Cloner not cloning

Hey friends!
I have an ez clone 16 that I have used successfully in the past…clonex and water, no prob!
For some reason my last 2 batches of cuttings did not sprout a single root! I had the first batch rot on me, tossed them, cleaned out the cloner, refilled it and double checked the clonex instructions…tried again, got nothing!
Any clues as to what may be wrong??
This seems weird to me.

Thanks

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Change your temps?

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Yes, I agree with @Foreigner check temps… run the pump on a cycle timer if possible… will help cool and keep the temps down.

☆DJSF

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I had the same issue a while back. I went through tons of things only to find out the little fan was partially unplugged. Temps were getting to high.

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Order in a new set of neoprene collars. They are difficult to sterilize and can harbor all manor of nasty.
Guess how I know… :vulcan_salute: :sweat_smile:

Cheers
G

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Cleanliness and lower temps are key in a cloner.
Lower temps will help stop pythium from growing in your reservoir because once that stuff is in your manifold, you’re toast.

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:call_me_hand::joy::evergreen_tree:

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Some strains do not clone as well as others. Don’t know if you are trying to clone a new strain or not but thought i would throw this out there.

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If you have not read this thread, I’d suggest you do so.
They NEED sanitized after every run.

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I think you could find this useful.
This gent has had the same issues and is working it out as I type.

Good luck
Shag

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Clones are pretty simple to make and with the proper setup you should be able to attain a 100%survival rate, or darn close to that. Clones require specific environmental conditions to thrive: A pH-balanced nutrient solution made with a clean and pure water source, pH 5.8 +/- 0.3, proper temps of 68-72°F will minimize slimes and other infections, a good humidity range (60-70%), and a low nutrient level: Some people only use pH-balanced water and I personally feel a solution less than 300ppm is optimal.

So: A 300ppm nutrient solution, ph5.8, 68-72°F with 65%RH and you should get 100% roots within 2 weeks as long as your plants were healthy when you took cuts. If your plants are growing slowly, are stunted, or have purple stems from nutrient issues, it will take longer and the cuts may not survive.
I hope that something I have enumerated helps. Good luck!

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After experiencing a decline in successfully rooted clones, this is what fixed it for me. I had replaced the pump with the identical model but it seemed too strong even at the lowest setting. I’m running it on for 5 minutes then off for 15 and the cuttings are loving it!

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One of the reasons why I went to Grodan cubes ,Clonex clone and seedling solution and Hormex rooting powder #8 for woody and moderately difficult to root plants in a humidity dome(Recycled Dairy Queen ice cream cake dome fitted with spinable vent disk)and a heat mat set at 77 degrees.The frustration of cleaning everything phing,and setting water jets to a timer and getting nothing and wasting two weeks.I get full roots in those blocks in under 10 days and with that Clonex solution Phed to 5.5 soaked for 24 hoursI don’t get that yellow leaf thing everything stays green and stays turgidly.only had to water once blocks stayed nice and weighted,That powder was from 2003 and still worked strong that’s stuffs end of the world scenario shit right there.

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Could also try pool shock and create a cal-hypo dead zone.

So that you have a super clean calcium loaded spray zone.

Enjoy and good luck.

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anything water culture is easier to manage with a big reservoir of water. The temperature stays more stable and so does ph/ppm.

I use these 70L totes to take my clones. All i do is mix some clonex with RO water and run a air line or 2 into the tote.

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Oh my gosh I just watched this episode the other day. So funny, I hadn’t remembered seeing it before.

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A few drops of bleach is popularly used with growers, pool shock is another option that’s popular, you mix up a stock solution with pool shock and add it every 3 days.

I use tap water in my bubble cloner.


In winter I use a recirculating pump to agitate and heat the water, in summer I use 2x 12" bubble stones, the recirculating pump has the advantage of being near silent compared to air pump but both work fine.

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I use similar sized totes 27gallon. Not in a cloner, but same basic concept. And damn if it ain’t way more stable and cooler than when I used 5gallon buckets.

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I get great results cloning with that 90%+ success rate easily and then even after they root I can leave them in there for probably a month or longer without needing to touch anything. With those small aero cloners I’d find I would forget to top them up with water often enough and my clones would die from drying out.

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And many other undesirable lifeforms. :slight_smile: Also, cooler water holds more dissolved oxygen. I try to keep my temps between 68-75F, which equals out to 9.1-8.6 mg/l of O2.

This is good advice. I use a cycle timer on mine, and can I control the temp of the cloner by varying the on/off times. In the summer, I’ll run a longer off cycle, and I shorten it in the winter. :+1:

For keeping everything clean, this is my go-to product. I think everyone who uses a cloner should use this. It’s cheap, it works, and it doesn’t harm the plants.

There are 2 formulations of this, one’s in a blue package, the other is red, make sure you get the red. Put 1 gram in a gallon of water, and you have 1 gallon of Clear-Res. :slight_smile: I add 3ml per gallon every 3-4 days. Between that and keeping the temps lower, everything stays nice and clean.

After each run, I wash off the cloner, collars, inserts, and airstones with soapy water to get off any chunks of old leaf or other smegma that may be on them. Then I fill the cloner up with tap water, add 2 grams/gal of pool shock, dump the collars, inserts, and stones into it, cover the top with a piece of plexiglass to prevent flooding, and let it run overnight.

The next day, I dump the water, but I don’t rinse off the inserts. I put them back in the collars with the pool shock solution still on them, and let them dry. @Gpaw. I’ve been using the same inserts for 4 years or so now, and I’ve never had a problem.

Anyway, that’s my $0.02 worth. I’m sure you’ll get it back on track man. :vulcan_salute:
:guitar:

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