Pargro VS Grodan Delta blocks

Pargro claims to have a drier material, which equates to more oxygen to the rootzone.

I've been a long time user of Grodan and an use to it and understand its usage. I am looking at Pargro blocks and they are up to 30% cheaper then Grodan. I do not want to sacrifice quality and have to deal with more issues that is already in existence with Grodan blocks already.

Has anyone have any input between the two rock wool blocks?

The pargro may require more irrigation cycles which might be no good in a drain to waste set up.

I found them better, the dryer block ment over watering was less likely, even at saturation the plants dont seem to get over watered. Where before if i had a plant that was behind it may get scuzzy roots from over watering, with the pargro this seems to happen much much less.

They do need more irrigations(i run recirculating) but i still choose the pargo when i can find them. They are actually made by the same company as Grodan, just their no advertising brand.

How dry do you normally let your blocks get plutosmoke, what does your watering schedule look like for how big the plants are?

I am watering for 2 minuets once a day when roots poke out the block, then twice a day just before flip, then about 3 times a day after 1 week of 12/12. I may get up to 4 times a day during the most vigorous part of growth and before i prune them but then by day 28 i will end up dropping it back a watering to 2 or 3 times a day.

Plants are spaced with 1ft sq per plant and flipped at about 10 inches. Blocks get dry but still with some weight to them.

I am still figuring it out so i am really keen to see how you are doing it

Row


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Just saw you are using the coco mats, i found them really awesome too. I am not using them with the pargro to save on costs but they did work awesome.



I will snap a pic of some pink kush i have growing the pargo this week.


Row

Row said:

Just saw you are using the coco mats, i found them really awesome too. I am not using them with the pargro to save on costs but they did work awesome.

View Image

I will snap a pic of some pink kush i have growing the pargo this week.


Row

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Wadded Row! nice roots@!

I am running the same way, 4x4 cubes on top of cocotek mats with my 4x4 table covered with black and white mylar cut with X for the plant to be placed in.

As for your questions, I don't allow mines to dry as much. Here goes.
From clone into the 4x4 holes, i start with soaking my RW at 5.0 PH and it will jump to about 5.8. I don't flood again till day 4.
From the second flood at day 8 from transplant, I don't feed again until I transplant to flower, which is around day 14-18 depending on size, I like to flower around 12 inches but if I'm pressed for time I'll flower around 10 inch.

At transplant to flower, I top feed my RW to flush out all salts and get the RW fresh again, I will do this again after the 3rd and 6th week of flower.

Beginning of flower, I will only flood enough to wet the coco mats 4x a day and will keep this schedule for the entire flower. This drying out the top will help roots grow into coco mats. About a week into flower, I will start flooding with my entire reservoir once a day.

Note, the first week of flower, my plants are heavily trimmed and there are already about 5-15% root penetration through the bottom of the rw.

Row said:

Just saw you are using the coco mats, i found them really awesome too. I am not using them with the pargro to save on costs but they did work awesome.

View Image

I will snap a pic of some pink kush i have growing the pargo this week.


Row

Click to expand...

I forgot, I realized your using the 4x8 rolls. I use to use them and cut them in half for my 4x4 trays. I now use the precut 4x4x1 sheet. BUT! I make 1 sheet into 2!, if you get the 4x4x1 sheet, you can see that its really 2x 4x4x.05 sheet glued into one and you can easily peel them apart. The 4x4x1 is also a lot less dense, which I conjure will create a wonderful aeroponic environment for the roots. The 4x8 rolls are really dense and flat, plus you have to cut it if your using 4x4 trays.

There is no difference between the Pargro Rockwool and the regular Grodan. It has SLIGHTLY different solution holding (it dries quicker but its negligible) capacity and less marketing/fancy label etc. Still made by Grodan. Still the same high quality. Just a little cheaper.

i was getting the cheap brand from growers house by the case and it was just fine as well. check it out if you are trying to save some cash. i was doing them SOG with coco mats

Iam gonna bust out some of my old Libra Trays and do a rockwool slab drip to waste run under a couple lamps next run. Back in the 90's everyone ran rockwool slabs drip. But we recirculated. I quickly found out that rockwool is ideal and originally meant for non recovery drip systems. I mainly run coco coir in 2 and 3 gallon fabric pots drip to waste now but once in awhile I get the urge to go back to rockwool blocks and slabs. And to be honest..the 2 substrate mediums are VERY similar to me. Same growth and feeds. Same end product. Same results. And rockwool is alot less messy. Transplant is stupid simple. Just stacking a blocl on another block or slab.

Grodan also sell hydrophobic (or whatever it is correctly called)

I saw an order for a swamp grower sitting in the shop

One of the worst things about rockwool is that it does not perform that well when full of water

No it doesnt. Rockwool fell out of flavor sometime ago here in America because alot.of growers never learned how to use it right. Rockwool can be adapted but it is truly meant for topfeed drip to waste. Learn how to use it. Figure out the feed strengths/timings/leaching/dry down/steering and rockwool can surpass any substrate or method your using now. Especially for bigger more commercial setups and operations.