Sound rockwool tek?

[maryanne3087]

Hey folks,

I was on another forum and saw a tek for germinating seeds in rockwool. I decided to post it under hydro since Rockwool is usually used for hydro...

This is what the user by the name of geoskills posted on another forum

"I also do not use paper towels. When germinating a seed - and this goes for ANY seed I germinate from tomatoes to peppers - I place the seeds in luke-warm water and leave them there for 24 to 36 hours. I then take a rockwool cube (peat pellets are also a convenient way to insure that your seeds retain access to an appropriately moist/humid microclimate during germination) and place the seed about 1/2" down in the cube/pellet. Let those rockwool cubes sit in about 1/4" of water inside a container with a perforated top (ie. a mini greenhouse). Then place that germination greenhouse on top of something warm like an external hard drive or refrigerator."

My concern is the rockwool being too wet, would the seeds be at a high rick of damping off?

Best Regards,
MA3087

 

[rocket high]

ive used this kind of tec before but i didnt leave the cube in water i just made sure it was always moist and it worked well for me every time ...mind keep an eye on them tho they can dry out pretty fast

 

[Haps]

Rockwool sux, it is ship insulation, rapid rooters are made for seeds and clones.

 

[tokinafaty420]

Rockwool works just fine haps. Been using it for years without any issues.

When preparing rockwool for use mary, soak it in pH adjusted water first. Once it has absorbed the water it can hold, take it out of the container and give it around 5-6 good hard shakes downward. You will see quite a bit of water come out, so do it over a sink or over the container you soaked them in. Once the excess water is removed they are ready to be used.

Best wishes to you and your plants.

 

[maryanne3087]

Thanks everyone for trying to be helpful but all I'm interested in is damping off of seeds when using this tek to a t.

I've started some seeds using rockwool which was soaked for a while in pH'd water and shaken off but I'm a bit worried of them drying out. For now I've added a bit of water near the seeds and I'd just like to know if this works or not as it seems extremely worry free if it does as you've essentially got a reservoir that needs to dry out before your rockwool does.

As for rapid rooters, I've yet to try them I usually use jiffy pellets or plug trays of soil or coco. Maybe I'll give them a go next if I'm not satisfied with rockwool.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Rockwool kicks serious ass. Especially for germing seeds.

Rockwool, when wet from bottom feeding, can only contain as much O2 as the water it's in. Keep that water aerated and 100% saturation is what makes it work. Hand watering from above also works if you don't mind the time.

I germ in my bubbler. Place dry seed in dry cube, place cube in bubbler, remove plant in about 36 hours. Note I'm not talking about a cracked seed or a seed with long tap root, I'm talking plant. Personally, I don't wait for roots to show. The second it sprouts, it's into the DWC under the big lamp.

 

[maryanne3087]

What exactly is your bubbler?

I've got 100% germination with my rockwool but I don't keep it 100% saturated I was scared it would be too wet for the seedlings.