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How often to water grodan mini cube's?
- Thread starter samiam
- Start date
So I was thinking on my final pot I'll put 1" of hydronton in the bottom of a #6 pot than take that #6 pot and put in a #7 pot with 3-4" of prelite that will sit directly in about 1" of water in a drain pan that has drain connections 1" high.
Kinda like a hempy setup, only it will be watered 3-4 times a day like I'm doing now with Coco/ hydronton.
Anyone ever did it this way with rockwool cube's?
Kinda like a hempy setup, only it will be watered 3-4 times a day like I'm doing now with Coco/ hydronton.
Anyone ever did it this way with rockwool cube's?
Cannabean
Active member
They do recommend to put hydroton in the bottom of pots that are filled with the rockwool minicubes for better drainage.
I would not let the pots go dry. Rockwool is great because it acts as a hydro medium and can maintain a proper moisture content while being fed frequently or infrequently.
It's ok the minicubes on top get a bit dry, the roots will seek out the moisture they need. you can mist the top if you think it's too dry or just continue to water them daily, the rockwool will drain and maintain and properly water content it needs to keep the plant happy.
I would not let the pots go dry. Rockwool is great because it acts as a hydro medium and can maintain a proper moisture content while being fed frequently or infrequently.
It's ok the minicubes on top get a bit dry, the roots will seek out the moisture they need. you can mist the top if you think it's too dry or just continue to water them daily, the rockwool will drain and maintain and properly water content it needs to keep the plant happy.
So far I love the Floria flex matrix disc's. It's just like hand watering, the whole pot gets even distribution of water from center to edge.
They do take a little time to setup but once you do you can set it and forget it.
you do need a high pressure pump like a jet well pump to run these disc's because you need enough flow and pressure to flood all the discs evenly.
And one more thing is I added quick disconnect fittings to the 1/4" lines that connects to the circulator. Makes it much easier to remove when time to repot.
They do take a little time to setup but once you do you can set it and forget it.
you do need a high pressure pump like a jet well pump to run these disc's because you need enough flow and pressure to flood all the discs evenly.
And one more thing is I added quick disconnect fittings to the 1/4" lines that connects to the circulator. Makes it much easier to remove when time to repot.
Mudraya
Active member
I just got some of those caps, very excited. As far as the cubes treat them like any other rockwool. The ideal moisture content is 70% and they should not go below 45. Water them when they are only a little dry, they are made for it, it is a hydro medium after all. Which means in part that they have a very good air to water ratio when near saturation (70%). You can use hydroton for drainage but it isn't necessary, especially if you have well draining pots and trays. However, using it on top is effective when not using something like the flex caps to block out light. The little bit of oversaturation that might occur at the bottom will be quickly taken up by the root mass.
Hi mudraya, nice to hear you'll be running the caps. Are you using the blocks on top of slabs?
I'm currently watering twice a day 1 week into flowering #7 pots. Once at the start of lights on and than again 7 hours later.
But they are drying out pretty good between those 2 waterings you thank I should add in another watering?
BTW do you use some kind of meter to check moisture content
I'm currently watering twice a day 1 week into flowering #7 pots. Once at the start of lights on and than again 7 hours later.
But they are drying out pretty good between those 2 waterings you thank I should add in another watering?
BTW do you use some kind of meter to check moisture content
Mudraya
Active member
Yes, ramp up your waterings as they get larger in the first week or two of flower. Idk what size a #7 pot is so make sure they lose a little moisture in between waterings but otherwise aim for up to 8 if they can handle it and volume is slightly undersized, 4 perhaps being more average if the volume is in the normal range. I wish I did have a moisture meter, plan on it soon. I go by measuring runoff volume and checking dryness by lifting/visually . It's a little basic but has worked so far! I'll be using the flex caps on 4" blocks over unislabs for an experiment. I do numbers and media volume slightly different every time these days to keep things interesting and always looking for ways to improve. After another year of experimenting I might settle on a favorite lol.
Flooding the rockwool to saturation on top helps prevent buildup on dried nutrient on the rockwool surfaces.
This helps with the plant a few months down the line when the crust could have built up thick enough to affect nutrient concentrations and lockout.
The top layer being damp is a beacon advertising Heaven to flying bugs that lay their eggs in moist soil.
Perlite is neutral AND it floats. A one inch layer on top will float up when the water reaches it, indicating all the rockwool is saturated. The Perlite remains dry, discouraging those awful bugs from laying eggs. Filters on the runoff water find an 80% reduction of larvae when using Perlite as a top coating.
The bright white color reflects light back up, although no effect on yield has been noticed from this.
This helps with the plant a few months down the line when the crust could have built up thick enough to affect nutrient concentrations and lockout.
The top layer being damp is a beacon advertising Heaven to flying bugs that lay their eggs in moist soil.
Perlite is neutral AND it floats. A one inch layer on top will float up when the water reaches it, indicating all the rockwool is saturated. The Perlite remains dry, discouraging those awful bugs from laying eggs. Filters on the runoff water find an 80% reduction of larvae when using Perlite as a top coating.
The bright white color reflects light back up, although no effect on yield has been noticed from this.
Mudraya
Active member
For future reference; rockwool can sustain a 6 foot plant in a 6" block when autofed, probably bigger, and commercial tomato growers...that's another story, much much bigger. There is absolutely no need to use a 7 gallon pot even when hand watering. I would go with 2 gallon size if I liked 7 foot tall plants and water them once or twice a day (if by hand). If I liked shorter plants (and I do) I'd go with 1-1.5 gallon of the mini cubes. For now just water once a day and aim for the usual 10-15% runoff and flush 1x volume once a week unless there is a problem in pH or ppm of runoff.
The goal with watering frequency and volume of irrigation is tweaking parameters, which is fun. However you can always water once a day and get a satisfactory result if your container is appropriately sized to be able to sustain itself with that one watering during mid flower (heaviest use) which experience will tell you. In your case the media volume is most likely over done so that's why I would especially recommend only one watering per day.
The goal with watering frequency and volume of irrigation is tweaking parameters, which is fun. However you can always water once a day and get a satisfactory result if your container is appropriately sized to be able to sustain itself with that one watering during mid flower (heaviest use) which experience will tell you. In your case the media volume is most likely over done so that's why I would especially recommend only one watering per day.
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Side by sides with identical clones in 3.5 gallon and 7 gallon containers. Same room, same light, same nutes.
The 7 gallon containers grew plants 15% larger than the 3.5 gallon containers, and they did it at a faster pace.
Roots do make a difference, more roots process more nutrient and result in superior growth.
I have seen the results of the 'Beer Cup Challenge' and agree that tremendous plants can be had from small containers.
Imagine the same techniques with a larger container.
Size does matter.
The 7 gallon containers grew plants 15% larger than the 3.5 gallon containers, and they did it at a faster pace.
Roots do make a difference, more roots process more nutrient and result in superior growth.
I have seen the results of the 'Beer Cup Challenge' and agree that tremendous plants can be had from small containers.
Imagine the same techniques with a larger container.
Size does matter.
