aeroponic props?

[greenlife]

Hi ive got afew quid spare and wondered if the aeroponic propagarors are worth investing in? I can get a heated one for 12 cuttings for £60 off ebay.What are they like?Do you still need to have a light on above it?How long do they take to root the cuttings?If anybody has one or has used one could they please let me know wat it was like to use before I spend any money. thanks

[Denzil]

I have got an X-stream 12 site propogator. It's called an Aeroponic propogator but it doesn't spray a fine mist, it uses a sprinkler to keep the roots moist. I used it once with four clones in and for experiment, took some tomato plant cuttings too. The tomato ones rooted real quick and the cannais cuttings rooted after about 2 weeks with the sprinkler on 24/7 (please note that they weren't under any lights, they were in a conservatory in the late august light cycle, so under 18/6 lights it would be much quicker) . Next time I will try it with the sprinkler on 15 mins, then off for 15 mins for the whole period. I think it'll help them root a bit quicker. What I like about it is, once they are rooted, I could take out the sprinkler and put an air pump and stone in, raise the water levels and turn it in to a bubbler with all the cuttings suspended above the bubbly goodness, and that way they will start off a bit faster. But I'd only use that last bit as a method, if I were gonna transplant the cuttings into a dwc or something.

Edit: I'd get one, as it is cut, put in propogator and wait. You don't really have to do anything else.

[greenlife]

Cheers for the reply mate I have heard good things about these props some say with a 24/7 light cycle they have had cuttings root in 5-7 days which is very good.So I think I will buy one just to see for myself.Do you still need to dip the cutting in clonex or such like before putting in prop?thanks

[Denzil]

With the clonex you have to be careful. I have the gel but didn't use it for my propagater because it is quite thick and could damage your microjet which your sprinkler is powered by, if it gets inside it. I think you can buy clonex in a liquid form which would be ideal. I have no doubt you could be able to get them rooted in under a week when you have mastered it. Look into having the sprinkler on in intervals

[greenlife]

Well I did buy one of these props after doing alot of reading about them but im not sure about how long to keep the lid/dome on for as some people say leave it on and only open the vents once you have roots then remove it completely afew days later but other people say only use the lid for first few days then dont bother with it anymore.Wat do you lot think is best?I have got a 11w house bulb afew inches above the prop and the heater in the res is set at 24c it looks very humid in there I just dont know if its a good or bad thing somebody please help

[Denzil]

most peopl say, removes the dome at the sight of roots, you'll know they are about to root when the stem swells up and then gets small bumbs/spikes on it. Others say remove the dome (this is before its rooted) and if it wilts after an hour or 2, put it back on. If it stays the same, then leave it off. Just make sure you spray the inside of the dome, so they cuttings can asorb some of the moisture through its leaves.

[greenlife]

well its been 4 days since I put cuttings in the prop with the lid on and this morning some of them have wilted abit there is alot of condensation in there so I think its the humidity inside the lid thats made them wilt ive took the lid off now to see if this makes a difference hopefully it does

[Denzil]

Does yours have have the microjet thing that sticks to the bottom of the tank? I'm thinking of trying to the find a fogger/mister and replacing the sprinkler with it.

[greenlife]

yes mate my pump sticks to the bottom of tank with 3 sucker pads if thats wat you mean?

[Denzil]

yea thats it.

[greenlife]

its been over a week now since i put the cuttings in the prop there are no signs of any roots but wats worrying me more is some of the cuttings seem to have bits of mold on so i left the lid off for a couple of days thinking it was the high humidity causing the mold but now some of the cuttings have gone really dry and crispy to the touch.this is doing my head in i thought these props were surpose tobe fool proof (obviously not) do you still need tobe spraying the cuttings twice aday? as i did'nt think you did with these props and do you need a light on above it?ive got a 8w household cfl on above mine.can somebody please help cus it looks like im gona loose these cuts one way or another. thanks greenlife

[Denzil]

I have only used mine once. I had it in a conservatory around the last weeks of august. They weren't under any lights other than natural day light and they rooted in two weeks. I didn't really need to spray often cos the some didn't dry up cos it had no bulb above it. Try spray the inside of the dome so it can absorb the humidity/mist etc.

[greenlife]

thanks mate! so do ya think its a good idea to turn the light off and not use it anymore?

