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Anyone used Rockwool cubes then Rockwool slabs?

SoCaliSmoker

SoCaliSmoker

Member
Anyone used a 4inch Rockwool to veg your clone in and then sit that Rockwool cube ontop of a slab during its flowering period?

(If you want an idea of what I'm talking about, visit this link:)
http://www.horticulturesource.com/g...-a2w-6-in-wide-x-3-ft-long-x-4-in-tall-p4149/

I have seen this method firsthand and I was wondering if anyone has had success with this or suggested another method. Does adding another layer of Rockwool help the plant and it's rooting grow,yield,etc.. better? Does this really work?

Please advise
 
ChaosCatalunya

ChaosCatalunya

5.2 club is now 8.1 club...
Veteran
Yes it works, the 4" cubes are proportionately wider and more stable than 3", so better to use. I would stick them on top of the Slabs ASAP, most people harm plants leaving the cubes sitting around in less than perfect conditions. No point in letting the roots coming out of the bottom die back when they could be rooting into the slab.

You root in the 1" cube first, transfer to the 4" as soon as you see roots, likewise to the slab. Remember to give your Rockwool a good conditioning soaking in low pH solution, it is very alkaline, likewise, there are feeds developed for Rockwool growing that you may find work better... Optimum Europonic was the one I liked and had success with.

The black plastic Rockwool trays you can also buy fit the slabs perfectly and IMO are the way to go, I like the ones with 10 spiky grooves on the bottom for clone rooting/growing on.
 
W

Wait...What?

Active member
Veteran
for veggies I take the transplants i buy at places like the big orange box, then i rinse the soilless mix off the root ball, then i just plop it in the hole of a 4" cube and top th hole with perlite. I then stake that to the rockwool slab [outdoors, wind].

I measure out on the slab where I want the cubes to sit, then I cut an 'X' and pull the flaps up the sides of the 4" cube.

when cloning I clone in the rockwool plugs [or rapid rooters] that fit in the hole in the cube.
 
SoCaliSmoker

SoCaliSmoker

Member
Would you suggest this method over bubble buckets? Does anyone know why this method became popular? Are the roots really going to be bigger (going through two different sets of Rockwool) than they would if they were planted in soil?

Anyone done comparisons they could share? Thanks!!
 
ChaosCatalunya

ChaosCatalunya

5.2 club is now 8.1 club...
Veteran
SoCaliSmoker said:
Would you suggest this method over bubble buckets? Does anyone know why this method became popular? Are the roots really going to be bigger (going through two different sets of Rockwool) than they would if they were planted in soil?

Anyone done comparisons they could share? Thanks!!
Click to expand...

bubble buckets, like Aero, NFT, E&F etc. are Active Systems, Coco and Rockwool [generally, depending on how set up] are Passive Systems, slightly less yield in slightly more time, but far simpler and generally more robust than active systems.

So, IMO bubble buckets might be "better" but are more likely to go wrong, swiftly loosing any potential advantages, especially for a beginner with the systems.

Rockwool slabs are popular with real Horticultural farmers, very modular and easy to use, in most tests you will find any well run Hydro setup outperforming Soil, personally I prefer Coco over Rockwool, both to use and for the smoke.

Why not run a few tests yourself and see what works for you, it is all good, but you may well find one works better for you than another.
 
W

Wait...What?

Active member
Veteran
drippers on slabs is far and away the most tune-able hydro system going

you can vary the fertilizer mixture
you can vary the fertilizer strength
you can vary the frequency at which you fertilize
you can vary the duration of each fertilization event
you can recirculate or drain to waste
et cetera

it is really f'ing hard to beat top drip run to waste - thats why most greenhouse foodstuffs are grown that method.

but like any complex system, when you have lots of knobs to frob, you can end up shooting yourself in the foot, so to speak.

it really really helps to learn how to read a plant before going top drip run to waste.
if you're not comfortable with advanced techniques, stick with dwc/waterfarms/ebb&flow.
 
cygnus

cygnus

Member
I just use the 4 inch cubes in a tray. 3 days veg 1-1.5 oz per plant when done. I am going to buy the 1 inch coco mats next go around and try to hit 2 lbs a tray.
 
W

wowzerz

Member
cygnus said:
I just use the 4 inch cubes in a tray. 3 days veg 1-1.5 oz per plant when done. I am going to buy the 1 inch coco mats next go around and try to hit 2 lbs a tray.
Click to expand...
I am using 4 inch rockwool cubes on top of a coco mat, but it is the thin one. I should have gotten the 1 inch stuff, the one I have dries out faster then my cubes, I think the thicker mat would fix this. other then that, I have no complaints. I would like to hear if anyone has used the cubes on top of a slab as well, I have considered this, but never made up my mind if it was a good idea/
 
cantstoplooking

cantstoplooking

Member
I think cubes on top of slabs work very well my only cons would be is you have to keep buying it, I would rather buy new ones then try to reuse them personally, the other negative is there kinda hard to get the water out of when your done using them...you could try to buy some sort of wringer to run them through to get the moisture out or whatever, but disposal can be kinda a pain in the ass.
another tip would be if your starting from regular seeds you cant cut the slabs in half and tape the ends where the poly isnt completly covering them, that way it's easier to dispose of the males.
 
ItsAllOver

ItsAllOver

Devil's Advocate
I'm doing it now. Check the link in my sig for details.
I like it. Give them mucho room to expand. I find that my girls root for the first three weeks of flowering or so, then stop. By the time I put them into flower and onto the slabs, they were just poking roots out of the cubes... It was a nice transition.
 
G

globel

Member
i did it for simplicity. Its nice and easy to clean. and I think rockwool is designed to be used this way. The top cubes(4" or 3") tend to stay at a better moisture level when placed on top a slab. This can also be said for 6".... but i never use those... seems a waist. I only needed to feed 2 times a day max when they were at there largest. I could have gotten away with 1.
 
S

sarek

Member
I have been using 6 inch rockwool with ebb n flow a bunch, but am now switching to uni-slabs which are slabs presized for one plant. I was watering 3x/day but I think now I can water 2x per day. I plant baby directly into slab. How often do you all water/day???
 
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