A Batch of Clones in Rockwool

Ebay, any amount of the stuff

al b where are you =(

First off let me ask-----how are u brother? I read a post where you said something to the point of wheelchair( you must be sick as hell)---again hope you get well soooooooooooon-------Check this out------------I did a mix of 35------clones----------Island sweet skunk/super silver haze/og kush/Godzilla-----------all took fast-----under 10 days with your method-----except----once again-----the super silver haze-not one rooted again---it has to be the strain----going to let them go for three weeks-after that the mother is going into the flowering room and I'm done with the strain(done a lot of cloning and never had a problem like I've had with the SSH.
p.s.-----ordered a ten pack of "spice of life--sweet tooth #1".

hey i had a quick question...i've built the same bubbler and it works terrific my question to you is can i plant the rooted cutting in soil? im using styrofoam for inserts which i remove once the cutting has rooted which basically leaves me with a non-supported cutting. so do i just lay the roots in the spot where i plan on putting the cutting and pile the soil o till the stem is sturdy? i jus wanted to be sure that i can place the unsupported (when i say unsupported i mean there is nothing that supports the cutting except the strofoam insert which definitely doesnt get planted) roots in the soil! help....

I don't want to answer for AL B. FUCT but since he has not been around I will answer this one question---Yes you can, just be careful not to smash the roots---just pour in you soil slowly and work your way around the pots----don't press the soil down but water with a ultra-mild B or thrive alive with b or even super-thrive----this will settle the soil a little----loose soil is what you want anyway.

firsttimegrowerr said:

is pruning them, just basically topping the whole plant?
Wont my plants get to bushy? I have alot of vertical space but not alot horziontaly.

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Yep, just lop the mainstem. Use that bit for a clone. The branches will then grow more vigorously and in about 2 weeks (given a big light like a 400HPS over them), you'll have several thick stems for your next batch of cuts.

firsttimegrowerr said:

Sorry AL came up with another question,

I decided to change my medium to hydroton rocks so i can flood more often.
How high and how often do you suggest i flood them?
Since im using hydroton should i flood higher then 2-3in up the pot?

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Flood up to about 1/2" BELOW the level of the rockwool cube you have nested in the pellets. DON'T let the rockwool cube be flooded/saturated. You want the pellets to be dampened- only. The roots will find the damp pellets in a few days. Roots in pellets can be flooded very frequently as the pellets have plenty of airspaces between them. Start with 3x/day, up it to 5x with vigorously growing plants.

Oxygen to the roots is the name of the game for vigorous growth and high production. The more often you can bathe the roots with oxygenated nute solution, the better they like it. You can only flood often when you are not using an absorbent medium. If using an absorbent medium, frequent flooding will displace air and drown roots. Pellets are great for frequent flooding.

However, pellets have a practicality problem. They must be thoroughly cleaned and sterilised if you intend to re-use them. Even if you do diligently clean them, they will still accumulate nutrient salts, which you won't be able to remove. Then you have to dispose of the stuff. Being heavy, you should double or triple bag them when disposing in rubbish collection. You don't want the bags splitting when they're put in the truck... Lightweight media is easier to dispose of.

XabiAlonso14 said:

new to the forum. trying to clone for first time, great advice Al B, my question is can i put my clones in my glasshouse outside for their veg stage, it varies in temp. usually about 70-80 degrees, i cant see anyone mention greenhouses, are they too hot? or is it that they are outside and people are security concious

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Clones do best in a tightly controlled environment. That means 18-24h/day, low-intensity light, air temp control at 28-30C, 30C heat mat for the rootzones. 70-80F just isn't controlled enough and you have no control over your day length in your glasshouse. You will get strikes but it'll take longer than if you present perfect conditions all the time. You will most easily get tightly controlled conditions by making up a clonebox with fluoro lighting, a heat mat and a small exhaust fan with a thermostat.

ct420 said:

where could i get rockwool?

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Any hydro shop.

khackylacky said:

hey i had a quick question...i've built the same bubbler

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same bubbler as what?

khackylacky said:

and it works terrific my question to you is can i plant the rooted cutting in soil? im using styrofoam for inserts [...]

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Did you mean to ask this question in another thread?

Hey AL, Great thread, just thought I would try and squeeze in a few questions since u get bumrushed with them, y not by me too...
I'm starting a sog op (4 4x8 flood tables). I have a shit ton of BioBizz Soil, Do u think I can put RW cubes in 25% soil and 75% perlite or is this a bad idea?
If so do I ph for soil or for Hydro?

If not, how about rw into all perlite?

You won't want to put any soil in a flood op. You'll end up with mud in your trays and pumps killed by silt.

Save the potting soil for growing some nice tomatoes in containers in the back yard.

RW cubes into perlite is fine. Keep the cubes 1/2" above the flood level.

Hey Al , is this a good way to drain the res'?


I'm worried about fitting the connections to be water tight? Can u recommend a good way to do this?

How many liters of sauce do u keep in each res?

Try it this way instead:

That is way better! I was only worried about leaks becuz the way I thought about doing it I would have had a drain on the bottom side of the rez, and I would have needed an inline pump. Thanks a ton!

