Rockwool Problems!

[jonnynobody]

I noticed that the preformed holes in the rockwool cubes I bought were too deep and too large a hole...almost like they are perfect for popping a clone with a stalk in, but too much space for a seedling & too deep. I planted about 20 and only had 6 break the surface. a few I overwatered but most of them had little tails all curled up in a ball in the center of the cube. Just wondering if anybody else has experienced this problem. Next time I plan to make my own hole more suitable a size for a seedling closer to the surface in the cube for easier placement of the seedling in the correct position to make it easier for the taproot to take hold.

 

[Roseman]

Too Deep???
you have to have an opening at the top for the sprout to come out and an opening at the bottom for the root to exit the cube. IThe seed or sprout is not strong enough to push through the wool. My fat Indica seeds just fit into the hole perfectly for me.

 

[iloveit]

Too Deep???
you have to have an opening at the top for the sprout to come out and an opening at the bottom for the root to exit the cube. IThe seed or sprout is not strong enough to push through the wool. My fat Indica seeds just fit into the hole perfectly for me.

?
Im pretty sure the roots manage their way through rockwool just fine otherwise the RW cube would already come with root hole at the bottom, right?

 

[jonnynobody]

?
Im pretty sure the roots manage their way through rockwool just fine otherwise the RW cube would already come with root hole at the bottom, right?

Yes, you're correct on that.

Too Deep???
you have to have an opening at the top for the sprout to come out and an opening at the bottom for the root to exit the cube. IThe seed or sprout is not strong enough to push through the wool. My fat Indica seeds just fit into the hole perfectly for me.

You do not need to put a hole in the bottom of your cube. Roots grow through the fibers dude...but please do feel free to create extra work for yourself : ) The problem I suppose depends on the size of your seeds. The cubes I have are 3/4" deep to the bottom of the pre-formed hole w/ a large space at the bottom of the hole for the seed. It just seems that for the size seeds i'm using (just bagseed) which are small, it will most likely workout better if I just punch my own hole relative to the size for the seedling at the appropriate depth. (I don't believe 3/4" is optimal....1/4" - 1/2") With this big hole that the pre-forms come with, it's impossible to insure that your taproot didn't turn upside down when it falls to the center of the cube which is the problem I ran into...obviously if your seedling is growing upside down or sideways, the likeliehood of that seedling breaking the surface greatly diminishes. A nice learning experience....kinda surprised after all the reading i've done, i've never heard of this issue before. Then again, i'm usually cruisin on the indoor grow forum which is mostly experienced growers who have long since conquered this problem.

 

[Roseman]

the cubes I but at www.stealthhydro.com already have a hole bored all the way thru the center of the cube. makes it easier for the root to exit,.

 

[Galeer]

i think he bought the rockwool with a big hole in it its made for the little round rock wool piece to be put in the other one... lol

 

[jonnynobody]

the cubes I but at www.stealthhydro.com already have a hole bored all the way thru the center of the cube. makes it easier for the root to exit,.

Interesting...first i've heard of such a thing. I guess it can't hurt : ) I learned me somfin today

i think he bought the rockwool with a big hole in it its made for the little round rock wool piece to be put in the other one... lol

'preciate the effort but you thought wrong. grodan r/w cubes from worrmsway you pud. Just seems like they have a rather large hole in the center that isn't ideal for a seedling but seems perfect for clones. Simple solution....just poke my own holes from now and so far it seems to be working great.

 

[DontKnowBeans]

If the problem is that the seedling gets stuck in the rock wool and can't make it's way out of the top then that's the same thing that happened to me. I ended up taking them out and removing the seed pods. I think the rock wool is just too dense to allow the seedling to push it's way through. I'm going to go with the paper towel method from now on.

 

[VictorVIcious]

I noticed that the preformed holes in the rockwool cubes I bought were too deep and too large a hole...

Stop right there, before you go any further, you were correct. you bought the wrong one for the purpose. They ones you bought a drilled to accept a plug. Just like galeen told you.

almost like they are perfect for popping a clone with a stalk in, but too much space for a seedling & too deep. I planted about 20 and only had 6 break the surface. a few I overwatered but most of them had little tails all curled up in a ball in the center of the cube. Just wondering if anybody else has experienced this problem. Next time I plan to make my own hole more suitable a size for a seedling closer to the surface in the cube for easier placement of the seedling in the correct position to make it easier for the taproot to take hold.[/

Yep, I have bought the wrong ones a time or two. It sounds like you germed first, if you did I can see why you would have had a problem putting the seeds in that 1 1/2" deep hole, and if you didn't it would have been tough to plant the seed in the right position. If you got 6 up, you did ok.
Now, having said all of that, I prefer the Rapid Rooters for seeds, and they would fit down that hole? VV

 

[jonnynobody]

Stop right there, before you go any further, you were correct. you bought the wrong one for the purpose. They ones you bought a drilled to accept a plug. Just like galeen told you.


Yep, I have bought the wrong ones a time or two. It sounds like you germed first, if you did I can see why you would have had a problem putting the seeds in that 1 1/2" deep hole, and if you didn't it would have been tough to plant the seed in the right position. If you got 6 up, you did ok.
Now, having said all of that, I prefer the Rapid Rooters for seeds, and they would fit down that hole? VV

ahh I see...I just didn't understand what that one fella was trying to say. Thx for clearing that up for a misguided newbie I've heard lots of good things about the rapid rooters but I don't think the hydro shop I was at had them so convience at the time forced me to p/u the r/w slabs. Ordering rapidrooters for next run...they're a few bucks more but totally worth it. btw, r/w is a bitch to get the moisture right for us newbies...bastards just soak up so much water, it's easy to over-saturate. i've heard a salad spinner (salad dryer...whatever) works great for getting just the right amount of excess water out of your cubes. seems like a snazzy idear

 

[VictorVIcious]

That is what AL B uses for his rockwool cubes. I prefer the larger cubes for clones, I could never get the tall clones to stand up in the 1 1/2" cubes, so I buy the 3". I like the Rapid Rooters better for seeds then I move them up to a 3" pot, before moving to the final pot size. Or like I mentioned you could put theminto the type of cube you bought this time. LOng story short, all of the methods for propagating seeds and clones will work if used properly. VV

 

[jonnynobody]

Just a kind of unrelated question here...I have 1 baby right now in a cube thats about 4 inches tall w/ a 20 oz cut off soda bottle keeping the humidity in. I saw the taproot come out of the bottom of the cube so I transplanted into a 16 oz party cup w/vermiculite and perlite (50/50) mini hempy bucket. Just curious how long I should keep the bottle over the top? RH is about 40% in the growbox....im just afraid to take it off too early. I'm hoping I can nurture a mommy so that when my flower cab is complete, I can go right into a scrog SOG style.