Aeroponic Rooting - One Month Update

[ohiobruce]

I'm not sure what I have here. I have really hard water that leaves deposits on everything, but I'd guess that I have some mold growing. I've been using a fungicide for the past week, however.

I noticed today that my timer doesn't work right has gone bad, so no telling what my actual cycle has been. I had set and tested at the beginning, but didn't keep checking on it. The cuttings always seemed to be wet, however, when I checked them nightly. Now the timer is going back to Amazon and the pump is running constantly.

The Italian Honey is the funkiest and has been from the start. The YLN seemed to respond the quickest from the start, but the two cutting sure are different.

At this point I think I'll put some of them in cups with 50/50 coir/DE, and leave the rest to see what happens. The Magnolia was started a week after the others. It was a lignified green cutting.

Overall, I'd have to rate my implementation of this method as a PITA. I got tired of hearing the air pump/air stones running and changing the water every few days. It was fun at first and I have enjoyed checking on the progress - or lack thereof.

 

[bushdoctor82]

I never had luck with water rooting. Even cuttings that started to produce roots and looked great early on succumbed to rot in time. If nothing else, I’d try to wash off the funk in the sink then spray with h2o2 and reinsert.

 

[Spectrum]

Nothing in your results seems possible from too little water but many images seem consistent with too much water / too little air.

 

[DavidNC]

If your water is so hard, I wouldn't be using plain tap water. Softened would be even worse I suppose, but I've never personally dealt with softened water.
My tap water is about 100 ppm, so I let it sit and dechlorinate for most horticultural purposes. I got an RO filter several years ago, upgraded to a better one last year, and have never regretted it. It comes out at about 2 to 5 ppm. I use it in my humidifiers, spray bottles, carnivorous plants, and soluble fertilizers. If I were to start an aero/hydroponic setup, it is definitely what I'd be using.

 

[Spectrum]

Checked a couple hydroponic experiments I'm running in conjunction with aeroponic experiments, one of the hydroponic subjects that maintained constant contact with water exhibits symptoms similar to your pictures. It is consistent with other hydroponic experiments. It's possible your cuttings demonstrate the plant's defense mechanism, attempting to survive rather than rot. Clipping the end reveals green, healthy cambium. Based on comparison to successful aeroponic rootings of seeds, softwood and hardwood cuttings, your cuttings may have done better with much more air time.

 

[ohiobruce]

Checked a couple hydroponic experiments I'm running in conjunction with aeroponic experiments, one of the hydroponic subjects that maintained constant contact with water exhibits symptoms similar to your pictures. It is consistent with other hydroponic experiments. It's possible your cuttings demonstrate the plant's defense mechanism, attempting to survive rather than rot. Clipping the end reveals green, healthy cambium. Based on comparison to successful aeroponic rootings of seeds, softwood and hardwood cuttings, your cuttings may have done better with much more air time.

I washed off some of that film and carefully picked a few places. There are small roots under some of the larger bubbles. The cutting is not rotten and still very green.

The condition has gotten worse overnight after I removed the defective timer and let the pump run continuously. Someone else suggested that it could be build-up from the cloning solution.

I don't have a timer now, so I'm going to put these in figpops or cups tonight.

Now I'm trying to decide if I should buy another timer and change a few variables...

 

[vinerya]

I have a hydroponic set up so I got a few cuttings and tried rooting in hydroponic and aeroponics as well (using an ultrasonic fogger).
I ended up with basically the same result as you - lenticels swollen and signs of rot, so I stopped the experiment, cleaned the cuttings and moved to DE or DE/Coir. They're still fighting for their lives.

A couple of notes I have for potential future experiments:
I had a green cutting from a neighbor's tree which rooted perfectly well in these conditions, consistent with other reports that it works for green.
It seems to me the cuttings were getting way too much water and too little air. I had the fogger running for a minute every hour but even that was too humid.

If I were to try it again I would do the following:
First clean the cuttings, and dip in rooting hormone (optional), air dry then dip in MycoStop / Lalstop K61 solution (with dip n' grow maybe it can be diluted with the MycoStop solution instead of plain water)
Heat the container to a controlled 77F at the bottom of the cuttings.
Run the fogger once or just a few times a day
Leave generous openings for air
Check that the humidity around the bottom of the cuttings is 60-70% (I use an Ecowitt WN31)

I might try it again myself

 

[Steven J.]

Sorry to hear your results were not good. I wonder why they were different from mine. I had no signs of rot.

 

[Inflorescence]

I wonder if trying it without hormone would be better? People get rot with that stuff using it in potting mix as well. I’ve done water rooting and pre-rooting in humid environments and they root well without hormone.

 

[ohiobruce]

I have a hydroponic set up so I got a few cuttings and tried rooting in hydroponic and aeroponics as well (using an ultrasonic fogger).
I ended up with basically the same result as you - lenticels swollen and signs of rot, so I stopped the experiment, cleaned the cuttings and moved to DE or DE/Coir. They're still fighting for their lives.

A couple of notes I have for potential future experiments:
I had a green cutting from a neighbor's tree which rooted perfectly well in these conditions, consistent with other reports that it works for green.
It seems to me the cuttings were getting way too much water and too little air. I had the fogger running for a minute every hour but even that was too humid.

If I were to try it again I would do the following:
First clean the cuttings, and dip in rooting hormone (optional), air dry then dip in MycoStop / Lalstop K61 solution (with dip n' grow maybe it can be diluted with the MycoStop solution instead of plain water)
Heat the container to a controlled 77F at the bottom of the cuttings.
Run the fogger once or just a few times a day
Leave generous openings for air
Check that the humidity around the bottom of the cuttings is 60-70% (I use an Ecowitt WN31)

I might try it again myself

If you're going to mist them once a day, could you just open the lid and use a hand sprayer?

Sooo many different ways to try.

 

[ohiobruce]

I wonder if trying it without hormone would be better? People get rot with that stuff using it in potting mix as well. I’ve done water rooting and pre-rooting in humid environments and they root well without hormone.

Dang, you all or going to get me to buy another timer and try this again.