cloning with rapid rooters... questions

[GadgetGuy]

Ok well since I started this hobby I have come a long long ways.... but for some reason I just still can't clone worth a damn. This time I was really anal retentive about being clean, making my cuts, etc. etc. I squeezed out the rapid rooters til they were about field capacity as they were soaking wet. I put them in the humidity dome and all is looking pretty healthy for the most part but they are starting to droop just a bit after 3 days. I pulled one of the rooters out of the tray and gave the bottom a little squeeze and once again it was soaking wet, just a small stream of water pouring out of it almost. They are all like this. Are they too wet? I mist them once a day and lightly, not like a rain fall. I pull the dome off for about 5 minutes a day to get them fresh air and I leave the adjustable vents on top open just a crack. Could the humidity in the dome be making the rapid rooters this wet? Temps are around 75 constantly give or take a few degrees. RH in the surrounding air is low, I live in a mountainous desert type of region.

Would it be a bad thing to squeeze the excess water out of them? I don't think I had too much water in the tray but just in case I used a couple lid rings for canning jars to raise the inner tray above the outer tray so there is about 3/4" between the water and the rapid rooters.

Should I give them a little more air maybe? This cloning thing has been really frustrating for the past two years

Any help or suggestions are taken welcomely and I thank you soooo much in advance!

 

[paladin420]

Well my climate is much different so I may be no help but, I never use any kind of dome. Rarely will I mist. I want that cutting to know and need to make some roots or die. You sound to wet to me.
With rapid rooters I did not like the pre made hole, not enough contact with the stem. And I poke a few all the way thru. Trying to set it better. Ima dork!

When you do get roots ( I know u will ) plant them soon. They do not hold a clone long before a damping off kills em.

Goodluck

 

[T.Baggins]

i squeeze most of the water out of them before i put the slip into the rooter.. and i dont add water to the bottom tray.. mist them everyday.. dont forget to mist the inside of the dome a little too.. keep the vents closed for the first few days, then crack um just a lil.. dont bug them much more than that.. i lift the tray insert every few days to see if any roots are growing out the bottom, but no need to pull the plug out untill you see roots coming out the bottom.. some cuts root faster than others.. iv had roots in anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks... good luck man!!

 

[sweetypie]

sounds to me they are too wet. dont mist any. i put mine in the dome (and mist the dome, not the plants) and leave em be for 5 days then take the dome off. i still wont water until they are dryish, maybe 2 or 3 days later. i was just out of town and my plant tender left the dome on for 8 days, they were wet but still had roots. i took the dome off, put em on a heat tray and they all have nice roots a couple days later. these plugs are soo good. i agree with paladin, as soon as they are poking roots, go ahead and plant. i also start the feed then.

 

[greenmatter]

sounds like things are too wet to me.

i mist cuttings one time right after i "stick" them. after that the heat mat keeps the Rh high enough that condensation is always running off the inside of the dome so there is no reason to do it IMHO

P420 mentioned the pre made hole being too big ....... i tear rooters into little chunks and stuff them into the hole after the clone is stuck so i have good contact with the stem ( the bamboo chopsticks you get at the local chinese buffet is a great tool for doing this)

i had some issues with the rapid rooters before i bought a heat mat. i was in the grow room dicking around with one of those laser thermometers and found out the rapid rooters were colder than the air temps by 15-20 degrees. that is not what you want going on!!!! and FWIW the heat mat solved my problems.

good luck!!!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Ok, I dumped all the water out of the bottom tray. I did squeeze them out really well before I put the clones in them so they must have just soaked up the excess from too much humidity I guess. I do have one of these http://www.growsmarthydroponics.com...&gdftrk=gdfV22646_a_7c984_a_7c3687_a_7c726695 that I could put underneath it. I figured since the room sits at an even 75f all times of the day (small laundry room with furnace and water heater) I wouldn't need it but I'll give it a try. I wish this heat mat had an adjustable thermostat because I don't want to cook them to death but it's worth a try. I have a few plants that I've turned into mothers that I will be practicing with.

