Rockwool VS Jiffy Pots

Hello all

I'm about to start 20 seeds ordered from nirvana
(10xswazi + 10xHawaian skunk)

To germinate:
light or no light?
Higher temp (25 to 30 degree C?)
Distilled water or not?

Once they're germinated, should i use rockwool cubes or Jiffy pots filled with pro-mix potting soil.

If i use jiffy pots, is it good to keep the plant in the pot and let it grow roots throught the pots? So when i see the roots i just put the whole thing in a new bigger pot?

Thx alot

Jiffy Pots have their issues, they hold WAY too much water and the netting on the outside can cause issues and damage roots. Rockwool can have the issue of the seed pushing itself out and I have never liked it for seedlings.

I just germinate in a paper towel and plant directly into the pro-mix potting soil after it has geminated. I usually add worm castings, washed builder's sand and perlite to the mix (10% of each) to help give them a good start and add drainage, the drainage part is the most important.

Using distilled water is usually a good idea, just in case but it isn't absolutely necessary. If your growing for soil, just plant in soil, never had ANY issues doing that way. If your determined to use a plug/pellet of some sort get rapid-rooters, I have used seeds in them and they worked great, but no better then planting directly in soil. If your worried about being able to heat the growing medium, as long as the room is warm enough, it isn't too necessary and higher temps can cause stretching and root rot, best to stay at room temp.

As for light, have a fluorescent bulb right above them the whole time, it will warm the medium slightly and it can help stop the seedlings from stretching too much due to the SARP effect.

heres how i do it.....


i get distilled water...example crystal water i like it. alright put it into a glass any glass. put the seeds into the water let em soak for 24 hrs or alittle bit more. keep trying to push the seeds down so they will sink to the bottom. once all the seeds sink to the bottom. get a paper towel a cleaning house towel and soak it in distilled water. then place seeds in the towel. close the lowel up and place the towel into a plastic bag. like a sandwhich bag. and put some more water into the bag so the towel wont dry out. then place on a computer modem or somewhere warm. the seeds dont need light just warmth.


jiffy pod or rockwool.

i like jiffy pods for seeds but they have a tendency to hold way to much water and they can make the tap root break with the netting. they also sometimes have bugs dormint in them and when you add water they come alive. its really creepy it happened to me a couple of times.

and i just bought rockwool so i havent done that yet. so i dont know.


if i was gonna choose i would go with soild. i have nothing but success.



soil method.

go to the store and buy those red party cups. and shank 4 circles in it. then add dirt to the cup. then go outside and get some small rocks and place them into another cup. place the cup with soil into the cup with rocks. now and water to the soil cup and press down to remove any air pockets.once your done. make a 1/4in hole in the soil. place your seed in theyre root down and then lightly cover it.

and water once evry 2 days or when it gets dry.


alright and good luck

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peace
cali-high

cali-high said:

then place on a computer modem or somewhere warm. the seeds dont need light just warmth.

Click to expand...

Exactly, there are no leaves during germination so the plant is not photosynthesizing. Soak the seeds in a cup of water for 1-2 days and then lay them out on a damp paper towel and keep it damp until they germinate. I place mine on a sunny window sill for warmth and it usually takes 4 or 5 days for them to germinate. As for the type of water it doesn't really matter. I let tap water sit out for 2 days and use that.

After I germinate I place them directly into a pot of soil about half an inch under the surface. I've never used Jiffypots, but I've heard the same problems that have already been listed. I wouldn't use Solo cups either. Buy some medium sized terra-cotta or plastic pots at Wal-Mart for less than $1 per pot instead.

yeah you prety used posted what i posted. but its cool.

and yes distilled water does make a differnce. dont tell me you can use 3.0 acidic water and your seedlings will do just fine. i know for fact if you use distilled water it will speed the growth process and not stunt it if you used acidic water.

thats just a proven fact

Dude, tap water doesn't have a pH of 3.0, it's more like 6.5-7.0. Tap water will do your plants perfectly if you let it sit out and let the chlorine evaporate. You can also use a water conditioner to break the chloramine bond within water. Distilled water will not produce a significant effect. If anything you'll be doing your plants a disservice because marijuana needs the magnesium, calcium, and other trace metals found in tap water.

what ever i dont card what you say its a proven fact for seeds

damn i bought some jiffy pots and now i find out they suck
i don't want no zombie bugs awaking from them or the roots getting fucked up

i guess i'll just go buy four or five regular pots

Yeah man, they're cheap at Wal-Mart, a lot better than Jiffypots.