[Denzil]

I personally don't know tbh. The only reason it wasn't under lights was because I had growing issues where I lived at the time. But I would put them under lights, I'd have the lights further away than you normally would and I'd have them on 24/0 until they root.

[greenlife]

checked my cuttings today and 3 of them are def showing roots and afew of the other ones have got little white bumps on them so that must be the start of them rooting.Im still not sure about wat to do with the lid i keep putting it on and off for afew hours.I have changed the pump so it goes on and off every 15 mins after doing abit of research that seems like a good thing to do and ive still got the light on 18-6.

[Denzil]

Well done mate I bet that is a real relief to see some progress. Keep the light as it is, it seems to have worked for you. If they all have bumps and roots, try leaving the lid off. Did you use any rooting hormone or just straight up water. Don't let the roots grow too long as they do grow pretty quick from now on. What medium will they go in?

[greenlife]

cheers flygerian88 i really appreciate your help through this mate theres still afew that have not yet done anything so ile carry on the same way for now. i dipped the cuttings in clonex when i first put them in apart from that i only used water in the prop and today i put some formulex (quarter strength) in aswell. Im gona let the roots get well established then there going in soil.wat medium did ya use when you transplanted mate?how did it go?

[Denzil]

No problem matey. Well the ones I did I planted in soil when the roots got about just over an inch long. Took about a few days before I saw any growth but after that the growth was real quick. These were white widow cuttings. I need to get another microjet pump as mine has stopped working, I wanna clone my white widow and northern light x big bud and have them as bonsai mothers.

On a scale of 1-10, how effortless has it been, compared to the normal cloning method??

[greenlife]

def a 10 mate you just put the clones in the prop turn it on and leave it.once i get the hang of this prop its going to make the job of taking cuttings very easy which is the main reason i bought it.

[Denzil]

Exactly, I never had much success with the traditional way, took too long or medium kept drying out. I love my propogator.

[greenlife]

yeah they are a good bit of kit.just one point i want to make are you using the heated version? well iam and the 50w heater they sent with it is ok but its not very accurate i set mine on 24 put it in bottom of prop and forgot about it.ive got a thermometer in my fishing bag so i just thought ide test the temp of the water and when i did i got a reading of 25.9c.from the research i did it says you dont want the water in the prop above 24c.in order to get the water to 24c you need to set your heater at 22.which i have now done hopefully this will make a difference and i think the high water temp i was getting might have had something to do with the bit of mold i got but only time will tell.hope this little bit of info can help someone else out and stop them from making the same mistake i did

[Denzil]

Nah mine doesn't have any heater with it or owt. I might try and get one but if I put the prop in my tent I guess the water will get warmer so I might not need it.

[gunthervatero]

With the clonex you have to be careful. I have the gel but didn't use it for my propagater because it is quite thick and could damage your microjet which your sprinkler is powered by, if it gets inside it. I think you can buy clonex in a liquid form which would be ideal. I have no doubt you could be able to get them rooted in under a week when you have mastered it. Look into having the sprinkler on in intervals


clonex is fine if you add a blob of it into some water (i used my mister) then give it a shake till it mixes into a solution, then you can pour it into the reservoir.

[stdavidsgreengreengrass]

hi there lads,ive just bought one of these and i have a juicy mother waiting to fill her with healthy prime cuts,the way i understand it is,make sure all your cuts are strong and healthy,scrape the stem before dipping into roooting gel,make sure there are 4-5 cm sticking thru the collar,but what im a bit stumped with is this,how often do i spray these comapred to a normal prop?and how deep do i fill the tank ??

may all your girls be FAT bitches ;)

[Denzil]

hi there lads,ive just bought one of these and i have a juicy mother waiting to fill her with healthy prime cuts,the way i understand it is,make sure all your cuts are strong and healthy,scrape the stem before dipping into roooting gel,make sure there are 4-5 cm sticking thru the collar,but what im a bit stumped with is this,how often do i spray these comapred to a normal prop?and how deep do i fill the tank ??

may all your girls be FAT bitches ;)

Hey mate. I never spray the inside. The water below kicks out enough humidity. Iv got some more in my aero prop right now. Took them, made a small diagonal cut underwater then they when straight in to the neoprene discs. Didn't use rooting gel, didn't ph the water. 5 days later without even checking them at all, two showed roots and the others showing signs of rooting.

I have the stem poking out the bottom of the discs by about 2-3ck. Light on 24 hours and sprayer on a timer. 15 mins on, 15 mins off.