EZ-Cloner review

[EatMoGrass]

Good info about the tea! Let me start off by stating that I have owned my EZ-Clone for a good 4 years now with no real problems. However it does take longer for me to see roots than advertised, usually between 14-21 days before I have over 90% of my cuts are ready to be put in soil.

Two weeks ago I cleaned the machine out and got it ready for a new batch of cuttings. Did everything the same as I have for 4 years except I added a cup of fresh casting tea. Three days later I added one more cup of tea and I noticed my water temp was at 86F! I did nothing and 2 days later I began seeing the first roots.

At day 10 all 30 cuts had rooted and at day 12 I transplanted into soil with more fresh brewed tea. And one of my strains is a very old clone that always takes days longer than most to root.

With the tea I had 100% success with 86f degree water temps days sooner than the results I have seen over the last 4 years without casting tea. I believe the tea sped up the rooting process by 4-10days! I can't wait to try and duplicate these results again next cycle. Thanks for the good info. I wish I had thought to put tea in my EZ-Clone.

 

[richyrich]

Good info about the tea! Let me start off by stating that I have owned my EZ-Clone for a good 4 years now with no real problems. However it does take longer for me to see roots than advertised, usually between 14-21 days before I have over 90% of my cuts are ready to be put in soil.

Two weeks ago I cleaned the machine out and got it ready for a new batch of cuttings. Did everything the same as I have for 4 years except I added a cup of fresh casting tea. Three days later I added one more cup of tea and I noticed my water temp was at 86F! I did nothing and 2 days later I began seeing the first roots.

At day 10 all 30 cuts had rooted and at day 12 I transplanted into soil with more fresh brewed tea. And one of my strains is a very old clone that always takes days longer than most to root.

With the tea I had 100% success with 86f degree water temps days sooner than the results I have seen over the last 4 years without casting tea. I believe the tea sped up the rooting process by 4-10days! I can't wait to try and duplicate these results again next cycle. Thanks for the good info. I wish I had thought to put tea in my EZ-Clone.

Its the warm temps that speed up the rooting process and the tea allows for the high temps in the EZ. Think heat mat and RW cubes.

 

[Vital]

Check it out guys... I have ran an EZ 120 for over 5 years. I had a lot of problems here and there mentioned in this thread. Sometimes it was spot on and sometimes the root rot slime. About a year and a half ago I tried something and I have had 100% success ever since. I oput my EZ 120 pump on a timer, 1 minute on, 4 minutes off. Never had a problem since. Try it, I swear it will solve all your problems.

 

[Herborizer]

Really need help here. I am so frustrated. I am on my 3rd try at using this machine and feel like pulling my hair out!

Before each use I have been spending like 2-3 hours cleaning the heck out of everything. With physan first, then with bleach. I let it run with physan for about 1 hour. Rinse. Then 1 hour with bleach. Then pure water for 5 mins. Dump, pure water 5 mins. Dump, pure water for 5 mins. Dump, then pure water for 1 hour. Dump, then pure water for 5 mins.

My lighting is a 24 inch T5 light that I keep 20 inches above the cloner. I have it run 24/0.

First round, the temps were too low where I kept the cloner, it was in the 60's all the time. RO water. Dipped in CloneX Gell. EWC tea at 1 cup in the reservoir. I put about 40 clones in and had about a 50% success. It also took like 3-4 weeks. WAY TOO LONG.

Second round, I put about 40 clones in. RO water. EWC tea at 1 cup in the reservoir. I used olivia's cloning gel (dipped the clones it in). I used an aquarium heater and set it to 88F. After 13 days the stems had no roots and the stems were all mushy. Clones started dieing.

Third round (my current round and still going), I put about 40 clones in. This time I scratched the end of the stems (last 1/2 inch) a little with the back of a knife. After making the scratches I would cut my 45 degree angle and put into a martini glass with water. I let it sit in that water for 15 mins before I put into the cloner. I use RO water in the cloner. EWC tea at 1 cup in the reservoir. No cloning hormone this time. The room temperature has been a steady 70-74F. I run the cloner pump 24/0. The water temp each time I check it is between 72-73F. It's now 7 days later and no roots. I don't think I have any stem bumps either. ONE of the 40 clones died this morning. It was laying over and the leaves were shriveled. I took it out of the system. The stem was mush. I check several other stems from other clones in the cloner and they are all nice and firm. The water is nice and clear and smells fresh (doesn't smell like the slime). The clones overall look otherwise healthy. Just no roots. I don't think there are any bumps either on the stems.

What to-do?

I have wondered if the RO water was an issue; I hear that people use plain tap water for these machines. Though, my house water is Well Water and using that in the cloner seems like a bad idea.

I wondered about how sterile I have been in this process. So after the 1st round, I was completely anal about how sterile I have been. Rubbing alcohol to clean everything. I also clean between cuts.

