germinating in rapid rooters

EXCELLENT and INFORMATIVE post with LOTS OF PICTURES! Thank you Nubby!

(??)

(Side note, I just switched from rockwool cubes to rapid rooters -- they tend to root about 3 days earlier and MUCH more thick than rockwool. Pics in my grow journal :)
 
dont worry , shes a fiesty kitty , not her fault :>

but do tell, about rapid rooter, like people like me.. well i never heard of it! :) please explain :)
 
its kinda like a brownie made out of bark, and roots go through it like butter. heres a pic of a clone i took in one. made bt gen hydro....
IMAG0076.jpg
 
Bonzing said:
dont worry , shes a fiesty kitty , not her fault :>

but do tell, about rapid rooter, like people like me.. well i never heard of it! :) please explain :)
Click to expand...

They are alternatives to rockwool. Whenever I seeded/cloned in rockwool the roots always came out long and thing right out the bottom.

In Rapid Rooters, the brown colored ones, they root THICK out the sides and bottom and MUCH faster. They DO dry out very fast, so you generally keep 1/4" of water at the bottom of the tray, or water them every 2 days generally. They already are ph balanced and have traces of gentle nutrients to accel root growth.

They are also extremely easy to buy and find anwyhere, and very inexpensive.

attachment.php


^^ Rapid Rooters




attachment.php


^^ Rockwool



Both of these were planted at the same time. I'll update in a few days with pictures to show you the difference in root growth from the same strain in each cube.

The only reason I would consider using rockwool again is if I couldnt monitor the plants every day. Rockwool dries slower, and would be better for the smaller grower........ I used to be a diehard rockwool fan up until a few months ago.
 

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Interesting. I was thinking of going with the rapid rooters too. I ended up trying a 50/50 mix of perlite and soil in a humidity dome and they emerged from the soil faster then any other method I have used.
 
q3aserver said:
Interesting. I was thinking of going with the rapid rooters too. I ended up trying a 50/50 mix of perlite and soil in a humidity dome and they emerged from the soil faster then any other method I have used.
Click to expand...

I dont know if Rapid Rooters are good for soil or not. I'm Hydroton / Ebb Bucket based............... In fact the reason I never really looked at the Rapid Rooters before is because they looked like they WOULDNT be good in Hydro, but they are and are designed to be suitable. :) Cheers
 
i swear by rooters and use them everywhere. at forst i was worried pieces would erode off and clog hydro pumps, but there was no problem. in soil, they do great...just dont put the soil level over the rooter. these things are one of the coolest things at the hydro shop, in my book.
 
I also have to agree that they are great.

In the past, I've used them and they worked well. What was faster was an EZ-Clone then transplanted them to rapid rooters when the roots were plentiful. They transplant great to soil and do fairly well in rockwool.
 
nice info on the drying out too kitty.. i tried rapid rooters awhile ago after my buddy told me he used them strictly.. but i ran into problems with them drying out too fast and i killed a couple of beans till i simply gave up on them.. the tip on the lil bit of water on the bottom was very usefull, and i may just have to give them another run now that i know that trick.. i still have a ton of them lying around as i got a shit ton of them for super cheap.
 
yes they do dru out kinda fast. i keep a turkey baster with a mild B-1 water solution nearby and just hydrate them once a day or so...whenever it needs it.
 
The Rooters are excellent for getting the seed off to a good start and promoting strong root development.
The problem of their rapid dying is solved by placing the plugs into a larger rockwool cube, which will keep an ample supply of moisture wicked up to the plug until the seedling can establish itself in the rockwool substrate.
 
jaimepagan said:
The Rooters are excellent for getting the seed off to a good start and promoting strong root development.
The problem of their rapid dying is solved by placing the plugs into a larger rockwool cube, which will keep an ample supply of moisture wicked up to the plug until the seedling can establish itself in the rockwool substrate.
Click to expand...

You're right, but wrong. Your solution works IF and ONLY IF someone is permanently using that plant in Rockwool. Or of course if you did Rapid Rooter --> Bigger Rockwool --> Hydroton you're just wasting tons of money for no reason on double rooting mediums.....................

The problem with them drying fast is to be prompt in watering them or leave 1/4" water at the bottom like the instructions say. :)
 
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