Properly using rockwool...

Okay I'm just about ready to start growing in my new hydroponic system (a small 1 or 2 plant system) I hav the rockwool already but the guy at the store said something about soaking it before I start, but I didn't really listen to him. I just wanna make sure I get this right. Should I soak it before using it? how long do i soak it for? can I soak it in the water that I'm gonna use to feed the plants? do i have to let it dry before i stick the seeds in? also does it have to be soaked in a certain level ph? thanks for any answers. pics of my system included ;).

Soak it over night in 5.8 to 6.2 PH water. No nutrients untill 2 weeks old for seedlings.. Sling the water out of the rockwool like slining a paint brush. That's how wet you want it.

i've posted about this once before... it helped me alot. take your digi and weigh the cubes. over 30-35g is just to saturated and will cause rot and slow growth...at least until they get going enough to be in water with high oxygen content. then cubes can be fully saturated if necessary

wait will the plant rot or the cubes? And I can't really control how much water the rockwool absorbs, just how long it sits in the water for. how long should it be sitting in water for then?

The root can rot with a water content that is too high. This is why the guy above suggested you sling it like a paint brush. On the grodan package i have it says to soak in ph adjusted water for 30 min.

what i meant was that you will get root/stem rot if the rockwool cube is too wet UNLESS you are using highly oxygenated water(such as in a dwc system with airstones in teh water). if your cube is not in this environment(such as just when you put a seed in it and water) the cube MUST NOT be more than about 30 grams at any given time(i am able to know just by holding it...but i am used to my rockwool cubes). if the cube weighs over 30 grams it is holding too much water and you will get rot, fungus, or other excessively moist problems. as for the water "slinging" thing...totally neccesary with rockwool cubes because if you squeeze them you lose the air pockets that are blown into the rockwool when it is spun. it's just a flick of the wrist to "sling" out excess water. hope i've helped ya out a bit. gotta take care of the locals :o

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Originally Posted by Nyc_legend

Okay I'm just about ready to start growing in my new hydroponic system (a small 1 or 2 plant system) I hav the rockwool already but the guy at the store said something about soaking it before I start, but I didn't really listen to him. I just wanna make sure I get this right. Should I soak it before using it? how long do i soak it for? can I soak it in the water that I'm gonna use to feed the plants? do i have to let it dry before i stick the seeds in? also does it have to be soaked in a certain level ph? thanks for any answers. pics of my system included ;).

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Soak for between an hour, and 24 hours. (Does not matter much.)
In low, but no lower than, PH 5.0 water, no nutes. (does matter, if the PH is below 5, it eats the rockwool, makes it get all mushy.)
Don't ask how I know that :(.


Rockwool, like Hydrotron, is naturally a high PH. So, we fix that before we start growing to save wear and tear on the plants.


Sweet setup, Brah,:cool:
Lotta ingenuity there.

:thumbsup: From one "redneck engineer" to another.

Weezard

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Originally Posted by toxinn

what i meant was that you will get root/stem rot if the rockwool cube is too wet UNLESS you are using highly oxygenated water(such as in a dwc system with airstones in teh water). if your cube is not in this environment(such as just when you put a seed in it and water) the cube MUST NOT be more than about 30 grams at any given time(i am able to know just by holding it...but i am used to my rockwool cubes). if the cube weighs over 30 grams it is holding too much water and you will get rot, fungus, or other excessively moist problems. as for the water "slinging" thing...totally neccesary with rockwool cubes because if you squeeze them you lose the air pockets that are blown into the rockwool when it is spun. it's just a flick of the wrist to "sling" out excess water. hope i've helped ya out a bit. gotta take care of the locals :o

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been a great help. i think im ready to start growin :rasta:

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Originally Posted by Weezard

Rockwool, like Hydrotron, is naturally a high PH. So, we fix that before we start growing to save wear and tear on the plants.

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I thought Hydroton was inert?

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Originally Posted by wonderjoint

I thought Hydroton was inert?

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Far from it my friend.
Always pre-treat with low PH before use.
Best to wash it well first.
There's an amazing amount of pump-clogging red dust after it rattles around in shipping.
Then soak for a day in PH 5.0 water.
Then test that water to see if you need to do it again.:)

After that, the only hassle is spilling the li'l buggers.
They get everywhere and are no fun with bare feet.

Regards,
Weezard

Thanks for the knowledge. :hippy:

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Originally Posted by Weezard

They get everywhere and are no fun with bare feet.

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LOL ... "ouccchhh!!! Damn it mutha-f**king rocks!!!!!"