Botanicare Areo Cloner (confused)

Has anyone used one of these clone machines?I just recived one as a gift its been used and didnt come with any instructions. Ihave always cloned using peats and a humidity dome.My main question is when waiting for roots am I still supposed to use just plain purified water and do I still mist them? Thank you for your help.

 

Thats onna them things that you put the cutting in a li'l neophrene puk and stik the puk in onna the holes, and the bottom of the cutting is suspended in a chamber bout half filled with water and the water is sprinkled on the stems? Dont it got a dome that sits on top of it? I think I know what it is. If its what I think it is, I never used one but if I did, I would shurly use plane water ph'd to 6.4 and I wouldnt mist them at all.

 

yeap^If you have a dome the moisture will already watering the plant. If you take it off later you can mist them, and lightly water them.
Can even make a cloner yourself out of clear storage containers...

 

Ferreal Orison. These clonin machines are realy simple to make. Im not too crazy bout this type of cloner tho. They suspend the stem in a chamber with water in the bottom half and a li'l pump sprinkles water on the stem. I think its a whole lotta action for not high enoughf a rootin ratio. I get great results in a plane old 5 gallon bukkit with a bubble stik in the bottom. I get roots in as little as 8 days. Im not too fond of the way the aero cloners are marketed either, they callem "aero" cloners, leading the buyer to believe that the machine uses aeroponics to get roots on yer plants. They dont. Its a whole lotta gimmic. -Not that they dont work, they just dont work as good as a much simpler cheaper bukkit would. Good ya got it for nothin tho, I guess. A 5 gallon homer bukkit (Home Depo) and lid only costs a fyew buks and a li'l air pump and air stone from Zoo's costs bout 15$. If ya have the time and recourses try gettin a homer bukkit and drillin 3" holes in the lid. Getcherself some 3" net pots and some Hydroton expanded clay pellets and put your cuttings in the net pots with the rocks and put the pots in the lid of the bukkit and use the air pump and air stone in the bottom of the bukkit to make bubbles. If you could swing it and was able to run this bubble bukkit side by side with the faux "aero"cloner Im shure youl see that the bubble gets you roots better and quicker. With these simple bubble bukkits I get a 100% success rate with my rooting and I get roots in as quick as 8 days. No fuss,no mess and costs alot less.

 

suspend them yourself.. lol. Ive been doing the same thing for years. I cut a hole in a plastic lid, pit the stem through that, and pump the water with a fish bubbler.
problem Ive encounterd was, fungus that went away and a small amout of root booster in the wter for cloning works great, much success Ive had but not the best way to do it but whatever works for you..

CanniEvergrow< how you doing.. Im about to get off now, but Nice to see a new face..

 

Thank you Orison!

 

thanks for the input my next question about this system is do you still dip the cutting in rooting hormone???

 

Thanks! I was planning on buying a cloner soon and this will save me lots of trouble and of course $... :cheers2:

 

You can use rooting hormone if ya like. I get the same results wether I use it or not, but if ya got it use it, it couldnt hurt. The main thing to remember is to be very clean and gentle with the cuttings. Keep your hands and scizors very clean. Rince your hands and scizors off between each cutting with iso alcohol.

 

Glad I could help Lune! I bet you could do the whole cloner for bout $20.

 

There are a couple of different types of hormones, and if your developing roots in a liquid, then you can add that to the water< per directions. should have them. Or use your best judgment. Honestly a fish emoulsion water tank would be fine, but when transfering to soil they have a powder you can use the help prevent root rot and stimulate growth.. But I use a gel.
Plain water works fine too but the leafs will yellow faster and success is lower. Best to use a hormone or root booster/ cutting starter.
Once you have learned cloning youll make it easier as you go along.

 

Thanks so much.In your opinion is it worth useing this method or should i stick to the tried and true peats and humidity dome? And just sell the machine.

 

:hat:

Ive been cloning for years this is just a new way and Im not sure about it.Its like teaching an old dog new tricks.

 

Hey Howdy Cheeky! I tend to stick to my old tried and true methods. If your havin good success rates with your peat pellet and dome rootin tekneek I wouldnt count on this machine to do ya any better.

 

Why don't you just do it with rockwool with a half strength nutrient solution.

 

The machine was given to me and promises faster clones and in theory I would be able to get more clones useing less space and I figured because it was free I would give it a try.