I will say that these ones are looking healthier than ones I've done in the past so far. I do have a good feeling about this time. I'll quit misting the plants themselves and just mist the lid from now on.Tonight will be officially 4 days they've been in there. On a couple of them I can see nubs where the stem meets the top of the rapid rooter hole. I used clonex gel which I've heard good things about. I did also rip a chunk off each rapid rooter and stick it in the top of the hole where the stem went in to prevent too much air from getting in there.

Thanks for the help guys! I'll get the heat mat under there today.

 

[greenmatter]

do you have a thermostat for the heat mat? without one you may be going from a couple degrees too cold straight to cooked them all. those mats get really hot really fast!

i set the thermostat at 80, and it seems like it is off during the course of the day more than it is on

 

[GadgetGuy]

It does not have a thermostat. That's why I refrained from using it in the past. It says right on the mat that it raises the temp 10-20 degrees over the ambient room temp. I am going to the grow store today so I'll see if they have a thermostat I can plug in line to control it. If not I guess I'll have to start saving some bucks for a really nice one.

 

[Keep goin]

Yeah..you don't want water in the bottom tray unless you have roots. I always found with rapid rooters that I could just moisten them with my misting water. (didn't have to do it very often) And to paladin's concern about the hole...I agree, but one of the nice things about rapid rooters is that you can just split em down the middle and lay the stem in there..then place them in your tray.

If you continue to have problems...just aero clone..you won't go back!

Good Luck

 

[Canniwhatsis]

never had an issue with em being wet.

I put just enough water in the bottom to fill the channels of the tray, but not enough to hit the bottom of the plugs. Humidity dome with vents closed for the first about 3-4 days then cracked open after that (Stupid dry here so I've got to keep a close eye on em to avoid drying out.)

As for the stock hole? Screw that thing, I use a bamboo skewer and punch a new hole off to the side to put the cutting in to.

I do use a heat mat, tho no thermostat. I've found that a cloth napkin or red shop towels dissipate the heat enough.

Roots in 4 days to 2 weeks.


Maybe I missed it, but what rooting gel/powder are you using, I prefer Clonex, tho the Juicy Roots from Advanced works about as good.

 

[whiteberrieS]

I take my RapidRooters straight from the bag, dip the cutting in clonex for 15 seconds, stick it in the rooter, put the rooters in a little bowl with water in the bottom & hope for the best. I change the water once a day, the rooters will get some white mold on em if you dont. Other than that I ignore em til they show me some roots. Had 98% success this way. Good luck man.

Edit - & I clip the leaf tips off.

 

[WelderDan]

I haven't had much luck with rapid rooters. I have the best luck with perlite.

Some things work for some folks, but not for others. Perlite works the best for me for whatever reason.

 

[DJXXPLATINUM]

LIL AMAZON

LIL AMAZON

Ok well since I started this hobby I have come a long long ways.... but for some reason I just still can't clone worth a damn. This time I was really anal retentive about being clean, making my cuts, etc. etc. I squeezed out the rapid rooters til they were about field capacity as they were soaking wet. I put them in the humidity dome and all is looking pretty healthy for the most part but they are starting to droop just a bit after 3 days. I pulled one of the rooters out of the tray and gave the bottom a little squeeze and once again it was soaking wet, just a small stream of water pouring out of it almost. They are all like this. Are they too wet? I mist them once a day and lightly, not like a rain fall. I pull the dome off for about 5 minutes a day to get them fresh air and I leave the adjustable vents on top open just a crack. Could the humidity in the dome be making the rapid rooters this wet? Temps are around 75 constantly give or take a few degrees. RH in the surrounding air is low, I live in a mountainous desert type of region.

Would it be a bad thing to squeeze the excess water out of them? I don't think I had too much water in the tray but just in case I used a couple lid rings for canning jars to raise the inner tray above the outer tray so there is about 3/4" between the water and the rapid rooters.

