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Subject: Mangos Replies: 1
Posted By: danw Views: 62
 
 https://www.facebook.com/TropicalAcresFarms/

These guys ship and got rave reviews on Ourfigs.  Unfortunately they can't ship to California, so I am out of luck.

Dan

Subject: Moscatel Preto (Gone), De la Reina (MP) & Monstreuse available to trade :) Replies: 8
Posted By: danw Views: 256
 
Did something just happen?  I can't be sure.

The saying "You snooze you lose" should be changed to "you blink you .... umm ... well I cant think of anything that works"

Subject: Lampeira Preta breba Replies: 19
Posted By: danw Views: 277
 
I hope you win the game of chicken with the wild critters and get the first taste!  I think I would probably use a couple of strawberry containers for protection! Be sure to take a picture of the inside for us.

Subject: Goodwill tree Replies: 56
Posted By: danw Views: 804
 
Great find!  Those are some good looking figs, I really like the coloring.

Subject: Martinenca Rimada variegated Replies: 17
Posted By: danw Views: 538
 
Cool!  I hope it keeps going for you!

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Nice!  It is hard to argue with results like that.  Good job!

Congratulations, it looks like your back is feeling a little better.

Subject: Pruning lessons Replies: 12
Posted By: danw Views: 392
 
I would go ahead and prune the tree now.  My apples were done a month ago.  Certain trees like plums, get infected easily and you want to wait until the tree starts to bud out before pruning, but apples are usually done when fully dormant.  I have never had any kind of infection take hold from pruning my apple trees.  The only thing to worry about is if you pruned a diseased tree, then you should disinfect your tools with a bleach solution before pruning a healthy tree.  Maybe with fig trees you should disinfect between trees to prevent spreading FMV, but I have not ever worried about it.  I would say that after you prune the tree and it starts actively growing and you see the wound starting to callus over, then you are safe.  One thing you do need to watch is don't make a perfectly horizontal cut on a large branch.  If you do, then water can collect there especially once the callus starts forming.  That pool of water could rot the branch.

Subject: Pruning lessons Replies: 12
Posted By: danw Views: 392
 
Cut it anytime.  Remember to cut above the collar.  If you got several blades with your hacksaw, use the one with the coarsest teeth, it will work the best on wood.  It will take several years to completely callus over and be healed.  You will probably get a bunch of small shoots growing around where you cut the branch off.  Just keep removing them with hand pruners.

Subject: Pruning lessons Replies: 12
Posted By: danw Views: 392
 

I agree with Jerry, use some kind of saw.  What cutting tools do you have available?  I would not think you could do a very good job with a box cutter.  The wood under the bark will be hard.  You want to end up with a flat cut so the wound can heal quickly.

Subject: Pruning lessons Replies: 12
Posted By: danw Views: 392
 
You should make the cut where I have drawn.  You can either use some bypass loppers or a pruning saw.  You can also use a regular cross cut hand saw if that is all you have.  If you use loppers, be very careful to not cut into the branch you want to keep.  This means you will need to cut out near the tip of the cutter, and that in turn means the force you will have to apply to the loppers will be high.  I can't really tell how large diameter that branch is but based on the webbing, I am guessing 3/4 inch to an inch.  I would probably use a saw.  One trick is to cut the branch off maybe a foot farther away than you want the final cut, and then cut it again where you really want the cut.  Doing that lets you get most of the weight off and if the bark peels off some on the first cut, it won't matter.  Then when you make the second cut it is easier to get a really clean cut because the saw won't bind and the falling branch wont tear any bark.  You are going to need to cut from the low outside of that crotch in and up for the final cut.

If you have a pruning saw, use it.  You pull that towards you to cut and it is a lot easier than a regular cross cut hand saw.

In the future, try not to let two branches grow with such a small angle in the crotch.  It makes for very weak crotches and when the branches get large, they can even push against each other and the crotch can split.

The best thing is when new branches start, you can tie them with strings  to stakes or other branches to get them to grow in the direction you want.

Looking at that tree, a lot of the branches look too long and spindly.  I would cut maybe a quarter to a third from the more spindly ones.  That will also help the trunk and roots grow more and make the tree more sturdy.

