do rapid root plugs need soaking like rockwool for cloning?

red eyes420

red eyes420

Active Member
The grow shop guy said the rapid rooters have good bacteria in them so i was thinking soaking would just flush out the micro organisms out.. do rapid rooters actually need soaking or can i just dip in a tub of ph'd water and drain excess.. what do you do?
 
Aeroknow

Aeroknow

Well-Known Member
Just make sure and hydrate them before using. I give them a couple squeezes under ph'd solution, and a squeeze out of. No need to "soak" for a while to correct ph like you would with rockwool.
 
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49erjohn

New Member
I found that it is better to just use then as is out of the bag. When I soaked them like I would the rock wool, the rooting period was very much longer. If you soak I think it is a good idea to squeeze them out. Good luck JOHN
 
Aeroknow

Aeroknow

Well-Known Member
49erjohn said:
I found that it is better to just use then as is out of the bag. When I soaked them like I would the rock wool, the rooting period was very much longer. If you soak I think it is a good idea to squeeze them out. Good luck JOHN
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Yup, just like i had said, squeeze them in solution, then squeeze them out. Sometimes, they come pretty dried out.
Damn niners huh? Oh well, next year
 
topfuel29

topfuel29

Well-Known Member
You don't need to do anything to them as long as there moist.
Make sure to seal the bag and they should stay nice and moist for a long time.

IMO- don't use plain water to water the grow plug. Use a Cloning/Rooting solution until your cutting/seed has grown a good root system.
You'll have better success with it.
General Hydroponics makes "Rapid Start" IMO it's the best. Clonex is a close second.

Good Luck on Your Grow.
 
Aeroknow

Aeroknow

Well-Known Member
By typing "solution", i should have clarified, very very mild, nutrient solution. I would agree that "rapid start" would compliment what GH already has put in them. I personally use a 200ish ppm of grow nutes+greenfuse root stim. I got buddies that use just water, got buddies that still use olivias(i use to years ago) and WE all make great looking clones :-) The plugs in a bag might usually come just moist enough, but I tell you what, the rapid rooter mats sure as hell don't. I do it no matter what with either though, just to keep shit consistent.
 
Bucees

Bucees

Well-Known Member
I use rapid rooters pretty much exclusively with 100% success. I just hydrate them a bit with my 7.1pH tap water and place the cutting in. Put them in my dome with a heat mat and 5-7 days later I have roots. The little suckers have never failed me. Good luck!
 
AkSlayer77

AkSlayer77

New Member
All good info being given. And yes pH is important. I am lucky where I am from the tap water is on point as far as having correct pH level so I do not have to put a lot of thought there other than an occasional tap water and soil check to make sure everything is as should be. So for at least me it is a very easy and thoughtless process. I take cuttings as low as possible. I try for 3 or more nodes. But have success with 2. I dip them in clonex or even the first rooting hormone I bought when am out of clonex. Which is miracle grow rooting hormone powder. I was brand new and store only had that so got it not knowing any different. But none the less will use it when out of clonex and to be honest I notice no difference on time frames or anything between the two. What I have noticed is people seem to over complicate cloning quite a bit. I make sure my rapid rooter is moist but not drowning. I place dipped clone in rapid rooter and tear a piece off corner of plug to fill the hole so stem is snug and no light reaches inside. I place in double tray. One flat tray with nutrient mixed water then plug holder with holes for plugs to sit in. Covered by dome. I keep on top of seeding heat pad. Misting leaves two to three times a day as well as dome. And after a week I start to see roots. My first attempt took two weeks. I didn't have water in bottom of tray. Mind you the water isn't high enough to reach second tray with plugs. It only helps to keep humidity and at least I think causes clone to work harder cause it senses the water and knows it needs roots to get to it. Maybe smoking to much of my own shit. But did have huge difference in time between no water and having. Using this system has given me 99% success in a short time. I have also experimented and placed cutting in rapid rooter with no gel or powder rooting aide. And have had just as good success almost and a fair amount of time. So rapid rooter are by far better than rockwool
 
Kingrow1

Kingrow1

Well-Known Member
AkSlayer77 said:
All good info being given. And yes pH is important. I am lucky where I am from the tap water is on point as far as having correct pH level so I do not have to put a lot of thought there other than an occasional tap water and soil check to make sure everything is as should be. So for at least me it is a very easy and thoughtless process. I take cuttings as low as possible. I try for 3 or more nodes. But have success with 2. I dip them in clonex or even the first rooting hormone I bought when am out of clonex. Which is miracle grow rooting hormone powder. I was brand new and store only had that so got it not knowing any different. But none the less will use it when out of clonex and to be honest I notice no difference on time frames or anything between the two. What I have noticed is people seem to over complicate cloning quite a bit. I make sure my rapid rooter is moist but not drowning. I place dipped clone in rapid rooter and tear a piece off corner of plug to fill the hole so stem is snug and no light reaches inside. I place in double tray. One flat tray with nutrient mixed water then plug holder with holes for plugs to sit in. Covered by dome. I keep on top of seeding heat pad. Misting leaves two to three times a day as well as dome. And after a week I start to see roots. My first attempt took two weeks. I didn't have water in bottom of tray. Mind you the water isn't high enough to reach second tray with plugs. It only helps to keep humidity and at least I think causes clone to work harder cause it senses the water and knows it needs roots to get to it. Maybe smoking to much of my own shit. But did have huge difference in time between no water and having. Using this system has given me 99% success in a short time. I have also experimented and placed cutting in rapid rooter with no gel or powder rooting aide. And have had just as good success almost and a fair amount of time. So rapid rooter are by far better than rockwool
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really chuffed you decided to recant this info but no one cares and this thread is eons old, also rapid rooters are crap, i rock in rockwool so bite me :-)
 
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