cutting them out & its cheap to build
and run
I have also managed to root cuttings of 3 inches in size IMAG0001.JPG  IMAG0002.JPG  IMAG0003.JPG  next time I'm going to try 2inch might try getting it down to 1 inch [1 noad] IMAG0002.JPG

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Posted Reply with quote  #221 
Well done, pieman. Got mine up and running Thursday. Keeping my fingers crossed hoping mine turn out like yours.
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Jerry
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rcantor

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Posted Reply with quote  #222 
Blue, what, if anything are you adding to the water?  How often are you changing it?  I would turn off the lights if you can because they may encourage algae growth.
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Posted Reply with quote  #223 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rcantor
Blue, what, if anything are you adding to the water?  How often are you changing it?  I would turn off the lights if you can because they may encourage algae growth.


  
   RC-,  I added 2 tsp of StartRight initially into 6 gal of reservoir water every three days in the old system, changing the water once weekly.  After researching commercial hydroponics and aeroponics practices, I'm now maintaining 0.5 ppm of NaCIO (sodium hypochlorite, bleach) and dissolved 1/4 tsp of Clonex into the reservoir.

   The bin and 1/2 of the lid area is black.  There was no detectable algae or fungal growth, only bacterial.

   Thanks, Blue
 
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Posted Reply with quote  #224 
With me, so far so good! I looked at the cuttings yesterday and they are really bumped up! They have been in my Clone King 36 Cloner only 9 days. I have been putting a Teaspoon of Clonex and a Teaspoon of Peroxide every 3 days! Everything seems to be working thus far. This is my first time to root Figs with a cloner and I have 36 cuttings in there  ...: )
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danw

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Posted Reply with quote  #225 

Hey Blue,

5ppm seems really high.  I don't let mine get over 0.5 ppm.  What source recommends 5 ppm?

Also sodium hypochlorite is highly basic and will very quickly shoot the PH in your reservoir through the roof if you do not compensate with an acid.

Personally I test the PH every few days and adjust with

http://www.amazon.com/General-Hydroponics-GH1514-Control-Kit/dp/B000BNKWZY

I bought it at a local hydroponics store and it works really well.  Also the acid is a combination of phosphoric and ascorbic and I feel better about adding that over the muriatic acid I use in the pool.

Dan
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Posted Reply with quote  #226 

  You called it, Dan...  it's kept at point-five ppm.  Correction made.
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Posted Reply with quote  #227 
Going to throw my hat back into the cloner ring.  Didn't want to start rooting this early but all the cloner talk has got the fig juices flowing.

My cloner foray started with this thread last year (Thanks Dennis!).  4 trials later and the results are very pleasing with a 75% overall success rate from cutting to pot.  I built my cloner using a 35 site black and yellow tote from Lowes and 3/4" PVC tubing for the spray manifold.  Used:
  • 2" Net pots with nets cut off for collars
  • Spoke design neoprene inserts
  • 40 min repeat cycle timer
  • Hydrofarm Active Aqua 400 GPH pump
  • 2 Deep Blue 5" (round) air stones
  • Hydrofarm 2 outlet air pump
  • 2', 4 lamp T-5 lighting
  • Canna Aqua Vega
  • Rapid Start
  • PH up & down solutions
Cycle timer was set to run 1 min on/4 min off, 24/7.  Air stones cycled on/off with pump.  Added to each trial:
  • 6 gallons of NYC tap water
  • 3 capfuls of Hydrogen Peroxide
  • 5 ml of Rapid Start
  • Canna Aqua Vega as per directions on container
Tested ph and temp every day between 3:00 and 4:00 pm with EcoSense pH10A.  Temp ran between 70 and 75 degrees.  Tried to keep PH between 5.2 and 6.  Changed water every 10 days.  

