Stem rot on deep water clones

[Contrary Mary]

Hello everyone, I'm new to growing and am using a DWC system. My cloning tub is a 10 gallon tub that was cleaned with soap and water and sterilized with isopropyl alcohol and filled with tap water that set out for at least 24 hours. The stems are totally submerged in water, no grow cubes, that was kept at around 68 degrees F. For the first attempt, the stems were dipped in clonex and the water was not pH downed. For the second attempt, the stems were treated with clonex and the water was pH downed to about 6.0 and I used Root Bloom in the water (1/2 tsp. per gallon).

During both attempts, all the clone stems formed an opaque slimy substance which deteriorated the the stem walls and ruined the plants, all but one, which somehow survived, grew roots and is now in veg. The others never made it past forming pre-root bumps.

Does anyone have any suggestions for this first timer?

 

[St3ve]

I am not entirely clear on how exactly they were setup. How were you holding the cutting in place? How many nodes where above the water line, and how much stem was in the water? What kind of water movement did you have? What was the lighting?

I can give you a few bits of info.
-68F is too cold to clone in.. shoot for 78-80F. You don't want to keep the 68F temp for your DWC until your clones are FULLY rooted.
-you DON'T want to let the water sit out for a day. You WANT the chlorine in tap water for cloning, it kills some of the germs.
-Shoot for a little lower pH.. like 5.6, but this is probably NOT what caused you issues.

only dangle about 1/4" to 1/2" of stem in the water. Keep an airstone in the water to keep a humid atmosphere around the stem. Drop in an aquarium heater set to 80F.

 

[ozman]

WOw sounds like a lot of work to make clones in dwc.your 68 degrees is that water temp or ambient temp?Only put a 1/4 1/2 inch of stem in water ?Well I guess Im doing everything wrong,and having 99% success.Oh well to each and their own,I guess you just have to find what works for you and your setup.
I run 14 clones a week thru,I keep 3 trays of clones going,each tray holds 14 clones,I pick the 10 best for the flower boxes.
I put mine in water fresh from the faucet,I do keep the chlorine in as well,I agree the chlorine helps to kill some things.I then place in a foam collar and place in a tray with a air pump pumping in ambient air into the water.I sometimes tho put 2-3 inches of stem in water,no problems from doing that here.I use plain ol room temps for my cloning chamber.


Back to the ops problem
the slimy stuff you found is a problem.As soon as you find that slime on your clones,rinse them off the clones in running cold tap water if you have city water,the chlorine will help to kill the offending mass.Change out your water right away,and wash your res out real well.Fill back up with fresh tap water,if you do not live in the city you can add a few drops of bleach to a gallon of water and use it as well.
When you refill with water,add 5 ml of h2o2,hydrogen peroxide per gallon.It will help kill and keep at bay the dreaded slime.
Also make sure no light is getting to your cloning res,it must be light tight.You can add the h202 every few days if needed.Dont go overboard with the h202 or use it constantly.
Also wash your hands before you cut clones,cleanliness is next to perfection.

Im sure I will catch lots of flak for this post,but it works for me and if it helps you get your cloning down then it will be worth it.Those are things I too have had problems with at 1 time or another.The length of the stem of a clone?? Im not convinced that only a 1/4-1/2 inch is long enough.I keep mine longer so that when the water level goes down they wont be left exposed to the ambient air in the chamber,not that its a bad thing if you have lots of bubble activity going on.But for me longer is better in the stem dept.

Good luck.

 

[ozman]

Well ,I thought about it and figured I should post a few pics of my clones.1 tray is ready for the flower room.1 tray will be ready next week,and the other is only 1 week into the cycle.Hope you like the pics.
These little clones work great for me in my little cabinet.The 3 week cycle has always assured me of plenty of clones for my needs.I am working on getting to where I harvest 10 plants a week in a SOG.So my clone needs may be different then yours.
I wish you luck in your clones.
You do have air bubbling in your cloner dont you ?

 

[grow_right]

what type and how much areation are you supplying?

 

[ozman]

I use a dual outlet aqua culture air pump from wal-mart,and a single outlet air pump also aqua culture,with a 6 inch I think air stone from wal mart.I use 1 stone per container for my clones.Aqua culture cant be too bad,I have 5 other dual outlets running in my flower containers.I know they are cheap and easy to find,and no one thinks about you buying a air pump from wal mart.Any other questions just ask.Happy to Help.

 

[ozman]

Well time to dig up this old thread
i read this thread and tears came to my eyes with the ease i had then of getting clones.

I havent had a clone root all winter,how is that for irony.........
got my flower tent going right now with 1 poor little plant in it,ive went through 200 clones this winter and not a 1 got roots........
ive tried 4 different medias,coco,rockwool,perlite/vermiculite,and 2 bubbler cloners.
using clonex gel,rooting powder,and now going to try dip n grow,plus just tap city water in the bubblers.
my temps are fine,never used a dome in my life,maybe its just something im not doing or doing wrong.
On a positive note,i have 5 white widows,3 ice,and 5 og kush all from seed waiting to grow into the flower chamber under 600w hps in dwc.,ww will go next week sometime,they need to grow just a bit more,not sure of the stretch in flower,and only have 36 inches of head space atm.i need to make some changes in my light hanging,and that will give me maybe another foot.
Grow on Everyone
Peace out