I plan on raising bonsai-like mothers that I continually harvest cuttings from to make clones. I want to grow them in Coco-coir like my real grow with general hydroponic grow nutes. Can I get away with a big cardboard box, a small fan, and some cfl's? How big should the box be? How big should the pots be? Or what about shelves with lights and no enclosure...bottom for mothers and clone machine...other shelves with lights for various aged clones. I'd like to produce clones from a few different strains. I'd like to produce several hundred clones a month. **I have my medical recommendation letter
[quote name='"planehopr"']I plan on raising bonsai-like mothers that I continually harvest cuttings from to make clones. I want to grow them in Coco-coir like my real grow with general hydroponic grow nutes. Can I get away with a big cardboard box, a small fan, and some cfl's? How big should the box be? How big should the pots be? Or what about shelves with lights and no enclosure...bottom for mothers and clone machine...other shelves with lights for various aged clones. I'd like to produce clones from a few different strains. I'd like to produce several hundred clones a month. **I have my medical recommendation letter[/quote] I'd look into buying a mother keep tent at htgsupply. A cardboard box is just not gonna do. Look into cloning stations and do as much research as possible
How large of an enclosure you'll need depends on how big the mothers will get. For several hundred clones a month, true bonsai mothers won't be large enough. You should be ready to house mothers that are at least the size of your flowered plants at harvest but bushier. This often means at least a square foot of floor space per mother plant. For vertical space, you should make room for buckets of soil, two foot tall plants, an HID lamp and space between the lamp and the plants; 4.5-5'. While you may very well be able to keep them a bit smaller, it's important to plan for the worst and have a little room to spare. You'll want a 400w HID or equivalent to support four mothers that produce hundreds of clones per month. Cardboard covered in a reflective material like textured aluminum can work fine for walls but at the size you're looking at, you'd need to use a more rigid frame to keep them upright and flat over time. Even with a sturdy frame, you won't likely be able to use an otherwise unmodified box but cardboard panels made from boxes would be okay. Keep in mind that you'll need to grow the plants to a certain size and bushiness before they start meeting your cloning needs. This will take some time and alot of pruning.