Lastly, that tree is planted very close to the fence.  You should not let the tree grow very large on the side opposite the fence or it will not be balanced over the trunk and roots.  You are going to need to grow the tree with a fan shape.  wide along the fence and narrow going towards and away from the fence.

Look up "espalier apple"  You don't have to go to that extreme, but maybe halfway between a round tree and the espalier would work.  There are not a lot of absolutes.

The main thing is have fun and enjoy the apples when it starts to produce.



Capture.PNG

Subject: OT - Very painful injury Replies: 77
Posted By: danw Views: 809
 
Best wishes on a speedy recovery Dennis!  Before you know it, it will all just be a memory.

Subject: Pastiliere got too big Replies: 15
Posted By: danw Views: 344
 
Nice looking tree Gary.  I am sure it is going to love the new location.  Glad to see the required gopher cage.

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Yes like the fig eating Hulk!  Try to take my cuttings and see what happens!

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Hey Dennis,

Are you using city water?  Just wondering, since I am on a well and I can usually see "stuff" in the water right out of the tap.  I am going on the theory that it strengthens my immune system, but may have some biological activity the new cuttings are sensitive to.

Dan

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by APORTO
I think the issue may have been the shock (pool pun?) of introducing the CL to a plant that was not used to it and not the actual level of CL at all?  So maybe the lesson is to introduce changes of any kind very slowly.  Kind of like taking off the humidity dome for a few minutes per day before removing a plant from that environment.

Interesting theory.  It is true that each time I added various forms of chlorine and had the roots turn brown, there was a very low level of chlorine prior to the addition.  But if the shock theory is correct, then someone on city water who does not change the water for quite a while and has the chlorine all dissipate or get consumed then gets a bunch of nice white roots should also experience the browning if they change their water and use fresh new city chlorinated water.  I am on a well so any chlorine is my own doing.  I will see how these avocados do with the recommended additions of HTH used as clear-rez.

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by APORTO
Conclusion: HTH is not a safe alternative to clear-rez.


I wonder if it is a matter of concentration?  I mixed up some HTH to the supposed same concentration as Clear-Rez.  When I added it to my cloner at the recommended 1oz / 5 gallons, it did not even register on my pool test kit.  Previously I had been using 0.5 ppm and saw the same browning of the roots.  Right now I have some Avocado cuttings in the cloner and there are no roots yet.  They do feel slightly slimy though, so I will see if the low concentration HTH keeps it in check.

Subject: Gophers Replies: 9
Posted By: danw Views: 159
 
I saw a photo of one that was completely buried in a gopher mound.  The place that was selling them had the photo.  Hey were thinking that that one was broken.  So I have no idea if they work.  But I do know that gopher cages do work.  They will rot out with time, but hopefully by then the tree will be established enough to withstand the attacks.  But I have read that fig trees are their most favorite food, so time will tell.  I make my cages out of 1/2 inch hardware cloth.  It is much heavier gage than the normal gopher wire cages and will last significantly longer before rotting.  You should get at least 5 years out of it.  You can double cage to make the protection last a little longer.

I use http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-1-2-in-x-4-ft-x-25-ft-Hardware-Cloth-308226HD/204331883 or the equivalent from my local hardware store.  I make about a 2 ft diameter cage that is completely closed off on the bottom.  The cage should stick out of the ground at least 8 inches.

Good luck!

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Isaac1
Well my cuttings are not looking good, I am at day 15 with the ultrasonic fogger and only 2 stems have just the smallest hint of roots forming with no visible change to them in the last 2 days.  If I don't see progress in another 4 or 5 days I am thinking about tossing them and starting over changing a few details, cycle timer, etc.


Don't toss them unless they are rotting.  Sometimes it takes a long time.  I had some take over a month before doing anything.  But then they took off.


Dan

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
I have not used it, but looking at the MSDS it lists the PH as 5 - 6.5 so it does seem that it would lower the PH from most tap water.  Maybe the Clear-Rez is buffered or pre-PH adjusted to make the chlorine more effective.

