Help with hand-watering rockwool and other tips

Hoping I can get some tips and pointers from people with experience growing in 6" RW cubes.

This is my first run in rockwool in a room I just constructed. I am a bit under the gun for time after building delays so I am going to do this first run of veg/flower by hand-watering and build a proper irrigation system before my next cycle. I will eventually have a top feed drip DTW system on proper timers etc.


I just received my clones rooted in soil. They are in quarantine for a few days getting dunked in Avid to prevent any mite issues before they enter my new room which is also getting a proper spraying.

I plan on just dropping the soil plugs into the rockwool and get running in a few days with a proper nutrient schedule.

In the meantime (3 days before transplant) my question would be should I just be watering the babies with water since all my nutrients are for hydro?

Also, does anyone have some helpful tips and tricks for nutrient timing and schedule other than the schedule laid out by General Hydroponics?

I've heard some people (including Jungle Boyz) say 6" cubes take about 500ml (2 cups) of water/nutes for a single feed. Some people suggest multiple feedings per day once the plants are a bit more mature, up to 4-5x per day by the end of flower but other people say the most you'll ever require is 2x per day towards the end.

Any other tips or resources/links would be extremely helpful and I appreciate you taking the time to read or share knowledge!

An exact amount to be feeding your plants during one day is a bit difficult as some strains drink more then others. If you are using rockwool I would recommend multiple feeds during your light cycle. I like a longish one right at the start of the light cycle and then again every three hours or so of lower amounts. You need to dial it in with a little experimentation. You want them moist but not soaking wet. Spend a few days with them checking the moisture level at the top and bottom of the cubes and adjust your feeding schedule to your plants.

Wow that seems like a lot of water to me. For the clones keep moist. I water when top 2 inches of soil is dry with 20% runoff. Feed nutes every other feeding at less than required concentrations in soil. Growing Blue Dream in third week of flowering plants are really healthy.

Plug the clones into the cubes, water once and wait for roots to show on the bottom. Then, water every few days when they start to feel a bit light. Always feed until water is coming out of the bottom.

Nutrient strength is going to depend on what type of light you have them under. In the cubes they need nutrients with every feeding. Extra runoff will prevent salt buildup.

The goal is to get them where youre feeding every day in veg, then flip them to flower and start multi-feeding as necessary. Rock wool loves short, frequent feedings but if you can only do 1-minute intervals then you can spread them out more.