Help with cloning!

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GREENIE_420

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I'm having trouble cloning! I've suffered 4 failed attempts. I would like to know how important is it that the ph of the water is around 6.0-6.5? I'm using a bubble cloner this time.
If I do need to drop the ph from tap or bottled water, how do I do it? I read that vinegar lowers it and baking soda raises it. Then the article said that this is not advised because something about you won't get an accurate reading for five days.
 
I don't pH my bubbler water. I also never use food products to raise/lower my pH--they generally do not work or last very long.

Tell us how you are doing your clones.
 
I also don't ph my water....I let it sit out for 24 hours ad then use it as is. Like THG said, I dont recommend food products, I have used them in a pinch once or twice. They do a horrible job of keeping the ph stable. Do yourself a favor and buy some real ph up and down. You will be glad you did in the long run. I buy the powder from General Hydroponics. It's cheap, it mixes well, and you can make your own liquid and control how strong it is. I keep two 1 liter coke bottles and mix up one for up and one for down. The powder goes a long way and you can even get it on Amazon. Jmo
 
I actually use vinegar/ baking soda and it seems stable to me. But I haven't tried the other products so I have nothing to compare it to. Plus it was easier to get where I am than the ph up/down products.
 
tastyness said:
I actually use vinegar/ baking soda and it seems stable to me. But I haven't tried the other products so I have nothing to compare it to. Plus it was easier to get where I am than the ph up/down products.


Amazon is your friend....:) Food products don't do a good job of holding the ph. They will work, just not as well as something designed to do the job. I usually ph once, then let sit for a day and check and then adjust if needed. Once I do that second adjustment the ph will sit where it is for weeks. I can't say that about food products. jmo
 
14.85 for up and down in powder form, free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/General-Hydroponics-Down-Dry-Mix/dp/B004OFL32Q/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1350083467&sr=8-7&keywords=ph+up+and+down
 
i have never ph'd my clone water, whether its for watering clones in peet pucks or the way i do it now in a bubbler, str8 tap water for me.
 
dman1234 said:
i have never ph'd my clone water, whether its for watering clones in peet pucks or the way i do it now in a bubbler, str8 tap water for me.

Ph'ing your water makes no sense if you are not feeding them. That's why I have never done it. The major reason you ph your water and feed is for uptake of nutrients. No nutrients, no ph needed. I also don't ph my water for seedlings until I feed them. jmo
 
If you clone in rockwool cubes, these need to be soaked in a solution that is pH'd to about 5.5. However, the water itself does not need to be pH'd.

Also, I will add that if the pH of your water was way out of whack, I would pH it, but not unless it was really acidic or alkaline.
 
The Hemp Goddess said:
If you clone in rockwoold cubes, these need to be soaked in a solution that is pH'd to about 5.5. However, the water itself does not need to be pH's.

Also, I will add that if the pH of your water was way out of whack, I would pH it, but not unless it was really acidic or alkaline.


Good Point THG. I should have said within reason. If your water is very acidic or caustic you would want to ph to a safe neutral.
 
The Hemp Goddess said:
I don't pH my bubbler water. I also never use food products to raise/lower my pH--they generally do not work or last very long.

Tell us how you are doing your clones.


I pretty much followed "Hicks" soil cloning tutorial in the Growing Resources page. The donor was given a good dose of phosphate the day before, I cut the lowest branches. I was using a powder not a gel though, this time Im going to use the gel. I tried a few mediums, soil by itself then mixed with perlite and vermiculite. I was careful not to knock or scrape any powder of the stem. I tried the domes and then the cups.
I beleive were I went wrong was in the following days by not taking the tops of at the proper times and lengths. I learned my lesson because I had to flower, then I was unable to regenerate. It was my first grow, I didn't expect much more than that. My second is going GOOD. Im ready to clone, so basically don't worry about the ph and use tap water that has sit 24-36 hrs. in the bubble cloner.
 
I've tried different brands of NO-WILT with the best success. Also, I only use non-ph chlorinated tap water. Have found both of these steps important, but I'm sure everyone here will disagree with me.
Another thing, they want very little light and wind.
 

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