I am by no means an expert but tried to collect as much data as possible from the beginning.  Was using lots of different cuttings from trades and purchases.  Initial health of the cuttings varied greatly (based on observation only).  Here's some of the data and a little of what I learned about running fig cuttings through the cloner:
  • Cuttings with waxed ends - might help the health of the cutting in the cloner.  May just be luck, and I don't know the exact number, but after running 130+ cuttings through the cloner, almost all of the ones with waxed ends saw potting soil.  May just be a fluke.
  • Terminal bud or cut end - didn't make a difference.  Both had the same rate of success/failure.
  • Cutting thickness - A=Chopstick, B=Pencil, C=AA Battery, D=Penny, E=Hot Dog.  Didn't have too many cuttings in the D/E range and the cuttings that were in the D/E range failed.  Would probably need more even distribution of thicknesses but can say that almost all that made it to soil were in the B/C range with a few A's sprinkled in.
  • Cutting length did not make a difference as long as a node or two were exposed below the insert.  Actually started to cut some of the cuttings in half as I felt so much material above the insert was not necessary.
  • Number of nodes per cutting - Less than three nodes and cutting was a goner.
  • Number of nodes per cm - .15 or less and cutting was a goner.
  • Average time to initials - 8 days.
  • Average time to 1/4" roots - 23 days
  • Average time to leaves - 26 days
  • Average time to pot - 42 days
A lot of cuttings developed initials that turned into "mushy, white blobs" like Blue experienced.   I just call it snot (sorry, but that's what it looks like).  The bumps look wet and slimy but when you touch them they feel more solid.  I started scraping them off with a credit card but realized that some of the cuttings effected were also starting to rot and the bark would scrape off too.  The same snot would develop on the leaf scars and cut portions of some cuttings.  If you put a small slice into an effected cutting and put that portion into the cloner, the snot would develop over the slice.  I'm pretty sure it's latex coming from the cutting and reacting with the water and or nutes that creates the snot.  I don't know the actual circumstance that is causing the snot to develop, though.  I'm leaning toward fluctuation in temperatures.  The mortality rate for the cuttings covered with snot was very high and accounted for almost all of the losses.  Most cuttings didn't have a snot attack at all and some that did made a comeback after cutting off the effected part.  Was a real pain in the neck.

Overall I like the cloner very much.  It's a great alternate to the traditional rooting methods.  I found that the freshest cuttings rooted the fastest and were the fastest into soil, period.  I also think temps need to be maintained more closely than ph and may have something to do with the snot attacks.  This time around I will not even worry about PH and concentrate on keeping a stable temperature with the help of an aquarium heater.  I also think that NYC water has enough chlorine that H2O2 is not necessary.  I think the H2O2 also has a hand in the snot attacks.
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Posted Reply with quote  #228 
Thanks Danny, like you I am also throwing my hat in. Pretty much built the same cloner and your summery saved me from going back threw the thread. One question you mentioned waxed ends seemed to rooted best, I noticed some members wrapped with parafilm, thoughts?
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nycfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #229 
Dave - Only added that because it was one of the parameters where data was recorded for the 4 trials.  The cuttings with waxed ends were not waxed by me.  Rather, they were collected from trades and purchases.  Since a fair amount of the various cuttings I was putting in the cloner had waxed ends I decided to record the data from trialling them.  By luck or not, almost all of the cuttings with waxed ends rooted and went on to see soil.  Like I said, it could be pure luck.

I do see some members that use parafilm.  Maybe we should start a discussion on the benefits of parafilm and/or wax use on cuttings in the cloner?  Might be worth exploring.

In the end, I'm happy with 75% success overall.  :)
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Posted Reply with quote  #230 
Awesome data Danny! Keep up the good work.

I also scrap my cuttings with a knife before placing them in my cloner. And I use a cheap small water color paint brush to apply the clonex get on the cutting. I don't dip the cutting in the clonex bottle. To me, that extra gel can cause the cutting to cook and develop snot. I need to pot up my cuttings but not today. I just spent 6 hours prepping and potting up 6 large trees inside my garage. Maybe tomorrow, I will pot them up.
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Dennis
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Posted Reply with quote  #231 
OK this is off topic, but I posted a link to the PH test kit on Amazon and it is showing up as a link to a different product on Walmart.  WTH is going on?  If I reload the page, it very briefly shows up as the amazon link end then changes.  It does it on two different computers at my house.  Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

Edit:  Ah Figs, now it does not seem to be doing it.
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Posted Reply with quote  #232 
Yes! It's time to start! 
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DaveL

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Posted Reply with quote  #233 
Ok guys, I finally completed building my cloner. Testing it for a few days before the real fun begins. Initially had a few leaks, but the weather strip SCfigFanatic suggested did the trick, thanks for that. Also thanks for everyone in this link for thier suggestions, comments and guidance. Let the fun begin! Anyone have any updates.

