What's the matter with Rockwool for non commercial growers?

[hydrodreams]

It's not very hard to recognize that allmost all of the big indoor companies in North America are using Rockwool as their prefered medium. In many videos where they talk about their facilities they also state the reasons why they chose to do so: sterility, steerability, consistency of medium from the manufacturer, low weight makes it easier to handle etc.....

In contrast to us non commercial growers(or better: "non-multimillion dollar facility owners ), where Rockwool is rarely seen anywhere. What is the reason for this? Is Rockwool especially sensitive for any imperfections of any kind in a grow room?

Does anybody know?

I am growing with coco and I am quite satisfied with the results, but I have always had a kind of a secret crush on Rockwool but never touched it since in any growshop they told my that nobody asks for it...

 

[Moe.Red]

I use rockwool all the time. Until this last grow, I would say I have germed 80% or more of my seeds there.

I didn't realize we don't use it - Its always available at every grow shop I go to.

 

[hydrodreams]

I guess you knew that I was refering more to what comes after germination and rooting....Did you also use it for veg and flowering? If not, why not?

 

[PK1]

Here is @Dirtbag rockwool none commercial grower with fantastic results.

The Crystal Palace is back, now with a Spiderfarmer SE5000.

Okay gang, this will be the new diary. It's been a good 6 months since I've done a proper grow in the shed and it's time to get next year's personal stash going. Ill start this off by going over some of the recent upgrades to the growroom, aka the Crystal palace. The shed has been freshly...

www.thcfarmer.com

 

[Moe.Red]

Ummm, ok.

Cinderella G13 | Grow Block | Growing in rockwool

It's been a while i've done one of these diaries so, i thought i do one while i am doing my 1st proper grow in rockwool. To get this diaries kicking off i'll be inviting my inspirational and close trusted friends that i have meet through THC Framers. @Dirtbag @Aqua Man @tobh @Mr.GreenthumbOG...

www.thcfarmer.com

Wedding Cake | Rockwool grow journal

Barneys Farm Wedding Cake It's going to be a slow start with these clones, although they rooted in eight days. Flower room size is a 4x6x8ft sealed room Rockwool grow from 2inch to 4 inch and finall resting place is a uni-slab She is a 80% Indica mixed with 20% sativa cherry Pie x Girl Scout...

www.thcfarmer.com

The Crystal Palace is back, now with a Spiderfarmer SE5000.

Okay gang, this will be the new diary. It's been a good 6 months since I've done a proper grow in the shed and it's time to get next year's personal stash going. Ill start this off by going over some of the recent upgrades to the growroom, aka the Crystal palace. The shed has been freshly...

www.thcfarmer.com

There are a ton more. I don't know what to tell ya.

 

[tobh]

i too use rockwool. i think given it's a hydro media, a lot of hobbyists shy away from it due to the perception that hydro is hard and "you can burn your plant with a single mistake!"

 

[Aqua Man]

RW is as good as any… just depends on the atyle your comfortable with

 

[Moshmen]

Here is @Dirtbag rockwool none commercial grower with fantastic results.

The Crystal Palace is back, now with a Spiderfarmer SE5000.

Okay gang, this will be the new diary. It's been a good 6 months since I've done a proper grow in the shed and it's time to get next year's personal stash going. Ill start this off by going over some of the recent upgrades to the growroom, aka the Crystal palace. The shed has been freshly...

www.thcfarmer.com

View attachment 1281786

Pk also grows in rockwool

 

[hydrodreams]

I might have to add that another reason for starting this topic was the circumstance that Im growing tired of carrying coco bags, filling the pots, empty the pots, carry the used coco and dump it....If I could overcome these anoying works by switching to another medium, I would gladly do so. But not if it is a very bitchy media that punishes me for every little imperfection, then I would rather continue to carry bags.

But thanks a lot for the input so far. And not to forget I guess is the fact, that Rockwool is not cheap which could be another reason why many growers stay away from it.

 

[beluga]

I might have to add that another reason for starting this topic was the circumstance that Im growing tired of carrying coco bags, filling the pots, empty the pots, carry the used coco and dump it....If I could overcome these anoying works by switching to another medium, I would gladly do so. But not if it is a very bitchy media that punishes me for every little imperfection, then I would rather continue to carry bags.

But thanks a lot for the input so far. And not to forget I guess is the fact, that Rockwool is not cheap which could be another reason why many growers stay away from it.

I can't suggest hydroton and hydroponics enough for the hands-off approach.
Water is the media. It and salt can be carried by pipes and hoses. Essentially everything can be achieved via valves and timers.
Monitoring and adjustment becomes more of the legwork than actually schlepping stuff around. Rinse/cleaning hydroton between uses is probably the most bodily labor you do with it aside from trimming your harvest.

 

[hydrodreams]

Did anybody experience that yields suffered more when growing in rockwool when it was too hot (in the summer) compared to coco?

 

[MIGrampaUSA]

More than likely, its the cost to enter into hydro that stops new growers and has nothing to do with rock-wool. When people decide they want to pursue this hobby, endless hours are spent researching what we want vs what we can afford. At the end of it all, many opt to "get started" in soil and move to hydro later. A lot of those people never do. They stay with soil because its "easy and it's what they know."

