Rockwol And Amazing Roots.

[desertsquirrel]

Shamrock, what works for me when rooting in rockwool and Rapid Rooters, Precondition your Rockwool with something like this:

http://www.growsmarthydroponics.com...dftrk=gdfV22646_a_7c984_a_7c3687_a_7cHDROCGAL

Per gallon I also add 1ml Roots Accelerator, 2.5ml Calmg,2.5ml MAd Farmer Nuts and 2.5ml B1

Ph the nutrients to 5.6 and soak the Rockwool for about 30 minutes. Pour off exess Nutrients.

I cut clone off with scissors then razor blade a 45 degree cut on a flat surface.

Set cutting in your clone gel. I cut 6 then plant the 6, not sure if it makes a difference allowing them to sit in the gel a little longer, but it is convienient.

Mist top cover with water on inside. Put on the cover and duct tape around the edge to make a good seal. I also wet a sponge or paper towel and set it on top of the air vents on top of cover. Do not place on concrete floor, the cooler it is, the slower it will root.

After 4 days, I open it, foliar with Dutch Masters 15ml Maxfx and 15ml Folitech Grow and 1ml Calmg.

Retape the cover for 3 more days then open and feed with 30ml Clonex, 2.5ml Calmg, 2.5ml B1, 1ml Roots Accelerator

Put cover back on, but do not retape.


Same process for rapid rooters, but no rockwool preconditioner.

This works 100% of the time, clones never yellow and you don't need to trim off as many leaves. I allow 2 fan leaves on each clone. Hope that helps.

All those products are a waste...

 

[Chilewig]

They work for me. I am always open to save money, but with the exception of the Clonex, I use all the products already so an extra 15ml here or there I don't notice, I waste more when I knock a cup over mixing a res. If your method saves me time, money or improves my results, I always try to improve. Shamrock was asking for a method that works. I am sure yours works great and I am sure he would love to hear your step by step. There is always a better method, usually that method is found by many sharing their experiences.

 

[Gaval]

squirrel questions about ur growing method

hey squirrel ive just recently set up a grow like you have going. Ive been top feeding with drippers an letting the nutrients drain to waste. Should i just flood an drain?

 

[Capulator]

DS,

What time cycles are you running with the rockwool for the juvenile plants?

This is such a simple, great idea. The only problem I see is if you leave the plants a little too long they will grow through the clone tray holes and it may make taking them out a pain in the ass.

 

[desertsquirrel]

Thanks. I only water at the first sign of wilt. The best growth in rockwol is achieved at low moisture, high o2 situations.

 

[Capulator]

whats with people successfully running 24/7 drip?

Ive been trying to get my head around this. I have learned that the best time to water plants is when they just start wilting, as you say. Especially in flowering, as it will trick the plant in to thinking it is dying, and in turn the plant will flower more (for reproductive reasons)..

The reason I ask is because I had to go with a 4" rockwool cube this time, and it is not compatable with my system, which is an ebb/flow with 4" vert tubes. Usually I water like 5 min on/20 min off... and the plants are in lava so it is impossible to over water.

any experience with continuously watering rockwool? The cubes are suspended in an enclosed tube, with about 14" or so of air underneath them...

 

[desertsquirrel]

continuously watered rockwol=stem rot.

 

[Darth Fader]

So the only time you re-soak the rockwool for cuttings is when they start to droop?

 

[Papa]

bad-ass roots.

 

[Hugo]

continuously watered rockwol=stem rot.

Nah man, maybe that's the case if watering during dark cycle. I ran 60lights on flip flop using 4" grodan on expert slabs with great success

U can easily run drip to waste during "on" times steady if u don't mind extra expense of nutrient usage....this will keep your ph and ec perfectly stable and accurate to what doses u are trying to achieve without fluctuating your levels up or down....just like greenhouse cucumber/tomato growers do
.....BUT
Then again....it's not that necessary .....
U can achieve perfect ph and ec by feeding one hour after lights come on and two hours before they go off....with 4-6 feedings per "on" cycle with a 10percent runoff... Accurately and properly measured.
That my friend is a beautiful feeding keeping them in perfect levels with food and ph....
This is what I was taught by greenhouse guy and it worked amazing...
I prefer drip to waste for accuracy, easily leached etc...if u got it dialed in hard...
Then again, it's preference I guess..

