Quick and Easy Propagation Bubbler
by Canadian Renegade
As I mentioned, in my article on starting apple trees from seed in my basement, I had more propagation projects in the works and this propagation bubbler is one of them. The bubbler is a step up from trying to root cuttings in a cup or jar. The air stones make the water oxygen rich rather than stale and promote aerobic conditions. This should mean faster rooting and less chance of cuttings rotting before they take.
Step 1 - Gather Materials and Tools
Unlike other projects I have done, this project was actually easier than I expected it would be. All I used was:
- A mortar/masonry mixing tub (there are different sizes)
- 1/2" Hardware cloth
- Small aquarium air pump (mine came with air stones and one tube)
- One extra matching tube (optional)
- Small zip ties
The tools were even easier:
- Drill and 3/16" drill bit
- Wire cutters
Step 2: Cut and Mark the Hardware Cloth
I laid the hardware cloth on the floor and put the mixing tub upside down on top of it to see where to cut. Since the cloth is already a grid pattern, I didn't need to mark it other than to make the first snip with the wire cutters in both directions. Then, I just continued along the wires until the two cuts met.
Step 3: Drill Holes in the Lip of the Tub
I decided to secure the hardware cloth to the tub with zip ties instead of screws. I figured that it would be easier to disassemble the bubbler with less tools. Additionally, zip ties would also be stronger than screws as the plastic used for this tub was rather soft. More importantly, I didn't want to injure my figures on sharp screws when picking up the tub.
If you look at the final pictures of the bubbler I used quite a few zip ties; this was probably overkill. I may have been able to get away with just one hole on each corner of the tub but you can decide how many holes per side you fasten. It will also vary depending on the size of the tub.
Step 4: Assemble the Fish Tank Aerator
I just followed the instructions in the package. I decided to use two hoses instead of one with a splitter. This will allow me to use the same aerator for two bubblers if I want. The particular aerator I chose is oversized for this size of tub.
Once assembled, figure out where you want your hoses to go over the lip of the tub and cut out a few sections of the grid on the hardware cloth so that it won't pinch off the hoses when you attach it.
Step 5: Attach the Hardware Cloth
Pretty self explanatory at this point. Once it was all strapped down I clipped the ends of the zip ties off just to tidy things up a bit. I would also leave a few of the zip ties off around the hoses so you can make a final adjustment to them after everything is set up the way you want it.
Viola! The bubbler is ready to be filled with water! I would recommend moving it to its permanent location while empty and then filling it with water. I filled mine only half way with water and tried carrying it back into the basement for testing. Even half full, it was heavy and easy to spill.
I originally saw something similar to this bubbler on EdibleAcres YouTube channel. What's so genius about this set up is that the hardware cloth will hold up cuttings with branches or leaves without any additional support! Cuttings that are just a straight stick can be held up with a bit of foam. The foam I used isn't ideal but was fine for a demonstration.
Since I don't plan to use this bubbler for a few more weeks I didn't fill it all the way up and I only put in a couple cuttings for demonstration purposes. I would probably fill it to about an inch from the top of the tub maybe a bit less.
You can literally start over 100 cuttings in a set up like this and the tub is roughly 18"x24". In fact I don't think 200 cuttings would be out of the question either. We'll see how many cuttings I end up squeezing in here later this year.
Another trick I will be deploying will be to have a good number of willow cuttings rooting in this bubbler with the other plants. The willows will release willow rooting hormone into the water and speed up the formation of roots on most other cuttings. I will be doing at least one follow up post to report back how the bubbler works for me.😁
