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Rapid Rooters vs Peat Pellets

FC89

Member
alright this is a great way to start beans it seems. so you guys plump em up and then let them dry? fully? then just dip them in water when your going to put the beans in? I've heard that its good to completely cut off the netting around the peat, less restriction for the roots, would that be better than scoring the pellet? Also when transplanting I can put the peat pellet in the next medium correct? don't have to like get all the peat off the roots before putting in?

thanks for the help guys, i appreciate that people are helping because some people spend hundreds of dollars on seeds only to have them go down the drain because they do not know whats a good way to start them.
 

stonedar

Macro-aggressor
Veteran
I wonder how plants ever make it in nature if it takes this much thought to start a seed, wowie. All this time I just been growing weed, I had no idea it was damn technical.

Jiffy pellets, oasis cubes, rockwool, rapid rooters, they all work fine. Try not to think so hard, if you are that paranoid about a seed that at most cost $10-20 each maybe practice with some bagseed.
 

hoosierdaddy

Active member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
alright this is a great way to start beans it seems. so you guys plump em up and then let them dry? fully? then just dip them in water when your going to put the beans in? I've heard that its good to completely cut off the netting around the peat, less restriction for the roots, would that be better than scoring the pellet? Also when transplanting I can put the peat pellet in the next medium correct? don't have to like get all the peat off the roots before putting in?

thanks for the help guys, i appreciate that people are helping because some people spend hundreds of dollars on seeds only to have them go down the drain because they do not know whats a good way to start them.

Read it all back closely and you may not have to ask again...
Don't dry your puck out.
Don't cut the netting off...unless of course you want to keep growing it in the puck until the roots are protruding, but the folks wanting to help you here are pretty much telling you that the puck is for germination purposes only. And yes, soon as it sprouts and has leaves showing, put the whole thing, puck and all, into another pot of medium. Some cover them all up, some don't. If the seedling has stretched out lots due to lack of light (most usually) you can ease the problem by transplanting the puck a little deeper into the next pot of soil so that the soil actually swallows up about half or so of the seedling stalk. This can help it tokeep from folding in half or damping off.
 
B

bcell

A lot of people stress about germinating seeds. It is really easy. Plump up the pellets pop in the seed 1/4" and keep them evenly moist, not wet. A germination mat speeds things up as well.

Cool about the coco pellets.
 

FC89

Member
sounds good, sorry to be a little repetitive with the questions....I think I understand it now, thanks for the information guys!
 

ReelBusy1

Breeder
ICMag Donor
Sup IC,

I've read alot on both of these, but both seem to be a good way to start seeds.But can anyone tell me which is better? I've read some stories how peat pellets can sometimes restrict root space if not treated properly, and some grow just a bit and then their roots are stunted. I haven't read many stories on rapid rooters but it seems like a good way to start seeds. I'm going to be putting the seeds in a shot glass of water, wait for them to drop then drop them in either the RR or PP, but I'm not sure which to use! I've heard alot of success stories with rapid rooter and peat pellets, but which is best use for from seeds straight to the starter? Also is it a good idea to keep transplant and keep the plant with the rapid rooter and peat pellet and just put that in the next pot? maybe cover the top of the pellet or rooter just a bit?

Thanks for your opinions guys, I appreciate the help/answers.

I love Rapid Rooters.
my local shop sells a 50 pack for $16 inc tax.
I have 40 Elvis clones going right now in the pack I got last week. Cut them on Thursday

Keep the rooters moist but not soaking wet.
give the cuttings two weeks to root well.
 

