cloning with a humidty dome

i've been reading up on this method of cloning and im intersted in trying it. i have never cloned before but think i have the basic idea, but i have a few questions. i am planning on using rapid rooters, dip and grow, tray and humidity dome. when i put the cuttings into the rr's do the rr's need to be watered or do i just mist the tray and dome? how often should i mist the the tray and dome? should the water i use for misting need any special additive? how long should the cuttings stay in the dome or does it depend on root structure, what is the best lighting to be used? thanks in advance

Don't water the RRs unless they get dry, and this will not happen for a while. When they DO start to dry out, just give them a little squirt with tap water to re-hydrate but NOT soak them.

Just mist the dome, and only when the clones appear a bit wilty. Plain tap water is fine!

Keep them under a single small CFL or strip light, about a foot from the dome, until you see roots outside the RRs, then plant in your favorite medium. Keep the pots under the dome until they are hardened-off- raise the dome 1/2 hour several times a day over the course of a weekend and replace the dome when they wilt. When they stop wilting with the dome off, they are ready.

i have well water but i do have a water softener the ph is right at 7, is well water fine though? should i get destilled(sp)?

WHOA! Steer clear of the water softener! It took me 6 months to figure out that our water softener was killing my plants when we moved. You don't want salt in your water your plants use. After that it took me another 2 months to learn that my well water even without the softener was to high in Ca and Mg and was ovwerloading my plants, it was pitiful. I can't affords a Reverse Osmosis system so I have to collect snow them melt it in my garage. That's alot of labor for close to 50 plants needing to be watereds every 2 days by hands while pregnant.