Calcium Hypochlorite definitely raises the PH.  Makes you wonder if all those articles stating that Clear-Rez and the HTH pool shock are the same, are correct.

The desired Chlorine levels are really low.  Maybe your test kit is just not showing it.  Do a chlorine test on straight Clear-Res or a 10:1 dilution.  I would bet the chlorine reading will be off the chart.

Right now I am sticking with straight water.  I damaged my cuttings with the Clorox and I can't afford to shorten the cuttings any more!  I have two cuttings that are really important to me, and they are only about 2.5 inches long at this point.  They have strong initials forming again and I am not messing with them or the water until they are out of the cloner!

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankallen
My first try with my "Clone King 36"......This is 28 days! It looks like I may have 9 cuttings that rotted. The rest looks pretty good, about time to transfer to cups! : )


Nice!  Don't give up on those 9 unless you know they are rotted.  Sometimes they just take a long time.

Subject: Triple Crown Blackberries Replies: 102
Posted By: danw Views: 1,499
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sarahkt
Someone's jumping out of a cake? Can I come too? :)

I just heard a volunteer for cake jumper.

Quote:
Originally Posted by smatthew
I like cake.

Backup cake jumper!

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry_M
Oh, by the way those cuttings are a long, long way from being viable plants at least for me.


You will be amazed how fast they go from the stage you are at, to 4 or 5 inch roots ready to pot up.

Subject: Triple Crown Blackberries Replies: 102
Posted By: danw Views: 1,499
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluemalibu


       ...And, he also mumbled something about jumping out of a cake...   ???


LOL, and to think I just told my wife what a nice guy you were.

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Am I the only one reading all the names on Jerry's cuttings and imagining they were mine?

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
APORTO

Personally I am now running at 68 degrees because when I ran at 74-75 degrees I got slime.  Also I had been slacking on the chlorine.

Adding Clorox seemed to brown / shrink the roots overnight!  I immediately switched to HTH shock, but the roots seemed to continue to wither.  I don't really know if it was lingering effects from the slime or the Clorox, but it sure seemed like the Clorox had a bad effect.

The HTH shock may be fine and work like the Clear Res, but right now I am just using water PH adjusted to 6.  I cut off the bottom of the cuttings with the decayed roots.  Things have bumped up again and new roots are emerging.  I will experiment later with some cuttings that are not so near and dear to my heart.

Also I would not warm the air outside the cloner too much.  I think having the cool air helps keep too much vegetative top growth and the warm (68 degrees) water gets the roots going.

Good luck!!  We are all watching with interest.

Dan

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluemalibu

 my O/P is the blandest fig growing on my place.  It is now simply a mule for grafting slow growers. 

Exactly my sentiment.  Any cool cuttings that don't root are getting grafted to the OP as a last ditch effort.

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
OK Fine!  You guys are freaking me out.  I just changed out the water and dropped the temperature to 68 degrees.  I guess that is where water holds the most oxygen?

Anyway I will see how this goes.  I am slapping in some cuttings from my Osborn Prolific for an experiment.  I will get the cuttings nice and full of roots, then I will soak one of them in plain water and the other in water laced with the pool shock at 0.5 ppm.  I will then take lots of pictures and document what happens to each of the cuttings.


Dan

Subject: Best LARGE containers for figs Replies: 29
Posted By: danw Views: 1,067
 
I use the same, but wine barrels.  They are about 30 gallons for the half barrel.

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Hey Jerry,

I just use the test kit for my swimming pool.  The lowest color on the chlorine scale is equal to 0.5 ppm.  They make another kit that will read down to 0.2ppm but it is a lot more expensive.  You can probably eyeball 0.25 ppm if you want.  You don't need the entire kit I have for the cloner.  This one is the cheapest that reads free chlorine, which is what you want to know for disinfecting power.

http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Basic-Residential-Pool-Water/dp/B00305A0QG/ref=sr_1_63?ie=UTF8&qid=1453343565&sr=8-63&keywords=taylor+test+kit

You won't be able to use the PH portion of it since it only reads from 7 to 8 and optimal for plants is more like 5.5 to 6.5 ish.  I posted a link to a good PH adjustment kit a while ago in this thread.

