I am curious if anyone had any experience rooting citrus cuttings in any of the home-made or purchased aeroponic systems (so called 'cloning machines').

These systems allow the cuttings to more or less hang suspended in the air while the ends are kept constantly misted with nutrient solution, by way of spray emitters and/or an aquarium air stone.

One can also place heating pads under the systems to warm the solution.

A clear plastic lid can be set over everything to keep the environment humid around the leaves and upper parts.

Would this approach be any more effective than the traditional method of sticking the cuttings in a soil/perlite mixture in a pot and putting a baggie over it?

Yes, I have one & it sucks... I have much better results rooting in regular Miracle grow garden soil, no bag over the top or anything else. Just keep in the shade & moist.

Thanks,

I seem to having some luck rooting Citrandarin in a large plastic storage box with about 3" of soil/perlite. The box is placed outdoors in mostly shade, but just a bit of sun on one corner of it.

I'm seeing starting roots in at least two of the cuttings.

I'm in Annandale VA too. Maybe we can trade budstick sometime.

Citrus Joe had a aeroponics rooting system, and he reported that it did not perform as advertised. - Millet

I wonder what some of the issues were with the systems?

Was a cover set over them to retain humidity? Was an air-stone not used to keep water aerated?

Perhaps they were rooted at the wrong time of year?

The main issue is that it does not work with a darn. - Millet

I get that it didn't work. But what happened? Did the ends of the cuttings all rot from an overly-wet environment? Or did the tops dry out too much? Or did mildew form in the solution? Inquiring minds want to know.

My wife always asks me 'Why do you have to know WHY all the time? LOL!

Mine never produced any roots, just eventually rotted.

I've read that it's helpful in the callus process for the ends to get a bit of air. Likely they just don't do well in when their ends are kept too wet. Sort of like rooting plumeria. As long as the ambient humidity is 90 to 100% they should be OK.

Well here in the deep south the humidity is always 100%.

So you should just be able to stick them in the ground!

Yep