Should I give them a little more air maybe? This cloning thing has been really frustrating for the past two years

Any help or suggestions are taken welcomely and I thank you soooo much in advance!

HEY BUDDY...I HAVE DONE AERO, BUBBLE, ROCKWOOL AND NOW I USE ROOT RIOTS AND MY METHOD I CALL "THE LIL AMAZON"....

4 BLACK ROOTER HOLDERS(MINE HOLD SIX EA)
SUNLEAVES HEAT MAT
BLACK TRAY 11 X 22
MONDO DOME
ROOT RIOTS

I PUT THE HEAT MAT UNDER THE BLACK TRAY TURNED ON AND PUT 1/2 INCH OF WATER IN IT AND PUT ON THE DOME VENTS OPEN

I PUT TWO OF THE ROOTER HOLDERS INVERTED FOR RISERS IN THE WATER TO KEEP THE ROOT RIOT FILLED ONES OUT OF THE WATER

I SOAK THE PLUGS, TAKE CUTTING, DIP IN WHATEVER ROOT GEL OR POWDER(POWDER BETTER FOR THIN CUTTINGS)

FILL A TRAY WITH CLONES AND PUT ON TOP OF THE INVERTED ONE IN THE DOME


IF THE STEM MAKES IT THE FIRST DAY ITS A GO....IF IT BENDS OVER PROP IT UP WITH TOOTH PICKS...MAN I DIDN'T GET ANY YELLOW LEAVES

REMEMBER THE PLUG IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LIL AMAZON....THE PLUG TRAY IS UP OUT OF THE WATER

THE WATER HEATS UP, THE DOME FOGS UP TO 100% HUMIDITY LIKE THE AMAZON, THE CUTS NEVER GOT TOO HOT CAUSE ITS NOT DIRECTLY ON THE PAD AND THEY JUST ADORE THE HUMIDITY

AFTER TWO TO THREE DAYS JUS TAKE EACH SPONGE AND RING ALMOST ALL THE WATER OUT...PUT BACK IN AND IN TWO WEEKS ROOTS ROOTS ROOTS 100%....AND WHEN YOU SQUEEZE IT OUT, THE PLANT LIVES ON THE HUMIDITY IN THE DOME AND THE ROOT SPONGE STAYS BARELY DAMP MAKING THE ROOTS LOOK FOR MOISTURE

SINCE I DEVELOPED THIS METHOD I HAVE BEEN 100%.....

NO MORE TAKING TWICE AS MANY AS YOU NEED.....

SHOWED A BUDDY THAT USED TO USE ROCKWOOL AND HE SAY THIS METHOD CHANGED THE GAME FOR HIM(HE STRUGGLED WITH THE CLONING THING TOO)....

HOPE THIS HELPS...DJ

 

[Yankmychain]

i use rapid rooters 100% rate always. but i do it a bit different. i soak them in 5.3 ph water with clonex liquid clone solution. about 3 caps per gal. then after draining the extra liquid out of the rooters i place them upside down , so they stand up without help.still using cloning gel dip and place my clone in my cloning tray then i surround them with hydroton rocks that were soaked with the clonex water, pour about an 1/8th in. clonex water in bottom. place the dome over and a light close to keep them warm .

 

[supermanlives]

i hate them . soil and perlite 50\50 in cups. i had horrible luck with them. still got about 100. good luck

 

[Aotf]

I took a couple clones for outdoors this year. I used perlite / compost after having a bunch of RR's fail. I have a bunch of nettle growing around me and I have read it is estrogenic. I have had 100% success using this as the rooting hormone, as a tea.

The rapid rooters just hold way too much water for too long of a period. That would probably partially explain a 15-20F temperature drop, than the surrounding air. I would guess that water holding capacity is evaporating off extra amounts of h20 and lowering the air temperature around the RR plug. A year or 2 ago, this was "The Method" but they remind me of jiffy pot crap.