bonghitz420
Member
I starting my first hydro system and right now I'm using dirt in my pots. From what I've read I need either grow rocks or rapid rooters, is there a cheaper and or easier alternative?
Is there a substitute for growing rocks or rapid rooters
- Thread starter bonghitz420
- Start date
OregonMeds
Well-Known Member
Lava at home depot/lowes will work and is cheap but carefully choose which bag you get and which brand because some of them have so much crushed up lava dust they're a bitch and a half to get clean.
IF you are just growing small plants I'd go pearlite, larger plants lava. I prefer lava, just not the washing it part.
IF you are just growing small plants I'd go pearlite, larger plants lava. I prefer lava, just not the washing it part.
bonghitz420
Member
can i bare root my plants and put them in the lava rock or do i need to germinate seed and put them in there.
satch
Well-Known Member
With rocks, it's usually better imo to start them in a plug of some sort first. Either a peat pellet/rockwool cube or something else of that sort.
OregonMeds
Well-Known Member
I've rooted clones in lava but never popped a seed in it. To root in bare lava you use the tiny lava particles from your rinsing as if it were pearlite (choose pearlite sized pieces) and it works great, rooted faster than rockwool but not as fast as rapid rooters. Then that lava plug can go into the larger lava as soon as the roots are ready.
I've also just taken a bare rooted plant like you'd get from a bubble cloner and dropped that into a half full pot of full size lava and then fill the rest with lava.That works fine too.
I've also just taken a bare rooted plant like you'd get from a bubble cloner and dropped that into a half full pot of full size lava and then fill the rest with lava.That works fine too.
Bud Frosty
Well-Known Member
Pea gravel from the neighbors driveway.
Washed of course.
Washed of course.
simpsonsampson420
Well-Known Member
hydroton.. you get a lot for a little..
satch
Well-Known Member
What I worry about doing this, is rocks shifting and damaging the roots before they get well established since the lava rock packs a little weight.
OregonMeds
Well-Known Member
I wondered about that too but it didn't hurt a thing, and I was not at all gentle dumping more rocks in to cover the roots. Not one plant had a problem with it out of 24 babies that I ran that way.