DIY Bubble Cloner

Discussion in 'Do It Yourself' started by PhL0aTeR, Mar 20, 2009.

  1. #1 PhL0aTeR, Mar 20, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 20, 2009
    After failing miserably in my cloning endeavors, i decided to go with a bubble cloner after seeing everyone elses success with them. What i offer is a nice clean thread with pics, prices and specific instructions for a good DIY.

    First things first, a supply list, and associated prices.... a trip to wal-mart will be the only one trip you need to make.

    2 5" Bubble bar - $1.64/e
    2 Rubbermaid "Shoe Box" - $1.75/e (you can use the 2nd one as a humidity dome)
    1 aquarium air pump - $10.47
    1 Pool noodle - $4.00
    1 aquarium heater - $19.58 (if you have good temps in your house, you can omit this item)
    1 airline - $1.52
    1 roll Aluminum tape - (already had it)
    1 drill bit hole saw (already had a 1 1/4")

    Even if you have to buy everything, its going to be around $50... not bad at all compared to the ones commercially available.

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    First things first, lets cut some holes..... i have a handy propane torch that i used to clean the burrs from the holes, but you can probably use a hobby knife, razor blade or a lighter or any combination of such.

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    What the hell is the noodle for?

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    Got it yet?

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    :p

    Obviously these plugs will have a radius cut in them to hold the clones.

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    then of course we need to block the light.... this is probably the most time consuming part.

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    Dont bother with superglue.... get a hot glue gun and stick these fuckers to the bottom.

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    Luckily the heater has a suction cup and is totally submersible. I bought this heater because the temps in my house fluctuate so much, and from everything ive read, they need warmth. this unit has a built in thermostat that is preset at 78F. As i said earlier, if your temps are consistently warm or you have a heat mat or whatever, you can omit this item.

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    Happy cloning!

    :bongin:
     
    • Like Like x 1
  2. i just put them under a tupperware box, airtight, with plenty of moisture in the pots. 40 wat incandescant above the tupperware box. incandescant because of the heat it produces compared to flouro. the heat from the incandescant soon warms up the box and makes it really nice and humid. once theyve taken and are strong i take em out and put them under a proper light.
     
  3. great job... and nice step by step... gona watch this...fingers crossed for you buddy.
     
  4. i assume you're using the noodles like rockwool, and will just drop them into hydroton once they're rooted out? unless you have some crazy way to get the roots out of the noodle.
     
  5. #5 PhL0aTeR, Mar 20, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 20, 2009
    actually im using the noodle like the plugs that hold the stems.... i figured that was a given, but i just posted a pic in my original post of the underside, hope this clears up any confusion
     
  6. nice diy.
     
  7. nice DIY you could probably cut squares out and use rockwool as well
     
  8. #8 OCDinFL, Mar 21, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 21, 2009
    Nice tutorial Phloater. I'm sure this will help many out there. Only thing I would change is I'd rather not glue the airstones to the tupperware. I'd like to be able to wash/sterilize them separately.

    * What's that orange box next to the cloner in the 10 pic?
     
  9. #9 PhL0aTeR, Mar 21, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 21, 2009
    I thought about that, but if i didnt tie em down somehow, they float, i dont think cleaning will be a problem though.



    its a thermostatic controller, it controls my exhaust.
     
  10. Nice clean setup Phloater, and a great DIY tutorial.......much like your cabinet tutorial. Props to you.
     
  11. woah that's pretty awesome
     
  12. Day 4.... still looking good, although no signs of roots yet, supposedly it will be 7-10 days.

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  13. Deffinitely a nice little setup. Couple questions..

    When clones root, is it straight out the bottom of the clone or what??

    When you pet em in the foam do you just push them through, cut a pilot hole? Cause i put one in soil and it was very flimsy..

    And when you transplant the clones from the foam to whatever medium will you simply slide them out the way you slid them in..?

    Again, sweet setup thanks for the idea..!
    MGR
     
  14. i scraped the lower 1/4-1/2" so in theory it should root everywhere i scraped including the bottom.... please understand i read like 10 articles on how to build one of these, did it myself and you are witnessing my trial run.
    the plugs have a radius cut in them (kinda like pacman's mouth) so i just spread the plug and place the stem in the plug. It holds it pretty firmly this way, then you just slide the plug into the hole in the lid
    again, pacman just opens his mouth and spits the clone out..... lol
    Thanks! check back in a week to see how they are doing!
     
  15. #15 shafro, Mar 26, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 29, 2009
    KUDOS

    $16 w/o heater. I had tape, drill bit, heating pad and noodle
    Was simple really.
    Now I hope I can save 4 clones that were given to me on sunday. When I transfered them they had not rooted at all yet in soil with rooting compound.
    Im guessing that you fill the water up untill it reaches the bottom of the clone
     
  16. Wow thanks a lot man!!!!:hello: Im deffinitly going to be making this for my continuos Rubbermaid grow!!:D
     
  17. Unbelievable!
    2.5 clones are already standing up and healthy
    after 24 hrs on the machine.
    Pretty sure the other 2 will make it too.
    I have not peeked at the roots yet.
     
  18. I give you A+ awesomeness rating for neatness and style. In many years of growing, I never managed to completely master cloning. I got good results, in terms of survival rate, but never so neat and easy, and sometimes I would wait ages for them to come good. One thing I did do in the end, after listening to some guys who ran a nursery, that helped me a lot was to control the temp of the water real careful, to make sure it stayed constant. If the temp of the stem fluctuates every day by even 7 degrees C, it can really slow down the rooting. If you can keep it constant, between 24 C and 27 C, you will get super fast root development.

    I used a warming mat for a while, but it gave me grief trying to stop it getting too hot. In the end i found the best way was to put a sheet of white foam under the clone container, and keep the ventilation just open enough to get the temperature constant during the day, then i would shut it at night, which also kept it constant.

    I know it sounds a bit far out to watch temperature like this, but I can say from happy experience that it makes a lot of difference to the end result. It took me ages to wise up and listen to the guys with horticultural degrees, but they are the dudes who rip the big, fat, fuck off buds you see now and then.

    They told me that weed likes a stable environment, in terms of temperature, because the hormones that control growth are real temperature sensitive. They reckon that if you can imagine an engine with a big heavy flywheel attached to it, that is how the hormones grow. If the engine keeps stopping, and then starting up again, over the lifetime of the plant, the total amount of revolutions (which equals hormone production in this analogy) is much, much less than a plant that has been humming along in a really stable environment.

    Anyways, it worked for me. Controlling temperature is a bitch, no doubt, but if you have got everything else down, I say go for it. See what you can see.
     
  19. Any updates/pics of those clones? Real interested in building one of these just waiting to see your results.

    Whats the temp of your water?
    Whats the pH of your water?
    Do you know the relative humidity and temperature under your dome?

    Looking good..

    Thank You
     
  20. ill have some exact answers for you tonight
     

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