This is just a few of the many aero cloner tubs people here have built...
Sportster built this one…
Those roots are beyond ready to get going in a dwc bucket.
Sportsters second batch…Pretty big leafy cuts there…
But…Sportster has another ‘same size’ tupperware tub to use for a dome if needed for extra humidity that those bigger untrimmed cuts might need.
Mia Stoner…
Built this one which uses netcups which can be either filled with growrocks for one clone per site, or the netcup can be left empty with the five hole cover in place for five clones per site.
The netcups of grow rocks offer an advantage of wicking the moisture to and away from the stems, which performs quite well in some of the ready made expensive cloning machines these days.
Bubbles a pleanty…
Mias tub uses four air curtain bubble wands and two dual outlet pumps. It is capable of running either sixteen 3" netcups of grow rocks for sixteen clones, or can run the netcup covers for a total of 80 clones.
Wallbanger…
Recently built a cloner which uses a cheap humidifier spinner device to splash the clones.
Just like the expensive “rainforest” cloning device only alot less expensive.
Farmer Maggot…
Built a bubble aero cloner using a 5 gallon bucket for the tub.
Notice the creative method of holding the clones using styrofoam cups.
~Shabangs aero cloner tub…
Then theres the water pump type misting aero tub. ~Shabang made Hibes design popular back at the old weedbase site. The picture shows the inside of the large tub with the spray bar plumbing pumping a fine water spray thru the pvc tubes by way of a water pump (powerhead) in the bottom of the tub.
Thats just the tip of the iceberg, there are too many variations of aero cloning tubs and designs to show, but they all share one common principle, the cut stems are all suspended in open air while being showered by a fine mist or spray of tiny water droplets.
The only thing unique or different about the bubbler mist design is the simple to build design, and the timer principle of allowing the stems to dry off slightly between mistings…thus encouraging faster rooting.
Aero cloning has its share of ups and downs.
It can be used successfully for soil growing situations, but it is most ideally suited for hydroponic applications. Aero cloning can be super simple as long as everything is kept religiously clean. It offers super fast results with minimal failures when you get everything right, but like conventional cloning, it too can fail miserably if you dont get all the details dialed in properly.
So in closing, if you already have another method that works well for you then theres no need to change it, unless you’re growing hydroponically and want high performance without the pitfalls of rockwool in your hydro (DWC for example), then go for it.
AF finds aero cloning the “only way to go” for all types of growing, hydro as well as his soil grown mom plants.
He finds that the tedious task of conventional cloning, the misting and daily dome rituals while the clones look worse and worse going down hill every day, suffering until they’ve finally rooted, to be a big bummer as compared to the way aero clones look “almost as good as the day they were cut”, without going downhill until they root, to be worth every penny of his time invested.
My final word…*If you go out and purchase a ready made unit for aero cloning, you’ll be kicking yourself for not building a “cheapo”, its the same operating principal for the whole lot of em.
*Not that theres anything wrong with spending your cash on those store bought goodies from the grow stores btw.
Happy cloning to all,
10k