Clone machines, The Bomb or Not?

[ibTheMan]

So im thinkn of getn a 60 site EZ Clone, i know u can build one for pretty cheap, but i can get a 60 site for $275. 98+% of my clones live i take in coco, but im thinkn these are quicker and cleaner.
So do you guys think they work great and are worth it?
Is this how the Cali guys do it?
Thanks for lookn.

 

[Seamaiden]

First, not a guy, am a gal. Second, bought a unit from a fellow on another site that's made a little differently (PVC tube collars instead of neoprene), aerocloner, and I FUCKING LOVE IT. NOTHING COULD BE EASIER! Sorry for shouting, but I love this thing and almost got myself into some serious trouble with numbers because it *is* so easy.

I also grow in coco, and what I've hit on is different than what I was instructed to do. But basically, I let those roots hit the water in the reservoir, then transplant them directly into their final 1gal pots (I like sogging) and I put the main roots as close to the bottom of the pot as I can, and MAN OH MAN do those babies take off!

Quicker, easier, and you'll shorten your coco vegging times considerably.

My current verdict is they're worth it.

 

[ibTheMan]

Sweet, and i love it when Girls Grow! A lot!

 

[Seamaiden]

Yeah... going to growers' parties, it's kinda weird when I'm the only woman grower. It's like going someplace where everyone is blonde-haired and blue-eyed (like... Ohio!), I feel like I stick out.

Seriously though, about the numbers thing, if that's a concern for you at all, be careful. Once you see them sprouting roots it's very difficult to not want to go nuts and start cloning everything.

 

[fractaLz]

Hey Seamaiden, can you post a pic? I'd love to see the PVC collars

 

[Seamaiden]

Ayup, give me a minute here... Just got finished with my tending, took some pix (on a dying battery) ONLY to find out that I took them on the xD card, which I don't have a reader for. I forgot to tell the camera to use the CF card.

 

[RockPhosphate]

Do you just rest the cuts in the PVC?

Phate

 

[Bobby Smith]

So im thinkn of getn a 60 site EZ Clone, i know u can build one for pretty cheap, but i can get a 60 site for $275. 98+% of my clones live i take in coco, but im thinkn these are quicker and cleaner.
So do you guys think they work great and are worth it?
Is this how the Cali guys do it?
Thanks for lookn.

To me it really comes down to the ability to source a good container for the job - if you can find a solid piece of plastic with a flat top, making it yourself would be $40 + the price of the container.

I bought a full priced EZ 120, basically only for the lid and convenience of them pre-carving out the insert holes.

The rest of it is uber simple to construct - wouldn't take an hour, start to finish.

 

[Seamaiden]

Do you just rest the cuts in the PVC?

Phate

Yep. Scarified and cleaned up, of course, but yep. Mild nute solution pH'd to 5.2-5.3 or so, many folks don't even bother with that. Keep temps on the warmish side, 78F or thereabouts. Some girls get roots in just a few days (less than a week), others take a couple of weeks.

Keeping it pristine clean is PARAMOUNT. I wish the whole bin would fit in my dishwasher, but it's just too tall.

 

[djstiks]

aerocloners are the shit hands down. don't go with the 60, they have heat issues. i have the 60 and the 120. the 120 always do better. roots in 4-6 days.

 

[brownstormy]

If you want just as good for under $20 try a rubbermaid tub. Cut some holes on top with a hole-saw. Get a neoprene garden knee pad and use the same hole saw to cut out inserts and slice down along the radius after drilling a small hole in the middle.
I used a 2 outlet air pump I had laying about and split it to 4 airstones distributed evenly on the bottom.
The key is not to fill the tub too much, you want the bubbles from the airstone to explode into the air above the water, where the cuttings are hanging.
pH'd mine to 5.5, add a bit of superthrive and keep it warm like Seamaiden said.
When I was using it I rarely had anything take over a week. The ones that did were taken from flowering bushes and barely took over a week to pop the first strands.

If you're smart about the hole sizing you can also get some tiny netpots that will fit in the same holes. I used those when I popped seeds.. Once they didn't need extreme humidity anymore and had root or two poking out I just dropped it (edit: the rockwool cube) in the netpot and watched them explode. In this case I added Rhizotonic instead of superthrive.
To be honest, they grew way too fast for my workflow at the time.

