bangkok101
Active Member
how offen should i flood using rockwool (4x4x2)? rockwoll is covered around hydroton.
thanks in advance!
thanks in advance!
need advice on flood and drain
- Thread starter bangkok101
- Start date
legallyflying
Well-Known Member
Yeah what he said. In the future, no need for big ( or any for that matter) rockwool unless you really want to use it to clone. Just put rooted clones straight into hydroton. Then water every four hours when lights on.
bangkok101
Active Member
you mean starter rockwool cubes?
legallyflying
Well-Known Member
Yeah you can use starter rockwool cubes to root clones but in terms of using the bigger cubes 4x4 or whatever there really is no need. It's a fine medium and all but my beef with rockwool is: it's not ph balanced, it's nasty shit if you breath it in, it's completely non biodegradable (it's basically like glass), it's stupid expensive compared to the other "non MJ use sources", it holds moisture for a long time, and moss and shit grows on top if it. Other than that, it works fine. LOL
I use peat pellets, or cups of coco to clone. The pellets are nice and small and don't take up any space on my shelf. Once there are some roots showing I just transfer them to small net pots 1-2". And surround them with hydroton. If I used a solo cup
Full of coco I rinse it hard with tap water and most of the coco washes out, leaving just a little coco and the roots.
Hydroton will not wick moisture up through your container. That way you don't have a top layer of wet medium that an grow shot and provide a place for fungus gnats to breed.
Just my 2 cents
I use peat pellets, or cups of coco to clone. The pellets are nice and small and don't take up any space on my shelf. Once there are some roots showing I just transfer them to small net pots 1-2". And surround them with hydroton. If I used a solo cup
Full of coco I rinse it hard with tap water and most of the coco washes out, leaving just a little coco and the roots.
Hydroton will not wick moisture up through your container. That way you don't have a top layer of wet medium that an grow shot and provide a place for fungus gnats to breed.
Just my 2 cents
bangkok101
Active Member
so i shouldve just stuck the starter cubes into a 4" net pot filled with hydroton and then onto my table filled with hydroton eh?
drgreentm
Well-Known Member
you could have done it that way but if you are not using the right pots you will still have to load your tray with hydrton anyway because the roots will be everywhere, this also depends on veg time, i veg in 4x4x4 RW cubes for over 3 weeks and mu plants reach over 1' easy so you can veg for a long time in these blocks.
bangkok101
Active Member
mine has only been 2 weeks from seed and i already see some roots coming out of the bottom of the rw and there only like maybe 2 inchs tall... what am i doing wrong?
legallyflying
Well-Known Member
Wrong? Sounds like your doing things right to me.
Your roots need somewhere to grow...something big. Fill your entire table with hydroton around the rockwool. The roots will grow out into it. After harvest you will have a huge root mat about 3' x 3'.
Your roots need somewhere to grow...something big. Fill your entire table with hydroton around the rockwool. The roots will grow out into it. After harvest you will have a huge root mat about 3' x 3'.
drgreentm
Well-Known Member
if you are 2 weeks from seed then you are around 1 week veg so far, the first week being in the block is more just establishing roots rather than actual growth. my last batch was 4 weeks from seed 3 week veg, once they root out of the block they really start taking off.
bangkok101
Active Member
mine lasted about 5 days in starter rw and had to move then to 4x4x2. now they roots are hitting the bottom. am i under feeding thats why they are looking for more water?
legallyflying
Well-Known Member
You don't look to the roots to tell you if your underwatering, look to the plant. I'd it's not wilting or drooping, then your not under watering.
bangkok101
Active Member
ok i guess im good haha
thanks everyone for advice.
what ph do you guys keep it at? i been hearing 5.5 - 6 and 5.8 - 6, which is right?
soil is best at 6.5 - 7.5? (not water run offs but after mixing nutrients in a container?)
legallyflying
Well-Known Member
5.6-6.5 but I rarely let it get above 6.3. Let it float around a little, it's a good thing.
drgreentm
Well-Known Member
just a little advice on the blocks hitting the tray, line the bottom of the flood tray with cloning trays (trays with the little holes that go in the dome) this will allow the roots to really explode with growth and the roots are tucked safely into the cups so no light can get to them, it also breaks the water tension in the block and drains the block much quicker.
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bangkok101
Active Member
that is sick... i dont think i can do that, my flood table is pretty low. only about 2-2 inchs deep or so
bangkok101
Active Member
is that pure roots under that 4x4x4? i kinda dont understand what you said lol.
drgreentm
Well-Known Member
yup that is straight roots formed to the cups of the rooter tray, all it is is a rapid rooter tray (the tray that holds clones in a humidome) you set in your tray then set the block on the rooter/clone tray so that instead of the roots being confined to the block they can grow out and down helping the plant grow much larger and for a longer period. the trays cost like 1-2$ a piece not sure if your tray will work at only 2 1/2" deep?
