Transferring from Aerocloner to Dwc

well, i've done my homework already...but i'm still curious what some of yawl do when transferring cuttings from the neoprene inserts (in an aerocloner) to the hydroton filled net pots, for use with DWC.

one dude suggested to cut a rockwool cube in half, in order to slip the cutting between the two halves, and then into the net pots (which would then be filled with the hydroton pellets).

before this, we were using root plugs but didn't have much success...so i'm hoping this aerocloner we get will take care of our terrible success rate. but now i just wanna make sure that we won't damage the roots, or somehow crush them with the hydroton when we finally transfer into the bubble buckets. any suggestions would be helpful, thanks in advance.

hope all is well, fellas...peace

zero replies....really? b/c this is now my 3rd post? gotta start somewhere, right? bummmmp

Put ur water level so ur rocks r being kept moist not wet.. Usually about an inch of rock in the bottom of the pot..
Set ur cut down on the rock.. Backfill gently and let her rip bro theres really nothing more to it.
Hope that helps. Ive done it a million times dont worry it will work.

I've run plants in my uc/waterfarm by just putting them into the hydroton and letting the
roots grab hold of the rocks.

I did an older run where I was worried about support and got some of that DIY neoprene
insert kids play pads from walmart and cut out some larger plug shapes that would fit
snugly into the top of my 5g, the lids work great for stencils . It would go around the trunk of the plant in typical fashion
and would sit on top of the rocks helping give good support while also blocking out any
light from getting to the hydroton and having algae grow.

Thanks guys, i think i'll try that next. We've just been keeping them in the aero-cloner until they start to form numerous tiny roots, then carefully placing them in grow plugs for a little protection...then we fill the hydroton around the plug. But the roots have been taking forevvvver to drop...so maybe if we let 'em get nice in the aero-cloner, and do what ya'll suggested, they won't be so slow to get going. 'preciate it, fellas.

btw, one of these clones is 2.5 weeks along in flower, and we're thinking of making a cutting out of it's long side branch (so the og plant will be one big cola)...but i'm curious, do you think it would do it's thing and root if we stuck it in a hormex-soaked plug and left it (in a dwc net pot) in the flowering tent? thanks again for all your help. peace...

When designing my setup this was a MAJOR concern for me as I want to be able to go from one system to the next with little as hassle as possibe and danger to the plants. I put them in 1.5 inch net pots with the bottom cut out with neoprene inserts, once roots ave formed (half an inch or so), I take and soak some 1.5 starter cubes and some 3.5 inch cubes with recieving holes for the smaller product. I then place the rooted cuttings inside a small cube cut in half and then place that cube inside the larger cube and into the net pot where it gets surrounded by hydrotron. I then wait two days until the cubes become some what dry and then intoduce my watering schedule. The cubes retain moisture for along time and you never want them to be soaking with water, I use a quick flick of the wrist to remove esxcess water from the cubes in the beginning. By waiting a few days to water it causes the roots to search for water vs. setting in a over soaked cube, ofcourse this is what the manufactures of rockwool suggest also. I saw roots come out of the larger cubes in lesss than a week.

Hope this gives you some insight at the very least into rockwool

I take them out of the neoprenes and carefully hold them between my middle and index finger, sort of in the center of a 3" net pot, feeding some of the existing root through the bottom of the pot. I then carefully pour hydroton into the 3" with my hand, gently shaking it to settle it. Then they go back into the cloner or secondary bubbler until more roots start to show, if I get super long roots I trim them to encourage radial branching. I go one more step that works for my system, I take two 3" pots and put those in a 6" net bucket lid, that way I flower two plants per 5 gallon bucket in an RDWC.