So confused!! Do I use rockwool or hydroton?

[Nyc_legend]

okay heres the deal. I hav a little grow space which i plan on growing plants in using a ebb & flow hydroponic system. I am using ebb & flow because a dripper system is too confusing for me & im not sure where to buy a dripper. Here's my question, I know I should use hydroton in the ebb & flow system, but should I also put the plants in rockwool? will the ebb & flow soak the rockwool too much?

Nyc_legend Reviewed by Nyc_legend on 11-06-2008. So confused!! Do I use rockwool or hydroton? okay heres the deal. I hav a little grow space which i plan on growing plants in using a ebb & flow hydroponic system. I am using ebb & flow because a dripper system is too confusing for me & im not sure where to buy a dripper. Here's my question, I know I should use hydroton in the ebb & flow system, but should I also put the plants in rockwool? will the ebb & flow soak the rockwool too much? Rating: 5

[PurpWidow]

im pretty sure you use both, cause you stick the plants in the rockwhool, and you surround that by the hydroton stuff. the rockwool is kina like the "support", which also is great for holding moisture. and the hydroton keeps moisture.

please any1 correct me if im wrong but thats how i think of it.

[JohnnyWisdom]

im pretty sure you use both, cause you stick the plants in the rockwhool, and you surround that by the hydroton stuff. the rockwool is kina like the "support", which also is great for holding moisture. and the hydroton keeps moisture.

please any1 correct me if im wrong but thats how i think of it.

Correct.

Regardless if you're starting from seed or a cutting, you'll want to start with a 1 inch rockwool cube. Once you see the roots poppin' out of the bottom you can then transfer into a 4 inch cube OR bury directly into hydroton. When I say bury, you barely want the cube below the surface of the hydroton. If you transfer into a bigger 4 inch cube, you're simply prolonging the burying of the cube into the hydroton. Make sense?

Think about it, if you put the seed into the hydroton, it'll most likely never find the support it needs to grow. However, the rockwool will act as the artifical soil it gets to dig its roots into ... hope this helps :thumbsup:

[GrowHoHo]

can anyone explain the ebb and flow system? Do you think it is better than the easy resovour system? I read this great article on 420mag and am still a bit confused on all the diferent hydro options and the cost vs reward vs simplicity vs effectiveness of the options. This authur makes a strong case for using this resovour method. Would anyone dispute that for a first time small grower? :rasta:

Marijuana Hydroponics by Concept420.com

[stinkyattic]

You're always going to have a res in hydro. It's what you do with it that makes the difference in styles.
A tray-over-res system of ebb n flow is the easiest to build and maintain and is also cheap. You buy components at the grow shop that will fit your space and light, and assemble them into a working system for less than the cost of a pre-fab.
Read grow logs for all sorts of system designs, and see what is working for people running differnt styles of operation.

[SpaceNeedle]

can anyone explain the ebb and flow system? Do you think it is better than the easy resovour system? I read this great article on 420mag and am still a bit confused on all the diferent hydro options and the cost vs reward vs simplicity vs effectiveness of the options. This authur makes a strong case for using this resovour method. Would anyone dispute that for a first time small grower? :rasta:

Marijuana Hydroponics by Concept420.com

The ebb and flow consists of 2 trays sitting on top of each other, with say a couple of 2x4's between them. They can be the same size trays. The bottom one will be the reservoir while the plants sit in the top tray. The top tray has a drain hole that might have a 1" pvc sticking straight up in it, held by a grommet making the height of the pvc pipe the highest level you want your nutes to be pumped up to be. Another hole is a line going down into the reservoir, attached to a pond pump. The pond pump is on a timer, say 15 minutes at a time, maybe 6 times every 24 hrs. The pump fills the top tray with the plants in it up to the top of the 1" pvc that may be 4" high, after that, if the pump keeps pumping, the "overflow" created by the pvc pipe will act as a drain. After the 15 minutes of pumping, the remaining nutes in the tray will drain out through the pond pump via gravity.

[the image reaper]

I prefer Rapid-Rooter plugs over rockwool :thumbsup: ... rockwool has pH problems, that have to be overcome ... not difficult, but why not eliminate a potential situation ? ... the plugs can go directly from germination to either soil or hydro, with zero effort ... I love 'em :jointsmile:

[d4twamp]

I have no experience with RR but I have grown in RW in hydroton as well as Oasis cubes in hydroton...
I agree with TIR don't care much for the RW but some people swear by it...to each, their own...
Ebb n Flow is so easy you can build a setup comparable in effectiveness to the store bought systems, but no where in comparison when it comes to the price...

I've built a few so if you need a nudge in the right direction give me a holler bro...

later D:jointsmile:

[GrowHoHo]

I seems that an ideal solution would be to use these rapid rooter cubes over rockwool and then transfer into hydroton. I would rather avoid using rockwool due to the PH factor and the fact that is it a haz material. Sticking with the whole organic symplicity thing.

Also i am still trying to figure out the best hydro system. I want to avoid using the wicks and pumps and all that. The article i linked earlier doesnt give me a lot of detail but explains the resorvior system not usuing either of these. He said it just involves a resorvior pan, a pot and a medium. Unfortunatly he doesnt diagram how these pieces fit together. I assume you put the seed/clone in the starter rockwool or other medium like rapid rooter in the pot and then place the pot with holes in the bottom in the resorvior pan with about 1.5 - 3 in of water. I think he said to use a 1 gal pot. Does that sound right or do i have it all backwards?

[d4twamp]

Sorry NYC for any jackin
What equipment do you already have GRO HO,maybe you should start your own thread for your grow so we aren't thread jackin NYC