 

[Buzzzz]

It's not very hard to recognize that allmost all of the big indoor companies in North America are using Rockwool as their prefered medium. In many videos where they talk about their facilities they also state the reasons why they chose to do so: sterility, steerability, consistency of medium from the manufacturer, low weight makes it easier to handle etc.....

In contrast to us non commercial growers(or better: "non-multimillion dollar facility owners ), where Rockwool is rarely seen anywhere. What is the reason for this? Is Rockwool especially sensitive for any imperfections of any kind in a grow room?

Does anybody know?

I am growing with coco and I am quite satisfied with the results, but I have always had a kind of a secret crush on Rockwool but never touched it since in any growshop they told my that nobody asks for it...

I use it when it warms up for cloning or starting seeds or sensitive strains because you can't overwater and holds air as long as it is raised ,it has a tendency to stay cold so when winter comes I don't like it. When it cools off I find the cuts don't strike well without a heating mat.Another problem is if you combine rockwool with soil or promix ,ex: transplanting,the soil sucks the water out of it and young seedlings or clones can get dehydrated. Rockwool is not sensitive to imperfections ,it's just spun rock so it's neutral,even though people will say to ph it before use I have never had to .

 

[hydrodreams]

...... ,it has a tendency to stay cold so when winter comes I don't like it......

Thats the kind of fears I have about it. I dont have the means to create a perfect environment all the time.

 

[SSgrower]

Welcome to the Farm hydrodreams, I am in coco/perlite and I re-use my coco as it's almost two years old as I write this, so reuse it for less work, I top the 3 gal material bag off between grows,Cheers SS

 

[hydrodreams]

Welcome to the Farm hydrodreams, I am in coco/perlite and I re-use my coco as it's almost two years old as I write this, so reuse it for less work, I top the 3 gal material bag off between grows,Cheers SS

Hey, thanks for your answer. I have a friend who reuses coco once.....He did use it more often in the past but got away from it again after realising that salt buildup became an almost unmanageable problem. And since I veg my plants up to 3 weeks in 1 gallon pots, they will often have such a massive root structure at harvest that its just a bit of dust/crumbles that is left for potential reuse. So I would have to buy more bags again.

And then there is something else: More and more I dont enjoy going to Growshops anymore for varous reasons. But that is something I would have to if I need more than two bags of coco. If its more than two bags they will need to send it on a palette which is very unpractical and gets the potential attention of to many people that I dont want....

 

[beluga]

More than likely, its the cost to enter into hydro that stops new growers and has nothing to do with rock-wool. When people decide they want to pursue this hobby, endless hours are spent researching what we want vs what we can afford. At the end of it all, many opt to "get started" in soil and move to hydro later. A lot of those people never do. They stay with soil because its "easy and it's what they know."

While I agree, it's kind of strange that people coming into it feel that way when a bale of ProMix is damn near $100.
With a little bit of mechanical/plumbing knowhow or even just the ability to follow guides, you can diy yourself a hydro setup for about the same initial cost as soil and then you're paying almost nothing for media in perpetuity.

Personally, I think the biggest drawback hydro has is its fragility. Power outages are stressful enough. And the more tech you rely on, the more severe those outages get. I think people getting into it are (reasonably) overwhelmed by all the moving parts to hydro.

Or maybe it's just our nature. We're kin to Seed + Dirt = Plant.

 

[jadins_journey]

Hey, thanks for your answer. I have a friend who reuses coco once.....He did use it more often in the past but got away from it again after realising that salt buildup became an almost unmanageable problem. And since I veg my plants up to 3 weeks in 1 gallon pots, they will often have such a massive root structure at harvest that its just a bit of dust/crumbles that is left for potential reuse. So I would have to buy more bags again.

And then there is something else: More and more I dont enjoy going to Growshops anymore for varous reasons. But that is something I would have to if I need more than two bags of coco. If its more than two bags they will need to send it on a palette which is very unpractical and gets the potential attention of to many people that I dont want....

Welcome to the farm hydrodreams. Lots of good growers here to learn from. Rock wool and hydroton are my choices for media. I do wash the hydroton and reuse, there's a lifespan for hydroton as it dissolves some every washing but its been a couple years now and still running with the same rocks.

jj

 

[jadins_journey]

Hydro can be intimidating and complex as the grower choses it to be. Personally I like to keep it simple. This pic shows all the mechanical parts for my hydro systems. Not shown are; hydroton/rockwool, lights of your choice and reservoir sitting just below.

jj

 

[ninjadip]

It's not very hard to recognize that allmost all of the big indoor companies in North America are using Rockwool as their prefered medium. In many videos where they talk about their facilities they also state the reasons why they chose to do so: sterility, steerability, consistency of medium from the manufacturer, low weight makes it easier to handle etc.....

In contrast to us non commercial growers(or better: "non-multimillion dollar facility owners ), where Rockwool is rarely seen anywhere. What is the reason for this? Is Rockwool especially sensitive for any imperfections of any kind in a grow room?

Does anybody know?

I am growing with coco and I am quite satisfied with the results, but I have always had a kind of a secret crush on Rockwool but never touched it since in any growshop they told my that nobody asks for it...

I didn't know rockwool was losing popularity. I use it. I don't buy it at the grow shop because it is dirt cheap on Amazon. I've never used coco, so i'm on the other side I imagine.
I tried some kind of alternative fibrous medium to start seeds, and they all eventually had fungus growing from them. So never again, only rockwool. Sterile, and I re-use it, another reason you won't see me at the store.