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Dave
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Posted Reply with quote  #234 
Impressive Dave!

if you want a cheap pump, checkout Harbor Freight.  Mine is a Lexus but those at HF will do the job!
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Posted Reply with quote  #235 
Thanks Dennis, I'll check them out. I'm also looking at some on Amazon. Thanks for starting this thread, Dennis. It really inspired me to do this.
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Posted Reply with quote  #236 
Just potted my first Fig cutting I rooted this way, (Clone King 36) ....the cutting had massive Roots, the cutting was Dr. Gowaty, it beat the other 35 cuttings, with a mass of healthy white roots! So far, so good! : )
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Frank from Bama-  Zone 7-b Alabama

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Posted Reply with quote  #237 
It is a great method, so long as it doesn't get too hot. :) For me it is either this method or Coco + Clonex.  No paper towels, no soil, none of that. Keep it simple and clean and it works well.
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Frankallen

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Posted Reply with quote  #238 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveL
Ok guys, I finally completed building my cloner. Testing it for a few days before the real fun begins. Initially had a few leaks, but the weather strip SCfigFanatic suggested did the trick, thanks for that. Also thanks for everyone in this link for thier suggestions, comments and guidance. Let the fun begin! Anyone have any updates.


Great Job Dave!! Looks better than my bought one!
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Frank from Bama-  Zone 7-b Alabama

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Posted Reply with quote  #239 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveL
Ok guys, I finally completed building my cloner. Testing it for a few days before the real fun begins. Initially had a few leaks, but the weather strip SCfigFanatic suggested did the trick, thanks for that. Also thanks for everyone in this link for thier suggestions, comments and guidance. Let the fun begin! Anyone have any updates.


OOOO fancy.  Nice work.
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Currently Growing: a bunch of varieties.




kkk2210

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Posted Reply with quote  #240 
Finally got my cloner , thanks to Dennis and team. Now I have to sort out cuttings . How deep should I insert (2-3 cm)??. Thanks

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Vinny

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Posted Reply with quote  #241 
Thanks for the encouragement everyone. I read in this thread that if the water gets too hot it is usually fatel. I was wondering if there is a low temp that would give the same result. So far my cloner's water is at 67* and is not get any warmer. Is that temp too low?
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Dave
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Posted Reply with quote  #242 
Hello everyone, I have a question .My setup is on the first floor and with the grow lights for other plants and etc etc room is in like 22-26 degree celcious. So would it be ok to set the timer 30 minutes on and 30 minutes off. It got a humidity dome. Picutures posted above.
Cheers
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Jerry_M

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Posted Reply with quote  #243 
On the home made cloners are you putting the weather strip on the lid or on the tote?
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Jerry
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Posted Reply with quote  #244 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry_M
On the home made cloners are you putting the weather strip on the lid or on the tote?


  Jerry,   I placed it on the rim of the tote and it solved the leaking for me...
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Posted Reply with quote  #245 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveL
Thanks for the encouragement everyone. I read in this thread that if the water gets too hot it is usually fatel. I was wondering if there is a low temp that would give the same result. So far my cloner's water is at 67* and is not get any warmer. Is that temp too low?

no, that should be good. If you want it a tad warmer you can use an aquarium heater, but I think that you will be good at that temp... might root a tad slow, but I'm thinking you are good.  I think that Dennis was at about that temp right?
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Currently Growing: a bunch of varieties.




DaveL

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Posted Reply with quote  #246 
Jerry, I put my weather strip on the lid and it also solved the leak. So I think either way will work. Thanks for the response, Mario.
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Posted Reply with quote  #247 

A warning about Clorox!!!