Hey Dennis,

you are probably correct about over thinking the cloner thing.  But then again, the cloner thing at all is over thinking rooting figs.  Mai's bag technique looks "dirt" simple and also seems to solve the fungus gnat issue.  But for me I am interested in the cloner for cloning green cuttings of other plants as well as the figs.  I may or may not continue to use the pool shock in the future.  It has definitely taken care of my slime issue.  The question for me is does it retard or damage the cuttings in any way?  It is no big deal for me to add it and gives me something to do while the cuttings root.  I agree it is probably not needed at all if the reservoir temperature is kept cool enough.  I turned the temperature up a little on mine thinking it would accelerate the rooting process.  It seems to have definitely accelerated the slime growing process.


Dan

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 

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

Subject: Black Beauty 10 Replies: 48
Posted By: danw Views: 5,197
 
Same here, though I do know someone who has it.  I think it will become more available in the future.

Subject: Magical Citrusy Fig Replies: 6
Posted By: danw Views: 248
 
Thanks for all the help!  That fig taste scale is really nice.  One of these days I will have a Ponte Teresa, but it will be a while until the frenzy dies down significantly enough for me to afford it.  Melon flavor deserves a chance in my orchard.  I am narrowing down the potential list somewhat .

Dan

Subject: Magical Citrusy Fig Replies: 6
Posted By: danw Views: 248
 

Is there such a thing?  I have been acquiring a number of figs recently and most of them have been because people on the forums have been raving about them.  But it seems like what everyone raves about are the really intense rich flavors.  Don’t get me wrong, I am all over the rich berry jam thing, but I have a number in that category and I have a number more on my wish list.  For some variety I would like to get some others onto my wish list that are a bit different.

What sounds really good to me is a fig that is citrusy.  Maybe lemony?  Berry, but lighter with more acid?  I guess I am after something that is bright and refreshing.  What I don’t want is something insipid.  Sweet with no character has no interest for me.

Any recommendations?

Thanks,
Dan

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
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.

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 

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

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Wow, 4 inches in 3 days.  Congratulations on the save!  Hopefully the rest of them also put out some roots.

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
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

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
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

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Here are my answers:
1) Do your sprayers/misters actually mist or are they more of a fine spray?  I was expecting something akin to what you see in the vegetable isle in the grocery store.

  Spray, and rather coarse at that. It bounces off the sides and top and goes everywhere

2) How far below the top are your sprayers located?

  5 1/2 inches below the top of the 5 Gallon Bucket, 4 1/4 inches below the bottom of the neoprene collars.

3) What is the purpose of adding H2O2 (hydrogen Peroxide)?

  I don't do it, I use chlorine

4) What is the proper PH level to keep the water?

  I target a PH of 6.0  I am not sure how important this is since the PH strongly effects how the plants absorb nutrients, and I am just using water.  But I have read several places this is optimum and if you let it stray too far it can damage the plants.

5) What steps did you take to clean the system before using?

  Flush out the chips from drilling and taping the PVC before you install the spray heads so they don't clog.  I let the PVC cement cure for a day and then filled the cloner with water and ran it for 24 hours.  Next I changed the water and loaded it up with cuttings and started rooting.

Here is a picture of my cloner wrapped in insulation to keep the water temperature up.

As I alluded to before, I think the over heating issue completely depends on the temperature of your room.  Clearly I have no problem with overheating since my room is so much cooler than the desired water temperature.

If your room is warmer than the desired water temperature, then I don't care how large the reservoir is, you are going to need cooling.

It is true that there is a small range of room temperatures, slightly less than the desired water temperature, where a large cloner with greater surface area will shed the heat from the pump, where a smaller one like a 5 gallon bucket will not.  This is offset somewhat, since a larger cloner requires a larger pump that dumps more heat into the water.

Yes the 5 gallon bucket cloner is small.  Mine only has 12 sites, 11 if you consider I run the cord for the pump out one of them.  For me at this stage the size is perfect, and I find it extremely useful as evidenced by the fact that all my cuttings seem to be rooting just fine.  I think my wife would kill me if I was rooting 64 cuttings.

