Does Rockwool have capilarity?

Rblade

Well-Known Member
Hello fellas!
I'm trying to do an hydro cloner which works with a cloning gel. In my country seems imposible to buy Rhizopon or other hormone powder to mix with water, but I have clonex gel. Problem with bubble cloner is the water cleaning the gel placed on the stems, so I am thinking about a new system.

I designed an ebb and flood system which reach the level water a bit over the bottom of the net pots , so I think to place the stems over a little Rockwool with clonex gel. What Do you think about? Will works?

Other option is Rockwool in a dome, this works i have seen, but I never tried Rockwool before

I want rooting hormone, because with rooting hormone and peat I have 100% in 7-9 days, and only water in these time maybe I have bumps, but not roots

My idea it's remplace the pink sponge with Rockwool or other thing that accumulate water , and run my ebb and flood system 15min ON /45 OFF
 

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TheWholeTruth

Well-Known Member
You can just add the clonex to the bubble cloner water. That way the clonex is constantly going in to the plant and not washing off. Your probably better off sticking with cloning bare root in the bubble cloner as the air to water ratio is excellent. You can get roots fast in those. I find them much faster with a good light source and the water being a warmer temp.
 

TheWholeTruth

Well-Known Member
Rockwool is a good clean medium, but its better not to over saturate the rockwool or leave it sitting in water. If you want to do rockwool flood and drain cloning in the system your describing, keep the reservoir water level line well below the rockwool when the flood and drain is inactive. When your flood comes on its best the flood line comes to near the top of the rockwool as it will push out stale air, water and nutrients. I along time ago used to clone in masive flood tables full of hydroton pebbles and clones in a tiny cube of rockwool. My floods used to used to reach to the top of the rockwool 3 times a day and they would root in about 5-7 days. By my whole environment around the grow pebbles was humid and very airy with good clean air being expelled and drawn back in due to the floods. With your flood line just reaching the bottom of the rockwool cubes they will wick the water up if dry enough. If they are already saturated they wont wick up fresh water, that why its better to always push the flood line through the rockwool to the top of them. Hope that helps
 

Lou66

Well-Known Member
The clonex would be too diluted to have any effect.
That might be beneficial?

"Our data show that for the cultivar tested, cuttings rooted at the highest percentage and produced the highest-quality roots and shoots with either no hormone or 3000 ppm talc powder."

 

Rblade

Well-Known Member
The gel will be washed off the stems, dispersed in the water and reapplied whenever the pump goes. No reason to get fancy.
The problem it's that the gel don't mix well with water. Still being gel whole time and laid on the bottom of the bucket
 

TheWholeTruth

Well-Known Member
The problem it's that the gel don't mix well with water. Still being gel whole time and laid on the bottom of the bucket
Im not sure what they use in clonex but is seems to have some wetting agent, maybe something like dishwashing liquid. If mixed in the water properly the water goes bubbly and almost has that dishwashing liquid feel. Not sure how quickly it drops back out of the water and sinks like you say as ive never really had reservoirs with water still for long. With the bubblers the water is constantly being rushed through the bubble stones. With any big tanks I used in the past there were always pumps active in the reservoirs so as the water was always agitated and going through pumps set up as water fountains within the tanks. You could always feel the clonex in the water as it had that almost dishwashing liquid feel.
 

shnkrmn

Well-Known Member
Clonex also comes in a liquid form suitable for hydro cloners. The gel is really just for dipping cuts before inserting in medium
 

Rblade

Well-Known Member

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