Can't transfer seedling to DWC

SamRD

SamRD

Well-Known Member
Guys help me out. I have tried shifting from soil to DWC, it's been nearly 2 months and I still haven't been successful. Temp, humidity (in the pics it's low right now on purpose), ppm and ph are correct. The nutes are correct. GH flora series line.

The first seedling got root rot. Now I put just a few pool shock granules in the water every now and then and no rot.

The second seedling was overwatered (I think). The seedling was alive but stunted right in the beginning stage with 1 node. I tried different setups by putting some distance between the net pot and the water, raising the water to the first inches of the net pot and sitting the grodan on top of the clay pellets while touching the water, changing the water with less nutes and so on. Finally I disabled the air stone and just let the grodan sit there for 2 days and it started growing. I turn the system back on and it stunted again and this time it never recovered. I just put it on FFOF that I had outside and it's still alive there with no further changes for weeks, it's totally stuck. I didn't shake the rockwool so it might have been holding too much water. I also didn't test for ppm.

Now this time I made sure that both ppm and ph are in the correct range and always gave a good shake to the cubes so they are not holding excessive water. I also let the seedling roots come out the bottom of 1 rockwool cube and then added another rockwool cube beneath to let the plant grow a bit a more and be sturdier before the transfer. As you can see in the pics the seedling was very healthy.

I've done everything right this time I think. I transferred yesterday to DWC and the plant doesn't show any signs of something bad but also no growth so far, I really don't want to mess up again.

I'm worried that my transfer method might be incorrect. I've seen youtubers raise the water until an inch above the netpot, put some clay pellets and then sit the cube of top of that. And then other people raise the water until about a half fingertip length beneath the net pot. I've done the latter, water is slightly below the netpot, a few rockwool clay pellets as the base of the netpot just for the cube to have something to sit on and then filled the net pot with the rest of the pellets. Below are some pics. Any thoughts? Tips? It has been a disastrous experience so far.

IMG_5710.jpgIMG_5718.jpgIMG_5719.jpgIMG_5720.jpg
 
Wastei

Wastei

Well-Known Member
Stacked rockwool cubes? Why? It's not advicable to use rockwool in DWC. You're better of hand feeding in the beginning with DTW before you introduce aeration and a lot of nutrients solution.

You should feed and water according to plant size, growing method doesn't change that fact.
 
SamRD

SamRD

Well-Known Member
Wastei said:
Stacked rockwool cubes? Why? It's not advicable to use rockwool in DWC. You're better of hand feeding in the beginning with DTW before you introduce aeration and a lot of nutrients solution.

You should feed and water according to plant size, growing method doesn't change that fact.
Click to expand...
"Rockwool harnesses the power of natural stone to produce a fluffy and aerated growing medium ideal for cannabis growing. This material drains well, supports root development, and arrives in a cuboid shape that is easy to transplant into hydroponic or soil-based systems."
 
Herb & Suds

Herb & Suds

Well-Known Member
Root damage in seedlings is usually forever
Even though the plant appears ok it will always be slow or in my case replaced asap
And as mentioned no rockwool
 
Wastei

Wastei

Well-Known Member
SamRD said:
"Rockwool harnesses the power of natural stone to produce a fluffy and aerated growing medium ideal for cannabis growing. This material drains well, supports root development, and arrives in a cuboid shape that is easy to transplant into hydroponic or soil-based systems."
Click to expand...
You come here for help from people with experience but you already got all the answers? I can do a Google search to support any claim, that doesn't mean it's the best or right approach.

Your roots are not developing because you're over saturating the medium.
 
Wastei

Wastei

Well-Known Member
SamRD said:
I've seen plenty of people grow amazing plants with rockwool in DWC systems so that's not a problem. Here's one: https://growdiaries.com/diaries/105420-grow-journal-by-hoodoo/week/541574
Click to expand...
So why do you think your roots don't develop since you seem to already have all the answers from doing google searches? What can we really provide in terms of help if it's not from experience and anecdotal evidence?

This is a weed growing forum after all, "growing diaries" is for the newcomers starting out.
 
SamRD

SamRD

Well-Known Member
Wastei said:
So why do you think your roots don't develop since you seem to already have all the answers from doing google searches? What can we really provide in terms of help if it's not from experience and anecdotal evidence?

This is a weed growing forum after all, "growing diaries" is for the newcomers starting out.
Click to expand...
My man just because someone posts a grow diary it doesn't mean they are newcomers. Plenty of experienced growers participate in these diaries. I used that as an example to show you that amazing plants can be grown with rockwool cubes in DWC, hence why I believe it is not a problem.

With over saturating my medium you mean too high of a ppm?
 
Wastei

Wastei

Well-Known Member
SamRD said:
My man just because someone posts a grow diary it doesn't mean they are newcomers. Plenty of experienced growers participate in these diaries. I used that as an example to show you that amazing plants can be grown with rockwool cubes in DWC, hence why I believe it is not a problem.

With over saturating my medium you mean too high of a ppm?
Click to expand...
To much water/saturation because of mixing growing styles and medium incompatibility. Rockwool is designed for drain to waste growing.

Just because something work for others doesn't mean it's the optimal approach.