IMG_9603.jpg

Here is a picture with the lid off showing the manifold and spray nozzles
  
IMG_9604.jpg

Here is a picture showing the pump and manifold
  
IMG_9606.jpg

I used the ECO plus 390 GPH pump and it cost $22.42 I measured the power consumption when running in the cloner and it is drawing around 11 watts.

I spent $11.99 for 50 spray nozzles and used 9, so I have a few spares.

I spent $10.99 for 25 net-pots and collars and used 12, so again some spares.

I also spent probably $10 or $15 on PVC pipe and fittings.

I already had the 10-24 tap and hole saw required to complete the cloner.  You are probably looking at $25 more if you need to purchase those items.

I don't think you should build the cloner to save money.  If you add up the parts / tools, and pay yourself anything for your time, you can buy one cheaper.  You should build one if it sounds like fun, and you like having stuff you built!

Dan

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
This is after about 4 weeks.  I also have a couple of cuttings put into the cloner at the exact same time, that still have nothing after about 6 weeks.  And some that were in between.  It seems to be somewhat variety dependent, but I have seen a lot of variation within one variety.  I think temperature control is pretty important.  Too cool and nothing happens, too hot and things rot.  From what I have read, keeping the water sterile is very important at the warmer temperatures.  I run mine at 75 degrees and use chlorine.  I have read about people going as hot as 85 with religious sanitation and chemistry control.

Bluemalibu, do you check your chlorine levels?  I have a feeling if you don't, then you started with city water that is too high in chlorine, but over time it has dropped to zero and the warm temps you are running led to nasties (technical term) growing.  You have to periodically add chlorine or sanitizer.  Also depending on the type of chlorine you probably should adjust the PH.  Since you have chlorine in your city water, you could also change out a portion of your water every week to keep the optimum chlorine levels.  I have read that 0.25 to 0.5 PPM is a good target.  This is considerably lest than most treated city water and swimming pools, but my pool test kit has a 0.5 ppm window so I use that.

If you are going to try again in the cloner, I would thoroughly clean the cloner with some water and bleach.  Be sure to run it through the pump and sprayers. and dunk your net pots and collars.

Personally, I would trim off the rotting part and try again with cooler temps.  Depending on how many cuttings you have of each variety, you might hedge your bets and also try some other rooting methods.

I personally want to try http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/bag-rooting-techniques-7848105?highlight=bag+rooting&pid=1290243673 since it seems so hands off once started and Mai has great success with it.

Personally I am sold on the cloner, and I think it will be great for propagating other types of plants from soft green cuttings.  With the figs we have lots of options it seems.  Less so for things like tomatoes or peppers and herbs.


IMG_9563.jpg

Subject: Thought i post a pic of the real vasilika sika Replies: 37
Posted By: danw Views: 771
 
Congratulations!  Be sure to let us know when it fruits!  Personally I am dying for the peloponnisiaka aspra sika.  Do you have any idea of the difference in taste between the two?

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
If it came with your cloner, then go ahead and use it.  Essentially the Clear Res is just adding chlorine.  I use liquid chlorine in my cloner for the same effect.  Over time the liquid chlorine will add salt to the water, but I change the water every month or between batches of cuttings.  I believe the Clear Res adds some calcium which is fine for the cuttings so you would not need to change the water as often.

Personally I like to clean and sterilize the cloner between batches of cuttings anyway so changing the water is no problem.

What ever you do I would recommend testing the water for both chlorine level and PH since both liquid chlorine and pool shock will change the PH of the water.

Oh, and if you are on city water you probably already have more chlorine than you need or is good for the plants.  The desired chlorine levels are pretty low, about 0.5 ppm.  So you would not add Clear Res until the chlorine levels drop below the desired 0.5 ppm.

Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: danw Views: 9,300
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankallen
Does everyone using a Cloner have lights above the cutttings? I was wondering because when we root cuttings in a plastic box with moist coir or moss, some of my best roots was in a dark closet?

