rockwool number 2 question

[RagnorokYoshi]

ok so my earlier thread was asking about rockwool well i also wondered another question.


in all my reading abouy hydroponics and rockwool ive never seen anyone you just rockwool in thier net pots.so can you use rockwool without the hydroton? just put them in the net pot( after p.h balancing )

also this other question is related to what someone suggested in my last thread


seeing as how the hole(where i put sprouted seedings) for my rockwool is so big, how will i go about using soil to fill the hole with then placing the seedling in the soil?

is there any pros and cons to that?
will if affect growth time?


if this was going to turn out to be a good thing i was just going to put the rockwool in the net pot and fill the hole with soil.i dont know how it would turn out seeing as how im growing hydroponicly

 

[FreezerBoy]

You still haven't said how you're trying to grow.

With netpots, use no rockwool. With rockwool, use no net cups. With soil, use neither netpots or rockwool.

See the holes in the big cube? Those are for inserting starter cubes. If you're growing in soil, cut the big cube into 1" cubes (aka starter cubes) start seeds or clones in the starters and then once popped or rooted, transplant starters to soil. The big cubes in soil are simply an added expense for no gain.

So again, how are you trying to grow? We're here to help but, you have to help us help you by telling us what you're trying to do

 

[RagnorokYoshi]

whoops sorry im growing Lowryder#2 x AK47 EASY RYDER Feminized Auto Flowering Dwarf,White Widow Feminized and a california hash with a 30 gal dwc hydroponic system. im also using cfls

sorry ! i explain things like a kook!!

 

[PhenoMenal]

I dont like the sound of growing in 100% rockwool! It's great for getting seedlings and clones started, but it doesnt provide the drainage that the hydroton clay pebbles do, and I would hazard a guess that you'd end up with a big soggy mound covered in green algae. It'd probably work out more expensive as well, especially considering you can't re-use rockwool like you can hydroton.

 

[RagnorokYoshi]

I dont like the sound of growing in 100% rockwool! It's great for getting seedlings and clones started, but it doesnt provide the drainage that the hydroton clay pebbles do, and I would hazard a guess that you'd end up with a big soggy mound covered in green algae. It'd probably work out more expensive as well, especially considering you can't re-use rockwool like you can hydroton.

hmm yes alge...that completly slipped my mind....i havent grasped the whole rockwool and hydroton concept that fast..everything else was simple sort of....

 

[PhenoMenal]

Algae growth on rockwool is pretty much inevitable (you are afterall providing an excellent breeding ground for it by supplying light + nutrients!), but if it's just the one cube it's not really an issue, especially as the roots penetrate through the rockwool into the hydroton. Just fill your collander/net pot up about 4/5ths with hydroton and stick a single rockwool cube in the middle, and your seedling will be rockin in no time.

 

[RagnorokYoshi]

alright i guess ill just cut the rockwool i have into a small piece for the seedlings.

i have 6 bog 4" blocks so yeaa lol

im also waiting for my rocks to get here.

thank you freezer again!! and thanks you phenom.

just a couple ideas i wa throwing out there..thanks for the answers!!!

 

[FreezerBoy]

Ah, DWC. Now we're getting somewhere.

No big Rockwool cubes for you. If you can't take them back to the store, cut them into 1" cubes and use as starter cubes (cuts cost from 50¢ to 3¢ a cube woo hoo)

Start seeds or clones in starter cubes. Once sprouted or rooted, place 2-3 inches of Hydroton into the net cup, place the starter into the cup, surround and bury with remaining Hydroton.

Maintain a water level that provides direct contact with cube until there are sufficient roots to span a 1" airgap. When roots allow, drop the water level to 1" below the pot. Some maintain this gap religiously. I let it drop as far as 6 inches (once roots are established) between top offs.

The point of DWC is massive amounts of oxygen to the roots. When the rootball is buried in saturated rockwool, oxygen delivery is reduced thus defeating the point of the process.

Note rockwool and hydroton are NOT required. Some of us (like me) just find it easier. If you can germ or clone free of any substrate (and many here can) all the plant needs is to be suspended. Tied to a ScrOG as an example, the plant would be locked in place and have no need for the cube, Hydroton or netcups at all.

 

[RagnorokYoshi]

ok well that killed any other questions i had about it.
i wanted to wait till i got better at growing hydroponicly and learn different types before i tried anything without rockwool and hydroton.im focused on the grow itself and with cfls...my first grow was with soil and hps lights ( teacher let me borrow his) it was really exciting.ive even gotten a book that explains ph levels very deeply.


thank you once again br you saved me from confusion again freezer.
you too phenom.

once last thing...whats a good way to ph down the water? to 5.5?

i was going to buy a solution for this but i wanted to know if there is any home remidies

 

[FreezerBoy]

Home remedies like vinegar work for a few hours. OK for an emergency but, not maintenance. In a grow your size, a liter of pH down (phosphoric acid) will last you for years. Consider it cheap.

 

[RagnorokYoshi]

i already know where to get it from. lol

 

[fishheadbob]

Rockwool user here. I get some algae, but it doesn't seem to affect anything. No harm , no foul .