Had some seedlings in jiffy pots the other day, and when it came 2 transplanting them, i noticed a mushroom growing out of the side of the jiffy pot. Dunno how it got there but it did!!

Tap water that has been sitting for 24 hours is cool to use on yer clones. If you could adjust it from 7'ish to 5.5 it would be optimal but it isn't 100% necessary to do so.

cali..you say you.ve never used rockwool. Would you take some advice on this...or should I just sit back and watch? I know the Grodan rep personally, and I was given some tips that should help your success rate and keep you from getting frustrated with pH issues.

good luck

bt dt

Wait, okay, germination is one thing, but the first few days when that beautiful, wonderful spearhead pops through the medium...how should you treat it? I mean, does it need light the first few days, or should you keep it in dimness until the jagged leaves get some size?
Sorry, I just had some plants die...different stages, but I think it was a mix of too much Nitrogen and a day that the UV index in LA got way out of control. I just don't get the relation between pre-veg plants and light.
You, and all these folks commenting, obviously know about cracking the seed, (hooray Superthrive, by the way), but what about those first fragile few days that your new baby breaks soil?
Anybody?

the jagged leaves wont grow barely...
they need photosynthesis for green parts to grow...
once they break ground give them as much light as possible without drying or burning them

I never had a problem with jiffy pods... I've got 6 growing strong right now. Granted I need to now move them into a bigger pot, they're still fine and loving what I've been doing.

by jiffy pots you guys are talkin about the little peat things that expand in water,no? i used those thus far for germination and ti went mostly well, i lost like 5-10% id say and when i first started i was uber noob... and all i did was soak the things and pop the seeds in put em under a light and let em go. i have rock wool now too, for my clones that died, maybe i ll do better next time. im gonna get some peat moss, and mix in perlite and vermiculite probably around 60/20/20for sprouting my next round in some small pots i have. they will grow there till they go into bigger 2-3gals or 12 inchers.

i use bottled water from start to finish with this grow, next one will probably be to big, we will see.


"i don't want no zombie bugs awaking from them or the roots getting fucked up"

zombie bugs are ok cuz they will just eat the brains of your other malicous bugs..

Ery

i have always used tap water without any probs ! anyone ever use these coconut quick start things??

fyi - the ph on everyone's tap water will be very different, so saying "my tap water is perfect" can not hold true for all.

that is very true as well as the ppm if you got some bag seed or sump then you can give it a go to see while you get the right shit together anyone else out there ?

I use rw for seeds and have had 100 percent success. At least with seeds. . . cloning is another matter.lol

I soak the seeds until they drop to the bottom when i pat them with a finger. Then i put them i a wet paper towel on a plate under a bowl and put it on a heat mat or heating pad. Last time i put it in my clonehouse with the heat mat and the heater at 30c and it was awesome. If using a human heatng mat use a rubbermaid lid in between or towel because it get too hot. Then when i see a taproot I use tweeezers and place them in rw cube taproot down. I then take another little peice of rockweool and cover the hole, like a lid. I keep it aturated wet but not so wet the cube get soggy. I check it every day and in a day or 2 I see growth thats when i take a flourescent light and put it over the cube. Right before it ops. When it si ready to pop I take the rw lid off. This whole time I leave a clear plastic keg cup over the cube with some holes popped for humidity. I leave this on until it is a few inches tall. Keep watring, keep it wet but not too wet. SOme are too afraid to iverwater so they underwater, then some find ths out so they overwater, With seeds it is not that hard, just keep it really wet, i just pour some water when I wee it start to get dry. Like 10 ml. a few times a day.

good luck, i never lose a seed. rw keeps the roots healthy while transplanting.

I use ro water or 24 tapwater. I drop some hydroguard and some superthrive.

I love reps too but I hope I am not to presumptous to ask. This is a game though, JK>

I love reps too but I hope I am not to presumptous to ask. This is a game though, JK>[/quote]

there ya go man
tryin to jus let em stay in water till tap roots out right now read it in here somewhere never have tried that. Love this rockwool though prolly stick to that method thanks for your input. Thought this thread was dead actually it is a game tho so how bout some luv??