Bubble cloner failure : Stem curl

[GrumpyGrower]

First time taking clones ever. I built a small bubble cloner and took 20 cuttings. 3 days later I checked on them and the stems are all curled up and in most cases completely out of the water. Did I cut the stems too long? Is too much stem hanging below the top? Should I recut these and try a different method, or just scrap these?

Thankful for your experience

 

[Tyrone Hamilton]

I hope someone more experienced with cloning will chime in, but while I'm here...

The stems do look too long - I usually have 6 inches at most below the top. I use the mistmaker fogger, but it still takes a week before they look close to popping roots, so you have a little while to go.

You might try recutting, under water with a razor to avoid embolisms, and re-dip the ends in your cloning solution. Give them two weeks before starting over - just mist the tops several times a day instead of a humidity dome too.

I don't know much about using a bubble cloner, but it can't be that much different than the fog cloner.

 

[MedScientist]

Hey GrumpyGrower... Have you figured it out yet? Or do you still need guidance? Let me know?

 

[GrumpyGrower]

thanks for asking, Yea i just cut up some air hose and put the pieces into the cloner first, and then place the cuttings through them, so that 1/4-1/2 inch of the stem sticks out of the bottom of the tube. Forces them to retain their shape. Been getting decent results with just plain water after about a week. Always open to suggestions tho

 

[MedScientist]

Kewl, great idea! Its hard for me to visualize your bubble cloner from the pic of the lid. I find it helps to have the stem hanging down only 1-2 inches, and I suspend the stems just ABOVE the water level so the bubbles break on them and provide high O2'ed water to the stems. I have had less success with submerged stems, sometimes it tends to get slimey. But..... I have since converted the Bubble Cloner to an Aero cloner by adding a small water pump with a short peice of pvc that has a couple sprayers screwed into it. I get 100% now, with nubs in 4 days, and roots starting on the 5th-7th, then add 1/4 strength nutes and you start seeing veg growth by day 10. It is so much quicker to root and start veg, you should try it.

If you cant get the stems close enough to the water because of the raised lid, invert the lid.

Good Luck!

 

[slimm]

Check out this post

I built an aero cloner and ended up letting it collect dust. Instead I built a better one for only 3 buxx.

 

[GrumpyGrower]

Thanks for the suggestions. I found that the ones I let hang just above the water dry out and die quickly because i don't have a proper bubble stone to keep things misty. It's just a hose ran into the water blowing big loud bubbles. (the local walmart has been out of bubble stones for 3 months!!) If I use a humidity dome I get powdery mildew. The cuttings in the pic that did not curl out of the water got that sort of slimy film and never rooted. I started using a bit of DM zone and things stay very clean now. I also put a bit of zone into the water I mist with and the mildew has not come back.

I just got paid so I plan on building a proper bubble cloner. Ill try letting the bubbles mist the stems and see if roots come quicker. I am using DM replicator gel cos I got it cheap, but I think it washes off pretty quickly. I do not plan to use any other sort of rooting products. Once I see the first bit of roots pop I plan to transplant the cutting into perlite and set it in a bath of light nutes and HG roots excelurator. After a nice root base forms they get moved to veg and begin to get pushed for the next two weeks with roots excelurator, liquid light, and DM gold series nutes. Thats the plan anyway.

 

[NuhNugz]

what is the temp of your water? it really needs to be about between 70-78 degrees ... in other words ..just barely cool to the touch.

Also ..what is holding your clones up? if they are just dangling there they will curl due to the fiber in the 420 ... the purpose of those foam inserts with splits in them is a... to hold them straight...b keep out the light .. c .. keep a reasonable seal so water doesn't get out.

 

[GrumpyGrower]

Your correct. The cuttings were more or less just dangling in the water. Since then I have started using little pieces of air tubing for support, about 2 inches long. I slit the tube down the side so once the cutting roots, it can easily be taken out. Working great so far with just plain water. It takes 7+ days to see roots, but im not in a hurry.

Thanks for the feedback