Any help will be greatly appreciated....  : )
Hi Frank,

I don't use any lights above my cloner, and the room the cloner is in is un heated and quite cool, maybe 40-50 degrees.  I keep the water temperature in the cloner up in the 70-75 degree F range.  Most of my cuttings have rooted and quickly get a ton of roots.  I think the cooler air temperature and lack of bright lights prevents a lot of green vegetative growth, while the warm water temperature encourages lots of root growth.

I have not done this before, so I am not sure how it will work out.  Once the cuttings are fully rooted I moved them into gallon pots and watered them in with potting soil.  Now the potted cuttings are sitting in the same cool room as the cloner.  I am hoping that they will just hang out in this state until spring when the weather warms up and I can move them outside.

The cuttings and cloner do get some light since there is a window in the room, but no direct sun.  Also my cloner is black so the roots don't get any light.

So far so good, but keep in mind this is my first year rooting figs!

Good Luck
Dan

Subject: Optimum root growth for potting Replies: 22
Posted By: danw Views: 538
 
Good luck with your cloner experiments.  Many people use a cheap aquarium heater to keep the water at the correct temperature during the cold weather.

Just be aware that when the water temperature starts warming up, you can start growing other undesirable stuff in the cloner water.  I control it with a very small amount of chlorine.  Be very careful because too much will kill your cuttings "or so I have read"

This cloner business is probably over complicated.  I am reading about some very simple methods going straight into potting soil in plastic bags with people having great success.  But I am having fun, and that is what it's all about.  Well that and eating awesome tasting figs!!

Subject: Optimum root growth for potting Replies: 22
Posted By: danw Views: 538
 
If you look at the first picture in this thread you can see the top of the cloner behind the roots.  The top two thirds of the cuttings are outside in the air and light.  The bottom third of the cuttings are inside and get sprayed with water.

The cloner is in a closed shed with a window and the inside of the shed is painted white.  It is fairly bright during the day, but the cuttings never receive any direct sun.

The room is not heated and I would guess the temperature has ranged from 40 degrees to about 55 or 60 degrees Fahrenheit during the rooting process.

The water temperature is about 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

I think that the air temperature outside the cloner being rather cool has kept very much vegetative growth from occurring.  While the warm water has encouraged lots of root growth.

The cloner does not have an air bubbler.  I have thought about adding one, but it seems to be working fine without one.  I think the splashing water entraps enough air to keep the water oxygenated.

There is just a small submersible pump inside that feeds water to 9 mini sprayer heads.  The sprayer heads sit a few inches under the bottom of the cuttings.

I can take some pictures of the inside if you want.

Also, check out this thread
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/clone-your-cuttings-never-see-gnats-7023364?highlight=cloner&trail=50

Subject: Optimum root growth for potting Replies: 22
Posted By: danw Views: 538
 
OK I potted up the CdDN today.  There was a lot of root growth in the last week.  The first photo is the same cutting in the photo at the beginning of the thread.

I used new 1 gallon pots.  They were 48 cents each at a local nursery.  I don't want risk some disease killing these cuttings.  I have lost some grafted apple onto new rootstock that way.  The pots are cheap compared to the cuttings and time spent.

The large browner roots were very resilient and able to bend just fine.  Out at the tips where they are still white I had some breakage.  There was a lot of roots to stuff in the pot.  I made a mound of potting soil and then draped the roots down the sides.  Then carefully sprinkled more potting soil to cover the roots and stabilize the cutting.  Then I finished filling the pots and finally watered them in.

It is funny how different the CdDN and CdDG are in terms of rooting speed.  The Adriatic JH seems about the same as the CdCG.

Thanks for all the bravery to remove them from the womb and bring them into the world.

Dan
 

   IMG_9562.jpg  IMG_9563.jpg  IMG_9564.jpg

Subject: Optimum root growth for potting Replies: 22
Posted By: danw Views: 538
 
Thanks Dennis, the first time I ever heard of an aeroponics cloner was in one of your posts.  So in a way, your good work is responsible for these cuttings success, so thanks for that!

