For a while gardeners used a gel such as olivia's, clonex or rootech to dip their fresh cuts in before placing them in an inert grow medium such as rockwool, root plugs or even jiffy pellets. The fresh cuts would then be put in a tray with a heat mat underneath and dome overhead to keep the cuttings warm and the humidity high. Some farmers have great luck cloning like this, and still utilize this method today. Now their is an alternative to the traditional method, aeroponic clone machines.
We will be comparing two of the most popular clone machines on the market, the EZ Clone 30, and the Botanicare Power Clone 45 site. The EZ Clone is available in 30-site, 60-site and 120-site models. The Botanicare Power Cloner also has three models in the Power Cloner 45-site, Power Cloner 70-site and Power Cloner 165-site.
EZ Clone is a great machine and has leverage in the market because it specializes in one thing, clone machines. The EZ Clone 30 retails for $310. This clone machine uses a combination of misters and an external air pump to create an aerated solution with very high dissolved oxygen levels. It isn't uncommon to have fully developed roots in the EZ clone machines within 7-days. One disadvantage to the EZ Clone machines is that there is no dome to keep the humidity in. This really helps the cuttings absorb moisture through their leaves while they have no available root system. I recommend keeping your relative humidity in the 70% range while rooting fresh cuttings in the EZ Clone machine for best results.
The Botanicare Power Cloner-45 site is built a little differently then the EZ Clone machine. Upon inspecting the machine as I opened the package it seems to be very well made and with thick plastic. The only concern I have is the color. White tends to not be very light proof and with any type of light leaks in hydroponic machines you can find yourself susceptible to algae and other problems. I do like the design of the machine though and noticed that it comes with a clear propagation dome which is an added bonus. The retail price of this machine is a bit higher then the EZ Clone at $372. The Power Cloner utilizes diffusers from a main manifold similar to the EZ Clone machine to bath the fresh cut stems in a fine mist. This machine doesn't have an external air pump like the EZ Clone that adds that needed extra dissolved oxygen to the propagation solution.
So which is more important the added dissolved oxygen that the EZ Clone provides or the propagation dome supplied with the Botanicare Power Cloner? I took these machines and put them head to head to make the call for myself. The EZ Clone machine recommends to dip the fresh cutting in their EZ Clone gel before putting it in the system where as the Power Cloner recommends using a 2-part liquid mix of Power Cloner solution and Aquashield. The EZ Clone gel retails for $13.50 for a 2oz container where as the Power Cloner solution is a bit pricey at $56.50 a pint and the Aquashield in an additional $13.95 a quart. So the EZ Clone machine is not only cheaper upfront but also cheaper to maintain.
After doing everything recommended by the manufacturer I was truly shocked with the results. My thoughts were that the Botanicare Power Cloner would outperform the EZ Clone machine because it utilized a propagation dome and a liquid solution instead of a gel. I felt that the gel would wash off and prolong the the time it would take to root the cuttings. The results spoke for themselves. After about 5-days both machines were performing quite well and I could see knobs forming at the root area where roots would eventually develop from. At day-7 the EZ Clone machine had fish bone looking roots hanging from the stems where as the Botanicare Power Cloner-45 still only had nubs.
Roots from an EZ clone machine.
I was curious why the EZ Clone outperformed the Power Cloner so well that I called EZ Clone Enterprises in Sacramento to see what they had done in the way of testing and development to make their product so much more superior then other machines on the market.
I found out the answer to the question that I was in dire need to know. Why doesn't EZ Clone use a propagation lid on their machines? Here is the answer that I got. "Humidity domes make the plant feel comfortible in their current state (without having roots). We did numerous tests with both dome on and dome off and we consistantly had better results without the dome. We feel that without the dome the plant is forced to produce roots faster so it can survive."
The new EZ Clone Pro is coming out in the spring of 2011. Although the wouldn't indulge in any details they did tell me that the new unit will be ready to go out of the box, have a temperature control function, and be available up to a 256-site unit. Yee ha! Bring it on.
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