If you search this forum you'll find people with rot in the center of the rockwool core in DWC, this may happen early, late or not at all depending on environmental factors.
 
Bucsfan80

Bucsfan80

Well-Known Member
I can't comment on the rockwool part much. My first 4 seedlings all germed then put in Rockwood, they sprouted then all dapped off. I'm sure it was 100% my fault but I just never used them after that. They do grow alge quick if not covered good that I know. I see most growers use them for dtw but I've seen some use in dwc. My recommendation would be make sure top of Rockwood is covered good with hydroton and then make a cover to cover the whole net pot. I have a pic of mine, it's not Purdy but it works. Me personally I always keep water level below net pot. An inch till roots hit then I lower it another inch. I uncover mine every day and let top of hydroton dry some but, that's just a me thing so... what are your rez Temps?20220318_231039.jpg
 
T

Treesomewanted77

Well-Known Member
Listen to the folks that are trying to give you some advice. Ditch the rock wool cube and use rapid rooters or equivalent and hand feed for first week when you put it in the DWC bucket or set it up as a top feed for first week or 2 till the roots have reached the water level. You may want to try drain to waste before DWC because it’s so much easier than the single DWC buckets but to each their own. Some folks start their seedlings in the DWC buckets so it’s no fault of the system you are using it’s more than likely grower error. Not sure how long you have been a member but cast your feeling aside and listen to the wise ones in these forums and you will be growing great plants in no time
 
SamRD

SamRD

Well-Known Member
Treesomewanted77 said:
Listen to the folks that are trying to give you some advice. Ditch the rock wool cube and use rapid rooters or equivalent and hand feed for first week when you put it in the DWC bucket or set it up as a top feed for first week or 2 till the roots have reached the water level. You may want to try drain to waste before DWC because it’s so much easier than the single DWC buckets but to each their own. Some folks start their seedlings in the DWC buckets so it’s no fault of the system you are using it’s more than likely grower error. Not sure how long you have been a member but cast your feeling aside and listen to the wise ones in these forums and you will be growing great plants in no time
Click to expand...
I wanted the rapid rooters but they were unavailable here in Canada. I just checked and they were available on amazon so I bought them, arriving tomorrow. Should I ditch this plant and start from the beginning again?

So would this be ok?

1) Re-hydrate the rapid rooters with plain ph'ed water, put the seed in and wait until roots appear
2) Put it in the DWC netpot with the airstone turned off and hand feed for a week or two until the roots close the gap and reach the water from the netpot
3) Turn on the stone and let it feed on the bucket nutes and oxygen
 
Last edited:
Bucsfan80

Bucsfan80

Well-Known Member
SamRD said:
I wanted the rapid rooters but they were unavailable here in Canada. I just checked and they were available on amazon so I bought them, arriving tomorrow. Should I ditch this plant and start from the beginning again?

So would this be ok?

1) Re-hydrate the rapid rooters with plain water, put the seed in and wait until roots appear
2) Put it in the DWC netpot with the airstone turned off and hand feed for a week or two until the roots close the gap and reach the water from the netpot
3) Turn on the stone and let it feed on the bucket nutes and oxygen
Click to expand...
"My mothod" I soak rapid rooter In ph'ed water (like an hourish) then put it in. I germinate in a paper towel but either way cover hole with a little piece from the bottom after you put it in. I don't put the rapid rooter in net pot until it has roots coming out. I have a little container and the rr fits in the lid and just water with a pipette. Once it gets some roots I put in net pot. I keep the top of rapid rooter just a little below the rim so it gets covered by hydroton. I have the water ph'ed with a light nute mix an inch below net pot. The water surface disturbance from air stone should wet the hydroton. If it keeps to wet lower water if it don't wet enough raise it.
 
Bucsfan80

Bucsfan80

Well-Known Member
This is just my way so take from it what you want. I had 2 seedling fails recently so my way might not be the way lol. I think it was to cold, was the middle of winter and couldn't keep babies warm.
 
Roger A. Shrubber

Roger A. Shrubber

Well-Known Member
SamRD said:
"Rockwool harnesses the power of natural stone to produce a fluffy and aerated growing medium ideal for cannabis growing. This material drains well, supports root development, and arrives in a cuboid shape that is easy to transplant into hydroponic or soil-based systems."
Click to expand...
rockwool tends to stay very wet, if a plant doesn't have a well developed root system, it can suffocate them, especially stacked like that. use one cube and let the roots run out of it before you try transplanting it
 
SamRD

SamRD

Well-Known Member
Roger A. Shrubber said:
rockwool tends to stay very wet, if a plant doesn't have a well developed root system, it can suffocate them, especially stacked like that. use one cube and let the roots run out of it before you try transplanting it
Click to expand...
That's the whole point of the double blocks, to let the plant have additional root development before transplanting. I saw someone else do it with amazing results and it makes a lot of sense. By the transplant time it's an older, bigger plant with twice the root development.

And it seems to be working, I just lifted the lid and looked beneath the net pot and saw new root development including new roots pointing and extending straight down vertically, I think they are trying to reach the water so it's not stuck or overwatered :hump: I think I finally got this working properly
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top