Sick of paying for Root riot cubes/ made my own...........

Well if you look back on this thread i did use rockwool from my loft without treatment as a medium and they grew ok , i could have tweaked them alittle better admittidley,
I think if i went full sponge medium i would dice it up into small 2inch cubes ,
I don't think nute or salt build up will be an issue as anything including sponge can be flushed through right ?

Back on your other point , seeds into peat pellets never worked for me , they found it tough to break through the wall of the pellet,
Clones were ok though....

Good point, I've usually cut up the wrapping of the peat pellets a bit cuz I've had the same problem.

About being about to flush sponges, IDK. I'd think you would have a difficult time flushing because once the sponge becomes saturated any additional water simple runs across the surface, or at least it appears to do so. Obviously, it's not a good idea to try to squeeze out the sponges either as this would likely damage the roots.

NietzscheKeen said:

Good point, I've usually cut up the wrapping of the peat pellets a bit cuz I've had the same problem.

About being about to flush sponges, IDK. I'd think you would have a difficult time flushing because once the sponge becomes saturated any additional water simple runs across the surface, or at least it appears to do so. Obviously, it's not a good idea to try to squeeze out the sponges either as this would likely damage the roots.

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Yeah i found this an issue also until i investigated a little ,
There are a few type of sponges , some of the hole grading can be larger or smaller, like cheese (lol)
Also i noticed while some sponges were shiny looking and plasticy almost to touch , others are more of a courser material that is softer and would soak up fluids easier ,
i mentioned before about boiling the sponge , this really does help with that,
You should give it a go , then you will see what is hard to explain, i mean just donate a rough looking clone(we all have them right) and stick it in the corner, i think you will be suprised,
I will get some more spong tommorow ,i have lots of clones , then i will continue this thread from here , clone - harvest all in sponge

http://housekeeping.about.com/od/productreviews/tp/5-Types-Of-Cleaning-Sponges.htm


I found this link and ~#1 is what i am trying to describe...

like Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese =D

So you're using cellulose sponges instead of the natural sponge?
I'm only on my first grow, so maybe I will give this a try next time if you have any luck with it; then we can compare results, etc. if you'd like. Like I said, I think you're onto something. I just hope the root riot company doesn't put a hit out on you before you can harvest, lol.

cool idea but is it really worth all the trouble cutting and preparing it? you can clone in small cups with coco coir and its cheap, i payed 10$ for a block that makes 50 liter (13 gallons) of medium. one block like that could last you for hundreds of clones and all you need to do is put some in a cup.
i did my first cloning about 3 weeks ago, so i have little experience but from 40 clones i put in coco cups 39 made it.
still kudos for experimenting

NietzscheKeen said:

I think I'm going to stop using Root Riots and go back to peat pellets. It's just too humid here and they never seem to dry out. They should be called Root Rots instead.

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i call em rapid rotters they work great for seedlings but suck serious ass for cloning.

What kind of system are you running? I just use Jiffy Pucks, they cost less than 10 cents each and work great for me.

So had a chance to update on progress I didn't know happened Fucking Awesome. Idk how but I did not know they worked out but had complete faith in venture. I'm glad the saga continues man I feel like a dope.

Scooby(Doobie) said:

cool idea but is it really worth all the trouble cutting and preparing it? you can clone in small cups with coco coir and its cheap, i payed 10$ for a block that makes 50 liter (13 gallons) of medium. one block like that could last you for hundreds of clones and all you need to do is put some in a cup.
i did my first cloning about 3 weeks ago, so i have little experience but from 40 clones i put in coco cups 39 made it.
still kudos for experimenting

Click to expand...

I guess its just quicker to take money out of your pocket than try something new,
Root riot are expensive and have you ever run out ?
If you bothered to research the thread you would no i was trying to find a lightweight medium that was clean and needed cutting with nothing,
Peat pellets i do not rate as i do not need peat in my grow.
You may also not know that boiled sponge is completely ph stable which when compared to rockwool is very useful.
Sponge is also organic and bio degrades.
Enough reasons for you ?

I would also like to add that rockwool irritates my hands,
And ph down is also not nice to handle.