Electronic leaves for plant propagation pros and cons

January 1st, 2010 by Dane

What is an electronic leaf?

An electronic leaf is a device that controls when and how often your cuttings will receive mist. There are a few different varieties, but they basically work the same way; as the mist falls on your cuttings it also falls on a mechanical leaf that is attached to an arm that pivots. As the moisture lands on the leaf, the weight pushes the arm down. When the arm is all the way down, a switch on the other end is triggered that interrupts the electrical signal that operates the misting solenoid. As the moisture evaporates off the electronic leaf at a rate that simulates the actual evaporation from the cutting’s leaves, the arm will slowly pivot upward again. When the arm has pivoted upward enough the electrical signal will once again pass through to the solenoid allowing mist to fall on the cuttings again. This process repeats itself and because the moisture on the electronic leaf is mimicking what is happening on the cutting’s leaves, the cuttings get only the amount of moisture they need.

Electronic leaf pros

One of the best reasons for using an electronic leaf is that it mimics the actual evaporation rate of moisture from the cuttings. Because of this, the cuttings only get the amount of moisture they need. If your misting beds are located outside and not under a poly house, the moisture in the environment changes frequently. In the event of rain or drizzle, the electronic leaf will compensate for the changing levels of moisture automatically.

Another great reason for using an electronic leaf for controlling your misting system is that you will use only as much water as the cuttings require. No over misting or wasting water. Over misting can cause the stems to rot, allow fungi and diseases to spread, and leach out the nutrients in the cuttings. Using just enough mist to keep the cutting moist will greatly reduce the likelihood of any of those happening.

Electronic leaf cons

As nice as they are, electronic leaves also have a few weaknesses. One is that the mechanical leaf can be affected by things like bugs, slugs and birds. These are most likely to happen outside a poly house, but they have been know to happen inside one as well. If anything like a bug, slug, or bird dropping lands on the electronic leaf, the arm will pivot downward and shut off the misting cycle until the bug or slug decides to move away. If the bug or slug decides to take their sweet time moving, you cuttings will not receive any moisture when they should and you could lose the entire crop. Bird droppings are obviously worse because they will never move away on their own. Unless someone notices the problem quickly, the entire crop of cuttings will surely be lost.

Another downfall to the electronic leaf is the accumulation of salts and minerals on the mechanical leaf itself. These salts and minerals will add weight to the arm which will throw off it’s calibration and accuracy. If you have hard water these deposits may need to be removed quite frequently, pretty much making the electronic leaf more of a hassle than it is worth.

Conclusion

Electronic leaves can be quite useful when propagating plants, but carefully weigh the pros and cons before you purchase one. The upfront cost of the leaf can far outweigh the benefits if you have to frequently service it or you lose an entire crop because a wayward bug decided to take a snooze on it.

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