From seed tray to veg table...in rockwool

Ok so while I am no newb, I am new to flood and drain tables. My seedlings are about 4 inches tall and some have 3 nodes. The nodes are a couple centimeters apart. The seedlings are in 1.5 inch rockwool cubes in my tray with dome. I have roots out the bottom of the rockwool about 3-5 inches long already and have some slight algae formation on the tops of the rockwool. I need to move these ladies into bigger rockwool and then into the veg table.

My question is for the rockwool users. So when i move these into a 6 inch cube, can I simply smash (i know not really smash) the roots into the hole in the bigger cube and wait for them to get through the bottom of the larger cube. I was gonna make the hole a little bigger and deeper to accommodate the length of my roots. Is this the best way to do it? When moving to the table I see some guys have exposed roots and others are using slabs or hydroton in the tables. Which is the best method?

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,
JD

You can just carefully transfer them by hand.

Just try not to curl or tangle the roots up too much...but most importantly don't "pack" the rockwool (like a snowball). Try to make it tight enough not to let light in....but loose enough that roots can shift. So a millimeter or 2 of space. The roots will seek out the moisture in the cube on there own.

Just as long as its light proof inside the RW. Don't be afraid to seal the seam (between the 1 inch rockwool and the 6 inch) with your fingers. Just push the seams shut like clay. Rockwool is very pliable.


Hope that helps

I think I may need to take a couple pics of how large the root system is already. I may have to remove the outer plastic wrap, slice the larger cube in half and lay the 1.5 inch inside it. Then put the plastic wrap back on it.

I hate now knowing what I am doing. Switching mediums has been a huge pain in the ass.

What about other flood and drain users. What do you put under your rockwool in your table? Do you use anything at all?

jd, i did the exact same thing with my 1.5 inch cubes when i put them into the 4in. cut the bottom out and then the cube in half, and put the 1.5in in that. i have noticed that the roots from the clones have simply grown straight down, and aren't really taking advantage of the entire 4in rockwool cube.

i wanted to see what would happen when i took the 1.5in cube and put it into the cutout in the 4in without cutting the bottom out. lo and behold, the roots started to come out of the 4in cube over the next few days, and not just out of the bottom either. it was coming all out of the side of the cube, just like it was supposed too.

hope this helps a bit, but keep in mind i am no expert on this matter at all and don't change what you are doing based on what i tell ya. just know that it worked for me.

Thanks man! I actually just opened the hole a little wider and popped em in. It was hard not to smash them a little, but it looks like it turned out ok.