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Today I am so excited to share this article on the easy DIY plant cloner device with guaranteed success in growing plants from stem cuttings – that’s called CLONING. Its an extremely easy, do it yourself project and cost not more than 5 dollars. And most importantly it speeds up the rooting process and can produce roots within 7 days ofcourse depending on the plant you choose. Will show you the results at the end in the video below.
In my previous post titled – the 10 Tips to Cloning plants in water – that is duplicating your plants from stem cuttings in water, we learnt many scientific concepts like the Nitrogen draining concept and the Oxygenation concept. We will use these simple concepts in building our Simple Plant Cloner Device.
So, lets start building this device step by step.
THINGS YOU NEED or Parts of this Cloner
The CHAMBER (container holding water and cuttings)
The dimensions of this container depend on how many insertions or cuttings you want to insert into this setup. You can choose any opaque container like a rectangular box, a bucket with a lid, or even a small jar. I’m using a 12 inch x 6 inch glass aquarium. Although roots develop faster in the dark, and this setup prevents algae growth, I’m using a transparent container for recording purposes. I will cover the container on all sides with black cardboard paper, as seen in the video.
The Top Platform which suspends cuttings into the chamber
You can use a plastic sheet, tray, or Styrofoam sheet. This platform can be built to accommodate net pots for planting seeds or inserting cuttings, creating a dual-purpose device for plant cloning and hydroponics. For a sturdier or more permanent device, use a container with holes for net pots about 1 inch in diameter, and place cuttings in the net pots with pebbles or clay balls to hold them in place.
We will build a dedicated hydroponic chamber and discuss hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics in another video. For now, I’ll show you the simplest form of this plant cloner or bubbler device and how to construct it easily with various options.
Air-Pump, Airline Tube, and Air-stone
These are aquarium items based on the oxygenation concept. The cuttings require oxygen for rooting, and this bubbler apparatus provides continuous oxygen, enabling early rooting. You can use air stones or an air-stone strip. With the strip, a single nozzle pump is sufficient. An aquarium sponge filter can also be used.
To Insert Cuttings
You can use any method to make a hole in the top platform to hold the cuttings in place. If using thermocol, use a thicker sheet and insert cuttings through a hole for a snug fit. Depending on the platform, you can use net pots, plastic foam plugs, neoprene collars, or table grommets to hold the cuttings in place. Share any additional ideas in the comment box below the video.
PURCHASE ONLINE LINKS
The simplest method is to use a piece of Styrofoam with holes for the cuttings. Insert the cuttings, drop the sheet into the chamber, and switch on the air bubbler.
Now the Time for Results and Conclusions
On Day 5, one of the rose plant cuttings, particularly a sucker growth cutting, showed significant rooting potential. The neem cuttings did not start rooting until the 8th day, while the eranthemum plant cuttings just started rooting by the 8th day. I did not change the water throughout this period; it was the same water with the air bubbler continuously on. No additional rooting hormone was added, except for one aspirin tablet on day 1.
Inferences Drawn from This Experiment
The rooting process is complex and depends on various factors, including plant type, genetics, branch thickness and hardiness, pathogens, growing medium (water or soil), oxygen availability around the rooting zone, and other factors.
Watch a Video Tutorial on How to Make a Plant Cloning Device.
1 comment
Hello! This was a really helpful video, thank you for showing how to use an air stone for stem propagation! Why is aspirin used in the water on day 1?