Rock Wool...your thoughts?

lilbry

Member
Greetings. I have heard many people avoid using RW because it is easy to over or under water...some people out right don’t like it. With that said, there seems to be a rich history of people using it...and with success. For those good growers out there...I’m wondering your secrets to making it work and being successful with it? How have you mastered the RW? Thanks for the info
 

F80M4

Well-Known Member
not a fan of it. tried cloning with it and the results were meh. i do aero for rooting/cloning cutting really big cuts 12"+
 

lilbry

Member
not a fan of it. tried cloning with it and the results were meh. i do aero for rooting/cloning cutting really big cuts 12"+
I’m not using it. Was just curious how people made it work in the past...just wanna learn :)
 

SnidleyBluntash

Well-Known Member
Il tell you my trademarked secret,

Yes it holds too much water for seeds and seedlings, but if you take a syringe or anything to suck water out of the cube you can create the perfect balance.

Another top tip,
I buy a huge block of it and cut my own shape. I cut a tall rectangular Piece, when you stand it up and water it, the water distribution is perfect at the top, as all the water pulls down to the bottom. Try it.
 

Roofledorf

Active Member
I have great success with cloning using rock wool. Just about 100% success rate.
I take cutting place in a cup of water. Then I remove the cutting and use a razor blade to slice downward by the end just barely on the sides. Next I dip it in clonex for 10 seconds before placing it into rock wool cubes that I had already soaked in water. Once done I clip the ends of some of the fan leafs at an angle and place under dome. I keep some misted so it remains moist. I keep a towel under the dome to sort of insulate it ( their is a tray ontop of towel of course). Roots usually shoot out the ends day 8-10.
 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
I can't stand the stuff. I put it in the same category as perlite. I don't want or need it.
 

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
I used it for growing - never for cloning or seed starting.
As a medium and in handy pre-made cubes. Great stuff for SOG work, in a flood and drain.
It should be flooded 5 times a day for by far the most nutrient lines out there.
1 at lights on and 1 right before lights out, and balance the other three evenly between them.

I positively killed grams per watt in a 2x2 flood and drain. It was filled with 35 4" cubes and each one produced an average of 32 grs per plant.
250w HID unit. It was a home made cage that held the table at waste high and the res was below it. Gravity drain with a mini pump in the res to fill the table. A 3.75 inch tube extended from the drain hole to allow for holding fill depth and the solution would drain back through the pump when it stopped running.

Used this as my "Dial in" tool for new strains before moving them into full production.... I don't do hydro any more.
 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
I used it for growing - never for cloning or seed starting.
As a medium and in handy pre-made cubes. Great stuff for SOG work, in a flood and drain.
It should be flooded 5 times a day for by far the most nutrient lines out there.
1 at lights on and 1 right before lights out, and balance the other three evenly between them.

I positively killed grams per watt in a 2x2 flood and drain. It was filled with 35 4" cubes and each one produced an average of 32 grs per plant.
250w HID unit. It was a home made cage that held the table at waste high and the res was below it. Gravity drain with a mini pump in the res to fill the table. A 3.75 inch tube extended from the drain hole to allow for holding fill depth and the solution would drain back through the pump when it stopped running.

Used this as my "Dial in" tool for new strains before moving them into full production.... I don't do hydro any more.
I used it for a run once back when I was doing flood and drain but went back to hydroton which is another thing I can't stand dealing with. Now I'm straight coco or soil. Things are just easier and I try and simplify things as much as possible and use as few items as possible. Coco works great as a growing medium and is excellent for cloning. And what's simpler than just using plain water in a good well amended organic soil with with maybe a couple feeds during flower? I enjoy growing so much more by having simplified things.
 

printer

Well-Known Member
I have used Jiffy peat pellets, rockwool and coco to clone with. Seemed to work with each. Soak with water, wring it out by having the cube, pellet in my hand and swing it in an arch quickly to use centrifugal force to get rid of excess water. Cut clone at an angle, dip in Clonex, stick in media. All have taken its time or roots pop out after a few days. Moisten the media with a spray bottle, have them under a dome with water in the tray. When I had trouble with a few I tried a drop or two at the stem and it seemed to work.
 
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