Fog Cloner Failure - Looking for Tips

I have had a lot of success with cloning so far but i changed it up a lot this time just for fun. Until a few days ago i was at 100% clone rate after about 36 clones. using rockwool and roottech gel with a jiffy tray and plastic cover under 1 23 watt CFL 6500k. Anyways..........

A few nights ago i made a fog cloner just to try it out. got a nice little nerbulizer , a 10ish gallon tote and some neo plugs. i put about 2 inches of water in the tote and put the fogger in and it filled up the tote with nice warm fog very quick. then i took some clones off the bottom of some plants that had been in flower for about 6 days (first time ever cloning after going into flower, but these branches were not gonna make it up the canopy anyways). I did not have a humidity dome that would fit the tote so i just left them out. they wilted bad then perked up good then started dieing, the bottoms of the stems gradually flattened out and starting from the very end down in the fog. 0 root development and all plants dead in 3 days (only tried in on 6 clones).

Anyways i really like the idea of the fogger for cloning and even hopefully full length growing but i got some bugs to work out b4 i try that.

HAs anyone else ever experimented with fogger cloning or growing b4? any tips would be great.

PS: the fogger i got has a few little LEDs on it that make a little light but not much at all. is this reason for concern?

bump -----

OK, you should probably get a float for your fogger. They make them. this allows you to fill that tote up... The fog is heavy and will want to settle at the bottom. If you only have 2" of water in the tote, it will a), heat up to quickly and b) allow the fog to settle below the stems. The lights can cause problems with the roots. I have the models with one red LED in them.

Good luck!

do you clone using a fogger regularly? im also thinking a lot of it may have to do with fact that i had no dome. also have you ever tried to grow a plant on fog alone? i mean without any other aero system.

The problem with using solely fog is the micron size of the water droplets. They are very tiny and don't carry nutrients well.... The best success I have seen with foggers is when they are used in combination with an aero system. I tried fogging, and it will sustain the cuttings for about 10-14 days.... a couple tried to root, but nothing solid. I've put both of my foggers away for another day. I may run one in my next EZ Clone cycle.

I have been using the fog cloner for about a year now and it is working great for me. I do not use a dome. My fogger has 1 red led that lights up when the unit is powered up. Instead of using neoprene plugs I am using 2" STG medium inserts. I leave them in the fogger for 7 days. I have my fogger hanging about 2" under the surface of the water. I have also added 2 air stones in the tote. I think mine is only about 4 gallons with 18, 2" sites. I am growing hempy, after 7 days I transfer them to foam coffee cups filled with perlite and put them in my propagation tray with a dome and heat mat. After another 7 days they are ready for the real world. If the cutting is still fully viable after 4 days in the fogger it is most likely a keeper. This method has been about 90% successful for me.

thanks for the great replies guys, im gonna experiment a little more with fogger and see what i can get it to do. the thing about if i use a medium then there is no advantage over the way im currently doing it (as i have had 100% success with the standard method) what im really hoping to achieve with the fogger is a full length grow maintaining the many small hair roots and not disturbing the root are like the bubbles do in my current DWC.

I've researched the net via Google and can't find a single person that has reported good luck with just the fogger, on raising a plant. Maybe you'll be the first.

Justin00 said:

thanks for the great replies guys, im gonna experiment a little more with fogger and see what i can get it to do. the thing about if i use a medium then there is no advantage over the way im currently doing it (as i have had 100% success with the standard method) what im really hoping to achieve with the fogger is a full length grow maintaining the many small hair roots and not disturbing the root are like the bubbles do in my current DWC.

Click to expand...

Serapis said:

I've researched the net via Google and can't find a single person that has reported good luck with just the fogger, on raising a plant. Maybe you'll be the first.

Click to expand...

I run true high pressure aero sysytems, and wish it was a simple as using a fogger. Unfortunately there is no reliable account of anyone growing in fog much past a week or two. I believe Serapis is right in that the ultrasonic mist size is under 5 microns, while 30-80 microns is best for roots. I am trying a different method with my fogger that best mimicks my aero system, I figure if it doesn't work this way, it never will.

I've placed my 3 head fogger (ceramic discs) in a float in a 5 gallon bucket with a fan gently blowing in the top of the bucket whick mixes fresh air in and forces the fog down a pool vac hose tube to a propagation chamber. The remote fogging really keeps the heat of the fogger water away (the heat is in the water, not the fog), and ensures the fog doesn't settle too low down in the chamber below the roots. It also forces the fog around so it coats everything in a light dew. Additionally, I have a timing of 30 seconds on and 2 minutes off, which again keeps the temps down, and also allows the roots a second to slightly dry out and get much needed o2. For now I am just hoping to get my cuttings started (with humidity dome and light) but I plan to see just how long the system can sustain them. I have cloned with fog in the past, and it seemed to work well with the fan pushing in fresh air and keeping the mist moving.


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P.s -it seems that your fog isn't saturating the stems well enough, either it's not a large enough fogger for that size chamber, or the fog is hanging below the cuttings and requires some circulation. I think a humidity dome makes all the difference in the world because the leaves try to transpire but they don't have any roots from which to draw enough water from. Other mistakes are too strong of light or a breeze blowing on the clones which again, dries them out beyond their capability to draw up enough replacement water.

The one good thing about the fog is it always a little seeps up through the neoprene discs, and keeps it nice and moist in the humidity dome.

Ohh Duh, I just saw how dated this thread was... lol