I use a brand new razor for each cut.

I don't have overheating issues, but I have often thought of putting the pump on a timer for 1 min on, 4 min off. Maybe it helps stimulate root growth?

I have house and garden root excellerator. I thought of using this as well, but I feel that maybe its better to use it once roots appear and not before then.

I take cuts with at least 4 inter-nodes. I cut right at the inter-node or below it.

I never have any visible leaf stress when taking my cuttings. They always stand with their leaves all happy and perky.

P.S. I am using cuttings from two different strains each time. I understand that some strains take longer, but I have two different ones in there.

 

[rocky5]

man sounds like this ez cloner aint so easy,think i will stick to coco.

 

[MediRI88]

Im Using a Ez cloner 30 slot with a stealth water heater kept around 73 and a water stone with a 10 gallon air pump and I only use poland spring water ..I buy the 5 gallon tanks and mix my nuts becouse the ppm out of poland springs well my trenchon doesn't even read it becouse the water ppm is basicaly 0 so what you gett is heather cleaner water and more space in the water for nuts ... mediri88..

 

[richyrich]

Really need help here. I am so frustrated. I am on my 3rd try at using this machine and feel like pulling my hair out!

Before each use I have been spending like 2-3 hours cleaning the heck out of everything. With physan first, then with bleach. I let it run with physan for about 1 hour. Rinse. Then 1 hour with bleach. Then pure water for 5 mins. Dump, pure water 5 mins. Dump, pure water for 5 mins. Dump, then pure water for 1 hour. Dump, then pure water for 5 mins.

My lighting is a 24 inch T5 light that I keep 20 inches above the cloner. I have it run 24/0.

First round, the temps were too low where I kept the cloner, it was in the 60's all the time. RO water. Dipped in CloneX Gell. EWC tea at 1 cup in the reservoir. I put about 40 clones in and had about a 50% success. It also took like 3-4 weeks. WAY TOO LONG.

Second round, I put about 40 clones in. RO water. EWC tea at 1 cup in the reservoir. I used olivia's cloning gel (dipped the clones it in). I used an aquarium heater and set it to 88F. After 13 days the stems had no roots and the stems were all mushy. Clones started dieing.

Third round (my current round and still going), I put about 40 clones in. This time I scratched the end of the stems (last 1/2 inch) a little with the back of a knife. After making the scratches I would cut my 45 degree angle and put into a martini glass with water. I let it sit in that water for 15 mins before I put into the cloner. I use RO water in the cloner. EWC tea at 1 cup in the reservoir. No cloning hormone this time. The room temperature has been a steady 70-74F. I run the cloner pump 24/0. The water temp each time I check it is between 72-73F. It's now 7 days later and no roots. I don't think I have any stem bumps either. ONE of the 40 clones died this morning. It was laying over and the leaves were shriveled. I took it out of the system. The stem was mush. I check several other stems from other clones in the cloner and they are all nice and firm. The water is nice and clear and smells fresh (doesn't smell like the slime). The clones overall look otherwise healthy. Just no roots. I don't think there are any bumps either on the stems.

What to-do?

I have wondered if the RO water was an issue; I hear that people use plain tap water for these machines. Though, my house water is Well Water and using that in the cloner seems like a bad idea.

I wondered about how sterile I have been in this process. So after the 1st round, I was completely anal about how sterile I have been. Rubbing alcohol to clean everything. I also clean between cuts.

I use a brand new razor for each cut.

I don't have overheating issues, but I have often thought of putting the pump on a timer for 1 min on, 4 min off. Maybe it helps stimulate root growth?

I have house and garden root excellerator. I thought of using this as well, but I feel that maybe its better to use it once roots appear and not before then.

I take cuts with at least 4 inter-nodes. I cut right at the inter-node or below it.

I never have any visible leaf stress when taking my cuttings. They always stand with their leaves all happy and perky.

P.S. I am using cuttings from two different strains each time. I understand that some strains take longer, but I have two different ones in there.

Try using bottles water from the market. Also, try using ancient forest instead of earth worm castings. Who know, they could be old. Just a guess. Look at my signature and go to the slime thread.

 

[Japanfreakier]

Really need help here. I am so frustrated. I am on my 3rd try at using this machine and feel like pulling my hair out!

You need to get yourself a timer and use it. 15 min on/off, 30 min on/off or 1 min on 4 off it doesn't really matter but start using on.

You don't need any hormones

If you have good tap water I'd start using that instead of the R.O. and use a weak nutrient solution in the water. I've used the clone formula on the back of my gH flora bottles for 7 years and it works guuuuuureat (tony da tiger)

Also if you can get your pH in the mid 5s

 

[Herborizer]

You need to get yourself a timer and use it. 15 min on/off, 30 min on/off or 1 min on 4 off it doesn't really matter but start using on.

