First Time Rockwool And Problems

[matt79]

Hi

Been growing in soil since 2008. I thought i would take the plunge.

I started some clones and put them into the 4 inch cubes. Theyve been in the cubes for 3 days. The leaves are getting droopy.

My tds is about 800 and ph about 6.

I soaked the cubes in rockwool conditioner. Ive been flooding once per day. The cubes are still pretty heavy feeling even 24 hours after flood. Grow store guy reccomends flooding 4x per day.

Im hoping to put these into an ebb n flow bucket system with hydroton in a few weeks, but they look horrible!

[t-pain]

pick up the cube and squeeze, if water comes out its too wet.

 

droopy leaves can mean overwatering.

[Wild Bill]

Make sure you have full drainage. Don't let them sit in standing water unless you're pumping lots of air into it.

 

The cubes should hold all the moisture the plant needs. I usually just mist cuttings until I see roots.

[trichcycler]

clones wont root in 800 tds in a healthy manner.

 

my routine with rockwool. separate cubes

dunk with hand, squeeze, dunk, squeeze gently

plant see.clone.

water when dry to the touch, gently squeeze excess.

rockwool rocks, if it burned or broke down I'd use it exclusively.

 

I'd shave those clones again and try again with plain water until you transplant

 

grow store wants to sell you a bottle of "Droop No More" next week. it will be plain water, and a sprinkle of patience.

[AmishRnot4ganja]

Don't keep them soaking wet. Let them dry out a bit between waterings, just like soil. Keep them in a dome and keep the dome misted on the inside. Let the dome dry out on the inside after a week, but still mist it a few times a day.

 

This is info I got from grassmatch. It works.

 

Important: Make sure that the clone stem fits tightly into the cube.

[matt79]

The rockwool ALWAYS feels wet lol. It doesnt seem to ever dry out. And the clones are in the little rockwool plugs(macroplugs) that fit(loosely) into the cubes.

Im thinking of taking the clones out of the macroplugs and sticking them into hydroton in 4"net pots. Idk if a good root system can develop in straight hydroton?

[trichcycler]

no hydroton just yet, leave the cubes alone, give them a squeeze, if wet, walk away. repeat. if not, mist the clone, drip some water on the cube.

 

room temps? room humidity? clone lighting?   clone juice?

[matt79]

Its a basement so proly 60 degrees room temp. The water res is 68 and i have a 400 watt hps about 3 feet overhead

Edited February 26, 2016 by matt79

[trichcycler]

air too cold, res too cold for clones, light may be too intense for cloning at 3 feet.

 

consider warming your clone area, and the water used to wet them. city water should sit out for a day or two before using for plants. fresh water for clones only, not shared with your vegging res. your vegging plants will grow under those conditions but they will not thrive and express as they could if it was warmer, less humid...

[t-pain]

heating pad (or seed heating pad better) will work. put it on a timer so it doesnt burn anything.

 

clones like 75F ? and yeah probably less light.

 

i'm no expert on clones so ask the experts instead.

[matt79]

They arent clones. They were cuttings that have already thrown out roots that i then put into rockwool macroplugs.

Ive never been steered wrong on here b4 so ill swap my hps out for a t5 and increase my res temp.

I would post a pic but i dont see an option for that anymore?

[trichcycler]

when roots emerge from rockwool its time to transplant to new substrate

[Wild Bill]

[Willy]

quote" They arent clones. They were cuttings that have already thrown out roots that i then put into rockwool macroplugs."

 

 

did you put rooted clones in to a rock wool cube? cause that would tear the roots off.  I have found the best and easy way to do clones

is root them were there gonna stay. 

1. Snip a branch. then pick of the bottom leaves.  

2. Cut off @ an angle over 45%. 

3. lightly scrape the lower stem. Dip into clone gel. 

4. stick it into the rock block. 

Your done. just wait for roots.

 

See above video for how to prepare, make/ a  place for putting the wool 

in a tray and keeping warm and moist. I figure you must already got that. 

 

As long as its got lights, and is warm. they should work perfect.

 

If I take away from what your doing is root clones elsewere then stuck them into the rw, 

root them right in the little blocks, when you got six in roots take block an all and pull the roots thru the pots

your gonna use then bury it in hydroten.. roots need to be down so they wet each flood...

Edited February 27, 2016 by Willy