 

[Hugo]

Dessert.... Awesome roots... Healthy!

 

[Bud Head]

Hugo 10% of what is a perfect? I am going to try drip to drain next go but with 6" and Hugo caps with built in droppers.

 

[desertsquirrel]

I have often heard of this mythical "perfect" or even "stable" pH. However this approach has failed me both practically as well as theoretically.

Practically i documented running a static pH at the start of the thread "UC actual available nutrient profiles" and it was a nightmare. Deficiencies right and left as well as constant attention to and lowering of the pH to hold it stable. In general i see a correlation between pH rise and ec reduction to a tune of .5-.6 pH rise/.25-.3 reduction in EC over each 24 hour period.

Which brings me to theory. Initially i rely upon the pH rise to do 2 things. First the rise tells me that the plants are both removing acids (nutes) as well expelling hydroxyls, both of which raise pH. Also, working with the natural swing, allows the solution to cycle through the entire spectrum of essential elements optimal uptake point; as illustrated in the chart below:


BTW what is this magic pH number?

 

[vince vega]

I thought it was common scene that ph drift was a good thing, within reason of course. keeping it between 5.4 and 6.2 is as much attention as I want to pay to it...esp given the sweet spot for these vital goodies is all over the place.
BTW, more stellar work DS. I like your style. You don't even get heated if people (like me) post long-winded stuff in your thread...and when it's long winded *and* wrong... you just say "those products are crap"...well done my good man.

 

[Snowblind]

Im having great success with my grodan experiments so far! Thanks for the guidance Desertsquirrel. Im going to stack 2 hugos on each other in one experiment in a flood and drain bucket. I also plan on flooding and draining in the Titan bucket system with a big momma 8x8x8 block. Im very excited for these tests.

 

[desertsquirrel]

Great to hear it snowblind. Please keep us updated id love to see the tests.

 

[Capulator]

DS,

Did I read in one of your threads that you never run DTW?

If so, can I ask why please? As a hydro freak since I was very young, I always admired the method for the fact that running a recirculating system saves a lot of water. I have read though in the past few weeks that running DTW can actually use less water when compared to souped up RDWC..Plus the added benefit of controlling your nutes. I figured you would be a big fan of that part. Always knowing exactly whats going in seems like a great idea. Ever ran an aero DTW? Reading of guys running a third of the nutes, and a couple gallons a day in water.

Sorry if this isn't the place for this line of question... but I had it fresh in my mind while I was checking in and thought I woudl ask before I forgot.

 

[Snowblind]

High pressure aero is a hard system to get up and running! It does use little water and you can drain to waste, however, Desertsquirrel, hates dtw and prefers recirculation.

My RJD seedling was so far along in the hugo block that I double stacked it on a second block and droped it into my bucket system to start to flower. We will see what happens. My next test is in the big momma block and a square bucket system.

 

[Capulator]

High pressure aero is a hard system to get up and running! It does use little water and you can drain to waste, however, Desertsquirrel, hates dtw and prefers recirculation.

My RJD seedling was so far along in the hugo block that I double stacked it on a second block and droped it into my bucket system to start to flower. We will see what happens. My next test is in the big momma block and a square bucket system.

from the grodan site:

Big Mama "No-no's"

* Do not piggy-back one Big Mama on top of another Big Mama - the top will be too dry, and the roots won’t need that much space.
* Do not use Big Mama in Ebb/flood systems - the top half will be too dry.
* Do not place a tiny plant directly into the Big Mama – it must be well-rooted into a smaller block first so that it’s mature enough to root into the larger home. You wouldn’t expect an infant to run a marathon, right? Both need time to develop first.


No piggybackign the big mama SB. Only hugos.

 

[desertsquirrel]

Just to be clear i use 4 inch cubes and go to slabs from there... not hugos or big mamas.