I have been using chlorine to sanitize my cloner during rooting and have been having really good luck.  Well the other day I noticed some slime starting to form.  I had not been very vigilant about keeping the correct chlorine levels and I added an aquarium heater to keep the cloner at a more constant temperature.  Anyway, I was out of my usual liquid pool chlorine, so I decide to use Clorox bleach since the active ingredient is the same, Sodium Hypochlorite, and I have read online (so it must be true) you can use bleach in place of the pool chlorine.  I added the bleach and tested it with my pool test kit to get 0.5 ppm chlorine levels.  Then I adjusted the PH to around 6.0 just like I normally do.

The next day I went out to check on my cuttings and the roots had all turned brown and most of the very small white roots were gone completely.  I went online and searched for what is in the Clorox and discovered the other ingredients include some harmless things for adjusting the alkalinity, some salt .. but among the list of ingredients is Lye.  Lye apparently breaks down grease and does all sorts of good things for cleaning, but I am guessing it is responsible for the bad response of my cuttings.  The next day I flushed out / cleaned the cloner and refilled with fresh water.  I ran to town and grabbed some HTH Shock and Swim pool shock.  It is mainly Calcium hypochlorite.  Again it has a host of other ingredients but I read online "I am such a sucker for the internet" that it is the same stuff in Clear Res and works wonders.

I made up a solution from a tea spoon of the stuff and a gallon of water.  Then I added a teaspoon or two of that solution to my cloner until again I had the chlorine back at 0.5 ppm.  PH adjustment yada yada.

It has been 4 days now and several of the cuttings have nice large white initials again.  It is still a little early to tell, but it seems like the pool shock is going to work great, where the Clorox was destroying the cuttings.  It could be coincidence, but my current thinking is that Clorox in the cloner = dead cuttings.

I have long "one batch of cuttings" been a proponent of chlorine for controlling nasties in the cloner.  I was always under the assumption that Clorox could be used interchangeably with pool chlorine.  I don't believe that to be true any longer.  I don't know for a fact that pool chlorine has no lye in it but it was working for me in the past, where one application of Clorox turned the roots brown.

I just wanted to give a heads up if anyone else is going the chlorine route.  My current action plan is to adjust the chlorine and PH every two to three days.

Dan
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Posted Reply with quote  #248 
Quote:
Originally Posted by danw

    A warning about Clorox!!!



  I am grateful to Dan for alerting me to this earlier today.  

   I had checked the cuttings in the cloner this afternoon, and discovered that the bark had been dissolved off of all of them and the full cambium layer was visible.     Not good.   His discovery of the lye in the Clorox has me guessing that this is the reason for the absence of roots and now bark.  I flushed and refilled with tap water laced with Clonex.  And will give a little Calcium Hypochlorite boost in a few days after they've had a chance to stabilize.

  The sad part is that the little guys are just happy as clams above the water spray.  Branches and leaves are sprouting on all of them. 

  Until I received Dan's revelation, I had resigned myself to throwing both cloners in the dumpster and going back to coir; for, just as I had been saying to Kristen earlier:   

    Here recently, it seems that our reoccurring byline seems to be: What Works for Someone Else, May Be a Death Sentence for Your Plants.  Just a minor difference in temperature, pH, alkalinity, media coarseness, moisture content, etc, may doom the success of cuttings.  For instance, I jumped on this cloner bandwagon, only to rot 31 of 32 expensive cuttings due to a little excess heat, and now I have dissolved their little hides in lye-laced Clorox.

I'm awakening to the fact that the simplest little thing such as the brand of NaClO2 or CaCl2 that is used, can spell the difference between success and failure.



 Dan,   thank you again, for the 'heads-up' !!     Blue


    
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Posted Reply with quote  #249 
What are folks using to measure ppm for the HTH Shock and Swim pool shock?
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Posted Reply with quote  #250 
I think you guys might be taking this cloner thing way too far.  (smile) I don't add any clorox and any other chemical to my cloner other that hydrogen peroxide and more water weeks later depending on the room temperature your cloner is in.  If your cutting is rottening or the bark is peeling off, it just means that's not a good cutting or your water is way too hot.  The fresher the cutting the better.  If the cutting has been sitting in the fridge for 8+ months then it might not root in any method you use.

Just keep it simple.  Follow the directions with your cloner (unless you build your own), add rapid start to give the cuttings a boost of energy and fire that baby up!  In not time you will have rooted plants.
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