Help Starting a Seed in Root Riot Plugs

Hey guys these questions may sound stupid because apparently they’re already known since i can find the answers anywhere. theres a million threads on starting seeds but none on really taking care of them or watering them once they're planted, well none on the root riot plugs lol but any ways, heres the questions, any help is greatly appreciated

do i just literally just put the seed (pointy side up and put a tiny chunk of the plug over the hole) in the plug and throw a humidity dome in it without watering it because its already moist?

once the plugs dry out what do i do, do i just put some water at the bottom of a second tray and just dip the tray with the plugs in the water tray real quick? how much water would i put? could someone please go into detail for me on this please?

i already know about ph, temps, rh and transplanting and stuff but I’m just really confused with the watering part and can’t figure it out, how to water and when/howmuch if you can please help me id really appreciate it

I start my seeds in rapid rooter plugs all the time. It's the easiest way of getting many seeds going at once. I ensure the plugs stay moist by putting about 1/2" of water/feed in the tray. I also use a 1/2 dose of bloom nutes mixed with the gal of water I put in the tray as high P works well with root development.

One thing I can suggest is not planting the plugs into soil when only the tap-root is showing. Wait for the white roots to start showing.

jronnn said:

do i just literally just put the seed (pointy side up and put a tiny chunk of the plug over the hole) in the plug and throw a humidity dome in it without watering it because its already moist?

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I use Rapid Rooters and I think the pre-drilled hole is too large for a seed (it's for cloning, I believe). I turn it upside down and poke a smaller, tighter, shorter hole for the seed. I insert the seed pointy end down, and deep enough that the top of top of the seed is 1/4" (6mm) below the surface. I embed the RR in soil (an 18oz cup or 22oz seedling container) and let the plant grow directly into the soil. They're made for use in a propagation tray, but there's no need for that unless you need to control the temperature better than you can in cups of soil.

I don't know about the moisture content out of the bag. I put mine in a bowl of water, squeeze it a time or two, remove from the bowl and squeeze it once more to remove the excess water.

lilroach said:

I start my seeds in rapid rooter plugs all the time. It's the easiest way of getting many seeds going at once. I ensure the plugs stay moist by putting about 1/2" of water/feed in the tray. I also use a 1/2 dose of bloom nutes mixed with the gal of water I put in the tray as high P works well with root development.

One thing I can suggest is not planting the plugs into soil when only the tap-root is showing. Wait for the white roots to start showing.

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thanks for the response dude! so do you presoak and squeeze the plug before you put a seed in or do you use the plug as it is straight from the bag because its already moist? also you say a 1/2" of water is in the tray, how much is the water up the plug like 3/8 inch? there aren't any root problems from them staying in stagnant water? how often do you change the water? thanks for the help!!

az2000 said:

I don't know about the moisture content out of the bag. I put mine in a bowl of water, squeeze it a time or two, remove from the bowl and squeeze it once more to remove the excess water.

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thanks for the response man!!! is there any way you could tell me how many grams a properly moistened/squeezed root riot plug would weigh? thanks again

14.576g. But, there are variances in manufacturing, etc. Just squeeze it twice in a bowl of water, then squeeze out most of the water. Don't wring it out, but it should be pretty far from dripping too. If you put it in soil, the soil will wick the water in or out. It will dry faster than the soil. You'll need to spray it when the surface of the plug feels dry (but don't drench because it and the soil will continue to be wet).

az2000 said:

14.576g. But, there are variances in manufacturing, etc. Just squeeze it twice in a bowl of water, then squeeze out most of the water. Don't wring it out, but it should be pretty far from dripping too. If you put it in soil, the soil will wick the water in or out. It will dry faster than the soil. You'll need to spray it when the surface of the plug feels dry (but don't drench because it and the soil will continue to be wet).

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wow dude did you really just wet one and weigh it for me? i appreciate that a fuck ton if you did man but yeah i noticed they do vary a bit but atlas the 14.57 is a ball park i can use but I'm growing in hydroton on a f&d tray so id be watering in a clone tray till theres enough roots which i guess id wet the plug/roots with a syringe or spray bottle or medicine dropper or dip the clone tray in another clone tray with water? what do you suggest to re moisten? again thank you for your help

jronnn said:

hydroton on a f&d tray so id be watering in a clone tray till theres enough roots which i guess id wet the plug/roots with a syringe or spray bottle or medicine dropper or dip the clone tray in another clone tray with water? what do you suggest to re moisten?

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I haven't done hydrotron. I couldn't comment.

hey sorry to bug you guys again but i had a quick question.... so, i put 4 seeds in 4 rapid rooters (got rapid rooters by mistake) and within 48 hours all 4 had like a 1/4" taproot sticking out, its not been about 60 hours since i planted and 1 of them pushed through the top and is about to sprout but i have a question... should i be misting/watering the plugs from the top or should i pull the plug out and mist the entire plug so the root gets spray? I'm a bit confused what to do from here, also, when should i remove the heat mat and keep the 79 degree temp off the plugs? any advice is appreciated!!!!

I put them in soil when I put the seed in. The soil helps moderate the moisture of the RR. I might dribble/mist a little around the top of the RR if its surface feels dry, once a day. You have to be careful not to over-mist, keep it to wet or they'll "damp off."

I keep my seedling cups on the heat mat for 7-10 days. I put some bubble wrap or a couple towels under the mat to insulate it and help the heat go where it should go.

az2000 said:

I put them in soil when I put the seed in. The soil helps moderate the moisture of the RR. I might dribble/mist a little around the top of the RR if its surface feels dry, once a day. You have to be careful not to over-mist, keep it to wet or they'll "damp off."

I keep my seedling cups on the heat mat for 7-10 days. I put some bubble wrap or a couple towels under the mat to insulate it and help the heat go where it should go.

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well I'm going to be transplanting to hydroton once they're done with the tray but yeah thats what i been doing is just misting the top with a spray bottle, I'm just sure if i should pull the plug out and spray around it so the root gets misted

Good job hanging in there az incidentally ive used rr in the past and they worked ok...really unnecessary for seeds imho,but anyway I too planted mine right in the dirt.