building a good cloning machine!!??

[gaililee]

Does anybody have any info on how to build a cloning machine? I have several nice females aching for the bloom room!

gaililee Reviewed by gaililee on 06-17-2006. building a good cloning machine!!?? Does anybody have any info on how to build a cloning machine? I have several nice females aching for the bloom room! Rating: 5

[ToKnoIsToGro]

well, i would say the usual "check the FAQ's or use the Search feature", but i leave margin for the possibility you are making reference to an automated machine which will do everything from the clipping through time of substantial rooting, at which point you shall adjust lighting and perhaps commence fertilization regimen. I dont think you meant the latter.

[ShroomDr]

small plastic bin with a lid.
1" neoprene inserts
Pencil for tracing around neoprene
Exacto Knife for cutting holes in lid
Air pump & air stones.
Add water & liquid karma
Fin!

[KHAN]

I wanna build me a bubbler too, anyone in the UK have a good place to get a suitable tub?

[amstron]

buy a propagator you can get unheated ones for a couple o quid, but heated ones are a lil bit more, in UK you can get heated ones for £15. get some rockwool cubes and a 20 watt cfl light, a spray bottle for misting, and there you got yourself a cloning machine

[BOYZNUS]

I wanna build me a bubbler too, anyone in the UK have a good place to get a suitable tub?

A 5 GALLON PLASTIC BUCKET WORKS WONDERFUL

[slowthestone]

I prefer empty crystal light containers. Theres an ample supply of the things around here thanks to someone love of the stuff. I dig the transparency of them for being able to see roots develop, as well as garner the moisture of the mix.

These are 18 days from when I cut them from the momma.

[attachment=o71385]

[slowthestone]

This was day 2...

[attachment=o71386]

[Opie Yutts]

Hereâ??s what I did and it works great. It probably works as good as or better than the expensive professional ones. My clones are usually ready to plant in 10 days.

- 2, 3 gallon Rubbermaid containers with lids.
- air hose
- 4 air wands. The tube kind works best, not the stone kind.
- air pump with 4 outlets, one for each air wand.
- timer (optional)
- a roll of the thickest, most expensive duct tape you can find, or you can use several layers of cheap stuff. It just takes more time. I like the foil duct tape too.

On one of the containers wrap everything in duct tape to make it light proof, or at least mostly light proof, except the bottom. I tried painting mine with vinyl paint, but after 5 coats it still wasnâ??t light proof. Drill 12 to 24 holes in the lid, about 3/8 to 1/2 inch diameter. The hole size depends on your situation, but the idea is to make it big enough to be able to pull the roots through, but small enough not to let the plant fall through. Some people put inserts over the holes and that solves any hole size issues. Use a sharp bit and be careful or the hole will tear out and get bigger. Placing a block against the back side helps a lot. Also drill 4 smaller holes, just big enough to get the air line through. Try to space the air wands equally in the bottom, and hold them in place with some fishing weights or something. Yeah, use lead, it's great.

Fill the cheapo cloner with water and a little B-1 solution of your choice to within 2.5" from the lid. PH needs to be between 5 and 6 (5.2 preferred). Turn on your air and allow the solution to come to room temp. Get ready a cutting surface, some rooting solution, a spray bottle with cool water, and a razor blade or exacto knife. Test the cloner to make sure it's working properly. After 3 or 4 minutes the underside of the lid should be getting pretty wet, but not completely soaked. If it is completely soaked, lower the water level just a little.

Take your cuttings now, and cut them about 2 inches below some good branches that will hold the clone up when you put it in the hole you drilled. Take about 5% more cuttings than you want to end up with, just in case they don't all root (that's rare). Take them all at once and submerge them in a container with cold PH adjusted water.

Now start putting them in the cloner. Lay a clone on the cutting surface and gently scrap about 1â?� of the outer membrane off the bottom of the stem, on one side of the stem. Not too deep! Just remove the outer membrane. Unless the cutting is from the newest growth, you should see a woody white part when you have scraped deep enough. This is called scarification and it will yield many more roots. Cut off the last 1/8â?� of the stem at a 45 degree angle and dip the scared portion in a cloning solution of your choice, and immediately place it in the cloner. You should be trying to work fast for this part, so the clones you are putting in donâ??t start to wilt too much. Every now and then spray a little water on the ones that you put in. Some people use an anti-wilt solution, but Iâ??ve never needed any.

Once theyâ??re all in, cover any remaining holes with duct tape. I even cut slits in duct tape so I can cover the holes that have plants in them too. Iâ??m not sure this is necessary, because I donâ??t think it has to be 100% light proof, but better safe than sorry I guess. Now put the 2nd container over the top to make a greenhouse. Use one small fluorescent light tube for the lighting needs, and place it close to the top of the overturned container.

Keep the air on for the first 24 hours, then 5 minutes on and something like 30 off, but these timers are at least $90. You can also leave it on all the time if you donâ??t want to buy a timer. The cheapest that will work for this that Iâ??ve found is at Home Depot, etc., Intermac (I think) for about $20. You can do about 30 on and 45 off I think, which works great. The plants will do a little better with some off time.

When all the plants start to have roots it is time to begin hardening them. You could skip this step if you prefer to deal with them wilting to the point of near death when you plant them. Put a pencil under one edge of the lid and see if they can handle it. Watch closely and if they start to wilt too much, remove the pencil. You want a little wilt; this is what makes them hard and ready for the real world. Now remove the pencil and repeat with something bigger. Keep it up until you can remove the lid completely. When they have a couple inches of roots they are ready to face reality.

I have had great success with this method, and it doesnâ??t cost much. I hope this helps someone.

[Opie Yutts]

I dig the transparency of them for being able to see roots develop

A little light is OK, but remember light on the roots stunts growth.