You don't need any hormones

If you have good tap water I'd start using that instead of the R.O. and use a weak nutrient solution in the water. I've used the clone formula on the back of my gH flora bottles for 7 years and it works guuuuuureat (tony da tiger)

Also if you can get your pH in the mid 5s

Thank you for the help.

I added a 1 min on / 4 min off timer.

As far as using my well water... I have looked in my (well) water tank (outside) and its got some slime in there. I am hesitant to try and use my water in this cloner. Anyone know whats missing in RO that regular water has? Shouldn't I be able to just add-back nutrients/micro nutrients to my RO?

PH has been a steady 5.8. The first few days it would rise, but I PH downed it each time.

 

[Japanfreakier]

R.O. water has Cal and Mag in it, that's why people who use R.O. water have to add it back in to make up what they take out. Nutes are made to work with tap water, not R.O. water, it should only be used when your water is total shit, it's a last choice kind of thing.

Clones root faster with a weak nutrient solution in aeri-cloners so I'm guessing that your water's purity was slowing it down.

 

[Hammerhead]

Reverse osmosis (RO) units remove substantial amounts of most inorganic chemicals (such as salts, metals, minerals) most microorganisms including cryptosporidium and giardia, and most (but not all) inorganic contaminants.

Reverse osmosis successfully treats water with dissolved minerals and metals such as aluminum, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chloride, chromium, copper, fluoride, magnesium, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nitrate, selenium, silver, sulfate, and zinc. RO is also effective with asbestos, many taste, color and odor-producing chemicals, particulates, total dissolved solids, turbidity, and radium. When using appropriate activated carbon pre-filtering (commonly included with most RO systems), additional treatment can also be provided for such "volatile" contaminants (VOCs) as benzene, MTBE, trichloroethylene, trihalomethanes, and radon. Essentially, reverse osmosis is capable of rejecting bacteria, salts, sugars, proteins, particles, dyes, heavy metals, chlorine and related by-products, and other contaminants that have a molecular weight of greater than 150-250 daltons. The separation of ions with reverse osmosis is aided by charged particles. This means that dissolved ions that carry a charge, such as salts, are more likely to be rejected by the membrane than those that are not charged, such as organics. The larger the charge and the larger the particle, the more likely it will be rejected


lol I Have been using my RO/DI unit for many many years. I grow 100% organic and I love my unit. Nothing gets into my res without me adding it. There is nothing better to use in growing in soil or hydro. Woks very well for hydro. This is IME and most of the hydro growers I know.

 

[Japanfreakier]

Good tap water is ever so much better than R.O.

 

[Hammerhead]

OK

 

[Japanfreakier]

Nothing gets into my res without me adding it.

And what do you have to put in the water to make up what you took out?

Pay money to take it out, waste water and then pay more money to put it back in?

I understand if you're tap water is shit, or have well water. I'm just saying that good tap water is good to go.

 

[Hammerhead]

TAP WATER IS CRAP I wont drink it. You think im going to water my plants with it no thanks. I dont know whats in it do you unless you spend some cash and have your water test annually Im not saying you cant use it go right ahead. IMHVE i wont use it unless it tested and my last resort and only until I can get my RO/DI back. As far as my nutrients go im going to add it anyway weather its tap or RO so your not wasting anything. even the waste water that the unit makes is not wasted its collected in 55g drums and used for cooking, bathing the dog watering the flowers and cleaning.

 

[Japanfreakier]

Most of the tap water in the US is very good, some times better than bottled water.

 

[OMountainMix]

we have two 60s and a 120. we had problems when we first started out and realized that when you clean with bleach, you will have problems for a few rounds. don't clean with bleach! we clean with hot soapy water, anti-bacterial soap, clean scrubby pads and elbow grease. we use power clone in the cloners, although we found that clonex works just as well at having a good success rate BUT takes about 1-1.5 weeks longer to root. we now run the neoprene collars through the dishwasher unless they are totally stretched out of shape. we have an excellent success rate with this method. we do NOT add enzymes to the cloner. we DO clean them really well aftr each round. we are fans!

we do run a portable 12,000 btu a.c. in our veg room and if we leave the clones in for a long long time, we feed them, but that's it.

 

[Japanfreakier]

I just wash with bath cleaner and then alcohol spray and paper towels, takes about 5 minutes.

 

[Herborizer]

Update: yesterday i put a timer on the pump (1 min on 4 min off). This morning I had another casualty. Was laying over and mush stem. No slim in reservoir and it smells fine in there. . Also, still no roots and no bumps on the other cuttings. Day 8.

 

[MediRI88]

Then your ph is off .....or there somthing in the water causing the water to sterlized....dump water out rise with hot water .. dry out mix new batch of water add nuts run for a hour 2 check ph and ppms if alls well add clones