And then you mention what you did for your slimeSecond use: Clean it out with bleach water etc start it up a couple of days later. This time I forgo the 400$ water chiller and add 1 cup of earthworm casting tea and this is what I see on day 7-8 with 0 sign of slime:
Reservoir temp sits from 84-89 degrees 60 cuts done easy in one 30 site machine.
What a great thread. Some one linked it to me in a thread that I made about the slime issues I was having in my aerolcloner, the PowerCloner from Botanicare. I had used it in the past with a particular solution of hygrozyme, hydroguard (aquashield), clonex cloning solution, and R/O water. 98% success rate easy in 10 days.
when things are going your way life is good, eh?
Now I can't get a batch to root to save my life. Worse yet, they don't even get a chance to root, in 3 days the stems are soft, slimy and mushy. I'm doing the exact same thing I used to. Only difference is that I'm in a different room.
been there myself, i know how it feels, just look @ the facts & they will lead you in the right direction
In my thread it was pretty conclusive that the high temps of 81-82 were to blame for the speed of the slime onslaught and deterioration of the stem.
temps do have a role to play but ive seen cloners work in all temp ranges. i think airflow in the room plays a more important role than people think.
I've been through 3 different batches for a total of at least 50 cuttings and ALL have fallen victim to the slime!
I know how you feel!
I was prepared to start dropping bottles of ice in the res to keep the temps down on a daily basis. But with this method......!! higher res temps are actually encouraged. I see why and I dig, have the beneficials in large number already breeding not even giving pythium a chance to culture.
in my opinion, i think you/we are dealing with "damping off" fungus, its different than pythium...the fungus thrives in a cool humid stagnant/low airflow enviroments..i dont know if the whole keeping things cool will even have a positive effect...
I've never made my own tea before. I have leftover EWC from a few years ago sitting in the garage. Is it still good to use or should I buy fresh?
its propibly ok to use but fresh would be better of course, the first time i tried EWC tea for the stem rot, i used some sample bags from the hydro store that were old crusty,def not fresh, & i got good results
And please, walk me through the tea process once more. I was under the impression that you add a tea solution to the 5 gal aerocloner res. But in another post it seems like you just mix in a cup of EWC to the 5 gal aerocloner res and bubble it for 3 days before putting clones in.
this is how i do it-
2 tablespoons of molasses, 3 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket, 2 handfuls of EWC in a nylon stocking from the $1 store.. bubble with air stone (more air the better)24-48 hrs in warm room. shake the stocking a couple of times a day
add 1-2 cups of completed tea to fresh cloner setup, then add 1-2 more cups in the next couple of days.
So I guess my question is which is it? Do I make a tea which then I add to the res or do I just add the EWC straight to the res and bubble and brew the tea in there? If I have to make a tea, how do I do it exactly? I'll be using R/O water, do i need to warm it up? Do I just steep the EWC in the water for a couple of days? I assume bubbling means putting an airstone in the solution and just letting it bubble ya? Please excuse the lengthy post...I just want to make sure I understand this and get it down. I need to root my cuttings!! Thanks for all the info