Oh yea! Forgot to mention that I taped up the tub with tin tape to keep it all dark inside. Very important.

 

[fractal]

These 27 gallon tubs are very rigid, heavy duty hard plastic and only $11.98 at home depot right now. The lids make them completely watertight for use as a cloner - the cooler I used originally was not watertight at the hinges, and most rubbermaid tub lids don't sit below the rim of the tub which is key to making it watertight. Don't risk destroying your floors when one of these babies is only 12 bucks.

As you can see I have some in foam discs and also some in tiny net pots with hydroton. The only thing I dread is the power going out when I'm trying to root something that I don't have backups for but overall hydro cloners are so much better and cheaper in the long run (vs. paying 15 bucks for 50 rooting plugs, forever) that there is no question in my mind.

 

[brownstormy]

The only thing I dread is the power going out when I'm trying to root something that I don't have backups for..

Plus side of using an air pump w/stones for the misting.
My azoo air pump can run about 10hrs straight or 20hrs intermittently without power. Haven't had to go anywhere near that long yet, but it's saved my ass a few times. It'll add about $50 to your overall cost, but I stole mine from the fishies so I didn't count it ;)
I'm sure you can find cheaper ones out there.. But this one's been kicking for years.

 

[Japanfreak]

So im thinkn of getn a 60 site EZ Clone, i know u can build one for pretty cheap, but i can get a 60 site for $275. 98+% of my clones live i take in coco, but im thinkn these are quicker and cleaner.
So do you guys think they work great and are worth it?
Is this how the Cali guys do it?
Thanks for lookn.

They work great for most people but others have a had time getting them to work for them and I think a lot depends on your quality of water or tap if you're using it. If you have good drinking water than I say go for it.

I just made a mini aero-cloner, holds about 10 liters of water and 17 cuts, cost about $20 to make.

 

[fractal]

Hey brown what's up with those air pumps are they battery powered or something? Not bad at all, I like that! I wonder if a computer backup power supply would work for a water pump for any length of time.

 

[hugonaut]

I think cloning machines are overrated and have heard a lot of reports of them overheating. I found a tek a couple of years ago that works great for me. A 50 site float plug tray that fits inside of 11x22 seedling tray. use a nail to ream hole in plug so you dont have to force in delicate tip of cutting. The tray holds quite a bit of water i only need to add every few days. The float also promotes bottom feeding which direct roots great. I use good amount of clonex root gel on cutting, I use seedling mat under tray with a couple of saucers for spacers to prevent overheating. I do not use a tray cover. In the water I mix clonex root solution and aqua shield to start. Using this method I start to get roots within a few days. When I do I add 50% strength fox farms grow big, great white mycorrihizae and subculture B. under 24 hour low wattage flourescant grow tubes. The roots go nuts and the cutting begin to grow and are ready to transplant in a little over a week at a fraction of the cost of a cloning machine

 

[Seamaiden]

Hey brown what's up with those air pumps are they battery powered or something? Not bad at all, I like that! I wonder if a computer backup power supply would work for a water pump for any length of time.

It could. If it's a battery-powered air pump, then it's probably something made for a livewell, easy to find at an outfit like Cabela's or similar.

That said, a cloner made with an airpump that bubbles the water is not the same as an aerocloner. An aerocloner pumps water to make small drops.

 

[fractal]

I don't know about the 'fraction of the cost' part hugo, paying $15 to 20 per bag of root plugs means you could build a 60 site cloner for the cost of 3 bags of plugs, or buy the most expensive cloning machine for the price of 20 bags, about a year's supply of plugs.
Overheating would only be an issue if you're running a pump that is too big for the tub. Or you could put the pump on a timer for 5 minutes on/off.

 

[Snafu]

here is a set of links to an easy easy cloner and really cheap to build!

http://stinkbuddies.com/pdfs/Aerocloner Assembly Instructions vers 1.pdf

http://stinkbuddies.com/pdfs/aerocloner.pdf



that should give you a walk through from stinkbuddies it isnt mine but it has been helpful to me!

 

[alf318]

have had great success with and without where theres a will theres a way but better with