Thundurkel

Just Call me Urkle!!
Veteran
Jiffy 7 pellets!! The smaller ones that come in a pack of 72 I soak them in water that has 2 drops of Superthrive per gal and then squeeze them out really good and make them nice and compact. They end up like the size of a RR and I then poke a hole with a chop stick and with Dip n Grow or Root Tech gel and being on top of my flower cab so a heating pad would do the same I got roots in 6 days consistently. I switched to Root Riot and Rapid Rooters only cuz I couldn't get the smaller Jiffy 7 pellets around my house... Got me wanting to make the switch back!
 

hoosierdaddy

Active member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Walmarts in my area just got the Jiffys put out recently. The refill packs seem to always fly off the shelves leaving only the dome kits.
 

flatcurve

Member
Rooters are what I have had the most success with, but I go through so damn many of them. I take cuttings and place them in soaked rapid rooters, no hormones. The rooters go into the tray with the humidity dome, which is sitting on a warming mat set to 75F. On top of the dome, I've got a 13W fluoro bulb. Within 10 days, more than half will show roots. In two weeks, all of them show roots. I usually let the clones go 16-20 days before I pot them and put them under stronger light.

The only time I don't have a clone root is if I take a larger cutting, cut it in half and try to root both halves. Usually the bottom part of the cutting will have trouble rooting because it has the exposed cut on top. (using sealing wax would probably help these guys but that's too much work) If I place those closer to the center of the tray though, they will root about 80% of the time. I try not to take cuts like that, but if I need the numbers I will.

I'm looking to move away from using rapid rooters, because I just use too many. When I find a method that is as successful as rooters, and can yield me approx 50 healthy clones every 2 months in the same amount of space, I'm on it.
 

DocTim420

The Doctor is OUT and has moved on...
Pics are worth a 1000 words--

Notice how these pepper roots were "restrained"--these are "Jiffy 7 pellets".
Jiffy_03.jpg

Jiffy_05.jpg


Workaround is to remove the netting prior to transplant...so say others.

Or use ProMix itself.
 

wvkindbud38

Elite Growers Club
Veteran
Bump the thread, do you guys soak your Rapid Rooters in a mild solution or just plain RO water??? Also are you leaving the domes on a few days or what. Thanks guys
 

Bobby Boucher

Active member
Oasis cubes, ro water, 100 pack sterile #14 scalpels, big clones, translucent locking containers, seedling mat on a controller set to 80, 2' t5 bulbs ~1' from the tops.

Leave closed. Spray the underside of lid daily and blow out the stale air.

I'll hydrate the clones for anywhere from a 6-24 hours in mild nutrient solution, but the cubes come pre-charged and ph correct.

Under these conditions, I've never seen a clone not root. Granted, I only clip 3-6 at time, but none the less, every clone I've thrown out for years and years now, had roots.

Never seen the need to try rooting hormone. I do usually coat my blade in honey when I'm slicing around. Tried mixing in a bit of cinnamon with it today for the first time, dunno why, probably shouldn't be trying fix what wasn't broken.

:dunno:
 

Vanilla Phoenix

Super Lurker
ICMag Donor
Bump the thread, do you guys soak your Rapid Rooters in a mild solution or just plain RO water??? Also are you leaving the domes on a few days or what. Thanks guys

I soak the rr in a 10ml/gal clonex solution pH’d to 6.0

I also soak my snips in the same solution over night before I stick them in the rr. And just before I stick them, I dip the snips in Elite91’s Clones as a rooting hormone.

I dome the tray and set a heating mat to 75F. I use a spray bottle with the same clonex solution to keep them moist when they start to dry.

I clone perpetually so I keep my dome on all the time. Like Bobby said, I just make sure I refresh the air everyday.
 

wvkindbud38

Elite Growers Club
Veteran
I've been doing some cloning with a aerocloner, and one of those bubblers in buckets also too. But everybody raves about these Rapid Rooters and I'm gonna give them a try, guess just dip in #8 hormex and put them on a heat pad and see how it goes. Maybe mist them some. Do you guys soak the RRs a few hrs in a nutrient solution, or just plain water ?? Old dog has took a like to improving my cloning stills. I've never really been to great at cloning, that's why I'm doing it, also these clone only strains and keeping a,few mothers I like gems in!!!
 
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