Yep, it's wise NOT to put fittings through the wall or floor of your rez tanks. It is a potential leak point in the future.

Al B. Fuct said:

Yep, it's wise NOT to put fittings through the wall or floor of your rez tanks. It is a potential leak point in the future.

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Thanks Al, u inspired me to put away my aero setup (I spent countless hours on) and rebuild my grow room to fit a 2k watt/ sog/ flood op. It was like a calling, my room is 8x9x8 Perfect for 4, 4x4 tables
Not to copy u, but man u got a good thing going!... Wait, I am copying u! Shit, I hope u don't mind, cuz I just dropped a grand on remodeling the grow room...
Another grand and I'm in business
How many CFM will I need to cool each 1kwatt light?

CustomHydro said:

Not to copy u, but man u got a good thing going!... Wait, I am copying u! Shit, I hope u don't mind, cuz I just dropped a grand on remodeling the grow room...

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You're absolutely allowed- nay, encouraged- to copy my op! That's why I post this stuff. I suggest to everyone that they should find a productive op (though not necessarily mine) and copy it to the letter. The surest way to succeed is to emulate success.

How many CFM will I need to cool each 1kwatt light?

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A single 150mm axial fan (200CFM) will run two cooltubes in series with no drama. Each lamp will cause the air drawn through the cooltubes to rise 7C per lamp. If the intake air is 20C, the outlet air, after passing 2x 1000 lamps will be about 34C.

You'll need a separate exhaust blower which is sized based on the rooms airmass volume. Should be able to shift the room airmass in 3 mins or less. A 500cu ft room needs a min 167CFM exhaust blower. This is one of the very rare cases in a grow op where more is better. My op is 500cu ft and has a 600CFM centrif on exhaust with a couple of 150mm, 250CFM axials as intake blowers. I fairly well have a wind tunnel going.

Al B. Fuct said:

You're absolutely allowed- nay, encouraged- to copy my op! That's why I post this stuff. I suggest to everyone that they should find a productive op (though not necessarily mine) and copy it to the letter. The surest way to succeed is to emulate success.



A single 150mm axial fan (200CFM) will run two cooltubes in series with no drama. Each lamp will cause the air drawn through the cooltubes to rise 7C per lamp. If the intake air is 20C, the outlet air, after passing 2x 1000 lamps will be about 34C.

You'll need a separate exhaust blower which is sized based on the rooms airmass volume. Should be able to shift the room airmass in 3 mins or less. A 500cu ft room needs a min 167CFM exhaust blower. This is one of the very rare cases in a grow op where more is better. My op is 500cu ft and has a 600CFM centrif on exhaust with a couple of 150mm, 250CFM axials as intake blowers. I fairly well have a wind tunnel going.

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Thanks for the encouragement to work off of your plans!

I'm running a 150mm Vortex(450cfm)for my main exhaust
I will be getting a few 150mm coaxil's for intake and cool tubes.

How about res temps? I hope I don't need four chillers or do they stay in check with good air temp control.

CustomHydro said:

Thanks for the encouragement to work off of your plans!

I'm running a 150mm Vortex(450cfm)for my main exhaust

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That's one WHOOSH of a 150mm blower! Most 150 axials are closer to 200CFM.

How about res temps? I hope I don't need four chillers or do they stay in check with good air temp control.

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Should stay OK with good air temp control- the exception being those systems which pump constantly like some aero or NFT systems. A submerged pump motor can put a lot of heat in the water.

Whoops I have one last question after all...
My pots ar 9 inches tall 8.5 inches across the top, Are they too big?
My tables only flood to 3 inches...
Should I cut the pots down?

CustomHydro said:

Whoops I have one last question after all...
My pots ar 9 inches tall 8.5 inches across the top, Are they too big?
My tables only flood to 3 inches...
Should I cut the pots down?

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Depends on the media you're using.

If you have an absorbent medium like RW, your arrangement is fine. RW has a very strong wicking action that will draw water up to within an inch or so of the medium top surface even if only a couple inches of the bottom get flooded.

If you're using something like clay pellets, make the overflow tube taller so the flood level comes up to within 1/2" of the bottom of the RW cube (presuming you're using cubes).

If you have a medialess cloning arrangement and you raise them in pellets, you can flood nearly to the media surface.

However, flooding so that the media surface gets wetted frequently will encourage a green slime of algae on the media tops.

Al- Did a new batch of clones to the T per your instructions---The only difference this time is I left more leaf on the stems---the clones wilted within one hour---heat mat---30C---air--26.5C--Do you think it was due to the extra leaf?--I have always used humid domes and this time I wanted to try it your way as you say---what is the humidity in your room?---thanks.

hmm, odd.

I usually give mine about 6 hours in the dark right after cutting to prevent that immediate wilt. Once water uptake is established into the stem cut, they do OK with 24/0 light.

Did you give them a 6 hour dark period right after cutting?

Excessive leaf would have made a greater water demand.

I usually don't leave more than this much foliage:



I don't control the RH in my clonebox, it is what it is. I only control the temp to 28-30C.