Good afternoon,

We purchased two Botanicare Power Cloner 165 units over a year ago for a horticulture program at a rehabilitation hospital. We have not been able to root any cuttings that we have tried to root thus far ( 0% success rate, 100% failure rate ). Obviously, we seem to be doing something wrong. I have documented our cloning procedures below and would appreciate your input as to what we are doing wrong.

We tried to clone Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) in one cloner and Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata) in the other cloner in December of 2009. We used bottled spring water with Hormex Root Stimulant Liquid. Results after 2 months = 0% success rate, 100% failure rate.

We tried to clone Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) in both cloners in November of 2010. We used tap water this time but allowed the cloner to run for several days (to get rid of any chlorine in the water). We used Rhizopon AA Water Soluble Tablets. We placed a propagatio/heating mat under the power cloner reservoir unit and had it set at 70 degrees to keep the water at that temperature. We thought Buttefly Bush was sure to root because it is an easy to root species. Results after 2 months = 0% success rate, 100% failure rate.

We would gratefully appreciate help from anyone who has an idea of what we are doing wrong.

Thank you.