Even though you said don't use a 5 gallon bucket, the first thing I did was go shopping for a 5 gallon bucket.  I wanted to start small and I have been known to be a very contrary person "at least according to my wife".  Right now my shed must be much colder than where you keep your cloner because over heating is the least of my worries.  I will add cooling when the weather is warmer.  I know cooling seems overly complicated when a larger reservoir would accomplish the same thing, but I like to tinker, so what the heck.  Also the temperature controller will pull double duty as a fermentation temperature controller.  Who knew a fig hobby could feed a beer and cider hobby .... err addiction.

Dan

Subject: Optimum root growth for potting Replies: 22
Posted By: danw Views: 538
 
Thanks everyone,

I guess I am over thinking this.  But I had fun building the cloner!  Maybe it will be of more use with hard to root plants or softer cuttings like tomatoes, that would just disintegrate if you stuck them in a baggie.

Dan

Subject: Optimum root growth for potting Replies: 22
Posted By: danw Views: 538
 
Thanks guys!

I am running the pump 24/7 with no timer.  I thought I read somewhere that the roots turning brown was a sign of root maturity, and that they would be less brittle.  I guess you are right it could also be a sign of root rot.  I will try and find where I read bit about brown indicating maturity.  In any case, the brown roots are still growing like crazy.  I won't get a chance to pot anything up until this weekend.  I will post another picture pre potting.

I do have another question though.  The shorter white roots are very brittle and break easily.  "ask me how I know" but the really long fuzzy ones are pretty darn flexible.  I was thinking of going straight into gallon pots.  Should I trim the really long roots to fit or just wind them around in the pot.  The only rooting I have done previously was just sticking the cuttings in potting soil and using a zip lock bag as a humidity tent.  I have had good success doing this with some wild plumbs.  However I tried this with a red cedar and only one out of about 25 cuttings took!

OT, I friend of mine has a really wonderful unidentified avocado he has been trying to propagate.  I am going to take a swing at it in the cloner once I get all these figs potted up.

Dan

Subject: Optimum root growth for potting Replies: 22
Posted By: danw Views: 538
 
Thanks, maybe I will pot up a couple of the most vigorous this weekend.

The cuttings have been in the cloner about 3 weeks, but they spent about a month in plastic baggies with damp paper towels prior to that, so it is really hard for me to say how effective the cloner is.  The cuttings were not really kept at an optimum rooting temperature when they were in the baggies.  My house only has wood heat, and I am often too lazy to build a fire.  The first week in the cloner the temperature was also too cold.  I would go out once a day and swap out some of the water with water warmed on the stove.  Then I figured out I could just insulate the 5 gallon bucket reservoir with some fiberglass insulation I had laying around.  You can see it in the picture I posted.  The pump is drawing 11 watts from the wall and with the proper insulation it is pretty easy to keep the temperature at 75 degrees F where I have it now.  Things really started to take off almost as soon as I was keeping the temperature around 75 degrees, though it may have been coincidence.


Originally I had planned to make a thermoelectric temperature controlled cloner, and I have the parts, but I got lazy and in a hurry to get the cuttings going.  I plan to finish the temperature control before spring when I may need to actually cool the reservoir rather than just heat it.

Also, I have three varieties in the cloner.  The picture is representative of the most advanced.  All the CDDN have rooted and have similar growth to that shown.  The CDDG is mostly doing nothing with one or two cuttings showing initials now.  I also have some Adriatic JH that are a combination of doing nothing and just getting small roots now.  The point is that the rooting times seem to be very variety specific.

It seems to take some time to get the roots to start, but once they do you can see a big change every day!

I use a tiny bit of chlorine in the water.  I am talking a drop or Clorox every few days.  I test the water with my pool test kit to make sure the chlorine level is not getting too high.  I keep the levels below 0.5 ppm and more like 0.25 ppm or below most of the time.  I have read this is enough to keep anything nasty from growing and weak enough to not harm the cuttings.  Also, as you can see the cloner is black so as to not let light into the reservoir.  Again, I read this is important to prevent algae growth.

Good luck with your cuttings and cloner.

Dan