I know most guys don't need this type of break down but just in case there's anyone who does...
This is how I do it:
Things you need:
1)Heat mat
2)Dome,tray and insert
3)Perlite
4)Starter cubes
5)150 ppm water max
6)P.H up or P.H down depending on your water
7)Rooting gel
8)Rooting powder
9)Good(sharp) scissors
10)3/16 x 3" wooden dowel
11)3 washers with a 3/16" hole
12)Electrical tape
13)2L jug
14)Rapid start or roots xl, both work.
15)Small plate
16)Shot glass
17)Heat mat temp controller with probe
18)Drill with 3/8 bit
19)Hydrometer
OK, lets get to it.
1)First put an even layer of about 3/4" of perlite in your tray,
2)Take your wooden dowel and place it next to the cubes and gauge the depth of your cubes, move it up about 3/16 from the bottom of the cube and make a mark.
Next put your tape around this mark a few times, this will hold the washers in place. Now you have a sizing and depth gauge.
3) Use your new depth gauge and resize all the cubes you will be using,
Break them into 2x7 chunks. I put 25 per tray so I end up with 3 chunks and a piece of 4.
4) Next take your jug and fill it with water, balance the ph to 5.6 and add your rapid start or roots xl.
I use at it's directed strength.
Submerge your chunks of cubes in the mix and wait till they stop bubbling.
Remove them from the jug and break them up and place them in the tray in a staggered pattern like a chess board, so that none of them are beside each other.
5)Make up a new batch of water exactly the same and gently pour 1.3 liters into the tray.
6)Open your rooting gel and fill a shot glass 3/4 full
7)Open your rooting powder and pour half out on the plate
8)Select your shoots that you wish to clip, I look for soft new shoots that are not hollow or turning woody and a 3/16" minimum thickness and about 4" in length minimum.
9)Trim all the bottom leaves leaving a clean stalk
10)Cut the stem at a 45 degree angle and dip in the gel and roll it in the powder then place it gently into a cube, repeat this process until your fill the tray. I snip the edges of the leaves so they don't touch each other and cause mold problems.
11)Take your drill and drill a hole near the bottom of your dome and push the temp probe through it and tuck it under the insert so its secure and place the dome on the tray.
12) Place the tray on the mat and set the minimum temp for 24.5C, I've tried different temps and in this set up 24.5C seems best. What ever type of hydrometer you use I find that an RH of 65%-70% works best with 24.5C . You can open the top vents to hepl regulate the dome RH.
With this system you get:
-8-10 roots poking out the bottom and sides of the cubes about 1/4" in 7 days give or take 12hrs.
-Clones that are ready to go into whatever media your using in 10-12 days max and are bursting with root growth.
-90%-100% success rate(It's been a long time since I lost and and I throw away more than I use because I only take the best ones).
Also depending on the strain, when I see a explosion of root growth on all the cubes,
I either: A) Make a foliage spray and spray them or B) Use diluted solution from my veg tank and pour it in the tray.
Note:
Floralicious Plus and
Dynagro Bloom mix to 300ppm makes a very good food/spray for young clones that are ready to explode,
So to answer the question I get roots in 7 and transplant in 10 from a strong mom.
Cheers and happy cloning.