clones in DIY aero cloner not lookin so good ?

[DH06]

ok here is what I have going on I made a aero cloner kinda like the "madman's" and put clones in 11 days ago. well as of today I still have no roots. there are two diff strains in the cloner my main question is (in the pics below) the stems (the part "inside" the cloner) of one of the strains is all wierd looking compaired to the other strain is this ok ? or is it bad ??

all pics were taken today. all help appreciated.....thanks....

DH06 Reviewed by DH06 on 05-12-2006. clones in DIY aero cloner not lookin so good ? ok here is what I have going on I made a aero cloner kinda like the "madman's" and put clones in 11 days ago. well as of today I still have no roots. there are two diff strains in the cloner my main question is (in the pics below) the stems (the part "inside" the cloner) of one of the strains is all wierd looking compaired to the other strain is this ok ? or is it bad ?? all pics were taken today. all help appreciated.....thanks.... Rating: 5

[SmokinRandy420]

Dude roots dont like light you need to black that out so no light gets to them

[Shallow Hal]

i agree , black out the sides of that container... nice set up all the same .. good work. also cut a few of those lower leaves off and set ur light to 16/8 , clones root better under 16/8 i find ... i hope this helps

[DH06]

hey thanks ! I thought that blacking out the sides only helped to keep down "alge" that would live off the water did'nt realize it was a root thing....time to go cover the sides....

so there is still hope for these girls ??

[DH06]

I had some black plastic that I wraped the sides with but there is still some light that is penetrating the lid of the cloner so I can't get it "dark" inside but it is a little bit darker than it was should that be good enough....BTW the light over them is a 8 tube T5 fixture that is prety high off of the little ones for now...once again thanks for your help

[Zandor]

First did you use Anti-wilt?

Second yes cover the tub clear is not a good idea, not only will alga grow but like it was said young roots don't like light.

Third - You have roots showing. The first picture shows the structure of how they form. Right now in this stage the roots are still inside the stem but if you look close enough you can see them. As the plant matures and grows the moisture requirements increase and then the plants searches for more water. Thus you get the roots sticking out as the stem transforms into it's own plant.

They look like they should be fine.

Last - What is the temperature of the water, and are you using any nutrients at all? You do know you are taking a cutting from a plant that has nutrients so you can root clones with a very week full NPK nutrient mix.....very week like about 200 ppm.

[DH06]

guess I should have touched on the specs more....well my local hydro shop set me up with K-L-N and Pro-Tekt (by dyna grow).....as for the temp well I've been fighting with that . I've been having a hard time keeping it stable I just put a AC in the room they are in and I'll be adding more water today to help keep things a little better (hopefully)...the res temps have gotten to mid 80's a couple times I've been putting frozen water bottles in to cool it down a bit....

oh yea not using any anti-wilt...thought I'd try with out it ??

the lighting is a 8 bulb T5 (6500K bulbs) placed high above on 18/6 cycle...

oh yea if you can't tell this is my first time messing with clones....

[latewood]

very cool cloner, bro...I think they look great. Be patient, they are not wilting or anything, plus Z says you got bumps...I'm Too blind too see 'bumps'...LOL

As far as light in the rez...everyone is right. I should have addressed this further in my how-to. black it out. It is just the safe way to go.

1st follow Zandor's advice.

2nd get no-wilt or leaf shine (believe it or not...the miracle grow* leaf shine, does exactly the same job as the no-wilt, or Pro anti-wilt products...I have tested and tested with success, using the leaf shine.)
* Leaf shine is the only Miracle Grow product, I would consider using.

3rd. I found that these tubs with the pump inside have a small heat build-up problem, so I vent my tub now...you can just drill another hole in the corner and make a little baffle out of tape, or leave one clone space open...that is what i have been doing.

Good luck with the rooting...lw

[DH06]

lw, thanks. yea thanks for the post on your cloner got me going on this one the only diff is I was'nt happy with the angle of the sprayers coming from the top so I used super glue and glued on short peices of tube to the tops of the sprayers and now I can easly "adjust" the sprayer by pushing, pulling ,or twisting on the tube sticking out the top of the cloner....

I'll have to look into the anti-wilt...is it too late to use it now ??

have you experienced much evap from having the vent hole in your cloner ?? I've got the perfect hole right in the center that I could use I was just worried about the evaporation rate...

once again thanks !!

[Zandor]

A hole in the center would let light in would it not? Mine has the pump in the tank too but I use the VIA 526 gph pump. It does produce some heat but my experience is it only adds about 3-5 deg F. You can cool the water with several things.

As lakewood said a vent hole is always a good idea as long as water does not get out or light get in.

Concrete will drop the temp some. What works well too is the miracle thaw. You can find them at garage sales, swap meet and even the 99¢ store sometime. You may need 2 of them but they will draw some of the heat out the water.

However you do it you need to get the temp down cool water will hold more oxygen then warm water will. Keep the light out of the water alga is not good for root growth.

The idea behind anti-wilt is to replace the humidity dome and keep the cutting from drying out under the lights so it has a chance to root.